End of the X90 Coach Service

Bwsbro · 2 Oct 2019

Go Ahead Group's Oxford Bus Company have announced today that they are withdrawing the X90 coach link to London from the 4th of January 2020

Citing falling passenger numbers since the new rail link opened to Oxford
https://x90.oxfordbus.co.uk/withdrawal/

We’re sorry, but from 4th January 2020 we will be withdrawing the X90 service. This decision has not been taken lightly and we will be doing everything we can to minimise the impact of this decision on both our customers and colleagues up to the withdrawal date.

The X90 Oxford - London coach service has a long and proud history, which can be tracked back as early as the 1920s. The express service we operate today has been in place for over 40 years and has carried millions of customers.

We would like to thank everyone who has travelled with the X90 and our colleagues who have worked with us throughout this time....

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Bletchleyite · 2 Oct 2019

I think fundamentally the coaches relied on the rail service being poor. With GW electrification and the use of 80x, and with Chiltern across the way, that is no longer true - it's still a bit pricey, but it is so much better.

It will be interesting to see if the Oxford Tube also has issues with survival. I suppose Stagecoach can at least gain it a bit more business by selling it via megabus.com - though if they ever divest that (e.g. if Flix kill it) that may well be the lot.

Ken H · 2 Oct 2019

Bletchleyite said:
I think fundamentally the coaches relied on the rail service being poor. With GW electrification and the use of 80x, and with Chiltern across the way, that is no longer true - it's still a bit pricey, but it is so much better.

It will be interesting to see if the Oxford Tube also has issues with survival. I suppose Stagecoach can at least gain it a bit more business by selling it via megabus.com - though if they ever divest that (e.g. if Flix kill it) that may well be the lot.

Maybe increasing congestion on the M40/A40 has made the bus unreliable.

TheGrandWazoo · 2 Oct 2019

Bletchleyite said:
I think fundamentally the coaches relied on the rail service being poor. With GW electrification and the use of 80x, and with Chiltern across the way, that is no longer true - it's still a bit pricey, but it is so much better.

It will be interesting to see if the Oxford Tube also has issues with survival. I suppose Stagecoach can at least gain it a bit more business by selling it via megabus.com - though if they ever divest that (e.g. if Flix kill it) that may well be the lot.

Any product has to have it's niche or need. That the rail line was poor was the reason. See the Southend X1 and indeed, every other example where a reopened or reinvigorated rail line has eaten the coach service.

For most people, once the bus/coach service has a credible alternative with the train, then it tends to have to sustain itself with the most cost conscious people or for whom time isn't the bigger issue. In this instance, there's probably enough trade for the Tube based on a) budget passengers b) local market penetration e.g. it serves local parts of Oxford or places close to Lewknor. Just not enough for two firms.

Ken H said:
Maybe increasing congestion on the M40/A40 has made the bus unreliable.

It specifically cites this as a factor

NorthOxonian · 2 Oct 2019

It's a shame - the X90 was slightly cheaper than the Oxford Tube.

I think the Tube has a better shot at survival long-term though, the X90 was on its last legs and the service was just too infrequent. I remember once spending an hour waiting at the bus stop in Hillingdon, seven Oxford Tubes passed me before an X90 did. The Oxford Tube has the added advantage of overnight services. There's certainly a market for the coach services since they're cheaper than the train, especially at peak times.

Bletchleyite · 2 Oct 2019

I'll be honest - when coaches were recently ordered in a white livery with stickers, I did wonder if its time might be limited.

goldisgood · 2 Oct 2019

I've been calling this for a while now... the fact was that once they cut it back to 20 minutes more and more people who would be using the coach went over to the Oxford Tube. The cut back to every 30 minutes was the last straw for the service - who would opt for the coaches running every 30 minutes when they have turn up and go on the Oxford Tube, when the Oxford Tube only costs £1 more.

