Dundee school pupils who clocked that the city's tour buses were returning to the roads have been rewarded for their curiosity - with free tickets to use during the summer.
Primary 7 kids at Our Lady RC Primary and Rosebank Primary schools had watched earlier this year as Xplore Dundee began testing the Discover Dundee route outside their new campus in Coldside. The company took note of their excitement and invited them on board to check out the new bright red double-deckers earlier this week.
And to top it off, P1-P6 kids have been given free runs on the bus over the summer so long as they're travelling with an adult paying the regular fare.
Jennifer Heffell, Rosebank headteacher, said: "Throughout the year our pupils have been learning about how and why Dundee is important in relation to its influences within the rest of the world through a variety of social studies projects.
"We have seen a variety of Dundee landmarks that are within walking distance but this tour will give children the opportunity to see and hear about many more from a different perspective.
"There has been great excitement from the playground when the children see the tour go past so I know this will be popular and hope this launch will see the start of something special for our fantastic city this summer.”
Our Lady's head Lorna Dashwood added: “Our children were really curious when the bus passed our playground on a test run, so they are now delighted to be part of the launch."
Xplore - which was taken over by Glasgow bus firm McGills in 2020 - says the Discover Dundee buses have proven "immensely popular" with tourists, visitors and residents alike since they were launched in April.
The plan to bring open-top tours back to Dundee has been in the works for years, following an absence of more than two decades.
Marc Winsland, the firm's commercial manager, said: “We’ve had great feedback from the Discover Dundee sightseeing tour and it has captured the imagination of visitors and Dundee residents – and particularly the pupils from Our Lady RC and Rosebank Primary Schools.
“When we were out testing the route prior, we knew that the children were really excited to see the open top bus preparing for its launch and we wanted to make sure the pupils got to experience the tour on board.
“Dundee has so much to offer our young people and it is great that we can help them explore the city as we approach the summer holidays. We hope all the children have a great summer break and enjoy their trip with us as part of that.”
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