Safety First

“PLEASE note that from September 2017 to present date, our river / splash down element of all tours has ceased due to the construction of the Thames Super Tunnel. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.”

1. Approval to trade

The Tour comprises of a road and a river trip. It is undertaken by an amphibious vehicle known as a DUKW. The DUKW is certified and approved to carry fare-paying passengers by the following well known regulatory bodies:

Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) (Marine Matters)
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) formally VOSA (Road Matters)
Transport for London (TFL) (Route Matters)
Port of London Authority (PLA) (Navigational Matters)

2. Safety equipment and related matters

The DUKW (The Boat)
The DUKW is equipped with individual passenger buoyancy aids, inflatable rafts and carries applicable safety equipment for the waters they are licenced to operate in. A safety announcement is made before entering the river.
The DUKW (The Bus/PSV)
The DUKW is exempt from regulations regarding the provision of seat belts. The vehicle rarely exceeds a speed of 25mph and the Company considers the risks to passengers to be no greater than those experienced by passengers travelling on London operated TFL approved buses.

3. Insurance

The company maintains a £325 million marine insurance per Dukw, £10 million public liability insurance and appropriate road traffic motor insurance. Click here to access the company’s insurance certificate.

4. Qualified personnel

The Company policy is to only permit tours to be undertaken with suitably trained and qualified personnel, who are suitably qualified by the appropriate licensing body.
For the water this is a Boatmaster Licence (BML) (formally known as a Thames Waterman’s licence)
For the road this is a PCV licence. The driver must also have a suitable number of years PCV driving experience.
For the tour guide (also known as a second crew member) they undertake and pass appropriate river training from the Company.

5. The company approved and externally audited risk assessment code

The company maintains and undertakes a rolling risk assessment programme which is reviewed annually and audited by the MCA. A full copy is available upon written request. A summarised version adapted to meet risk assessment requirements for schools is also available.

Click Here to see the Company Risk Assessment Policy Statement.

6. The fitness of passengers to travel

Passengers, other than infants (an infant being under 1 year of age at the date of departure), who wish to travel must be able to climb the four steps to board the DUKW unaided at their own pace. The DUKW provides handrails and the use of a walking stick is permitted. In the unlikely event of an unscheduled disembarkation of the DUKW, all passengers must be able to disembark without assistance.

7. Consideration and safety of all passengers

In the interests of hygiene and to ensure the enjoyment of the tour for all passengers, the Company does not permit food or drinks (including alcoholic beverages) to be consumed on board. Consumption of food and/or drink is only permitted for passengers that need to eat/drink for medical reasons. The crew assigned to the DUKW have absolute authority to remove unruly or unsuitable passengers if they deem there to be a risk to the safety of the DUKW or other passengers onboard.