bussnapperwm
Established Member
- Joined
- 18 May 2014
- Messages
- 1,511
And Birmingham to Worcester/Bristol/Oxford
Victoria isn't a great destination from the North unless your final destination is close by.
- Easy booking system
- Convenient drop-off in London (St Pancras Coach Station) that is far superior to Victoria Coach Station
Victoria isn't a great destination from the North unless your final destination is close by.
Where is St Pancras Coach Station?
Yep that's exactly where it is. Toilets right next to it, free to use too, unlike Kings Cross, and Victoria. Handily located for direct transfer to the tube and Thameslink, unlike Victoria Coach Station which is a bit of a chore.Go into St Pancras International and aim for the North west corner. As I recall toilets and Excess Baggage Company were nearby. Vehicle exit on Midland Road as shown here. https://goo.gl/maps/rUFYMVWReqG2
Currently on a London to Cardiff Snap service operated by Watts Coaches.
It’s almost full - only two or three seats empty.
The alternative of replacement buses between Swindon and Newport may have given Snap a boost today
You get a chance to say that when they text you asking you to leave a review of the service that you have received from them. That then apparently influences who they use for their next trips.Have to say the Watts coach was not clean, and the toilet was in a very poor state
Hi all, I travelled to London using Snap for the first time last weekend and wanted to share my experience, and comparison to the return journey with Megabus.
I travelled on the early morning departure from Bristol to London that was operated by Andrew James (Andybus) using a 17-plate Mercedes Tourismo. Now, I usually hate coach travel and use it as a last resort when the train is ludicrously expensive or driving is not feasible.
However, on this occasion, I can genuinely say I had a really pleasant journey.
The good:
The bad:
- Easy booking system
- Convenient drop-off in London (St Pancras Coach Station) that is far superior to Victoria Coach Station
- Modern comfortable vehicle with an effective heating ventilation system that kept us warm without being stuffy (why do coach builders and train builders struggle so much to achieve this?!)
- Well-designed interior with a decent toilet, comfortable seats, and a tasteful interior decor of grey with yellow accents
- Pleasant, helpful driver who kept us informed on journey time, interchange options in London, and collection points for the return journey.
Unfortunately, I had to return with Megabus, as Snap does not currently have a great range of journey times. The Megabus journey (a 65-plate left-hand drive Plaxton) was everything I hate about coach travel. An unbearably stuffy, hot coach. A surly driver who didn't even bother saying a welcome message and was playing their own music the whole time. A dirty toilet that one had to contort themselves to get into. Poor ride quality with the coach having a nodding motion at high speeds. Oh, and very strangely shaped seats that dig into your thighs, rather than giving support. Add in the lurid orange and blue interior design, and it is a truly awful experience.
- The coach appeared to have a gearbox problem whereby it would repeatedly drop in and out of gear at crusing speed
- Journey time compared to the train (which is of course to be expected)
- Really naff green LED lights on the ceiling.
All in all, Snap has converted me to coach travel, so much so that I have booked a return journey to London next month. It looks like on that occasion the outbound will be operated by Andrew James, with the return by Centurion.
I feel that there may be a gap in the market for premium coach travel for several reasons. Firstly, younger people have far lower levels of car ownership than previous generations, increasing the market for intercity public transport as a whole. Secondly, rail fares are really ridiculous - £33 for a single journey on a late night train from London to Bristol - really?! Thirdly, Megabus truly is awful and will only every attract those for whom price outweighs absolutely everything else i.e. students but less so young professionals.
With people squeezed by rocketing property prices and unaffordable train fares, decent comfortable coaches priced, say, a third higher than Megabus / National Express could be a winner and I am intrigued to see how well Snap does in the coming months and years.
I did that run earlier in the year with Andy's 17 plate Tourismo, only then the heating didn't work and was cold but I did mention that in the Snap feedback, at least they have fixed it. Not sure I remember the gear problem or not I remember it absolutely flying down the motorway, it might have had that gear problem though.
Our VDL Bova has a similar problem, the gear ratio for 5th and 6th seems to be set at 62mph (or probably 61.8mph) so keeps changing up and down at the limiter, apparently annoying when at cruise speed!
The Centurion one is very likely to be a 17 plate Irizar i6, and your Andrew James will no doubt be the same 17 plate Tourismo
No.Did any of these coaches have adjustable width seats?
That's exactly how the Tourismo felt - switching back and forth between fifth and sixth when cruising. Seems a bit of a design flaw if the gearbox does not know what to do at the vehicle's max speed! Glad to hear that they have fixed the heating, the set up seemed pretty perfect with plenty of fresh air and warmth.
That's interesting to know what Centurion will be operating. Are the i6s any good? I've never been on one!
Have to say the Watts coach was not clean, and the toilet was in a very poor state
Do you have a source for that? I can't find anything that says Snap is suspending operations, certainly not on their website.Snap is to suspend all operations from Tuesday 18th due to failing to secure funding. They hope to return in september
All passengers have been notified and received a refund.
Do you have a source for that? I can't find anything that says Snap is suspending operations, certainly not on their website.
Equally it's the time of year when coach companies would have less leeway on availability/prices.It's the worst time of year for this to happen to them too, since you'd think there'd be more recreational travel in the summer (which is probably their main market). So it's hard to see them recovering very well.