Antman · 2 Oct 2019

No great surprise really, it's always been the poor relation to the Oxford tube.

robertclark125 · 2 Oct 2019

Would this also not fit in more with the perception, that I have anyway, that Oxford Bus company is the citybus operator, Stagecoach the out of city into the country operator?

goldisgood · 2 Oct 2019

robertclark125 said:
Would this also not fit in more with the perception, that I have anyway, that Oxford Bus company is the citybus operator, Stagecoach the out of city into the country operator?

A bit, but that doesn't seem to be so true anymore with Stagecoach having a huge share of the market on several key routes (from my experience they get most of the overall traffic on Banbury Road and Cowley Road, with Botley and Iffley around 50% of the traffic) - several historically 'country' routes have been picking up more and more in the city area, particularly the Botley Road corridor at peak times, where lots of people use the S1 out to Botley and Dean Court and around 30-40% of the S9 passengers are getting off between Botley and Cumnor. It's also worth remembering that OBC now own Thames Travel, who operate lots of the services in South Oxfordshire.

Tetchytyke · 2 Oct 2019

Chiltern have got rid of their niche in the north and east of the city, and Stagecoach have outdone them on the student market. It's certainly not a surprise.

I'd expect the Tube frequency to drop too.

goldisgood · 2 Oct 2019

Arctic Troll said:
Chiltern have got rid of their niche in the north and east of the city, and Stagecoach have outdone them on the student market. It's certainly not a surprise.

I'd expect the Tube frequency to drop too.

I wouldn't at all - the services are from all accounts I've heard busy enough to the point of overcrowded at times. The frequency after the new year should be sustainable (every 15-20 minutes for most of the day), but they may need coaches running even more frequently at the buiest times in the summer where people can be left behind on both the X90 and Oxford Tube. If the service isn't working out, maybe they will make the 20 minute frequency for more of the day, but I honestly doubt it. Hopefully the lack of competition won't drive prices up, and will improve the service with just one operator competing with the train instead of two operators competing with each other and the train.

robk23oxf · 2 Oct 2019

The Oxford Tube has previously been getting new coaches every 5 years and on this basis new coaches were due during the summer. The fact that this hasn't happened says a lot about the state of the London-Oxford coach market, clearly it's no longer pulling in the numbers to justify the level of investment of previous years. The Oxford Tube used to be the biggest earner for Stagecoach Oxfordshire but I believe it's now either the 1 or the S1 that brings the most revenue?

Busaholic · 2 Oct 2019

goldisgood said:
I've been calling this for a while now... the fact was that once they cut it back to 20 minutes more and more people who would be using the coach went over to the Oxford Tube. The cut back to every 30 minutes was the last straw for the service - who would opt for the coaches running every 30 minutes when they have turn up and go on the Oxford Tube, when the Oxford Tube only costs £1 more.

It mirrors the decline and elimination of Green Line in the 1970s and 1980s - each cut loses regular passengers if they have any possible viable alternative. An unexpected half hour, or even hour's, wait beside a busy 'A' road with HGVs splashing past can be a killer.

NorthOxonian · 2 Oct 2019

robk23oxf said:
The Oxford Tube has previously been getting new coaches every 5 years and on this basis new coaches were due during the summer. The fact that this hasn't happened says a lot about the state of the London-Oxford coach market, clearly it's no longer pulling in the numbers to justify the level of investment of previous years. The Oxford Tube used to be the biggest earner for Stagecoach Oxfordshire but I believe it's now either the 1 or the S1 that brings the most revenue?

There is a clear niche for the Oxford Tube, since it provides a cheaper alternative to the train, with better stopping patterns (within Oxford and London as well as the intermediate stop at Hillingdon being useful for NW London and even Watford), and through ticketing to most destinations in Oxfordshire. The market is pretty saturated with the buses and trains, so there's unlikely to be much growth in the service, and it's hard to innovate, as we saw with the failed Witney to London coaches. On the other hand, there's still some growth possible in the Oxfordshire country routes which have less competition. But I can't see the Oxford Tube going, at least not for some time - it has a strong reputation with students and is the default method we use to get to London.

