National Express Coaches Discussion

[Simon75]

But surely by definition it is to make extra bucks. It pays for maintenance, that would otherwise be paid for out of profit, giving extra bucks elsewhere

When they agents (not sure if they still do), did they charge a booking fee?

 

[markymark2000]

When they agents (not sure if they still do), did they charge a booking fee?

Yes.

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We charge different booking fees dependent on the booking method, and we always try to keep them as low as possible. Our booking charges are:

• A £1.50 booking fee per web transaction
• A £3 booking fee per phone bookings
• A £2 booking fee at coach stations

The booking fees also cover all standard debit/credit card fees and reservation costs.

The fee for buying over the phone has existed for a while. They also used to charge a booking fee if you went via the Post Office. They stopped selling coach tickets via Post Office a few months ago.

 

[185]

A £2 fee for buying a ticket in their own coach station?! Really??

Well, I'm not gonna gobycoach.com. NEX is really losing it's way.

 

[Simon75]

Yes.

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The fee for buying over the phone has existed for a while. They also used to charge a booking fee if you went via the Post Office. They stopped selling coach tickets via Post Office a few months ago.

A big company like National Express (Mobico) should be able to afford to absorb credit/debit card costs.
But it's illegal to charge extra for them

 

[MCR247]

Or the money goes into paying staff instead of paying for passengers convenience.

Right, paying staff using the extra bucks they wouldn’t already have, no? To be clear, I’m not actually giving my opinion on the fact that they charge the booking fee (I don’t really care either way), but I don’t think you can argue that the booking fee doesn’t generate income they wouldn’t otherwise get!

 

[markymark2000]

A £2 fee for buying a ticket in their own coach station?! Really??

Well, I'm not gonna gobycoach.com. NEX is really losing it's way.

Yep. That same £2 fee is payable when you use the self service ticket machines. The only way to avoid the booking fee is have an account so they can have all your data, or buy onboard the coach and pay an absolutely extortionate fare.

 

[Eyersey468]

Yep. That same £2 fee is payable when you use the self service ticket machines. The only way to avoid the booking fee is have an account so they can have all your data, or buy onboard the coach and pay an absolutely extortionate fare.

Drivers can only take cash at the moment as the card readers were taken off the coaches pending arrival of the new ticket machines, though when they will arrive is anyone's guess.

 

[Titfield]

National Express appear to have decided to trash their 205 Gatwick to Poole service.

Apparently the services which ran LHR to Bournemouth and Poole with just one stop (Ringwood) giving a LHR to Bmth journey times of 1hr 50 minutes approx are now going to go via Southampton thereby adding 50 minutes to the journey time.

The downloadable timetables are still to be updated but the booking engine is giving the correct departure and arrival times.

 

[route101]

National Express appear to have decided to trash their 205 Gatwick to Poole service.

Apparently the services which ran LHR to Bournemouth and Poole with just one stop (Ringwood) giving a LHR to Bmth journey times of 1hr 50 minutes approx are now going to go via Southampton thereby adding 50 minutes to the journey time.

The downloadable timetables are still to be updated but the booking engine is giving the correct departure and arrival times.

I think that was how it was before the 203 service came back.

 

[ADB125]

National Express appear to have decided to trash their 205 Gatwick to Poole service.

Apparently the services which ran LHR to Bournemouth and Poole with just one stop (Ringwood) giving a LHR to Bmth journey times of 1hr 50 minutes approx are now going to go via Southampton thereby adding 50 minutes to the journey time.

The downloadable timetables are still to be updated but the booking engine is giving the correct departure and arrival times.

Seems that the 203 is being withdrawn and some 030 services will make an extra stop at Heathrow also.

There appear to be quite a lot of reductions across the network from September unless the full timetables havent been uploaded yet.

 

[Wilko82]

Seems that the 203 is being withdrawn and some 030 services will make an extra stop at Heathrow also.

There appear to be quite a lot of reductions across the network from September unless the full timetables havent been uploaded yet.

The changes seem to be taking place before September, a week on Monday to be precise (5th August). The 205 changes will be a bit of a nuisance to passengers from Poole/Bournemouth/Ringwood as the journey time is increased quite dramatically. However I have used this service to make 3 return journeys in the past 13 months, and on only one single journey was the service coach over half full, so if that is the norm it makes sense to combine the two services. Another advantage is that it now gives Southampton a direct service to Gatwick which the 203 doesn't give at present.

