Three Boston sight-seeing companies are combating to forestall two double-decker bus corporations from being accredited by the town and state.
Old Town Trolley Tours, Boston Duck Tours and Cityview Trolley Tours lately met with representatives from the Boston transportation and police departments to complain that underneath former Police Commissioner William Gross, the peak of sight-seeing autos was elevated to 14 toes.
That would enable Uptown Transport and Historic Boston Tours to function open-top, double-decker buses in Boston, supplied they get approvals from the hackney unit of the police division and the state Department of Public Utilities. And the rise in top was made, they mentioned, with out notifying anybody.
“I have no objection to competition; the rules were just changed without any notice or input,” mentioned Cindy Brown, CEO of the Boston Duck Tours. “We just want a level playing field.”
The utility of one of many double-decker corporations — Uptown Transport — is pending earlier than the Department of Public Utilities.
The DPU has requested the corporate to supply an replace to its route approval from the Boston Transportation Department as a result of the route approval doesn’t have the identical company title on its utility, a DPU spokesman mentioned.
Uptown Transport additionally is predicted to file up to date details about the place the corporate is planning to park its autos when not in use.
Munim Kahn, who owns Uptown Transport, mentioned the autos can be parked in a business lot in Boston, however he declined to say precisely the place.
Khan complained that he was being made to leap via hoops as a result of he was an individual of colour. But Chris Crompton, proprietor of Old Town Trolley, mentioned the entire sightseeing corporations need to “jump through the same hoops.”
In February 2018, DPU gave one other firm — Historic Boston Tours LLC — a certificates of compliance for constitution service and a certificates of public comfort and necessity for sight-seeing service.
But these approvals have been “voluntarily suspended” whereas the division awaits info from the corporate, corresponding to proof of insurance coverage, the DPU spokesman mentioned.
Historic Boston Tours couldn’t be reached Thursday for remark.
“Tourism is an important contributor to the local economy,” a metropolis spokesperson mentioned, “but we are committed to ensuring that operators within Boston don’t negatively impact the city’s transportation system or residents’ quality of life.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”