Landmark Services Tourmobile, Inc.
IndustryTourism and transportation
FateContract terminated by National Park Service
HeadquartersWashington DC
Number of employees
130 (1996[1])

Tourmobile was a sightseeing company that operated in Washington DC from 1969 until 2011.[2][3] The company was founded as a subsidiary of Universal Studios with three buses and grew to become an independent company carrying more than 700,000 passengers per year at $32 per ticket on its fleet of 45 vehicles.[4] Passengers were able to board and alight as often as they liked on the day in which a ticket was purchased.[5][6] Tourmobile operated a legal monopoly for guided tours of the National Mall and Arlington National Cemetery, which prevented the DC Circulator, Capital Bikeshare, WMATA,[7] and other organizations from providing services in highly-traveled parts of the city.[8][9] This monopoly was highly controversial from the start.[10] The National Park Service received an estimated $330,000 per year from the arrangement.[11] After the termination of the Tourmobile contract, companies including Gray Line Worldwide and Open Top Sightseeing began providing National Mall tours.[12] The company's fleet consisted of a distinctive style of bus, the newest of which was manufactured in 1976.[13]

Mr. Tom Mack of Landmark Services Tourmobile, Inc., being presented with a plaque indicating 20 years of Service by Mr. James M. Ridenour, Director of the National Park Service.

References

  1. ^ Vohra, Lakhinder (June 14, 1996). "Will succession spoil Tourmobile?". Washington Business Journal. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  2. ^ Fiegel, Eric (October 31, 2011). "After 42 years, Washington's Tourmobile company makes its final run". Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  3. ^ "No More Tourmobile Rides at Arlington Nat'l Cemetery". ARLnow. November 2, 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  4. ^ Morrison, Erica (October 28, 2011). "Tourmobile service in D.C. to end Monday after 42 years". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  5. ^ Jean K. Rosales; Michael R. Jobe (1 February 2003). DC Goes to the Movies: A Unique Guide to the Reel Washington. iUniverse. pp. 297–. ISBN 978-0-595-26797-2.
  6. ^ Tom Price (13 August 2007). Washington, D.C. For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-470-16891-2.
  7. ^ Bicentennial Transportation Program Construction: Environmental Impact Statement. 1976. pp. 13–.
  8. ^ Depellis, Lydia (July 28, 2011). "The Never Ending Tourmobile". Washington Citypaper. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  9. ^ Kelly, John (July 4, 2011). "Pedicabs on the Mall: Fun for tourists or unsafe ride?". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  10. ^ United States. Congress. House. Committee on Public Works and Transportation. Subcommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds (1978). Union Station/National Visitor Center: hearings before the Subcommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, House of Representatives, Ninety-fifth Congress, second session ... U.S. Govt. Print. Off. p. 332.
  11. ^ Lisa Benton-Short (12 August 2016). The National Mall: No Ordinary Public Space. University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. pp. 120–. ISBN 978-1-4426-3056-7.
  12. ^ "Bus tours restored on National Mall". WJLA. April 5, 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  13. ^ Metro. Bobit Publishing Company. 1986. p. xii.
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