New Tour Bus Rules In Effect Soon

A broad consensus has been reached between the city, tour companies and the police to bar all tour buses from part of the downtown area.

RÚV reports that Mayor Dagur B. Eggertsson has announced that tour buses longer than 8 metres will be prohibited from driving through a portion of downtown Reykjavík. The move has not just the backing of the city and the police, though, but also from tour groups.

“What we’re doing alongside this agreement is demarcating certain drop-off areas at certain locations, where passengers are dropped off,” he added. “From there, they can make their way to hotels.”

As reported, the proposal would specifically prohibit vehicles over 8 metres long from an area of downtown bordered by Barónsstígur, Eiríksgata, Njarðargata, Sóleyjargata, Fríkirkjuvegur, Lækjargata and Hverfisgata. The only exceptions to this rule will be fire trucks, garbage trucks, and trucks owned by the city of Reykjavík.

Numerous tour buses have been caught – sometimes on video – blocking narrow streets, letting tourists off where buses are forbidden from disembarking, or otherwise flouting guidelines put in place last year.

Establish January 2014, the guidelines were approved by the city’s Environmental and Planning Committee. However, as there are no fines nor penalties for breaking the guidelines, many tour bus operators are ignoring them.

The new rule is expected to go into effect within the next week, though no definitive date has yet been set.