How could coach travel be better?

[telstarbox]

Improvements and innovations over the last few years have included low prices (Megabus and NX Funfares), web booking, free wi-fi (Megabus), free refreshments (Megabus Gold) and sleepers (Megabus).

IMO the main drawbacks are low speeds in cities, vulnerability to motorway delays, low frequencies and a network of routes which is less comprehensive than the National Rail network.

What could coach operators do to encourage more passengers to use the coach?

 

[gordonthemoron]

two things I've noticed with coaches abroard but I can't see working in the UK:

1. Luxexpress in the Baltics have two class coaches, rear half is 1st class with bigger seats & tables

2. Ullusoy in Turkey have 1+2 seating and more legroom.

Reason I can't se either working in the UK is the demographics of coach travellers is different here

 

[harry42]

Tables

Yes less capacity but double decker coaches should work.

 

[radamfi]

A minor improvement that hopefully would not cost a great deal is to install aisle seats that can be moved slightly into the corridor. iDBus has them, which operates between London and Paris. This improves privacy without losing capacity.

 

[gordonthemoron]

I've been on those somewhere too, probably Baltics or Turkey

 

[Titfield]

I use both rail and coach.

IMHO the big drawback using the coach is the journey time. It simply is too slow exacerbated by intermediate stops on some routes.

I can put up with the varying standards of comfort.

 

[IanD]

What could coach operators do to encourage more passengers to use the coach?

Run the coaches on rails and perhaps couple a few together to increase capacity.

 

[vicbury]

How could coach travel be better? National Express need to start enforcing some sort of maintenance standards on their contractors. The last time I traveled from Bristol to London the coach had an awful vibration throughout when at cruising speed, or, the vast majority of the M4! It might have been something as simple as wheel balancing, but whatever it was, the vehicle should not have been in service!

It put me off so much that I've used the train ever since.

 

[fowler9]

I thought Semi Cama and Cama class on the South American coaches were really good but utterly pointless in the UK. Who is going to fork out the extra for films, a meal and a nearly lie flat seat for a journey you could have done many hours quicker for a similar price or less on a train in standard class. Aside from that how could you make them better? Make them even cheaper and perhaps cleaner. They probably would struggle to make them cheaper, perhaps less so to make them cleaner.

Now Australia could learn some lessons from South America for coach travel although the reason they haven't bothered is probably because if you could afford premium coach travel there you could afford to fly and save half a day or more.

 

[ModernRailways]

Potentially having to sit next to someone else, and I don't feel safe. If I book a train, I will always see what availability is like. If it's busy then I will probably go 1st Class to get an individual seat or get a later train. On the Metro, I will stand even if there are seats of two empty. I hate people sitting next to me, makes me uncomfortable especially when they have some loud music on and you may need to ask them to move.

I also don't feel safe, I'm not sure whether it's because it tends to be students on the buses and they aren't always in fit states or whether it's the stops en route.

 

[poshfan]

I used to use football coaches regularly for away matches, and most of the time I found the cramped but tolerable, but one time me and my mate got the seats behind the central stair well, which lead down to the loo and the emergency exit. At first site we thought we had got lucky as we had a big space in front of us instead of the next seat an inch in front of our noses, but not so. In most seats you can stretch out and stick your feet under the seat in front, but these seats had a waist high flat panel in front so you wouldn't fall down the stairs, the panel went right down to the floor. We soon found that the space between our seats and the panel was not enough for your feet to point forwards, so you had to have them twisted sideways. I had terrible pains in my feet for days afterwards.

These coaches were just regular coaches hired for the occasion, labelled as luxury on the outside but were anything but. Compared to a most trains, I would rate them as third class. I would rather pay double the price for double the space, which would still be cheaper that a second class train ticket for the same journey.

 

[Greenback]

Run the coaches on rails and perhaps couple a few together to increase capacity.

Very good!

I also don't feel safe, I'm not sure whether it's because it tends to be students on the buses and they aren't always in fit states or whether it's the stops en route.

I have travelled on overnight coaches between south Wales and the London airports. It wasn't pleasant at all, but it is the only way to avoid hotel rooms!

The reasons it wasn't pleasant are varied. The bloke sitting next to me needed a shower, the seats were uncomfortable and narrow, the ride was quite bumpy, and a lot of drunken revellers tried to get on at about 0200 in Cardiff.

There's nothing that can be done about the first problem, having fewer and wider seats with more room will lead to higher fares, maintenance could be improved to try and ensure a smoother journey, and the last problem is what happens on night runs at pretty much every city centre, I imagine.

So, I don't think that there is that much that can be done. On my last journey, which was back from central London in the afternoon as I fancied a change from the train, the seats were still uncomfortable for a long journey, but the ride was much smoother.

Mrs G was next to me, which was a vast improvement on the last overnight trip, but that was nothing to do with the coach operator!

 

[gordonthemoron]

how about reserved seats rather than the present free for all?

 

[telstarbox]

I agree that allocated seating would be good (particularly for people travelling in pairs or more who would want to sit together). However I'm not sure it could be implemented.

Unlike trains where the rolling stock is ‘fixed’ for each service, coaches are run using vehicles with different numbers of seats, so the coach type would have to be determined before booking opened. Also this would require a change to the online booking software.

