I strongly disagree with that. IMHO, the last place you want "punters" is sitting on the tubes.
Thousand Island Adventures did had a very good safety record, with all their punters sitting on the tubes - so it worked for them. Their RIBs were very big and heavy, and were much more steady than the average RIB which probably made a bit of difference.
I agree that I wouldn't choose to operate this way though.
