Floating Bus Hippo

   
What's A Hippo? A Hippo is a unique 40 passenger vessel that offers land and water sightseeing tours of Toronto. Come splash into Lake Ontario on our "Bus that Floats!". Experience one of Canada's most beautiful cities with all its historical sites and its magnificent waterways.

As the name suggests, this unique means of transportation is the bus drift. The point is floating in the water. So you can take the bus over the river, exciting is not it? Hippo bus is able to accommodate up to 40 passengers. This transport is used for the tourists in the water at the same toured overland tour in the City of Toronto.

Looks like fun ya. Buss Hippo offers the experience along the beautiful urban areas through water and land. Guaranteed you will feel satisfied during the tour, which lasted for 90 minutes.

Henrietta the amphibious Hippo is scooting around Victoria by land and sea to prepare for the 2013 tourist season. You can't miss her.

The 40-foot-long bus is bright yellow with cartoon hippos painted on its exterior. It is one of three hippo buses brought to Victoria by tour company owner Geoffrey Lind, who operated a similar business for 12 years in Toronto. Two other hippo buses are parked while Henrietta is being used for test drives on the road and in the water. "She is performing well," Daria Yu, the company's manager, said Wednesday. New staff are being trained at the same time. The goal is to run tours from April 1 to Oct. 31 next year. Passengers will get a land tour, ride the bus into the water, and continue on land.

Henrietta is participating in the Esquimalt Celebration of Light parade starting at 6 p.m. on Dec. 4. "The other hippos are hibernating right now," Yu joked.

This past summer, Greater Victoria tourism officials lauded the hippo tours, saying more attractions are needed.

Tourism brings about $1 billion to the local economy every year, according to Tourism Victoria. But operators are getting used to living with uncertainty as visitor numbers fluctuate depending on everything from the weather to currency fluctuations. Tourists are increasingly making travelling decisions at the last minute and are tending to book shorter stays than in past years.

The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority is allowing the hippo to use the James Bay Boat Launch. No final agreements have been signed to date, said Rebecca Penz, GVHA spokeswoman.

Hippo Tours has been working with Transport Canada, which is responsible for certifying vessels, vehicles and operators.

Henrietta Hippo has a certificate that is good for one year and expires on Oct. 16, Transport Canada spokeswoman Jillian Glover said in a statement. "The other vessels - Harry Hippo and the Happy Hippo - have not been inspected yet for an annual certificate to carry passengers."

Harry Hippo, A unique 40 passenger vessel that offers land and water sightseeing tours of Toronto. Come splash into lake Ontario on our "Buss the Floats!". Experience on the Canada's most beautiful cities with all its historical sites and its magnificent waterways. The city tour of downtown Toronto takes you past some of the city's major landmarks such as Hockey Hall of Fame, Hummingbird Center, Air Canada Center, Molson Amphitheater, IMAX, Eton Center, Osgood Hall, Old and New City Hall, Toronto's waterfront and Ontario Place. 90 Minutes tour is uninterrupted and is fully narrated by our tour escort, to provide with some of the history of Toronto and historical landmark. Hippo is driven by a marin licensed captain to ensure a comfort and safety tour. "Harry Hippo" is amazing vehicle, of Toronto.

One of the amphibious tour buses (known as Harry) operated by Toronto Hippo Tours made the mistake of chugging into the channel between the CNE and Ontario Place which was restricted due to the Air Show. A police boat came roaring over, with the officers yelling "Turn around!". The cop in back is waving his finger around in circles to make the point understood. Of course this was an exciting incident for the passengers who then all waved and took pictures of the police as they waved back. Comedy is everywhere if you look for it.

When the Hippo Bus Tours Happen:
Toronto Hippo Bus Tours run from May to October with trips every hour on the hour between 11am and 5pm. In the peak summer months of July and August, an extra tour is added daily at 6pm. Always try to book in advance, as many trips do sell out.

Length of the Tour:
The tour lasts around 90 minutes, with traffic being a small variable. Seating is first come, first served so you'll want to get there at least 20 minutes early, if not more. That said, no seat on the Hippo Bus is actually a bad seat, but it's still nice to have your pick. This is especially true if you've got more than two people and want to have several of the bench seats close together.

Where to Board the Hippo Bus:
The Toronto Hippo Bus route begins and ends outside of the Hippo Tours offices at 151 Front Street West. That's on the south side of Front, right near Simcoe Street. It's just a few minutes walk west of Union Station, before you reach the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and well before the CN Tower.

Of course, the fact that there's usually a giant yellow bus parked at the curb makes the place pretty easy to spot.

Where the Hippo Bus Goes:
The land portion of the Hippo Bus tour includes Yonge Street, the edge of Chinatown, the U of T area, Queen West near Spadina, part of the harbourfront and the CN Tower/Rogers Centre area.

