Bus service for tourists to begin

Tourists will get a boost in downtown Los Angeles today when a new “hop-on, hop-off” bus service starts. But it will cost them.

Double-decker sight-seeing buses will travel between Olvera Street and Staples Center each half hour. The route will meander past the Civic Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Broadway’s historic movie theaters, the Central Library and other sites starting today at 10 a.m., said City Councilman Tom LaBonge.

Starline Tours will offer the service, which will be similar to sight-seeing routes operated in Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Tickets good for 24 hours will be $30 per person or $90 for a family of five; two-day tickets are $40 per passenger or $125 for two adults and three children.

Tickets are available at visitor information centers at 685 S. Figueroa St. downtown and at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood.

-- Bob Pool