 

[Blindtraveler]

how about reserved seats rather than the present free for all?

no thanks. I would however like to see shedules altered so that loo breaks at bus stations are built in and cut out the motorway service stops on Nat X runs. I know this may mean more drivers are needed but I dislike the whole motorway service thing.↲

 

[Robertj21a]

no thanks. I would however like to see shedules altered so that loo breaks at bus stations are built in and cut out the motorway service stops on Nat X runs. I know this may mean more drivers are needed but I dislike the whole motorway service thing.↲

Not all bus stations will be open at the right times and/or have toilet facilities. In any event it may well add too much time to a journey if the coach has to break off a lengthy motorway run. What's the problem with the services on the motorways ?.

 

[IanD]

Not all bus stations will be open at the right times and/or have toilet facilities. In any event it may well add too much time to a journey if the coach has to break off a lengthy motorway run. What's the problem with the services on the motorways ?.

I think the problem is they could take the break at the coach station rather than the service station. I have on more than on occasion, boarded a coach at Milton Keynes coachway heading north only to stop again 5 minutes up the motorway at Newport Pagnell services (and 5 minutes from where I started out probably an hour before!) for a break/change of driver. Having this break/change at the coachway would have made more sense. I've had similar experiences heading the other way and been unable to alight if I have a case in the boot.

 

[IKBrunel]

I would like to see improvements to coach services, cheaper and lower carbon emissions than rail travel. Many destinations will never be feasible by rail.

My impression is that the bus stops/stations are a big drawback. They're often pavements or islands in bus stations which get very congested when a coach is loading/unloading. Facilities can be quite limited especially at night. Imagine if we spent on bus/coach stations what we do on railway stations..? For me figuring out when the coach will actually arrive, which is the right coach, where to put bags for your destination etc, etc is the stressful part, once you're moving it's fine. More staffing to assist at major stops would help here. Information provided at stops is often minimal, with NX it's generally not made clear that minor stops are often missed out if no-one has bought a ticket in advance... Grumpy/uncommunicative drivers don't help

More space, wifi, sockets, working drink/snack machine would be a bonus.

 

[telstarbox]

I think a hot drink machine would be good subject to safety and finding space for it. Some services go 4+ hours without a passenger stop.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Ian D got my point

 

[185]

OMG what's one of these?!?!

(my first ever proper job in 1994, was doing this by the way.....)

 

[radamfi]

how about reserved seats rather than the present free for all?

iDBus give you an allocated seat, which you can change on the website. You can change the seat after the booking is made as well, which is handy as you can monitor how full the service is and whether someone is sat next to you. You can then move to an empty pair of seats.

iDBus is generally more expensive than Megabus and Eurolines between London and Paris. They are positioning themselves as a more upmarket coach brand.
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no thanks. I would however like to see shedules altered so that loo breaks at bus stations are built in and cut out the motorway service stops on Nat X runs. I know this may mean more drivers are needed but I dislike the whole motorway service thing.↲

Megabus generally don't have breaks anywhere. They mostly change drivers at service stations such as Watford Gap but don't allow passengers to get on or off. I prefer this as it cuts the journey time down. You are supposed to bring your own food and use the toilet facilities on the coach.

End to end journey time appears to be less important for National Express. On services between the North West and London they stop at Norton Canes service station on the M6 Toll because coaches don't have to pay the toll if they allow the passengers to go inside the services, and therefore spend money on catering.

 

[Tetchytyke]

If you're worried about end-to-end journey time you've no place travelling by coach.

I prefer stops where you can stretch your legs and go to the loo without having to brace yourself. On motorways its not too bad but trying to use the toilet on an A-road is a challenge.

 

[Deerfold]

If you're worried about end-to-end journey time you've no place travelling by coach.

That rather depends on the journey.

When I was at university (Nottingham) I used to use the coach to get home in preference to the train as it was faster (as far as Leeds anyway - from there I sometimes caught the local train and sometimes the bus) as there was a direct coach but the train required a change at Sheffield which slowed the journey down somewhat (with the relatively new Leeds - Nottingham service this advantage is no longer present).

There was also a service at 3am.

 

[david16]

I don't know when it became acceptable for bus companies to operate long distance routes with firm seated buses instead of coaches or buses with proper padded seats.

 

[radamfi]

In most of England, trains are faster than coaches but in Scotland and Ireland coaches are often nearly as quick or quicker than the train. In some other parts of the world, coaches are usually quicker and have higher fares. The 'downmarket' option being the train.

 

[notadriver]

In most of England, trains are faster than coaches but in Scotland and Ireland coaches are often nearly as quick or quicker than the train. In some other parts of the world, coaches are usually quicker and have higher fares. The 'downmarket' option being the train.

Can you give examples in Scotland where a scheduled coach service is faster than the train?

 

[Deerfold]

Can you give examples in Scotland where a scheduled coach service is faster than the train?

Dumfries - Stranraer services 500/X75 typically 2h18 by Bus:

http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/544/931/6586/6589/4141814847.pdf

By Train, fastest time 3h14.


Fort William - Inverness services 319/919 typically 1h50 by Coach:

http://www.citylink.co.uk/timetables/5993 OBAN-INV TIMETABLE 4pp.pdf

By Train, fastest time 7h19.

 

[notadriver]

Good examples but they involve changes of train. What about direct services?

 

[Deerfold]

Good examples but they involve changes of train.

And? Passengers don't usually decide where they need to go based on where they might have to change. The first used to be doable by a direct train.

What about direct services?

I'll see if I can find some.