Oxford sightseeing open-top bus company says recent heavy rain putting off customers

Oxford Bus Company has fewer passengers than last year. Credit: ITV Meridian

A sightseeing open-top bus company says the recent downpours have been deterring passengers.

Head of customer experience at Oxford Bus Company, Andrew Morison, says the drop in customers is mainly down to UK tourists choosing to stay at home because of the weather.

The wet weather is affecting businesses across the Thames Valley, as Berkshire and Oxfordshire have had more than July's expected rainfall in just the first 10 days of the month.

  • Andrew Morison, Oxford Bus Company, says the wet weather is putting off British tourists

Oxford Bus Company, Andrew Morison said: "At the beginning of the spring it was quite strong, we got off to a great start.

"Then it got quite hot, but now that the rain's started to set in it's definitely started to slow things down a bit.

"The last few years we've been on a recovery trajectory post-covid. Having seen strong recovery last year, we kind of expected to see that carry on this year, but it's definitely plateaued, and we believe it is because of the weather."

  • International tourists aren't put off by the wet weather

Andrew added that takings are down since last year, but are being bolstered by international tourists who refuse to let the bad weather ruin their holiday.

One tourist from Mexico said: "I come from too far to stay in the hotel watching the rain, and we're very happy here, it's very pretty, and it's the weather in England, right? So it's okay."

Another tourist from the US said: "We're from Arizona, so this is wonderful. We love the rain!"

Oxford Bus Company says Brits are being deterred by heavy rainfall but international tourists are not put off. Credit: ITV News Meridian

ITV News Meridian weather presenter, Philippa Drew said: "Oxfordshire and Berkshire have already had over a month's worth of rain, with Hampshire not far behind.

"Of course last July ended up being the 6th wettest on record for the UK, it remains to be seen whether we're in that ballpark.

"We're already well on our way, but there are hints of something a little more settled and a little warmer developing over the next two or three weeks."

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