Just Ducky Tours won't open in Pittsburgh for 2019 season

There will be no duck boat tours in Pittsburgh this year.

Just Ducky Tours, which operates eight amphibious vehicles out of Pittsburgh’s Station Square, will not be opening for the 2019 season, according to a statement posted on its website.

“We are very sad to say that Just Ducky Tours will NOT be operating in 2019. We apologize for the disappointment,” the message said.

www.justduckytours.com

The company had announced in March that it would be resume its land and water tours in mid- to late April. But the tours never occurred.

A phone call wasn’t immediately returned. A spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company ended its 2018 season in September, canceling tours that had been scheduled through November, in the midst of declining ticket sales following the July 19 sinking of a duck-style tour boat during a heavy storm on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. Seventeen of the 31 people aboard the Ride the Ducks vessel died.

While Just Ducky is not related to the Missouri company, it uses the same type of canopies safety leaders have cited as a potentially deadly impediment for escaping a sinking vessel.

In a statement issued after the incident, co-owner Christopher D’Addario maintained that his company’s vessels were safe. He said the company, which has operated for more than two decades, has safely toured nearly 2 million passengers around the streets and rivers of Pittsburgh, and has “led the development of policies and procedures that are known as best practices in our industry.”

In September, D’Addario told the Wall Street Journal that his sales were down by a quarter to one-third since the Missouri fatalities. He did not return a call Monday seeking comment.

Safety protocols are posted on the company’s website.

“At Just Ducky Tours, safety is our utmost priority,” its website says.