National Express Coaches Discussion

[cnjb8]

*Mod Note* I gather that this thread has been started to specifically discuss the coaching activities of National Express. There are threads available for National Express West Midlands, Xplore Dundee etc. Please keep any discussion about these subsidiaries to those threads.

There have been many threads about NatEx coaches and operations so I thought it would be a good idea to have one place to discuss these things.
In other news, Kings Ferry and Lucketts are to form a new subsiduary called National Express Transport Solutions. Brands will be retained.

 

[Anthony ross]

I wondered how long it would take national Express to merge both kings ferry group and the lucketts group under one common management team

 

[Bletchleyite]

As a slightly relevant aside, I used to work (in IT) with the son of the owner of Lucketts. So I guess the family business wasn't going to be passed down in any case, so always ripe for takeover.

 

[gray1404]

*Mod note* The following posts were copied from this thread:

Have National Express suspended bookings for travel post current lockdown?

I am trying to book some Liverpool to Reading, Mereoak return (back a few days later) on the National Express website but it is returning on results. I have entered dates during the current lockdown, shortly after and even into December/January and I am getting the same outcome. This never used...

www.railforums.co.uk

I am trying to book some Liverpool to Reading, Mereoak return (back a few days later) on the National Express website but it is returning on results. I have entered dates during the current lockdown, shortly after and even into December/January and I am getting the same outcome. This never used to happen before their reduced timetable. It makes me wonder if they have suspended bookings for places off their limited route network even post lockdown.

I have also done some dummy searches (no need to do this journey) for Liverpool to Newcastle - a journey that always used to be possible - but am getting exactly the same outcome even post lockdown. Thus supporting my suspicion that bookings have been suspended.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There are London-Manchester journeys for those dates. I wonder if they have pulled a load of "usual" routes in order to concentrate on the "student travel window"?

 

[gray1404]

Its really frustrating and there is a total lack of information on their website. I could accept if they had done this, but I think they should be open and frank about what they have done (i.e. which routes they have taken off even at the end of lockdown) and what dates it applies to.

 

[richw]

They’ve scaled back their network massively with monthly reviews due to current circumstances. It may well be that service is currently pulled from calling at those points

 

[embers25]

Full timetables are on their website. Plymouth and Exeter is now once daily or example with nothing into cornwall and no overnight coaches. Most cross country type ones are cancelled. Ironically north devon now has a better service to london the exeter. Megabus have also cut back substantially.

 

[Statto]

Full timetables are on their website. Plymouth and Exeter is now once daily or example with nothing into cornwall and no overnight coaches. Most cross country type ones are cancelled. Ironically north devon now has a better service to london the exeter. Megabus have also cut back substantially.

Is every timetable on the site, i've often found some services missing, so i end up going here for full timetables.

National Express Coaches - Coach Guide Pages

www.nxagents.com

 

[markymark2000]

Is every timetable on the site, i've often found some services missing, so i end up going here for full timetables.

National Express Coaches - Coach Guide Pages

www.nxagents.com

Try not to use that site for a while as the information on the NXAgents site has been awful since Covid. I presume due to services constantly changing. There are a lot of missing timetables and a lot of changes happened since most of those timetables were uploaded.

 

[317 forever]

I notice that overnight coaches between London and Manchester have been suspended during lockdown. I reckon other overnight services might also be suspended.

 

[gray1404]

Just had a dreadful/fob off reply from National Express.

"Please use our journey planner - www.nationalexpress.com to check your service. If it does not show then we will not be running the service at the moment. Keep an eye on our website for any changes."

No information about which services are cancelled and when they plan on restarting the services, or why they are not showing such services after the lockdown or into the new year.

 

[markymark2000]

Just had a dreadful/fob off reply from National Express.

"Please use our journey planner - www.nationalexpress.com to check your service. If it does not show then we will not be running the service at the moment. Keep an eye on our website for any changes."

No information about which services are cancelled and when they plan on restarting the services, or why they are not showing such services after the lockdown or into the new year.

NX customer service is awful. I can never get a proper reply out of them. Proper robots in that office. Shame they have little competition in most cases as I would be choosing elsewhere on the basis of their awful customer service.

 

[Bletchleyite]

NX customer service is awful. I can never get a proper reply out of them. Proper robots in that office. Shame they have little competition in most cases as I would be choosing elsewhere on the basis of their awful customer service.

The problem is that coach operations are only about the bottom of the market, because the "top" of the market is driving or going by train. There therefore isn't the money knocking around to make it "nice".

 

[markymark2000]

The problem is that coach operations are only about the bottom of the market, because the "top" of the market is driving or going by train. There therefore isn't the money knocking around to make it "nice".

