Jordan's capital of Amman plans to turn the pilot project of city tour bus into a permanent service by the end of 2008, local daily Jordan Times reported on Sunday.

Khaled Burgan, the Greater Amman Municipality's (GAM) consultant for tourism and investment affairs, said the hop-on, hop-off bus service has been promising since launched in June.

"However, we are now looking for a specialized company to operate a permanent service as this was designed only for seven months," he added.

According to Burgan, GAM has issued an expression of interest, calling on registered firms specializing in tourist transport services to bid for the tender.

Under the stipulations of the expression of interest, GAM is seeking a company that is able to undertake the marketing, management, operation and provision, as well as the maintenance of the tourist buses for the project.

The hop-on, hop-off bus tour initiative was launched in June as a pilot project to give visitors a unique experience in the capital. Currently a specialized transport company is operating the five tour buses.

The tour consists of a circular route that covers several landmarks and commercial districts in the capital, including the Roman Theater, the Citadel, Rainbow Street, King Hussein Gardens, shopping malls, downtown Amman, museums and Wakalat Street.

Passengers have the option of either traveling the full tour, a 2.5-hour ride, or getting off at any of the 35 stops to explore the area on their own and later catch up with the tour.

(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2008)