Megabus Discussion

[Mcv378]

I had to use the M20X operated by McLeans from Victoria to Edinburgh overnight last night after a cancelled flight.

Absolutely shocking experience I’m afraid.

How busy was the service and also was it one of the new double deck coaches?

I'm making this journey in a few weeks, so hopefully I have a better experience.

 

[dmncf]

How busy was the service and also was it one of the new double deck coaches?

I'm making this journey in a few weeks, so hopefully I have a better experience.

Is that the new Volvo 9700 double deck coaches? I think they're operated by Stagecoach on Megabus routes M11 & M20: https://www.busandcoachbuyer.com/stagecoachs-volvo-9700-deckers-are-a-uk-first/
I travelled on one a few weeks ago on route M20.

 

[GDKEnts]

Those Volvo 9700 look great from the outside. Anyone got any links to photos inside?

 

[Blindtraveler]

No photos but I did London to Scotland back in June. When they still had that new coach smell inside and honestly was one of the best long distance journeys on such a vehicle that I have done in a long time, let's see how long this lasts

 

[JD2168]

Here is a picture of Stagecoach Western based Volvo 9700DD SJ24 HWH on M20 London in Meadowhall Interchange on 12/9/24

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

No photos but I did London to Scotland back in June. When they still had that new coach smell inside and honestly was one of the best long distance journeys on such a vehicle that I have done in a long time, let's see how long this lasts

Do these have table seats downstairs? One photo or video of it I saw showed one didn't which surely must mean an obstructive view for passengers.

 

[citybus2500]

Noted this morning in Birmingham was a plain white Lavante 3 operating what looked to be an M66. It had been re-registered, but looked like it might have been V321 SYM or something similar.

Symphony Coaches?

 

[richw]

Noted this morning in Birmingham was a plain white Lavante 3 operating what looked to be an M66. It had been re-registered, but looked like it might have been V321 SYM or something similar.

Symphony Coaches?

Airsym Slough I think, they’re definitely a megabus contractor. Airsym have a number of private plates ending in SYM but can’t find one as v321sym, however DVLA has v321sym as a Caetano so quite likely another that’s simply not been photo’d yet

They’ve got T321SYM which was formerly BF68LDA as seen here on Flickr in Megabus fleet names. They’ve also been photos of BF68LDJ/LDK on Flickr on Megabus duties. LDK is no longer a valid registration according to dvla so I suspect this has also received a private registration. LDJ is still valid on dvla check.

T321 SYM. Airsym Express; Perivale (LN)

A 2018 Scania (?)/Caetano Levante 3 on Megabus duty that was taxed and re-registered only the week or so before in June 2024. Thanks for the help in identifying this vehicle's original registration. 24 - 200 10/2018 - new as BF68 LDA to National Express Operations, 244 (WM). ??/???? -...

www.flickr.com

 

[Parebunks]

The Dumfries extensions seem to have already stopped running after only two weeks (megabus booking engine and the updated times on bustimes.org). Still mostly running from Manchester or Newcastle, but this has to be one for the shortest-lived bus routes thread!

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

There's an 05:30 from Sheffield to Portsmouth arriving at 14:15. Returns at 17:00 arriving at 01:40!

Ideal for me to and from Oxford (11:40 to Portsmouth, arriving back at 19:35)!

 

[citybus2500]

Are all journeys on the M11 operated by 9700DDs?

 

[route101]

Are all journeys on the M11 operated by 9700DDs?

Should be, though I did see a Panorama on the M11 few weeks back.

The Dumfries extensions seem to have already stopped running after only two weeks (megabus booking engine and the updated times on bustimes.org). Still mostly running from Manchester or Newcastle, but this has to be one for the shortest-lived bus routes thread!

I would of thought starting the service from Glasgow then Dumfries would of worked better and Edinburgh then Berwick, I know it was down to Depots.

How busy was the service and also was it one of the new double deck coaches?

I'm making this journey in a few weeks, so hopefully I have a better experience.

The Macleans coaches are not as comfortable, even the new Irizar they have. The VDLs have uncomfortable seats.

Rookie driver, being coached by a colleague.

Very loud chat, every other word the F word.

Boasting about having done time for GBH, about having been up since 6am and barely being able to stay awake at the wheel.

Getting somewhat lost on the way out of London and doing extensive running through small village lanes at a point we should have been on the motorway.

I was on a M11 service that goes via Reading operated by Macleans. We ended up of an A road to the north of Reading and on a single lane minor road, the driver must of been following the sat nav very literally.

What route does the M20X go?

From when? It’s still available to book Southampton to Glasgow through until mid December. 1020 departure from Southampton.
Screen shots attached showing booking site showing availability to book November and December

I'm afraid the return working of the M84. That's a shame as the M17 was useful on a friday night to get to Manchester Airport or even Southampton.

 

[Mwanesh]

Should be, though I did see a Panorama on the M11 few weeks back.