Regardless of where you are in the market, there is no excuse for consistently poor customer service. If you can't help passengers, they won't travel and so then you lose sales. Take your pick. Keep customers or lose them. Many companies have lost my trust over time and I will avoid them now where possible because I won't give my money to companies who can't be bothered to help me out when I need help. You either want passengers or you dont.

 

[Smethwickian]

I can categorically assure you that if staff in the NX coach customer contact centre had the slightest idea when services were to be reintroduced, they would tell you. They can't because they get no more information than the public gets on the web booking engine. Services have disappeared and changed without notice. No dates have been confirmed for the resumption of many of the services mentioned above, and frankly with departures on even the major routes not often selling out at the reduced capacity (usually 22 or 25 depending on the allocated vehicle) I would not hold your breath for some of the cross-country or the remaining once-a-day-from-Little-Ploddington-on-the-Wolds-and-umpteen-villages-en-route-to-London-in-the-morning-and-back-in-the-afternoon routes to come back for a very long time if ever.
A not-insignificant portion of the usual profits are expected from airport services, mainly around London, where much of the marketing and other resources is aimed - but that market has collapsed.
Compared with the £900 million per MONTH (quoted in this week's Rail magazine) currently being poured into the rail network by the public purse, National Express receives precisely nothing, so is it any wonder it cannot afford to transport fresh air at a time when, frankly, many people should not be travelling anyhow?
Incidentally, the 'guide pages' at the nxagents website, mentioned above, are clearly no longer maintained, and were never intended for public use anyway so should not be relied upon. That is a shame, as they were the clearest proper timetables and had decent stop location descriptions unlike those on the public website.

 

[RT4038]

Just had a dreadful/fob off reply from National Express.

"Please use our journey planner - www.nationalexpress.com to check your service. If it does not show then we will not be running the service at the moment. Keep an eye on our website for any changes."

No information about which services are cancelled and when they plan on restarting the services, or why they are not showing such services after the lockdown or into the new year.

The problem is that National Express staff and their management just don't know themselves. They are getting no support from Government for the services, and cannot afford to operate at a loss. You don't know what is going to happen after December 2nd, and neither do they. Both yours and their crystal ball works in the same way.

 

[markymark2000]

I can categorically assure you that if staff in the NX coach customer contact centre had the slightest idea when services were to be reintroduced, they would tell you. They can't because they get no more information than the public gets on the web booking engine. Services have disappeared and changed without notice. No dates have been confirmed for the resumption of many of the services mentioned above, and frankly with departures on even the major routes not often selling out at the reduced capacity (usually 22 or 25 depending on the allocated vehicle) I would not hold your breath for some of the cross-country or the remaining once-a-day-from-Little-Ploddington-on-the-Wolds-and-umpteen-villages-en-route-to-London-in-the-morning-and-back-in-the-afternoon routes to come back for a very long time if ever.
Compared with the £900 million per MONTH (quoted in this week's Rail magazine) currently being poured into the rail network by the public purse, National Express receives precisely nothing, so is it any wonder it cannot afford to transport fresh air at a time when, frankly, many people should not be travelling anyhow?
Incidentally, the 'guide pages' at the nxagents website, mentioned above, are clearly no longer maintained, and were never intended for public use anyway so should not be relied upon. That is a shame, as they were the clearest proper timetables and had decent stop location descriptions unlike those on the public website.

I just want to say my comments were in general about NX customer service and not specifically the incident mentioned above.

 

[tbtc]

I can categorically assure you that if staff in the NX coach customer contact centre had the slightest idea when services were to be reintroduced, they would tell you. They can't because they get no more information than the public gets on the web booking engine. Services have disappeared and changed without notice. No dates have been confirmed for the resumption of many of the services mentioned above, and frankly with departures on even the major routes not often selling out at the reduced capacity (usually 22 or 25 depending on the allocated vehicle) I would not hold your breath for some of the cross-country or the remaining once-a-day-from-Little-Ploddington-on-the-Wolds-and-umpteen-villages-en-route-to-London-in-the-morning-and-back-in-the-afternoon routes to come back for a very long time if ever.
A not-insignificant portion of the usual profits are expected from airport services, mainly around London, where much of the marketing and other resources is aimed - but that market has collapsed.
Compared with the £900 million per MONTH (quoted in this week's Rail magazine) currently being poured into the rail network by the public purse, National Express receives precisely nothing, so is it any wonder it cannot afford to transport fresh air at a time when, frankly, many people should not be travelling anyhow?
Incidentally, the 'guide pages' at the nxagents website, mentioned above, are clearly no longer maintained, and were never intended for public use anyway so should not be relied upon. That is a shame, as they were the clearest proper timetables and had decent stop location descriptions unlike those on the public website.

