Train v National Express Coach v Plane

[J-2739]

We (adult, sister and I) used to get on National Express from Barnsley down to London. It was then they were using the Panthers, and I hate them with a passion. Added to the fact that we had to make numerous stopovers (at Meadowhall, Chesterfield & Milton Keynes), it wasn't a most pleasant experience. We then started to take EMT from Sheffield Midland, and that was most pleasant, blasting at 125mph on a 222 or HST. We now use Megabus.

The coach is way cheaper than the trains, and the Astromegas are some of my favourite buses, but sometimes, the train is more convenient, especially in reserving a seat.

 

[Bungle965]

We (adult, sister and I) used to get on National Express from Barnsley down to London. It was then they were using the Panthers, and I hate them with a passion. Added to the fact that we had to make numerous stopovers (at Meadowhall, Chesterfield & Milton Keynes), it wasn't a most pleasant experience. We then started to take EMT from Sheffield Midland, and that was most pleasant, blasting at 125mph on a 222 or HST. We now use Megabus.

The coach is way cheaper than the trains, and the Astromegas are some of my favourite buses, but sometimes, the train is more convenient, especially in reserving a seat.

I agree with you about both Panthers and Astromegas for the former they were not the best and thankfully were starting to disappear by the time I started to use coaches on National Express however a few were still lingering with Megabus but I believe are either in reserve or are gone now, which is good news!
The route that I tend use coaches the most is the Wolverhampton/ Birmingham to Manchester corridor, where more often than not the coach is cheaper than the train and with National Express I am guaranteed a seat, which is a far cry from CrossCountry. I can also charge my phone which is useful also and the leather seats are quite comfortable.
However coaches do have drawbacks, they are completely at the mercy of the traffic (As journeys along the M6 have shown me) and the type of people that use them are not the best, along with other issues it is certainly not perfect by a long while but it is becoming a more attractive option compared to rail.
Sam

 

[CapitalStar378]

I sometimes get the Megabus back home to Cardiff which last week cost me a fiver and took 3 hours v 2 hours 7 mins for GWR. I'd always prefer the train but £5 compared to £43.40 single on the train is nuts. There's wi-fi and at off peak times the buses are pretty quiet.

GWR seem to have the least available advance tickets these days (even 2 weeks before there are usually none) and the difference is journey time just isn't worth the extra expense.

 

[westv]

It's something I've considered for my Hull to London journeys but the Megabus service just takes far too long.

 

[Bungle965]

It's something I've considered for my Hull to London journeys but the Megabus service just takes far too long.

There is a National Express service that I was actually going to take that takes 7h 30m!
Stopping at places such as Louth, Silk Willoughby and Bourne.
Sam

 

[D365]

As I normally travel by train between Sheffield and (just beyond) Peterborough, I hadn't realised that there is a direct NX coach between the two. However when I last looked into it, I believe an equivalent return fare (for which I pay £36 with a railcard) costs £50!

Utterly pointless.

 

[TimG]

Recently challenging financial circumstances have forced me to take the National Express between MK & Leeds. I wondered what the forum view was on the difference in service and accommodation and the value for money versus the same journey by train. I will give my views below:

Firstly I will be honest - I hate buses, expect those in London, with a passion. I think they are for plebs, oiks and children. The one journey I took on National Express when at university took hours and was uncomfortable enlivened only by a drunk person trying to get on the bus at Birmingham coach station to fight the driver.

That said I was very surprised with my recent journeys!

The bus was modern and clean, the driver was smart and while grumpy not hideously so. The seats were leather, I got a double seat to myself, there were plugs, there was air con, there was a toilet, there were good reading lights and the journey was smooth and comfortable. The passengers were mainly students ( shudder) but not annoyingly stude like and everyone was well behaved. The journey time was 3 hours which was extended by a traffic jam to about 3 hours 30. The fare, at last minute ( 2 hours before departure) was £18!

