By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on July 15, 2009 1:48 AM
Two Of New York's Best-Known Rival Double-Decker Busses Have Merged To Form Twin America In An Effort To Cut Costs And Compete Again The Bargain Big Taxi Tour
"CitySights NY" and "Gray Line New York Sightseeing" Join Forces
In an effort to cut costs, two of New York City’s best-known rival double-decker tour bus companies are merging to combine operations in a joint venture.
CitySights NY and Gray Line New York Sightseeing will continue to operate under the same names, but the new company will be called Twin America, with a fleet of 100 vehicles and gross assets of $28 million combined. Supposedly no layoffs are happening as a result.
New York's Tourism Is Taking A Hit
The merge comes at a time with New York City’s tourism boom is taking a hit from the economic crisis and the number of tourists expected to visit New York is much lower this year. Another double-decker bus and fairly young competitor on the scene is the Big Taxi Tour, a hop-on, hop-off family-run bus tour company bringing passengers to attractions in New York City.
Their yellow buses with black and white-checkered stripes have been seen more and more throughout Manhattan. Big Taxi Tour is less expensive than CitySights and Gray Line with $25 rides through Midtown and Downtown, versus $44 for CitySights or Gray Line. Whether this bargain bus and the economy will harm Twin America is yet to be seen.