You make great points, especially the part I've bolded - I don't think that some people in the rail industry had much concept of Austerity ten years ago and I don't think that some people in the rail industry have much concept of the kind of effect that Covid is having now - if National Express don't think that a market is sustainable for a once-a-day coach service then I think we can forget about any aspirations for heavy rail services etc

Can't be say for National Express to try to adapt tot he ever changing circumstances, when the Government keep changing the rules/ tiers etc

(I've not used National Epress much since I was a daily commuter on there 070 from Sheffield to Leeds twenty years ago, but they are an organisation who have to deal with the realities of demands, rather than relying on the Magic Money Tree of government subsidy - good luck to them)

 

[gray1404]

Still no sign of National Express reinstating services to their post lockdown timetable from next week, following today's announcement about the tiers. Please let us not continue with their limited minimal service.

 

[matt_splat]

Still no sign of National Express reinstating services to their post lockdown timetable from next week, following today's announcement about the tiers. Please let us not continue with their limited minimal service.

Bristol goes back to 040s and 502s before lockdown using the double deckers from next thursday

 

[Deerfold]

Still no sign of National Express reinstating services to their post lockdown timetable from next week, following today's announcement about the tiers. Please let us not continue with their limited minimal service.

There's a number of overnight services recommence. However, a lot of places will be in Tier 3 with travel discouraged.

Frequencies between Leeds and London will nearly double (from 4 to 7 a day). I can understand them not going back to normal services. It'll be a while before most discretionary travel restarts.

 

[Boo_]

They don`t really need to add services just add more coaches on each run if needed. issue is many of the drivers are on schools.

 

[Mwanesh]

No point in increasing services at present.The coaches are not carrying anyone .Its only Bristol that is actually carrying enough pasaengers.Everything else is just not sustainable.Operators will also need to be found for some of the routes.Some contractors have gone bust.

 

[markymark2000]

No point in increasing services at present.The coaches are not carrying anyone .Its only Bristol that is actually carrying enough pasaengers.Everything else is just not sustainable.Operators will also need to be found for some of the routes.Some contractors have gone bust.

TravelDeCourcey went bust but the other operators could take over the work if it all went back to 100% NX made it worse for themselves though by trying to bring all the work in house so some of the original contractors are no longer there.

NatEx is in a difficult situation though with services in that by having such a reduced network, it puts people off travelling as they can't get where they want, when they want. On the other hand, NatEx can't increase services without demand.

 

[Mwanesh]

They cant really plan anything.Clarkes are even doing school runs in Walsall.The staff is not there and government advice makes planning hard.

 

[Boo_]

Coaches are on other jobs like Schools and Rail Replacment along with drivers.

There even been NX coaches on Rail replacement on
Saturday, 03rd October 2020,
Hereford Station,
Llew Jones of Llanwrst / Travelstar of Walsall

photo taken by phil Weaver

 

[WM Bus]

They cant really plan anything.Clarkes are even doing school runs in Walsall.The staff is not there and government advice makes planning hard.

National Express are using Clarkes of London, Lucketts Coaches, Worthing, etc. On Birmingham National Express West Midlands Schools such as.
51S King Edwards School, near Birmingham University to Walsall and 45S Cadbury College, Kings Norton to Birmingham City Centre, etc.
Coaches are parked at Bordesley Green Garage when not in use.

Public bus routes that used to operate from BY moved to other garages on closure of Bordesley in October.

 

[markymark2000]

National Express are using Clarkes of London, Lucketts Coaches, Worthing, etc. On Birmingham National Express West Midlands Schools such as.
51S King Edwards School, near Birmingham University to Walsall and 45S Cadbury College to Birmingham City Centre, etc.
Coaches are parked at Bordesley Green Garage when not in use.

Public bus routes that used to operate from BY moved to other garages on closure of Bordesley in October.

Is Bordesley closed permanently (with the coaches being stored until the land is sold) or just temporary to provide storage for the coaches?

 

[Boo_]

Stagecoach Manchester are doing same by using Megabus coaches and parks of Hamilton coaches parked at their Park and Ride site with megabus and Hamition drivers from Megabus and NX duty's.

so, it not going to be easy to put more services to network without losing school services in the week.

Ao National express and megabus are on same Business plan currently and there not really any need to rush to put service back in place.

As all the major players are doing the same with none of them trying to market their services. it like they have a understanding that it's not the time to Fight for the very little passengers. Also, what staff have they got at coach stations and network control. AS they are running on Barebones management. So I dont see megabus or National rushing to lose money as they can only carry 20 / 30 odd passangers each service.

Also, As it is a franchise/parter operation they dont need to care so long as their own coaches are in use.