Flixbus Discussion

[route101]

London to Penzance:£30 one way
London to Glasgow: From £80 to £120 one way.
This Saturday, would of thought the Saturday would be one of the quieter nights due to Bank Holiday. Crazy high prices.

 

[CN12 AWU]

I just seen on Cymru Coaches Facebook there looking for drivers as there Swansea to Bristol Airport service is going to be running more trips

Not seen a new timetable for this

 

[MotCO]

London to Penzance:£30 one way
London to Glasgow: From £80 to £120 one way.
This Saturday, would of thought the Saturday would be one of the quieter nights due to Bank Holiday. Crazy high prices.

And Lumo to Edinburgh on Saturday is £92. I know which I would prefer.

 

[Bletchleyite]

London to Penzance:£30 one way
London to Glasgow: From £80 to £120 one way.
This Saturday, would of thought the Saturday would be one of the quieter nights due to Bank Holiday. Crazy high prices.

Are they now relying on tourists just using them by default? Who on earth would pay those Glasgow fares when at most times of day the train is cheaper (assuming a return journey)? Do ferroequinophobes exist?

Penzance is pretty cheap at £30 though.

 

[route101]

And Lumo to Edinburgh on Saturday is £92. I know which I would prefer.

Avanti services which are diverted via Manchester are mostly at £130 one way.

Does seem the pricing is set differently for the Scottish services.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 May 2026 ==

Are they now relying on tourists just using them by default? Who on earth would pay those Glasgow fares when at most times of day the train is cheaper (assuming a return journey)? Do ferroequinophobes exist?

Penzance is pretty cheap at £30 though.

Someone must pay it as other services sell out. Double the price if you want the seat free option.

 

[henryb]

Are they now relying on tourists just using them by default? Who on earth would pay those Glasgow fares when at most times of day the train is cheaper (assuming a return journey)? Do ferroequinophobes exist?

Penzance is pretty cheap at £30 though.

Suprised at the Penzance price considering some of the NatEx night services have gone.

 

[markymark2000]

I just seen on Cymru Coaches Facebook there looking for drivers as there Swansea to Bristol Airport service is going to be running more trips

Not seen a new timetable for this

Looks like a summer boost to the timetable. From 18th June until 31st August, a new trip shows up at 19:45 from Swansea to Bristol Airport (arr 22:25) and 23:45 from Bristol Airport to Swansea (arr 02:10). It gives the 4th bus a second round trip.

Are they now relying on tourists just using them by default? Who on earth would pay those Glasgow fares when at most times of day the train is cheaper (assuming a return journey)? Do ferroequinophobes exist?

I think there is sometimes some element of not wanting people to make the longer distance journeys. I'm guessing that they would make more money somehow selling the seat between the intermediate stops than they would if they sold the end to end journey. The price will almost certainly be linked to the availability of seats for the through journey and perhaps even try to deter them from that journey if it makes selling other seats more difficult due to the seat selections/allocations of passengers on the shorter journeys.

 

[padbus]

Are they now relying on tourists just using them by default? Who on earth would pay those Glasgow fares when at most times of day the train is cheaper (assuming a return journey)? Do ferroequinophobes exist?

Penzance is pretty cheap at £30 though.

I don’t know about ferroequinophbia but the big advantage of coaches over trains is that you are guaranteed there will be a seat for you and space for your luggage.

 

[Andyh82]

Is there any particular location where Flixbus (and National Express coaches) layover when in London

It seems they just use roads surrounding Victoria Coach Station, such as lower end of Buckingham Palace Road, Elizabeth Bridge road and the layover bays along Bullied Way, is that basically it?

 

[nick291]

Is there any particular location where Flixbus (and National Express coaches) layover when in London

It seems they just use roads surrounding Victoria Coach Station, such as lower end of Buckingham Palace Road, Elizabeth Bridge road and the layover bays along Bullied Way, is that basically it?

NatEx used to go to Battersea bus Garage IIRC, not sure about Flixbus.

 

[Stan Drews]

Is there any particular location where Flixbus (and National Express coaches) layover when in London

It seems they just use roads surrounding Victoria Coach Station, such as lower end of Buckingham Palace Road, Elizabeth Bridge road and the layover bays along Bullied Way, is that basically it?

There are no layover facilities within the coach station so all operators have to use whatever is available nearby. Bullied Way is the most commonly used, but space there is limited.

 

[markymark2000]

Is there any particular location where Flixbus (and National Express coaches) layover when in London

It seems they just use roads surrounding Victoria Coach Station, such as lower end of Buckingham Palace Road, Elizabeth Bridge road and the layover bays along Bullied Way, is that basically it?

Some Flixbus trips (I don't think there are many though) which go for layover at Transport UK Battersea Garage but it takes time to get there and back, and any shorter than a 2 hour turnaround, it's probably not worth going there and risking it (15-30 minutes there and 15-30 minutes back traffic dependent. Plus a 45 break, and you need to be on stand in Victoria in time to load up and leave on time).

As such most of the the time, they use Greenline/Bullied Way or the surrounding roads. Many drivers have hiding places where it's quieter, and places where the council enforcers don't come after them, but in the interests of not upsetting people, these places may be best kept quiet.

 

[route101]

I have seen some Flixbuses parked near Heathrow, McGills coaches.

 

[Stan Drews]

I have seen some Flixbuses parked near Heathrow, McGills coaches.

That is because on a few lines, the crews have a daily rest period in one of the hotels out there.

 

[168lover]

I have seen some Flixbuses parked near Heathrow, McGills coaches.

Some of the European Flix operators use Travelodge Heston Services for drivers rest

 

[nick291]

On the 910 from Bristol and as usual the reservations are causing more hassle than it's worth, wish Flix UK would do away with them and have free seating.