Tetchytyke · 2 Oct 2019

goldisgood said:
I wouldn't at all - the services are from all accounts I've heard busy enough to the point of overcrowded at times.

It's easy to fill a coach, it's harder to fill it with decent fares. The Tube didn't get new buses this year, so Stagecoach are obviously hesitant.

Stagecoach know the market- Megabus does well for them- so I'm not saying it'll die a death. It's not Green Line. But I'd expect the off peak usage to tail off. I really would.

Flange Squeal · 3 Oct 2019

I guess National Express choosing to swap their affilliation from the X90 to the Oxford Tube in August might not have helped matters either, although it sounds like the service has been gradually reduced for a while now (maybe even being a factor in NX's decision?)

Mwanesh · 3 Oct 2019

The Oxford Tube will get new coaches. They are still evaluating the Plaxton Panorama.

JonathanH · 3 Oct 2019

Mwanesh said:
The Oxford Tube will get new coaches. They are still evaluating the Plaxton Panorama.

Is there a date for the Megabus / Citylink Panoramas to enter service? Presumably the evaluation of these on the Glasgow to Edinburgh route will be more relevant than the Anglo-Scottish Megabus services.

notadriver · 3 Oct 2019

Are there any corridors where coaches do well city to city ? London to Birmingham was advertised as a shuttle service. What about London to Bristol ?

NorthOxonian · 3 Oct 2019

notadriver said:
Are there any corridors where coaches do well city to city ? London to Birmingham was advertised as a shuttle service. What about London to Bristol ?

Depends on your definition of intercity, but Railair from Reading to Heathrow seems to be well used and expanding. Possibly the coaches between Glasgow and Edinburgh too.

Bletchleyite · 3 Oct 2019

NorthOxonian said:
Depends on your definition of intercity, but Railair from Reading to Heathrow seems to be well used and expanding. Possibly the coaches between Glasgow and Edinburgh too.

They do well in Scotland generally, probably because of the underdeveloped rail network.

A0wen · 3 Oct 2019

Busaholic said:
It mirrors the decline and elimination of Green Line in the 1970s and 1980s - each cut loses regular passengers if they have any possible viable alternative. An unexpected half hour, or even hour's, wait beside a busy 'A' road with HGVs splashing past can be a killer.

Since the 80s at least, most Green Line services were hourly at best. The problem for most Green Line services was improving rail services - those that survived tended to have a specific attraction e.g. Luton Airport, the 724 is an east-west link which rail doesn't replicate, Windsor with tourist traffic.

NorthOxonian · 3 Oct 2019

A0wen said:
Since the 80s at least, most Green Line services were hourly at best. The problem for most Green Line services was improving rail services - those that survived tended to have a specific attraction e.g. Luton Airport, the 724 is an east-west link which rail doesn't replicate, Windsor with tourist traffic.

To be fair (at least with the 724), you're starting to blur the lines between a coach and a regular bus. I'd say the 724 has more in common with trunk routes like the 685 in Northumberland, the X4 in Northamptonshire, or the X5 between Oxford and Cambridge (which is sort of a coach-bus hybrid too).

To be honest, part of me wonders if the X90 could have survived by having some services run in that mould, as a slower 90 service. Perhaps they could have ran of the hourly services via Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, and Hanger Lane (for the Central line), giving more local journey opportunities.

TheGrandWazoo · 3 Oct 2019

NorthOxonian said:
To be fair (at least with the 724), you're starting to blur the lines between a coach and a regular bus. I'd say the 724 has more in common with trunk routes like the 685 in Northumberland, the X4 in Northamptonshire, or the X5 between Oxford and Cambridge (which is sort of a coach-bus hybrid too).