The water portion is in the interior bay created by Ontario Place and out near the wind turbine by Exhibition Place. The Hippo Bus does not go to the Toronto Islands or in the water near Queens Quay.

Prices and Payment:
An adult trip costs $38 with seniors 65+ and students aged 13-17 saving $5. Tours for children 3-12 are $25 and it's $3 for kids under 3.

There are savings available for families of 4 or more and groups of 10 or more, plus the buses are available for charter. For any of these situations, visit the Toronto Hippo Tours official website for more details.

Tickets can be purchased online at TorontoHippoTours.com, by phone at 416-703-4476, or in person at 151 Front Street West.

Hippo Gifts:
Although they don't advertise them anywhere on the website, you can buy gift certificates to send someone else on a Hippo Bus adventure. As well, if you know someone who loves hippos in general and are looking for stuffed hippos or other hippo-related paraphernalia, the Hippo Tours office at 151 Front Street West has a wide selection for you to chose from.

Safety and Accessibility:
There are life jackets provided under the seats of the Hippo Bus, and just like on an airplane your guide will give you a quick demo on how to use them before you hit the water. Things stay dry inside except for perhaps a little spray on the most windy of days, and the water portion of the tour is taken at a slow cruising speed.

Climbing stairs is required to board the Hippo Bus and there is no bathroom on board. The seats are similar to what you would find on a school bus - benches suitable for two without any armrests or other structure.

The Tourist Experience:
Designed for tourists, the Hippo Bus Tour gives an overview of the city by land, pointing out several major landmarks and key neighborhoods that visitors will likely want to return to and explore. The water portion is mostly for the novelty, although it does provide a few nice views of Ontario Place. It's certainly a fun way to get an overview of the city, especially early in a visit.

What's in it for Local Residents:
If you're from Toronto a Hippo Bus ride often sounds like fun, but it may also sound like a lot of money to spend just for the novelty of being driven into the water. In actuality, the tour itself can also be enjoyable for locals because of the trivia provided by the guides. They give a little bit of basic info to help ground visitors, but move effortlessly into sharing fun and little-known facts.

Also, there's the added novelty of being the ones in the Hippo Bus. Just as you may watch the Hippo Bus go by with interest, when you're in it people are often watching you go by, many waving and smiling - or just looking really confused, if it's their first Hippo Bus sighting.

The water portion itself is actually less of a tour and more of a boat ride. Your guide may talk a bit, but mostly they let you enjoy a different view of Lakeshore, Ontario Place and - when I took the tour - mildly annoyed looking cormorants, seagulls, ducks and swans.

Overall, a Hippo Bus Tour may be a bit pricey for many Toronto residents to justify, but if it does interest you it can easily fall into the category of something you should do once, just for fun. Using it at as part of a full day celebrating a special occasion also works very well, since the route begins and ends near so many restaurants.

Canal Taxi

Bangkok city is often referred to as the Venice of the East. This is not because the city has many rivers and their modes of conveyance water. The number of canal and river network in the Thai capital bore taxi river by boat.

Transit tool is an essential part of the transport system of the city of Bangkok. By using this means of transport, traveling becomes easier and faster than using ground transportation bottlenecks that often occur.

Uniquely, these river taxis serve up to urban centers. although in seini have a low bridge, it does not matter. We will cross the bridge, taxi boat will slow down and lower the roof, the passengers had to be down for a while.

Vast network of canals or better known as khlong gives Bangkok the nickname as 'Venice of The East'! Served as the highways in the past, today these khlongs is far inferior but still work in a way to combat the traffic congestion in Bangkok. Water taxi or express long-tailed boat that runs along the khlong provides a good alternative to get around in Bangkok city, particularly perfect for adult travelers on shoes string budget. Water taxi is more efficient and reliable compares to cabs or buses which have high tendency to stuck in traffic choke. 

The most favorite khlong route among Bangkok backpackers are Khlong Saen Saeb that runs in the central of traffic congestion area. Operates from 05:30 through 20:30 hours, these long tailed boats ferry passengers from the designated piers along the khlong. Apart from the foul stench and pollution of canal's water, the pier or boarding jetty is usually within the walking distance to the landmark of Bangkok or places of attraction. 

However, it is wise to pick up some simple Thai especially the name of your destination pier so that the boat operator could inform you the fare.

Run systematically upstream or downstream on Khlong Saen Saeb, the service of long-tailed boat starts at Tha Ramkhamhaeng which is the last stop/pier of upstream and ends at Tha Phanfa that is the last stop of downstream. The following provides some general guide for the pier to disembark and attractions/shopping malls nearby. You may grab a tuk-tuk or walk to these destinations.

