To be fair coaches are a very poor substitute for trains and serve a different far more cost conscious market. To the point where people considering long journeys would likely not travel at all if trains aren’t available, rather than use the coach.
Coaches are a very poor substitute for trains, but they are the best form of transport to connect wherever the railway is not available. For example Bournemouth to Heathrow Airport. If I have to travel but trains are not available, or degraded due to engineering work (e.g. if the direct line is closed with Weymouth - Waterloo trains diverted via Guildford), the coach will be my choice.
That’s the problem with London, expensive tiny houses, pollution and generally rubbish scenery compared to the North. I spent the best part of 10 years living in London and I’ve lived in the North for 12 years now, the lifestyle is far superior up here, bigger houses, safer, friendlier people and less chaotic and FAR better countryside on your doorstep. I wouldn’t live or commute in London if someone paid for all my expenses, utter garbage place these days.
With WFH there’s been a mass exodus to the nice parts of the North, just don’t tell many southerners about the best kept secret
Peterborough however, hmm..
If I was a London based driver, probably living in a modest flat or semi at best, I’d get myself out of London to a well paid Northern based TOC and enjoy spacious living, unless of course, you like living in a matchbox and sniffing peoples sweaty armpits on a daily basis!
I have just moved from Bournemouth to London. It's far superior here in London as there are much more facilities and entertainment.
There are a lot of things I couldn't do in Bournemouth, but possible in London (even with full time job):
1. I couldn't do any shopping at all after work in Bournemouth, and there were no useful shops even in the town centre, to the extent that I even had trouble buying a suitable rubbish bin for my home, or a backpack for my next trip. All shops were closed by about 18:00 that I could only visit them on a Saturday except supermarkets. In contrast, under my new home in London, there is a street of small shops offering everything which open till late and even on Sunday, and most big shopping centres open until 20 or 21.
2. I couldn't have any good dining in Bournemouth. There weren't any good restaurants and not even a good buffet in the city centre. In contrast, I can easily find the world's cuisine over London.
3. I couldn't go to a lot of races because the railway service is so bad on a Sunday morning. In contrast, if I attempted to reach those races from London, it would be possible by taking the first trains or even earlier coaches. Furthermore, the airlines flying out from Southampton Airport is rubbish and Bournemouth Airport is a crap port which doesn't offer flights to useful metropolitan destinations, which prevented me taking weekend race trips on a standard Friday evening - Sunday evening / Monday early morning schedule. In contrast, from London, I can do such trips by flying out at Gatwick / Luton.
4. This is really a personal circumstance, but there isn't even an outdoor swimming pool in Bournemouth, while there are multiple of them in London. I can't get my training done in indoor pools because they are so hot. I believe that we can easily point out some various other facilities which are available in London but not in Bournemouth. Furthermore, I have asked about the best swim coach in the region and he operates in Canary Wharf.
5. All but one of my friends living in the UK are in London and its commuting area. As a result if I live in London I can visit my friends every week easily. When I lived in Bournemouth I couldn't see my friends for months.
6. The public transport in London is reliable unlike elsewhere in England. Outside of London bus routes can be added or removed without taking into consideration of cutting off communities. For example Wimborne has just lost its direct link to Merley on Sunday in the recent timetable change, and if I lived in Merley and relied on that link to Wimborne on Sunday to get to community events I would be doomed.
Finally, about job opportunities, most high-paid professional jobs are in London and, for a software developer, most jobs offers £50k-£60k+ with some better ones even in the range of £80k+ or even 6 digits. In contrast, those outside London are commonly only about £30k-£45k and some are as low as £28k even for a mid-level role. Furthermore, if I want to start a business and have an office, I will only choose Farringdon as it is the most convenient location for people around the country to come, being the centre of the railway network.