To be honest, part of me wonders if the X90 could have survived by having some services run in that mould, as a slower 90 service. Perhaps they could have ran of the hourly services via Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, and Hanger Lane (for the Central line), giving more local journey opportunities.

Wasn't there a slower semi express at various times? I forget but there was the Green Line 290 and did Carousel have a 390 to Uxbridge??

A0wen said:
Since the 80s at least, most Green Line services were hourly at best. The problem for most Green Line services was improving rail services - those that survived tended to have a specific attraction e.g. Luton Airport, the 724 is an east-west link which rail doesn't replicate, Windsor with tourist traffic.

Exactly - where there's a direct rail link, the bus/coach tends to survive only in the following circumstances

There's sufficient volume to allow time/price differentiation of markets
Rail termini are located peripherally in that bus/coach can access city centres and so be more competitive with centre to centre times/convenience

Otherwise, bus/coach services have to provide links that are otherwise not available by rail.

PeterC · 3 Oct 2019

NorthOxonian said:
To be fair (at least with the 724), you're starting to blur the lines between a coach and a regular bus. I'd say the 724 has more in common with trunk routes like the 685 in Northumberland, the X4 in Northamptonshire, or the X5 between Oxford and Cambridge (which is sort of a coach-bus hybrid too).

To be honest, part of me wonders if the X90 could have survived by having some services run in that mould, as a slower 90 service. Perhaps they could have ran of the hourly services via Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, and Hanger Lane (for the Central line), giving more local journey opportunities.

National Express 737 already links Oxford and Wycombe but I don't know if it attracts much traffic between the two as opposed to airport traffic to Stansted and Luton. At present there is no operator running a commercial service, just a limited supported service which wanders away from the A40 corridor to take in villages like Chinnor.

carlberry · 3 Oct 2019

TheGrandWazoo said:
Wasn't there a slower semi express at various times? I forget but there was the Green Line 290 and did Carousel have a 390 to Uxbridge??

From memory, back in the days pre Tube/dereg it was split between 190/290/390 with each having different stopping patterns.

PeterC · 3 Oct 2019

TheGrandWazoo said:
Wasn't there a slower semi express at various times? I forget but there was the Green Line 290 and did Carousel have a 390 to Uxbridge??

Exactly - where there's a direct rail link, the bus/coach tends to survive only in the following circumstances

There's sufficient volume to allow time/price differentiation of markets

Rail termini are located peripherally in that bus/coach can access city centres and so be more competitive with centre to centre times/convenience

Otherwise, bus/coach services have to provide links that are otherwise not available by rail.

Coach had two advantages in Oxford, one was serving the east side of Oxford, including Oxford Brookes University, as well as the very heart of the city, the other was the peripheral park and ride stop at Thornhill. The opening of Oxford Parkway at Water Eaton has given the railway the same facilities for park and ride and is much more convenient for North Oxford and Kidlington than negotiating the northern bypass in the morning peak.

Tetchytyke · 3 Oct 2019

NorthOxonian said:
Perhaps they could have ran of the hourly services via Stokenchurch, High Wycombe, and Hanger Lane (for the Central line), giving more local journey opportunities.

Carousel run High Wycombe to Thame via Stokenchurch and Chinnor hourly as it is, and then High Wycombe to Uxbridge/Slough/Watford via Beaconsfield.

And who'd choose a 90 that goes all round the houses? Slowing expresses down to catch local traffic rarely helps.

Chiltern have collared the market in the north and east of Oxford with the parkway station and Stagecoach have the students. No room for Go. Go have the airport market instead.

Mwanesh · 3 Oct 2019

JonathanH said:
Is there a date for the Megabus / Citylink Panoramas to enter service? Presumably the evaluation of these on the Glasgow to Edinburgh route will be more relevant than the Anglo-Scottish Megabus services.

The Megabus ones have been built they are entering service soon. They have already been named.

End of the X90 Coach Service

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