European Megabus

[sonic2009]

Having travelled on the service to Paris this Tuesday just gone, i managed to get an understanding from how it all works with.drivers.

Paris Service :

Will always be a single decker sometimes can be a left handed Van Hool.

Day bus works Worcester - London Bolounge via Eurotunnel - Paris arr 7pm dep 11pm - Bolounge - London via P & O ferry - Worcester.

Night bus is the same.

Drivers work :

Early Shift

1st Day

Worcester - London 1030am - Bolounge 1500 (French Time) Break

2nd day

0330 Bolounge - 0700 Paris
Paris 1100 Bolounge 1400

3rd day

0200 Bolounge - London 0730
0830 Bolounge - Worcester

Late shift :

1st Day

Worcester - London
2130 London - Bolounge 0330

2nd Day

Bolounge 1530 - Paris 1900
Paris 2300 - Bolounge 0200

3rd day

Bolounge 1400 - London 1930
London - Worcester

All Paris work is Rugby Depot.

So 4 day rota, 3 nights away from home.

Amsterdam service i don't know how the drivers do this one but i know it involves 5 day rota with 4 nights away. This rota always involves the Amsterdam - Paris Megabus service so i was told by the driver on the Paris bus.

Always a left handed Van Hool.

Cologne is also a 5 day rota & left handed Van Hool.
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Also forget to mention, Eurotunnel is used for day services and P & O for all night services.

On the way back all 3 Megabus Europe were on the same ferry from Calais.

 

[Techniquest]

Sounds like a good way to do the Eurotunnel on the cheap! Just finding out the loco numbers could be difficult!

 

[anthony263]

Certainly explains why we have been seing Megabus use left hand drive coaches on the London - Gloucester/Cheltenham route.

 

[notadriver]

Thanks for the info. Very impressive. Fancy a go myself - I've driven abroad but only on day trips or on tour not on a scheduled service.

 

[Bwsbro]

Does anyone know how the driver accommodation for this service work??

 

[sonic2009]

Does anyone know how the driver accommodation for this service work??

Hotels, On the Paris run the overnight stop is at Bolougne with the hotel only a 2 min walk from the Megabus stop.
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Certainly explains why we have been seing Megabus use left hand drive coaches on the London - Gloucester/Cheltenham route.

Worcester - London is operated now by Rugby Depot and not Cheltenham Depot.

The buses that are seen on these services operate to Europe.

The bus that operated the 0830 from London - Worcester via Cheltenham on Wednesday had come from Cologne.

You would think that the Paris single.decker would work to Worcester, but it instead works Paris - London - Birmingham - Empty to Rugby, i believe this is because the bus goes straight back out to Paris later on in the day or next morning, giving the matienance team more time to look at the bus.

 

[MK Tom]

Which of these now serve Milton Keynes? Their website offers all the European destinations from MK but I know some involve changing at Victoria.

 

[sonic2009]

Which of these now serve Milton Keynes? Their website offers all the European destinations from MK but I know some involve changing at Victoria.

Most buses involve a change in Victoria.

I came back in to London Victoria in arrivals & left on the same coach 1 hour later from depatures to Birmingham

I don't know which one serves Milton Keynes but i remember that the Amsterdam - London coach i saw formed a service to Liverpool.

 

[E-Rail]

On the overnight Cologne run, a Rugby driver takes over a London Victoria bound service at Watford Gap from a Glasgow driver around 1900 and works it to Victoria, then onto Dover and Ghent where they are relieved and lodge. The next day, this driver takes off the incoming driver from the daytime Cologne service and works through to Cologne and then back to Ghent where he/she again lodges before returning to London/Watford Gap with the following journey the next day. These duties are booked for left hookers.

 

[howittpie]

Most buses involve a change in Victoria.

I came back in to London Victoria in arrivals & left on the same coach 1 hour later from depatures to Birmingham

I don't know which one serves Milton Keynes but i remember that the Amsterdam - London coach i saw formed a service to Liverpool.

Thats the ME15 that calls at Leicester and Loughborough on its way to Liverpool.