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Regional express coach network
- Thread starter AutoKratz
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Is that as a trial?
I don't know as there is nothing on the Trent Barton website about the September changes at the moment. I got the new times from http://derbysbus.info/times/tt_A_Z.htm which the September times have been up for about 2 weeks now.
wiltshirebloke
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I suppose you could also add the various Oxford > London services, such as Oxford Tube, X90 etc
ian1944
Member
Aye, that was the one I was looking for
Serves me right being lazy and googling it, rather than going to SES website
Though the X37, apparently Glenrothes - Kirkcaldy on the map, isn't listed in the table.
Ayman Ilham
Member
There's also the daily T1C from Aberystwyth to Cardiff, which recently got upgraded to an express coach service with an ex-Stansted Citylink Mercedes Benz Tourismo (still part of TrawsCymru free weekend travel, so people living in Aber and Carmarthen are lucky enough to get a free coach to Cardiff on the weekend) operated by NAT Group; and First still operate the X10 hourly between Cardiff and Swansea using refurbished Plaxton Profiles (formerly ex-Greyhound Irizars, dunno what happened to them).
How come virtually all coach routes in England and Wales (except a few) have been either withdrawn or downgraded to service bus operation? Scotland still has proper networks of such routes in service and even invest in modern coaches for the bulk of their interurban bus routes, but many such routes south of the border don't usually get anything more than modified service buses with high-back versions of bus seats! In most parts of England, the only coach services that are left are National Express and Megabus, the latter being advanced booking only and the former with walk-up return fares more expensive than the train, so neither of them are suitable for turn-up-and-go travel! Meanwhile, with Stagecoach East Scotland, all you need is a simple dayrider (Fife Plus £11 or East Scotland £15) and you can hop on and off as many of their coaches as you like between multiple cities! This will give you an idea of the value for money this offers: http://ilhambusblog.webstarts.com/blog/post/fife-dayrider-plus-adventure
How come virtually all coach routes in England and Wales (except a few) have been either withdrawn or downgraded to service bus operation? Scotland still has proper networks of such routes in service and even invest in modern coaches for the bulk of their interurban bus routes, but many such routes south of the border don't usually get anything more than modified service buses with high-back versions of bus seats! In most parts of England, the only coach services that are left are National Express and Megabus, the latter being advanced booking only and the former with walk-up return fares more expensive than the train, so neither of them are suitable for turn-up-and-go travel! Meanwhile, with Stagecoach East Scotland, all you need is a simple dayrider (Fife Plus £11 or East Scotland £15) and you can hop on and off as many of their coaches as you like between multiple cities! This will give you an idea of the value for money this offers: http://ilhambusblog.webstarts.com/blog/post/fife-dayrider-plus-adventure
overthewater
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A: The train network is poor in parallel of these coach routes, B: people dont like the sky high rail fares. FYI, that not a park outside D/line bus stance 
you missed out on the Glen 
Even more of shame you never got to see St Andrews nor use the X60 to get the best Fish and chips
you missed out on the Glen Even more of shame you never got to see St Andrews nor use the X60 to get the best Fish and chips Presumably it is as simple as insufficient profit could be made from them? I guess that in Scotland the distances between major urban areas is further, so congestion does not have such a debilitating effect on journey times. By the way, megabus is not 'advance booking only' - tickets can be purchased up to the time of travel, just not from the driver.
Mutant Lemming
Established Member
Only from selected locations. From Leeds, coaches usually disappear from the website several hours before departure (regardless of how full they appeared to be before that time).
I think you are slighting megabus! It seems that up to departure time sales are enabled at all megabus locations - I believe it is only megabusplus, megatrain and through tickets to/from certain third party services have a longer (usually 24hr ) advance restriction.
Quite how you can definitively tell from the megabus website 'how full they appeared to be before that time' is only your guess????
Of course, you may have some evidence to the contrary......
I used to travel with megabus regularly.
I'm not sure what "up to departure time sales are enabled at all megabus locations" means.
Their website says:
Although I can't be sure, I think booking closes on many services when they leave their first stop. Some of the services I got started in Scotland.
I don't claim to be able to tell definitively - that's why I said "appeared to be" - but I caught the same services regularly and regularly saw they were unavailable to book several hours before departure. Coming from London they were usually available until just before departure.
Megabusplus/megatrain are often available less than 24 hours in advance - currently there are journeys tomorrow morning available - I have bought these same day, but not last minute.
Smethwickian
Member
I travelled from Manchester Shudehill to Birmingham yesterday afternoon ( joining a coach en-route from Newcastle to Cardiff) and one member of supervisory staff double-checked with a colleague boarding us how many seats remained, as someone had turned up wanting to travel immediately while another passenger already booked wanted to bring a companion. As I was just climbing aboard I did not see how payment was made or a booking confirmation given, though the aforementioned self-service machine would have been available even though the small Megabus office was in darkness.
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If you access the megabus website, by whatever means Desktop, Laptop, mobile phone etc, I think you wll find that you can buy any megabus ticket at any location (with the exceptions I have already quoted) up to departure time. Take a look at the website if you don't believe me! Even at intermediate stops of longer services. If they are unavailable several hours before departure, it is because the coach is full. Unless you have evidence to the contrary of course...... [Don't forget that the coach might not be physically full due to no-shows, or full from your departure point due to passengers boarding at intermediate stops]
It seems to me that the section quoted from the website is information about the existence of self service kiosks and travel shops/staff who may be able sell tickets 'face to face'. However, if you have access to the website, none of these are necessary.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
It's happy to let me book from Leeds to London at 0905 this morning (it's 0839 now).
AutoKratz
Member
Thanks everyone. This has been really helpful.
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