Tourists can ride double-decker tour bus in Sault Ste. Marie

A classic double decker bus in Sault Ste. Marie has been restored and has started ferrying tourists to tourism spots across the city.

The newest addition to Sault Ste. Marie’s tourism scene isn’t hard to spot.

The double-decker tour bus just wrapped up its first week in operation after the 52-year-old bus was rescued from the scrapyard.

“The bus is a 1973 Daimler Leeland bus,” said Kat Yakich, the manager of the Big Ben Bus Tour.

“It came directly from England and it is one of the buses that used to your the Sault over 30 years ago. It was found in the backwoods of a local scrapyard and retrofitted and modernized to what it is now.”

The bus operates in a hop-on, hop-off style, doing a loop of local attractions each hour.

“Our stops include the library and art gallery area, the Tap Room, Bushplane Museum area, the downtown core,” Yakich said.

“We go into the Historic Canal Site, we go by the Agawa Canyon Train tour. We go all the way over to Bellevue Park. Lots of areas in the downtown we visit.”

Educational component

Not only does the bus allow tourists and locals to grab lunch downtown before heading off to the park for a few hours, but it also has an educational component.

“It’s going through to bring you insights into the areas that you were travelling through,” Yakich said.

“You can learn what the buildings once were, who has been here, stuff like that. It’s quite enriching to see the difference in the city from a different perspective.”

Pamela Lawrence, one of the drivers of the bus, has an interesting connection to it, as do many locals.

“I went on this bus probably 50 years ago in a field trip with our classroom … it’s an experience,” Lawrence said.

“I think that just even having the younger generation get on, you know … I think it’s going to be fun for them.”

The Big Ben Bus Tour operates six days a week, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday.

The bus will host a special Canada Day event to offer prime fireworks viewing. More information on the bus and to purchase tickets, visit the Sault Lock Tours website.