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Megabus Gold services withdrawn from 4th May

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cambsy

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Have read and heard that the day Megabus Gold services to Plymouth and Cardiff are being withdrawn from the 4th May, though still used during the day on Scottish city link gold services heard the reason is the coaches are doing too many miles and hours on the road, which has been giving reliability problems, a few times the sleeper services have had a normal coach substituted.

Seems to me a waste of the coaches as the reason for the seating was to make them profitable by using them during the day between the sleeper services, which goes against the reason for making them to replace the bendy coaches originally used, the service seemed well used when travelling from Plymouth to London, are they just going to sit at west Ham bus depot all day just wasting money or will they do other day services? think it a real shame.
 
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RT4038

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Have read and heard that the day Megabus Gold services to Plymouth and Cardiff are being withdrawn from the 4th May, though still used during the day on Scottish city link gold services heard the reason is the coaches are doing too many miles and hours on the road, which has been giving reliability problems, a few times the sleeper services have had a normal coach substituted.

Seems to me a waste of the coaches as the reason for the seating was to make them profitable by using them during the day between the sleeper services, which goes against the reason for making them to replace the bendy coaches originally used, the service seemed well used when travelling from Plymouth to London, are they just going to sit at west Ham bus depot all day just wasting money or will they do other day services? think it a real shame.

Maybe it is too expensive to run double manned services with only 53 seats? Just because the coach is full, doesn't necessarily make it profitable. Maybe the vehicles are being worn out by doing all those miles? Most buses in the UK sit in Depots between 8pm and 6am. Is that wasting money, or does it mean that the vehicles last 10 years instead of 5? If the daytime services are not making much or any money, how is parking the Gold coaches in the Depot during the day wasteful?
 
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extendedpaul

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I suspect you've hit on the reason for discontinuing Megabus Gold daytime services.

I've been using them regularly and average loadings are under 30. Never known one to be full. I've usually paid £5 and even when I booked on the day of travel my ticket only cost £12. With a double crew and fuel costs the services must mainly be loss-making.

By parking the vehicles during the day, which may also free up two drivers per vehicle for standard services, there will a significant reduction in their mileage and as you say they may last a lot longer.
 

Greenback

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Please post comments in the Megabus Gold thread that's already running and was linked to in post2. Thanks.
 
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