Why are there so many sightseeing buses all over London? Because Transport for London and the tourist authorities don’t do enough to inform visitors of the alternatives.

Try telling the occupants of a sightseeing bus that they could have travelled all day on any and all regular bus services for almost one sixth of what they’ve paid and they’ll gasp in dismay and mutter about being exploited.

In theory, there should be some advantages to these vehicles. On a dry day, the open top should provide great opportunities for photography. But the bouncy old suspension detracts from this, as does the often aggressive driving style. Just when you’re hoping that the bus might slow down to let you compose a shot, the driver crashes a red light as if he were in a hurry to get somewhere on this circular tour.

The real saving grace should be the guides’ commentaries but some of these are truly awful.

Passengers are told off for talking to each other, lest someone nearby might miss a pearl of wisdom (an impossibility given the ear-splitting volume). Important sights are left unmentioned. Misinformation is scattered liberally. For example, one guide relates the legend of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, with an unequivocal insistence that the story is true. Lame or sexist jokes abound. Example: “Waterloo Bridge was built during World War II entirely by female labour; since then it’s fallen down three times.”

There will always be some demand for sightseeing buses but their wild proliferation unnecessarily clogs up the roads and doesn’t ultimately do much to help the London tourist industry.

Come on, TfL, get proactive. Buy some advertising sites at your own bus stops in the West End to tell tourists about one-day bus passes. Or do you have some kind of understanding with the operators of these services that would prevent you from assisting London’s visitors in such a way?