There also seems to be changes to the 035 service with the Weymouth having its Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon afternoon arrival and departure to/from Victoria totally cut, but what is most strange is that the daily evening arrival from Victoria seem to have been cut to Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon, yet the morning departure remains daily.

 

[Mike99]

I used the 030 service a lot out of Victoria home to Fareham in the mid 2010's. Generally off peak and evenings, it was a pretty quick ride out through Wandsworth onto the A3, and I felt that I was on the way home nice and quick, especially once the Hindhead tunnel opened. Diverting via Heathrow just seems a shame as it might well have the feel of a longish journey just to get going. I had a spell of using the 032 from Victoria via Heathrow and down to Southampton, and it always felt like a long time.

 

[Titfield]

The changes seem to be taking place before September, a week on Monday to be precise (5th August). The 205 changes will be a bit of a nuisance to passengers from Poole/Bournemouth/Ringwood as the journey time is increased quite dramatically. However I have used this service to make 3 return journeys in the past 13 months, and on only one single journey was the service coach over half full, so if that is the norm it makes sense to combine the two services. Another advantage is that it now gives Southampton a direct service to Gatwick which the 203 doesn't give at present.

There also seems to be changes to the 035 service with the Weymouth having its Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon afternoon arrival and departure to/from Victoria totally cut, but what is most strange is that the daily evening arrival from Victoria seem to have been cut to Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon, yet the morning departure remains daily.

The question will be if the Poole and Bournemouth based travellers wishing to travel to LHR (Heathrow) decide they may as well get the train to Woking and then the rail air coach rather than having a tour of Southampton. The other option of course is to go by cab or get a friend to take them. The uneven schedule doesn't do National Express any favours.

It may also of course push Gatwick bound travellers decide to take the train to Clapham and then change rather than put up with what then becomes a very long journey using the coach.

 

[route101]

I used the 030 service a lot out of Victoria home to Fareham in the mid 2010's. Generally off peak and evenings, it was a pretty quick ride out through Wandsworth onto the A3, and I felt that I was on the way home nice and quick, especially once the Hindhead tunnel opened. Diverting via Heathrow just seems a shame as it might well have the feel of a longish journey just to get going. I had a spell of using the 032 from Victoria via Heathrow and down to Southampton, and it always felt like a long time.

The 030 is an oddball as the only service use the A3 out of London. All 025s go via Heathrow.

I thought coach usage was through the roof or is there something else that means cuts.

 

[ADB125]

The 030 is an oddball as the only service use the A3 out of London. All 025s go via Heathrow.

I thought coach usage was through the roof or is there something else that means cuts.

Not sure of the reason but there seems to be quite a few services being cut.

503 and 565 seem to be gone and several of the more frequent London routes have reductions.

Overnight Scottish services 587 and 586 look to be ending in August. The 435 is extended to Edinburgh and remembered 598, but there doesnt seem to be any replacement for the 587.

The 590 is diverted into Manchester from September making if even slower. I'm not sure what extra revenue will be generated by doing this, I used the 184 from Manchester a few times before it was withdrawn and it was always empty. The cuts to Scottish services possibly are due to competition from megabus and flixbus? That doesn't explain cuts to the south coast routes though.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

I've been using National Express's Coach Tracker lately to check on the progress (or lack of!) of a friend travelling between London and Darlington. For seem reason, it seems impossible to get details of a journey once it has been completed. In fact, details of the service seem to disappear from the Tracker even before the coach has arrived at its final destination, which is very annoying if you're trying to meet them.
Am I doing something wrong, or is the Tracker just a bit rubbish?

 

[route101]

Not sure of the reason but there seems to be quite a few services being cut.

503 and 565 seem to be gone and several of the more frequent London routes have reductions.

Overnight Scottish services 587 and 594 look to be ending in August. The 435 is extended to Edinburgh and remembered 598, but there doesnt seem to be any replacement for the 587.

The 590 is diverted into Manchester from September making if even slower. I'm not sure what extra revenue will be generated by doing this, I used the 184 from Manchester a few times before it was withdrawn and it was always empty. The cuts to Scottish services possibly are due to competition from megabus and flixbus? That doesn't explain cuts to the south coast routes though.

The Scottish routes to Edinburgh and Glasgow are in my experience busier at night than day. There was a faster 590 that omitted Birmingham but that was quietly dropped.

The 587 is quite a big route to drop, leaves Glasgow with one overnight. Edinburgh loses its Heathrow link unless the 595 is extended to Edinburgh.