 

[185143]

Do Flixbus always use the routing specified on the cross channel routes?
I'm looking at doing one to The Hague next week (as an absolute last resort!) and it says it uses the Eurotunnel.

I absolutely refuse to use P&O Ferries under any circumstances, so if the routing is shown as Eurotunnel does that mean the coach will definitely use it?

 

[JonathanH]

On the 910 from Bristol and as usual the reservations are causing more hassle than it's worth, wish Flix UK would do away with them and have free seating.

Why is it causing hassle? Are people not sitting in their allocated seat?

 

[route101]

Do Flixbus always use the routing specified on the cross channel routes?
I'm looking at doing one to The Hague next week (as an absolute last resort!) and it says it uses the Eurotunnel.

I absolutely refuse to use P&O Ferries under any circumstances, so if the routing is shown as Eurotunnel does that mean the coach will definitely use it?

I have only taken the Paris to London day service and if I remember correctly we took the Eurotunnel instead of the ferry.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Jun 2026 ==

On the 910 from Bristol and as usual the reservations are causing more hassle than it's worth, wish Flix UK would do away with them and have free seating.

Yes, what was causing the hassle. Reservations may still be provided but only first five rows of the coach.

 

[nick291]

Why is it causing hassle? Are people not sitting in their allocated seat?

That and Cymru Coaches not providing the appropriate vehicle(Ex Clarkes/NatEx Tourismo) and having rows 1-5 numbered and not anything else

 

[londonteacher]

Do Flixbus always use the routing specified on the cross channel routes?
I'm looking at doing one to The Hague next week (as an absolute last resort!) and it says it uses the Eurotunnel.

I absolutely refuse to use P&O Ferries under any circumstances, so if the routing is shown as Eurotunnel does that mean the coach will definitely use it?

If it says Eurotunnel then it is Eurotunnel. If it says P&O then it is P&O. If it says DFDS then it is DFDS. The drivers are unable to pick and choose the way they cross the channel - can be a shame sometimes at you could be sitting at Dover for well over an hour for a DFDS and see an Irish Ferries or P&O go first.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Jun 2026 ==

Why is it causing hassle? Are people not sitting in their allocated seat?

I only ever do International FlixBus travel from London to the continent and that is part of the issue but the biggest issue is when the seats are not labelled up correctly/matching the seat map.

I don’t agree with removing reservations as I like doing the booking of the seat next to me on the overnight journeys to have more space.

 

[markymark2000]

I only ever do International FlixBus travel from London to the continent and that is part of the issue but the biggest issue is when the seats are not labelled up correctly/matching the seat map.

From what I see and hear, the international ones can be just as bad. You can book and pay for row 1 behind the drivers and they block it off and tell you to sit elsewhere because they want to store their belongings (which in my view is wrong, seats shouldn't be taken up just for a drivers belongings, or certainly not taking up 4 seats)

 

[James H]

I don’t agree with removing reservations as I like doing the booking of the seat next to me on the overnight journeys to have more space.

I've only used the 061 but most of the drivers are quite good about making a point of emphasising the seat number when they scan tickets at boarding

 

[johnnychips]

I've only used the 061 but most of the drivers are quite good about making a point of emphasising the seat number when they scan tickets at boarding

This is what I’ve also found using Flixbus, both here and abroad. I find it very civilised compared with having to ask a stranger sprawled across two seats to move up: the reservation is your authority. Unlike on trains, where the guard is nowhere to be seen (understandably), the driver is always nearby in case of a dispute.

 

[j_walker1804]

Interesting to see McLean’s take on Flix work. Not sure who the London based operator will be.

(Image shows a screenshot sent to me of an internal McGills message to their Flixbus department)

 

[nick291]

My Flixbus steed from Bristol to Nottingham. Not a bad journey so far, did wonder why it took so long to get between Bristol and Cheltenham Arle Court bus the 30 minute break would make sense

 

[Andyh82]

Does anyone know how some Flixbus services run operationally?

Whereas most make sense, the 980 between Manchester and Heathrow & Gatwick seems to be run by Prospect Coaches, but aren't Prospect based in Birmingham? So are they running coaches dead up and down the country to either end?

 

[MCR247]

Does anyone know how some Flixbus services run operationally?

Whereas most make sense, the 980 between Manchester and Heathrow & Gatwick seems to be run by Prospect Coaches, but aren't Prospect based in Birmingham? So are they running coaches dead up and down the country to either end?

Normally coach routes tend to be run from one end with anything that goes down to the far end in service also coming back in service. Dead running between Manchester - Birmingham could be eliminated by either doing some coach swaps in Birmingham, or by short workings that start/end in Birmingham

 

[markymark2000]

Does anyone know how some Flixbus services run operationally?

Whereas most make sense, the 980 between Manchester and Heathrow & Gatwick seems to be run by Prospect Coaches, but aren't Prospect based in Birmingham? So are they running coaches dead up and down the country to either end?

The 920 Birmingham - Gatwick Interworks with the 980 Manchester - Gatwick (not sure if it's all trips or most trips though) so the buses can always finish in Birmingham every day or every two days (so saves on mid trip bus swaps).

On the 980 driver swaps happen at Coventry.

 

[Andyh82]

Normally coach routes tend to be run from one end with anything that goes down to the far end in service also coming back in service. Dead running between Manchester - Birmingham could be eliminated by either doing some coach swaps in Birmingham, or by short workings that start/end in Birmingham

That’s why I mentioned it as there doesn’t seem to be any short workings and the 980 doesn’t even serve Birmingham (although it does serve Coventry but only for 5 minutes each time) so it doesn’t seem obvious how the vehicles go in and out of service