I would of thought starting the service from Glasgow then Dumfries would of worked better and Edinburgh then Berwick, I know it was down to Depots.


The Macleans coaches are not as comfortable, even the new Irizar they have. The VDLs have uncomfortable seats.


I was on a M11 service that goes via Reading operated by Macleans. We ended up of an A road to the north of Reading and on a single lane minor road, the driver must of been following the sat nav very literally.

What route does the M20X go?


I'm afraid the return working of the M84. That's a shame as the M17 was useful on a friday night to get to Manchester Airport or even Southampton.

When i did Megabus i used to take the A4074 that was easier you come out the other side of Oxford.Better than coming onto M4 and A34 way .

 

[Blindtraveler]

Who is going to operate the dumfries new starters and what vehicles

 

[Spsf3232]

I was on a M11 service that goes via Reading operated by Macleans. We ended up of an A road to the north of Reading and on a single lane minor road, the driver must of been following the sat nav very literally.

That's the fastest route. Sticking to motorways can be longer sometimes so the drivers done nothing wrong going that way

 

[Dfatcontroller]

Who is going to operate the dumfries new starters and what vehicles

I believe Dumfries has been dropped already.
Spencer Graham Coaches has been advertising for Drivers for Megabus work.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Oh for crying out loud poor show Megabus, missed opportunity there as the service down the West coast would probably have been quite popular. Although admittedly, its arrival time back in the northbound direction was far from ideal, but I would certainly have used it and I know I would not be have been the only one

 

[route101]

That's the fastest route. Sticking to motorways can be longer sometimes so the drivers done nothing wrong going that way

Yes, using the A4074 made sense but not the minor roads to get across to Didcot. Later in the same journey we came off the M40 and took the A46, A4177, A452 then onto the M42. The motorway was not shut at this time, I guess the sat nav was trying to take the driver the mos direct way as they crow flies or something. Made for a more interesting ride.

 

[Spsf3232]

Yes, using the A4074 made sense but not the minor roads to get across to Didcot. Later in the same journey we came off the M40 and took the A46, A4177, A452 then onto the M42. The motorway was not shut at this time, I guess the sat nav was trying to take the driver the mos direct way as they crow flies or something. Made for a more interesting ride.

Could well be an issue further on down the motorways that the driver has been made aware of and wants to avoid. Sometimes if the roads closed it's better to avoid the entire area and divert before the official diversion as if you don't you end up caught in traffic with it.

At least the drivers a professional and this is the good thing about Flix, Megabus and National is that you can take any road to get to the next stop

 

[Ewan M]

The Dumfries extensions seem to have already stopped running after only two weeks (megabus booking engine and the updated times on bustimes.org). Still mostly running from Manchester or Newcastle, but this has to be one for the shortest-lived bus routes thread!

According to this post on X, the Dumfries service still seems to be operating! https://x.com/megabusuk/status/1839738649795002549?s=46&t=D5TiIi61mQOAAxq3MHMI-w

 

[nick291]

Haven't ridden Megabus in a while. But this Sunday coming(27/10/2024), I will be taking the M42 both ways from Bristol to London. Outbound coach is at 05:40 in the morning and is direct to VCS. The journey back is at 22:00 and which calls additionally at Heathrow Central and Swindon. Who operates these services and how likely is the coach to actually stop in Swindon? Last one I used was ran by a fairly old Eurocoaches Volvo with Jonckheere SHV bodywork in their own livery. So no wifi, charging points etc. Any advice would be great, thanks!

 

[Volvodart]

Megabus to reduce service provision in England and Wales

Megabus to reduce service provision in England and Wales - routeone

Megabus is to reduce its service level in England and Wales from 4 December against a background of what it says is low passenger demand.

www.route-one.net

Published October 25, 2024
Megabus to reduce service provision in England and Wales against low passenger demand
Megabus is to reduce its service level in England and Wales from 4 December against a background of what owner of the brand Scottish Citylink says is low passenger demand.

The business will maintain all services in Scotland and all cross-border routes involving Scotland, England and Wales. The Falcon operation between Bristol and Plymouth will also continue unchanged. All other operations will cease.

Managing Director Simone Walsh describes the step as “extremely difficult,” noting that “it is not sustainable for us to continue operating our current network as the customer demand is simply too low.”

The decision to reduce service levels will ensure that Megabus has “a more efficient network going forward,” continues Ms Walsh.

Anglo-Scottish and Anglo-Welsh routes will continue to provide links within England and Wales, including between Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and London, between Manchester, Birmingham and London, and between Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff.

Customers with bookings affected by the changes will be contacted by Megabus and provided with alternative transport or a refund.

“We want to thank the many passengers who travel with us every day and will ensure that we continue to operate an affordable and high-quality service on the parts of the network that are unaffected by these changes,” adds Ms Walsh.