That compares VERY well with the cost of a train ticket and the journey was non stop. The ambiance on the bus was better than the usual XC voyager ( the toilet certainly smelt less!) and the seats were more comfortable. The time of journey was competitive and I didn't have to waste time at New Street or the twilight zone that is Tamworth. There was no competition on price.

That said I am not sure I would want to do a longer journey or a journey away from the M1 corridor but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of service. Perhaps I have been overly harsh on the bus! What are your views?

It takes forever but, apart from the nausea, much more comfortable. I'd only do it on vet specific circumstances though!

 

[HH]

Just to point out that nine of these Coaches are National Express's, despite the branding. Nor are the drivers. They contract them out, so you won't get identical experiences from different areas.

 

[TimG]

As I normally travel by train between Sheffield and (just beyond) Peterborough, I hadn't realised that there is a direct NX coach between the two. However when I last looked into it, I believe an equivalent return fare (for which I pay £36 with a railcard) costs £50!

Utterly pointless.

The advance fares are super cheap. On the day not so much. Note there is a coach card.

 

[Hartington]

Down here in South Somerset Berrys operate three routes from Taunton to Hammersmith in West London - two hours from Wincanton to Hammersmith Bus Station. Comfortable double deck (usually) coaches. Castle Cary to Paddington is anything between 1hr 30 and 2hrs and usually much more expensive without resorting to complex split ticketing.

I've used Berrys but I find their timetable (two up in the AM and two back in the PM) a bit restrictive. Their other problem is the A303, particularly past Stonehenge. My trips with them have been midweek outside holiday periods, I'd simply hate to get stuck in the jams that occur on occasions.

So, if I'm going to use public transport I'm much more likely to use the train (occasionally using the "Mule" into Waterloo too) simply because of the reliability factor. However, because I'm often carrying quite a lot of "stuff" public transport isn't really an option so I probably (hides head) drive even more. And yes, I know that sounds daft because of my objections to jams when travelling Berrys but I know how and when to avoid the jams!

 

[Welshman]

As I mentioned in my account of a NE journey from Manchester to Rhyl ["bus trips" section], I was pleasantly surprised at the comfort and ambiance of the Levante coach, as my last experience of coach travel had been up and down the M1 from Halifax to London during my university days, where anything from a Bristol RE to a dual-purpose bus could be supplied!

The fare was more expensive than the train[I have a Senior Railcard], but I do feel that if there were more journeys along the North Wales Coast than 1 per day in each direction to/from London[545] and Manchester[385], I would invest in a Coachcard and make the fares more compatible.

The journey-time was about twice that of the train [except in the case of last weekend, when the line was closed from Chester to Llandudno Junction with a rr bus [which was not up to the standard of a NE Levante].

Where the coach really scored was in my being able to turn-up at Chorlton St Coach Station in the middle of the rush-hour at 4.50pm, board in a civilised manner and be assured of a seat [how I missed the scrum on Manchester Piccadilly platform 14, and possibly having to stand until Newton-le-Willows, or even further!].

 

[Matt_pool]

I used to go to a lot of gigs and concerts in Manchester and catch the last Northern service back to Liverpool from Oxford Road which, over the years, has always been somewhere between 23.20 - 23.30 (it's currently 23.27). It was always 4 carriages and if you were lucky it would be 2 x 150/2's joined together, if you were unlucky it would be 2 x Pacers, or 1 x Pacer and 1 x 150/1.

Friday and Saturday would be the worse evenings to travel - the train would be full and you'd be lucky if you got a seat. What made it worse was the majority of the other passengers would be off their faces on booze and other substances. And, being a Northern service, it would stop at every stop as far as South Parkway. It took forever and was the ultimate in nightmare train journeys.

I eventually got fed up of that palaver so on one occasion decided to risk the NX coach from Chorlton Street which I seem to remember departed at about 00.30 - 01.00 (ish). I bought an advance ticket the day before which only cost a couple of quid. I expected it to be as bad, or worse, than the train; but there were less than 10 other passengers, none of whom were inebriated. The coach was brand spanking new, the roads were empty and I got a seat at the front. I was in heaven! And from centre to centre it was 5 mins quicker than the train.