 

[ADB125]

The Scottish routes to Edinburgh and Glasgow are in my experience busier at night than day. There was a faster 590 that omitted Birmingham but that was quietly dropped.

The 587 is quite a big route to drop, leaves Glasgow with one overnight. Edinburgh loses its Heathrow link unless the 595 is extended to Edinburgh.

Sorry it's the 586 being removed not 594, so Edinburgh will keep its link to Heathrow.

The 595 has an extra stop at Milton Keynes, but Hamilton will lose its overnight service to London.

The faster 590 was a similar routing to how I remember it being around 15 years ago, it was a busy service back then but must not be viable anymore. National Express seems to have been struggling on the scottish routes for a long time, a lot of services were cut long before covid.

 

[Deerfold]

Not sure of the reason but there seems to be quite a few services being cut.

503 and 565 seem to be gone and several of the more frequent London routes have reductions.

Overnight Scottish services 587 and 594 look to be ending in August. The 435 is extended to Edinburgh and remembered 598, but there doesnt seem to be any replacement for the 587.

The 590 is diverted into Manchester from September making if even slower. I'm not sure what extra revenue will be generated by doing this, I used the 184 from Manchester a few times before it was withdrawn and it was always empty. The cuts to Scottish services possibly are due to competition from megabus and flixbus? That doesn't explain cuts to the south coast routes though.

The 565 seems to be running once per day except between 26 August 2024 and 01 September 2024.

 

[Blindtraveler]

The loss of the 594 will be a serious blow as it's a fast service and also serves Heathrow.

 

[Deerfold]

The loss of the 594 will be a serious blow as it's a fast service and also serves Heathrow.

That seems to have been a mistype - but both the 565 and 587 just seem to have a week off at the end of August - I don't know if they have more drivers off after lots of Festival-related extras or if they're changing contractor and can't do it without a gap or if there's a real dip in use that week.

 

[185102]

I believe the 565 and 451 return are bring dropped altogether.

 

[Blindtraveler]

That seems to have been a mistype - but both the 565 and 587 just seem to have a week off at the end of August - I don't know if they have more drivers off after lots of Festival-related extras or if they're changing contractor and can't do it without a gap or if there's a real dip in use that week.

Hope you're right on that, I'm too old and unfit for overnight coach journeys really these days but if I do it the 594 is my weapon of choice. I was wondering quite how Edinburgh would cope capacity wise with just one extremely slow National Express service to and from London on the overnight which would also be competing with Newcastle passengers and would be much slower anyway due to using the A1. The loss of the Heathrow call would affect many as I've never yet been on it when it hasn't served Heathrow.

 

[route101]

Where are these changes getting posted?

Does that leave Hull without a service to London?

 

[ADB125]

Hope you're right on that, I'm too old and unfit for overnight coach journeys really these days but if I do it the 594 is my weapon of choice. I was wondering quite how Edinburgh would cope capacity wise with just one extremely slow National Express service to and from London on the overnight which would also be competing with Newcastle passengers and would be much slower anyway due to using the A1. The loss of the Heathrow call would affect many as I've never yet been on it when it hasn't served Heathrow.

Have edited my previous post as it had caused some confusion. It is the 586 possibly ending, not the 594.

Where are these changes getting posted?

Does that leave Hull without a service to London?

Not sure about the 451 mentioned above, but all the ones I've noticed have been from looking at the timetables page or trying to book for dates in September. I believe Hull also has 2 services per day on 561?

 

[route101]

Have edited my previous post as it had caused some confusion. It is the 586 possibly ending, not the 594.


Not sure about the 451 mentioned above, but all the ones I've noticed have been from looking at the timetables page or trying to book for dates in September. I believe Hull also has 2 services per day on 561?

If remember correctly before the 586 was introduced, the service was combined with the Glasgow 587. I have already forgotten the old numbers for this service.

 

[markymark2000]

Where are these changes getting posted?

NatEx rarely do full and proper service change lists. They only generally do any kind of information when there are enhancements, cuts they tend to brush under the carpet.

 

[Deerfold]

I believe the 565 and 451 return are bring dropped altogether.

What's that based on? I could book on the 451 for various dates in September (though it's just 5 minutes in front of a 561 which takes an hour longer)

 

[Eyersey468]

I believe the 565 and 451 return are bring dropped altogether.

451 isn't being dropped just the 565

 

[route101]

I used the little known 177 yesterday from Manchester to Newcastle. Stops at Darlington and Durham only. Service runs once a day in each direction. I was surprised how many people alighted at Darlington and Durahm.