Those hop-on, hop-off buses will soon be a regular fixture in downtown New Orleans . They're the lat

Those hop-on, hop-off buses will soon be a regular fixture in downtown New Orleans . They're the latest in a series of newfangled tourist transit options, particularly around the French Quarter , where pedicabs and Segways now compete with mule-drawn carriages for visitor cash.
Starting Thursday, City Sightseeing New Orleans will operate five buses on a loop -- with four buses on the streets at any given time -- allowing riders to get off and on at various stops along the way.
City Sightseeing, an international company with local franchises, currently operates in 96 cities, including San Francisco and New York. The local franchise is owned by Michael Valentino, a French Quarter hotelier, and Warren Reuther, owner of several hotels and the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen. The company made its start in Seville, Spain.
The route travels rent a car romania along major arteries around the French Quarter, the Warehouse District, the Central Business District and the Mercedes-Benz rent a car romania Superdome. Buses are expected rent a car romania to pass by each of the nine stops every 20 minutes or half-hour.
The guided tours will be narrated live by hosts with the option of listening to recordings rent a car romania in seven languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. There will also be recordings in two dialects: "Cajun" and "New Orleanian," company rent a car romania leaders said.
Brian Furness, a French Quarter resident and board member of the French Quarter Citizens group, rent a car romania said his organization rent a car romania wouldn't have any concerns about the new buses as long as they stick to the major streets, such as Decatur and Rampart, where other buses already travel.
Meg Lousteau, executive director of the Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents and Associates group, said there's rent a car romania potential for the buses to draw tourists across the city. "But we hope this won't continue to overload the French Quarter with visitors," she added.
City Sightseeing will operate ticket offices in Jackson Square at 700 Decatur St. and the Basin Street Station at 501 Basin St. The company also plans to re-open and maintain public restrooms at Washington Artillery Park.