Only problem is it went via Liverpool Airport (instead of the usual Edge Lane route) and it was only as it was leaving the airport that I realised I should have got off there because I could have caught a taxi the 3 miles home. Even worse, it then went within a quarter of a mile of my house, but you can't ask the driver "do you mind dropping me off at the next bus stop?". So I had to go all the way into the city centre and get a taxi 5 miles back in the direction I'd just come!

Anyway, that coach at whatever time it was no longer operates, and the last two times I've been to gigs in Manchester I've spent the night in an Ibis Budget and caught the train back to Liverpool the next day. Booked in advance you can get a room for about £30, which is well worth paying if you want to avoid that last train of the evening from Oxford Road.

 

[pitdiver]

As an ex Coach Stn manager for National Express. I used the coach occasionally, normally between Milton Keynes and Birmingham or Birmingham Airport for the NEC. These journeys were for work related to Birmingham or Exhibitions at the NEC. Being staff I could travel for free. However I could even jump on a coach, if there was room without booking. But as I have a Priv All Rail ticket and so does my wife so we never travelled anywhere else by Coach. As example from where we live we can get to Brighton for £5 approx return. Why should we even consider travelling by coach

 

[Matt_pool]

P.S. I've no idea why that coach went via Liverpool Airport because it would have got there at a time when there were no planes!

Anyway, just to add, when I was a poor student I used to get NX all the time to travel up and down the country and I didn't mind the long tedious journeys that always required a change at Digbeth coach station!

What put me off long coach journeys forever was when I got Eurolines from London all the way to Copenhagen. With one change in Brussels the journey took close to 24 hours. This was 10+ years ago and the coaches weren't as "nice" as they are now. Then after travelling around Denmark, Sweden and Norway by train I then had to get Eurolines back from Copenhagen to London. :cry:

I don't care how good coaches are these days with more leg room and WiFi, I'm never spending that long on a coach again!

 

[swrailuser]

Have used the coach for economy reason on the NX 501 from Totnes, seats hard and unforgiving spends 2-2.5 hours getting nowhere (exeter) then takes the long way round to London via M5/M4 arrived late due to traffic only benefit was the cost £9.00 return
this trip was supposed to be in Victoria for 11 actual arrival 12.05 so was not impressed WiFI didnt work although the coach was clean.
the scheduled 7 hour trip is gruelling,

when the train is £240+ like last summer for Trooping of the colour actually ended up flying to see my son perform £70 return from exeter to London city even with the parking was still less than half ----- GWR prices rip off and now with potential splitting of GWR what next?

 

[Whistler40145]

I have in the past used National Express instead of the train, one being the price and two it was convenient in getting to several Railtours where the train didn't arrive early enough.

In the 1990s I would regularly book on the overnight Blackpool to London Victoria night coach, the only problem being that it went nearly everywhere, including Liverpool, Birkenhead, Chester, Hanley, Birmingham Digbeth (Old Coach Station), Banbury, Oxford and to top it off, Heathrow Airport.

 

[cf111]

Just to point out that nine of these Coaches are National Express's, despite the branding. Nor are the drivers. They contract them out, so you won't get identical experiences from different areas.

NX do operate some services themselves, the Gatwick Airport-Victoria one for instance.

They are quite tight on how their contractors work, so while I don't have the biggest sample size to go on, I've found both equipment and staff consistent.

 

[dosxuk]

There may be some routes where the coach is quicker than the train, but there's others where the opposite is well and truly in effect. Sheffield - Norwich for example. ~3h40 direct by train, ~4h50 if you go via London, or (quickest) 8h15 if you go by NX. And it's not even that much cheaper.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Although I'd prefer to travel by train, I've often travelled by National Express and most of the time have had good journeys.

It depends where I'm going and how much it will cost. I always use NX to go to London from Newport, principally because I stay in Waterloo and it's much easier to get from Victoria to there (Victoria - Clapham Junction - Waterloo) as opposed to the slog across London from Paddington. That said, though, if the cost of the train from Newport to Waterloo vis Salisbury was more reasonable, I'd take the train.

