Let’s get ready to go punting again! Summer 2020 is calling.
Are you ready to go punting? The great news is that we are opening soon! Planned re-opening: 4th of July 2020.
We have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and put in place additional safety, cleaning and organisational procedures to ensure we can maintain our high level of customer service and satisfaction whilst working within the government guidelines.
Changes to Private and Shared Tours?
To protect our chauffeurs and customers, we’ve designed and installed perspex screens on the boats. By installing screens between different households (where the 2-metre distancing is not possible) we are able to punt safely and still offer ‘distanced’ shared tours. Our private tours are available as normal for up to 6 or 12 people (one household or bubble please).
To comply with government guidelines we are restricting each shared tour to a maximum of 2 different households or bubbles at the moment. On the private section page of the website you can purchase a private section for up to 3 people or up to 6 people. In this case your group will have an entire section of the boat and will be separated from any other groups on the boat with a screen.
How will we provide safe punting tours?
Ensuring adequate PPE is extremely important but we also wanted to consider the environmental impact. Inspired by @billrecycles we have made all of our visors from old kraft beer kegs usually destined for landfill. Our face coverings have been made form old bedsheets and off cuts from previous projects have been used to finish the punting screens. For disposable items we have used biodegradable or compostable items where possible, including our disposable gloves.
Due to increased cleaning procedures we have had to temporarily remove the blankets from our punts and replace them with a wipeable cushion cover so we can easily and quickly clean the boats between tours.
New Messaging System
To avoid large crowds and long queues we have developed an automated messaging system. We will be asking our customers to arrive on Jesus Green, near the tennis courts, 10-15 minutes before their tour. It will be the customers responsibility to distance themselves from other groups waiting. They will then receive a text message a few minutes before their departure time asking them to make their way to our check-in bike temporarily located on Jesus Green.
This automated messaging service doesn’t affect our high standards of customer service. There will be staff members on the green happy to help and our office is opening 9 am to 5 pm daily to help with further inquiries. We advise booking in advance to ensure availability.
It is important to note that no one should come punting if they or anybody in their household has COVID-19 symptoms or has been told to self-isolate by the governments’ Test and Trace programme. In this case, customers should contact the office to reschedule/refund their booking.
Audio Tour App
To ensure that all customers receive an informative and historical tour, we have created an audio tour app that can be used onboard. This was originally designed for customers who would like a tour in a language other than English. During this period where we are using additional safety measures including visors and screens, the app may be beneficial as may be harder to hear your chauffeur – depending on weather and river conditions.
Our Cambridge Tours app is available for download both in google play and app store. Currently available in English and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), with more languages to come. This is a GPS based app that will provide audio clips to listen to as you are passing specific sights.
Check this video to find out how to download and use the Cambridge Tours App!
Let’s Go Punting
We look forward to welcoming you back onto our punts this summer with all of our COVID-19 measures in place to keep you and our staff members safe during this time. Let’s Go Punting in Cambridge this Summer? We are already taking bookings for the 4th of July and onwards. Book yours here!