Stagecoach sold Megabus and Falcon retail activities to Scottish Citylink in 2022, with the share of that JV held by Stagecoach rising at the same time to 37.5%. ComfortDelGro owns the remainder. The group has remained a major supplier of vehicles and drivers to Megabus and its Stagecoach South West subsidiary delivers the Falcon route.

An annual report for the year to 31 December 2023 recently filed by Scottish Citylink shows that Megabus coaches covered 14.2 million miles in that period, although the report notes competitive pressures across the scheduled coach market in England, Scotland and Wales. 12 months previously, only such forces in Scotland were highlighted.

 

[overthewater]

So most of the route operating into London from most parts of the UK which are not on the cross-border routes are being withdrawn? I take it Bristol will be kept aswell as there a route from Wales?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is this basically just conceding to Flixbus, I guess? I wonder if they're having a similar impact on NatEx? I did think there was a risk there wasn't room for three operators in the market.

 

[Robertj21a]

Wouldn't it be more logical to just close Megabus down - it's unlikely to ever thrive again when Flix is getting more dominant.

 

[markymark2000]

Is this basically just conceding to Flixbus, I guess? I wonder if they're having a similar impact on NatEx? I did think there was a risk there wasn't room for three operators in the market.

What is Megabus USP though anymore? They used to be the cheaper alternative but they are no longer that. They don't offer as many services, the services that they did offer before Stagecoach ceased to be a contractor, were often around the houses routes (such as Manchester - London was generally via Reading!). They don't win on quality either as Megabuses have become more uncomfortable over time as other coach models are being used, generally with less leg room etc.
Why would you pick Megabus over any other firm? I'm not saying Flixbus or NatEx don't have their flaws, because by goodness they do, but they both normally have USPs somewhere the routes. Megabus doesn't do anything special. In the few instances that they provide a service to an area not served, or area poorly served by the other operators, it's done on a route which goes around the world or it's a route which runs once per day at an obscure time.

There is space for 3 I think if each one provided some kind of unique service. Instead all 3 tried to compete too much on a few key corridors and compete on frequency rather than competing on quality or finding a USP (for arguments sake NatEx 540 does trips which run to Burnley so while it does compete on Manchester - London, there is a bit of USP there for some other stops).

 

[Parebunks]

So most of the route operating into London from most parts of the UK which are not on the cross-border routes are being withdrawn? I take it Bristol will be kept aswell as there a route from Wales?

Looking at the booking engine the statement seems to have been somewhat unclear - the only ones that seem to be carrying on from December are the ones ran out of Scotland, so not the Wales-London or Wales-Manchester and Leeds routes. If that's right and the Wales routes aren't just taking longer to add, I wonder if the megabus brand might be living on borrowed time - at this point I see little reason not to standardise it all to Scottish Citylink.
This is a real shame for me personally - although the times have certainly become less convenient recently megabus were still the only company running from Oxford to north of Birmingham, and I did prefer their vehicles to flix or NX. Perhaps inevitable though, particularly after the still fairly recent cutbacks/changes. Hoping that this creates opportunity for flix to fill the remaining gaps including Oxford - the once-a-day M84 is certainly inadequate and such a long route as to be constantly delayed by multiple hours.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Looking at the booking engine the statement seems to have been somewhat unclear - the only ones that seem to be carrying on from December are the ones ran out of Scotland, so not the Wales-London or Wales-Manchester and Leeds routes. If that's right and the Wales routes aren't just taking longer to add, I wonder if the megabus brand might be living on borrowed time - at this point I see little reason not to standardise it all to Scottish Citylink.

It slightly begs the question exactly what Citylink were, or thought they were, buying. It seems they may have bought somewhat of a pup. Though with Stagecoach having significant interest in Citylink I wonder if it may not have been a classic sale at all, but rather an agreed semi-internal transfer.

 

[markymark2000]

at this point I see little reason not to standardise it all to Scottish Citylink.

A normal Citylink would save significant funds. Right now ComfortDelGro are paying for 3 separate booking engines for their intercity coach divisions. 1 for Megabus, 1 for Scottish Citylink and 1 for Irish Citylink. One bigger system would enable significant savings for ComfortDelGro. Possibly helping to make some things more viable. Plus, given a number of cross border buses are using Citylink vehicles anyway, branding everything to Citylink would build a bigger brand presence rather than sticking to Megabus and Megabus endless bad press of cuts, being bought out, or bankruptcy (America).

 

[WelshBluebird]

Looking at the booking engine the statement seems to have been somewhat unclear - the only ones that seem to be carrying on from December are the ones ran out of Scotland, so not the Wales-London or Wales-Manchester and Leeds routes. If that's right and the Wales routes aren't just taking longer to add, I wonder if the megabus brand might be living on borrowed time - at this point I see little reason not to standardise it all to Scottish Citylink.

It looks like there's a sporadic Bristol to Cardiff coach that seems to still exist post December 4th. But yeah does seem like the regular Anglo Welsh services are gone, just replaced with the odd token one which no doubt will be removed in the future due to low use!