I went to Birmingham by NX last October and had a good journey there and back. The only drawback was that the coach went past my hotel, but that was nothing that could be controlled. Another trip in December was to Oxford - I checked the coach, but there isn't a service - so it was the train, which worked fine.

I have a Senior Railcard and a NX Coachcard, so either way I get a good discount - but I still check both ways before booking.

 

[extendedpaul]

Although I'd prefer to travel by train, I've often travelled by National Express and most of the time have had good journeys.

It depends where I'm going and how much it will cost. I always use NX to go to London from Newport, principally because I stay in Waterloo and it's much easier to get from Victoria to there (Victoria - Clapham Junction - Waterloo) as opposed to the slog across London from Paddington. That said, though, if the cost of the train from Newport to Waterloo vis Salisbury was more reasonable, I'd take the train.

I went to Birmingham by NX last October and had a good journey there and back. The only drawback was that the coach went past my hotel, but that was nothing that could be controlled. Another trip in December was to Oxford - I checked the coach, but there isn't a service - so it was the train, which worked fine.

I have a Senior Railcard and a NX Coachcard, so either way I get a good discount - but I still check both ways before booking.

I can get from Newport to Waterloo for £1.50 if booked well in advance. Free travel on the X7 from Newport to Bristol with a (Wales) bus pass, then Megatrain from Temple Meads to Waterloo. Possible on two of the three Megatrains a day from Bristol to London. I think only the first ticket on each is sold for £1.

As an alternative to National Express, Newport to Birmingham can be done with a railcard and Wales concessionary pass for just over £5, again using the X7 fast bus to Chepstow with a Cross Country advance from there to New Street.

 

[kevconnor]

I don't mind taking the coach on journeys of up to 90 minutes. In a previous job I use to take the coach to Leeds from Manchester when working there for the day. i could get a Megabus from Shudehill at 06:30 and been in Leeds by 07:30 (albeit traffic depending). This compared favourably to driving and using the park ride near Elland Road for both time and effort and in cost terms with the train.

Where I would choose not to travel by coach again would be on longer journeys such as travelling to Ireland. The worst journey I ever had to do when when a student. heading back to the west of Ireland (Dingle) from Sheffield, there were no tickets available via Dublin so had to head from Sheffield - Birmingham - Bristol - Waterford (via Fishguard) - Cork - Tralee - Dingle - Feothanach. left sheffield at about 3pm on day one arrived back home in ireland at 5pm the next day.

 

[asb]

I used to go to a lot of gigs and concerts in Manchester and catch the last Northern service back to Liverpool from Oxford Road which, over the years, has always been somewhere between 23.20 - 23.30 (it's currently 23.27). It was always 4 carriages and if you were lucky it would be 2 x 150/2's joined together, if you were unlucky it would be 2 x Pacers, or 1 x Pacer and 1 x 150/1.

Friday and Saturday would be the worse evenings to travel - the train would be full and you'd be lucky if you got a seat. What made it worse was the majority of the other passengers would be off their faces on booze and other substances. And, being a Northern service, it would stop at every stop as far as South Parkway. It took forever and was the ultimate in nightmare train journeys.

I eventually got fed up of that palaver so on one occasion decided to risk the NX coach from Chorlton Street which I seem to remember departed at about 00.30 - 01.00 (ish). I bought an advance ticket the day before which only cost a couple of quid. I expected it to be as bad, or worse, than the train; but there were less than 10 other passengers, none of whom were inebriated. The coach was brand spanking new, the roads were empty and I got a seat at the front. I was in heaven! And from centre to centre it was 5 mins quicker than the train.

Only problem is it went via Liverpool Airport (instead of the usual Edge Lane route) and it was only as it was leaving the airport that I realised I should have got off there because I could have caught a taxi the 3 miles home. Even worse, it then went within a quarter of a mile of my house, but you can't ask the driver "do you mind dropping me off at the next bus stop?". So I had to go all the way into the city centre and get a taxi 5 miles back in the direction I'd just come!

