National Express operations

[Andyh82]

Does anyone have any insight into how National Express operate their services

For example, many contracts run by Go North East spend 3 or 4 days away from their home region

How would such a diagram be crewed, would it always be a GNE driver driving a GNE coach, I'm guessing various overnight hotels are involved for the drivers. Where would the coaches park overnight, other operators depots?

As well as London, Go North East coaches seem to overnight in Torbay, Plymouth, Swindon, Birmingham, Skipton, Sheffield and Bexhill

Of course there will be similar situations for the other big players in the National Express network

 

[Pat1105]

Does anyone have any insight into how National Express operate their services

For example, many contracts run by Go North East spend 3 or 4 days away from their home region

How would such a diagram be crewed, would it always be a GNE driver driving a GNE coach, I'm guessing various overnight hotels are involved for the drivers. Where would the coaches park overnight, other operators depots?

As well as London, Go North East coaches seem to overnight in Torbay, Plymouth, Swindon, Birmingham, Skipton, Sheffield and Bexhill

Of course there will be similar situations for the other big players in the National Express network

It depends on the service length. Some diagrams, for example the 323 involve a driver doing the whole trip and overnighting in Cardiff. Other diagrams may involve 2 drivers with them alternating throughout the journey. My local route (409) involves a driver (who has overnighted in Aberystwyth) taking the service as far as Birmingham where another driver takes over for the Victoria section.

 

[Bwsbro]

It depends on the service length. Some diagrams, for example the 323 involve a driver doing the whole trip and overnighting in Cardiff. Other diagrams may involve 2 drivers with them alternating throughout the journey. My local route (409) involves a driver (who has overnighted in Aberystwyth) taking the service as far as Birmingham where another driver takes over for the Victoria section.

The 409 has two local drivers based in Aberystwyth who drive the Aber - Birmingham section daily

 

[Statto]

Will the 336 Plymouth-Edinburgh be 2 drivers given that takes 15 hours, hate to think of the roster when that went to Penzance, taking 18 hours.

 

[Pat1105]

Will the 336 Plymouth-Edinburgh be 2 drivers given that takes 15 hours, hate to think of the roster when that went to Penzance, taking 18 hours.

Yes, as if it were one driver, they’d go over their legal driving hours as the route is too long for just one driver to do it.

 

[M60lad]

I know Travel De Courcey have a couple of services that terminate at Manchester at Chorlton Street then overnight at a Travelodge in Oldham area before going out the next morning on another service, I know one comes in on a 212 I think then goes out the following morning on a 540 from Manchester-London.

 

[Eyersey468]

It depends on the service length. Some diagrams, for example the 323 involve a driver doing the whole trip and overnighting in Cardiff. Other diagrams may involve 2 drivers with them alternating throughout the journey. My local route (409) involves a driver (who has overnighted in Aberystwyth) taking the service as far as Birmingham where another driver takes over for the Victoria section.

It also depends if there are any scheduled breaks in the service as well. One of the routes I drive is Bradford/Leeds to London and back, and we run it with 2 drivers on the coach as 1 driver doesn't have enough driving hours to do it. Leeds to London is just doable with one driver but its tight and there's the dead mileage from Hull to Bradford and the Bradford to Leeds bit too.

 

[Robertj21a]

Haven't we had a lot of this on previous threads ? - do Parks drivers still do a 4-day rota involving Scotland, Devon, London and Rochdale ?