* Tha Phanfa - Visiting The Golden Mount Temple (Wat Saket), KhaoSan Road, Giant Swing, Democracy Monument, Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew
* Tha Bo Bae - Shopping at Bo Bae clothing wholesalers market
* Tha Saphan Hua Chang - Shopping at Siam Square, Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery, MBK and visiting Jim Thompson's House
* Tha Pratunam (Interchange) - Shopping at Pratunam Market, Platinum Fashion Mall, Panthip IT Mall, Central World, Gaysorn and visiting Erawan Shrine

The cost for the canal boat ride is between 10 Baht to 20 Baht depending on the distance of the journey. Not recommended for physically challenged individuals or adults that are traveling with infants or young children. 

Hanging Train

The hanging railway in Germany’s western central city of Wuppertal (pronounced Voopahtahl) is the oldest monorail system in the world. Built in 1900, the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn or “floating train” has been continuously operated since 1901, despite two world wars, various accidents and other turbulent events. Find out the stories behind this stylish and green mode of transportation.

What to do when a growing industrial region requires an efficient transport system yet geographical characteristics like hilly terrain, a flood-prone river and high groundwater levels prevent building of the same? This is the situation city planners faced in Wuppertal at the turn of the 19th century: The city region had reached an all-time population peak of 400,000 and quickly needed an efficient mode of transportation that would go beyond the requirements of traditional ground or subterranean transportation.

Leave it to the Germans to come up with something unique that would later be copied many times in the world: the suspended monorail. The model for this railway, however, came from English engineer Henry Palmer who had already devised plans for a horse-drawn suspended monorail in 1824. German engineer Carl Eugen Langen finally built and tested the first prototype for a motorized suspended monorail in Cologne in the 1880s.

In 1898, construction on the actual Wuppertal monorail began and after a construction period of only three years, under master builder Wilhem Feldmann, was opened in 1901. It was soon known as the “Wuppertaler Schwebebahn,” literally Wuppertal’s “floating train.” So great was the hype around this new mode of urban transport that even German Emperor William II was roped in to ride the monorail during a trial run on October 24, 1900.


Today, the suspended monorail stretches over a track system of 13.3 km and 20 stops. 10 km of tracks follow the Wupper River at an elevation of 12 meters and for 3.3 km; the tracks follow Wuppertal’s narrow streets at a height of 8 m. The monorail reaches top speeds of up to 60 km/h and covers the complete distance in about 30 minutes. It is a popular mode of transport that carries 75,000 passengers every day or 25 million annually.

Given its long history, it might come as a surprise to learn that there have only been a few accidents involving the Schwebebahn and no fatal ones until 1999 when Coach No. 4 derailed because of parts left on the tracks after repair work. One train compartment fell into the Wupper and five passengers died while 47 were injured.

Apart from a few exceptions, the monorail has not had to suspend services. During World War I, ridership sank because of large parts of the male population being drafted, leaving all operations in female hands. After the war, one of the stations was part of French territory and passengers actually had to pass immigration to proceed, slowing travel times down considerably.

World War II bombings and air raids of Wuppertal left stations and parts of the tracks damaged, so that full service was not possible and, after further damage in 1945, had to be suspended altogether. However, after the war, reconstruction of the beloved Schwebebahn went full steam ahead so that already in 1946, service could resume fully.

One bizarre accident deserves special mention: In 1950, the local circus decided to let Tuffi, one of its young elephants, ride on the monorail for promotional purposes. Tuffi soon lost his cool upon hearing the unfamiliar noises of the train and being suspended so high and decided to scoot: He broke through the sidewall of the compartment and landed in the river, unscathed.

The accompanying journalists weren’t as lucky – though none of them fell into the river, some were injured in the ensuing chaos. However, the whole incident became so famous that many drivers later claimed to have driven that fateful train. A clever local dairy company, cashing in on the publicity, quickly copyrighted the elephant’s name and is known as Tuffi-Campina to this day.

Since 1901, though, the monorail concept has caught on worldwide because of its many advantages: minimal horizontal and vertical space requirements, lower construction costs compared to conventional rail systems, less noise pollution and no interference with existing transport systems.

The last point is also a disadvantage because monorails can only run on their own tracks, therefore making compatibility with any other rail infrastructure virtually impossible. Also, each monorail requires unique parts from a particular manufacturer, making servicing time-consuming and costly. Famous monorails can be found in Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Osaka, Tokyo and many amusement parks and airports; other suspended ones in Memphis, Dresden and Dortmund.

Though the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn is a landmark and famous sight of the city, most Germans, including this author, don’t give it a second thought. Given the many technical marvels and inventions that the country has brought forth, even a more than hundred-year-old suspended railway seems no big deal, especially one that integrates so well with other modes of transport that it is barely noticeable as something special.