Anyway, that coach at whatever time it was no longer operates, and the last two times I've been to gigs in Manchester I've spent the night in an Ibis Budget and caught the train back to Liverpool the next day. Booked in advance you can get a room for about £30, which is well worth paying if you want to avoid that last train of the evening from Oxford Road.

Megabus run a very late (technically early) journey from Manchester to Liverpool

 

[Drsatan]

When I lived in SE Wales, I would occasionally travel by NatEx coach from Newport to London and return on the 509.

Fares were less than the train and I often alighted at Earls Court when heading into London as opposed to staying on to Victoria Coach Station, as I'd get to my destination more quickly.

I used the Cardiff to Bristol Airport coach on a couple of occasions to reach Bristol Airport in time for early morning flights. The coach is often a bit quicker than taking the train from Newport to Bristol Temple Meads and then the Airport Flyer to the airport.

I once travelled by coach from Newport to Gatwick via Heathrow and enjoyed the run through Heathrow. From Central Bus Station to Terminal 4, the coach runs along the Eastern Perimeter Road, bringing into view arrivals from the East and the BA maintenance hangers.

However, a few years ago I travelled on the Eurolines overnight coach from Victoria coach station to Amsterdam, not to be recommended as I can't sleep sitting upright...

 

[Minilad]

I can't envisage any eventuality that would make me travel by coach. Except maybe an emergency replacement situation. Train, plane or car would win every time

 

[CheekyBandit]

Used to use National Express every other week between Sheffield and London to watch the footy - going out on an early morning departure and coming back on the 2000 return service same day enabling me to catch the last bus home. The return coach often decided to make an unscheduled call at the temporarily relocated Milton Keynes Coachway and then changed its departure to half an hour later (thus missing the last connecting bus home). On other occasions a return coach broke down on the M1 - pulling in to the services (that never got built) at Lutterworth to wait for a replacement vehicle) and another starting from Scratchwood. Midweek I tended to use first class rail out and an overnight coach coming back.

Last used NatEx to and from the airport (out Gatwick, Heathrow back) just over two years ago.

 

[extendedpaul]

On trains I sometimes nod off for a few minutes between stations but never sleep for long no matter how tired I may feel. Too many announcements and people moving around.

However on a coach and usually with nobody sitting next to me I really struggle to stay awake. On my regular London-Cardiff Megabus journey I'm usually asleep before the M4 and don't wake up till around Swindon. Makes the journey go very quickly and apart from the money saving is a plus for me of travelling by coach.

 

[theageofthetra]

Big problem for me in UK coaches is idiotic drivers who don't turn the AC on & then they wonder why their own windscreen mists up, let alone C02 & other noxious gas build up in a sealed vehicle and the effect on their attentiveness. Scares me that someone that daft is in charge of other persons safety. Doesn't happen in any other country I have used them.

 

[fowler9]

Never been on a coach in this country that comes close to some of those in parts of South America that were amazing, not a fair comparison though. It is a lot cheaper out there. The last 2 long distance coach trips I did in the UK were NX from Liverpool to London and a Megabus from London to Liverpool. The Megabus was torture, my back was in bulk.

 

[Temple Meads]

The seats on the Megabus Plaxton Interdecks are rather firm. I'm sitting on one right now on the 0215 Exeter to London, we've just left Bristol and I have a numb backside, which didn't normally happen on the Astromegas that were allocated to this journey until earlier this month.

 

[Lrd]

Just to point out that nine of these Coaches are National Express's, despite the branding. Nor are the drivers. They contract them out, so you won't get identical experiences from different areas.

National Express run a few services;

Victoria - London Airports
Victoria - Bristol
Victoria - Birmingham
Victoria - Plymouth (one a week I believe)

All drivers are trained to National Express spec and have to pass NatEx assessments before being able to drive for them. The operators have to use NatEx specced vehicles. And the drivers are in constant contact with NatEx, either at coach stations or on the phone.