WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Just moments after departing Washington 's Union Station , as the tour bus drove past the U.S. Capitol , Mel Bruce made an announcement to a handful of tourists . `` Most sadly for us , we close the doors after 42 years of service . Today is the final run for Tourmobile , '' said Bruce , a tour guide for Tourmobile Sightseeing . The company announced that Monday would be its last day of operation . The company claimed unique status among tour operators in the nation 's capital by having the exclusive contract for sightseeing bus tours of Arlington National Cemetery . For many Tourmobile employees , the end of the line means more than the end of a job . `` It was just a shock , we were just stunned by it , '' Bruce , 63 , said after dropping off a group of tourists at Arlington . For Bruce , giving brief history lessons to out-of-towners came easy , since growing up in the area gave him the chance to witness history firsthand . `` I was at the Lincoln Memorial with my family to hear firsthand Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his ' I Have a Dream ' speech , '' Bruce said over the loudspeaker as the bus drove past the newly dedicated memorial to the civil rights leader . Bruce became a tour guide for the company in the summer of 1972 -- when Tourmobile was in its third year of business -- but he left after four years to try his luck on Broadway . After a 33-year absence , he returned in 2006 . Much remains the same , he said . `` Everyone in the world is still eager to see the sights that they have only seen up to now in paintings , books and magazines . '' According to the company 's website , Tourmobile , which started operations in 1969. employs 300 seasonal workers and serves `` upwards of 2 million riders annually . '' The tour buses take visitors to many of the capital 's most famous sites , including the Lincoln Memorial , the Washington Monument and the National Mall . What 's next for the company is unclear . `` We are currently unable to provide any information regarding future tour services , '' a message on the company 's website said . Bruce blamed the company 's demise on the sagging economy and more competition in the area offering similar services . Starting Tuesday , wlth Tourmobile no longer running , there will be no bus tours for visitors at Arlington National Cemetery until a new contract is awarded through bidding that will be overseen by the National Park Service . The cemetery covers 624 acres and has 4 million visitors a year , many of whom may find walking the sprawling hallowed grounds too difficult . The park service hopes to have a new tour bus company in place before the end of the year . `` This is a bittersweet time for the ( National Park Service ) and Tourmobile , as they have faithfully served the needs of millions of visitors for over 42 years , '' said Steve Whitesell , regional director of the park service 's National Capital Region . `` Times change , and we are ready to enter a new era for visitors to access our national parks in greater Washington . '' Tourist Gretchen Neu , from Racine , Wisconsin , was visiting Washington for the first time and could not imagine touring the cemetery on foot . `` Absolutely not . I mean , you have to have some mode of transportation other than your own car , '' Neu said , sitting on the Tourmobile bus as it left the cemetery . Families with loved ones buried at Arlington National Cemetery and those with disabilities will still be able to drive their own cars on the property . Another thing that set Tourmobile apart from other tour operators was the type of buses it used -- more like trams that are common at theme parks . The red , white and blue Tourmobile trams that many Washingtonians have become used to seeing came from Universal Studios in California . `` They are truly relics of a whole other era , '' Bruce said just before making his final trip of the day . `` It seemed that that operation worked so well in California that they wanted to try it out here , and that 's how it was born . '' What was born over 40 years ago is coming to an end , but Bruce said he 's not ready for retirement and wants to keep showing off the place where he grew up . `` I greet the world every day , and it 's a privilege for me to show the world my hometown , '' he said .
Tourmobile Sightseeing began showing visitors the sights of Washington 42 years ago . The company announced that Monday would be its last day of operation . The company had an exclusive contract for tours of Arlington National Cemetery . A sign on a tour bus at the entrance to the cemetery in Arlington, Va.