Ocean Bus: Amphibious Sightseeing Tour
One of the 400 Experiences: To Do, To Know, To See in Gothenburg aka Göteborg (1621–2021) in Sweden
Ocean. River. Lakes. Streams. Canals. Medieval Moat. Brooks. If there is a city in the world that has almost all types of water bodies it is Gothenburg in Sweden.
A city is usually explored on foot, by bus, by boat or by bicycle. The latest additional transport by which Gothenburg can be explored, or discovered, is by an amphibious bus named Ocean Bus. It also got permission from the local government to play in the coronavirus time by enforcing social distance measures on board.
OCEAN BUS: On the road and the river
Ocean Bus takes the sightseers beginning at Stora Teatern in the central part of the city and traversing through the historic parts to finally the River Göta and back to the starting point. The bus crew is staffed with the driver and the tour guide, who informs the snippets of the city in both English and Swedish.
Oskar Sjölund said the sightseeing amphibious bus will be available for the residents and the visitors of the city in operation unless the river freezes during the cold wintry days.
Ocean Bus has a seating capacity for 42 passengers but because of the current climate of coronavirus pandemic the number of passengers are restricted to 34. Social distancing is maintained on the bus unless tourists or sightseeing visitors would come in a group. The journey by bus that takes the sightseers on the road and in the river will take about 75 minutes.
FOUNDERS OF OCEAN BUS:
The amphibious bus, Ocean Bus, was founded by Michael Odell and the brothers Max and Paul Ekwall in 2013 with the goal to be first to come out with such a bus in Scandinavia. It took more than seven years for the founders to see their dream bus on the road and in the river for they have to pass the Swedish and European Union’s laws and regulations on public safety.
Because of the two mode of transport in one, the founders had to explain various aspects of managing and running the bus to various authorities such as inspection- and interest bodies over several meetings in addition to visiting the manufacturing plant in the United States.
According to the Ocean Bus managers, the amphibious bus ‘complies with the security requirements for both bus and passenger ships. She has been tested and approved by the Swedish inspection bodies and transport agency. She has all necessary safety equipment and driven by specially trained personnel’.
A similar bus is in operation in Stockholm, the national capital of Sweden, which had made its maiden voyage on Royal Djurgården in Stockholm in August 2014.
PRINCESS ESTELLE:
Ocean Bus is a she like naming a boat. The amphibious bus is named after Princess Estelle of Sweden.
Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary, Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Östergötland was born on February 23, 2012. She is the first child of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, and the eldest grandchild of King Carl XVI Gustaf. In accordance with the 1979 Act of Succession, Princess Estelle is second in the line of succession, following Crown Princess Victoria.
Princess Estelle is the daughter of the Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel. Princess Estelle is second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. She was christened in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace on 22 May 2012. She is the first female in Swedish history to be born with a right to inherit the Crown. Moreover, she cannot be superseded by the birth of a male heir. She is also the first person in Swedish history to be born of a female heir apparent: Crown Princess Victoria.
HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY SNIPPETS:
Ocean Bus touches the top sights of Gothenburg. Gothenburg is the official international name of Göteborg, the second largest city in Sweden and the heart of Scandinavia. The city was founded in 1621, and will be celebrating its quadricentennial in 2021.
Stora Teatern, Avenyn, Rosenlundskanalen, Sjömanshustrun, Feskekörka, Järntorget, Liseberg, Nya & Gamla Ullevi, Erisksbergs Bockkran, Älvsborgsbron, Nyavarvet and Poseidon are some of the spots the bus takes through. After completing its journey on the road, the bus turns into a boat as it enters into the River Göta.
Elin Plette, one of the guides on the Ocean Bus, introduces the city explorers or travel enthusiasts about the city, and plays songs that evoke Swedish musical scene, past and present.
The eagerly awaited part of the journey on the amphibious bus is when the bus enters into the River Göta from the road, and when it is out of the river onto the road.
Going on a sightseeing tour on Ocean Bus is one of the 400 experiences to do, to know, to see in Gothenburg aka Göteborg (1621–2021) in Sweden.
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