Megabus Sleeper Coach Glasgow to London

[deltabravo]

From: http://www.4-traders.com/STAGECOACH...-first-budget-sleeper-coach-service-13735986/

Stagecoach Group is to trial the UK’s first budget sleeper coach service between Glasgow and London from next month.

The new pilot service, operated by market-leading budget coach provider megabus.com, will offer passengers their own berth as well as a standard seat for greater comfort during their journey.

Passengers will have access to a toilet, free wi-fi, on-board refreshments and a complimentary overnight pack containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bottle of water, an eye mask and a luggage label. Each berth has a reading light and curtain for extra privacy, as well as a duvet, pillow and blanket.

Fares on the new service, which is being operated with three specially-refurbished articulated coaches fitted with 24 berths and seats, will range from £1 to £40*.

The coaches have been safety certified by VOSA and are fitted with CCTV. For additional safety and security, each berth is equipped with a button to alert the driver in the event of an emergency. The vehicles also meet Transport for London’s new Low Emissions Zone (LEV) requirements which come into force in the capital in January 2012.

From next month, customers purchasing tickets online for the existing overnight megabus.com services between Glasgow and London will be given the opportunity to upgrade to the new sleeper service.

Bookings for the sleeper coach can be made from 5 September by visiting www.megabus.com. The service will operate seven nights a week to the following timetable:
•Depart Glasgow at 23:15 and arrive in London at 07:20
•Depart London at 23.59 and arrive in Glasgow at 08:05

Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, Sir Brian Souter, said: “Travelling overnight is a great way to save time, and we’ve already seen growing demand for our night-time megabus.com journeys. The new sleeper services will offer extra comfort and facilities, but still at excellent value for money prices.

“We’ve always been at the forefront of innovative ways to make public transport more attractive and convenient for people. We believe the best way to find out if it’s a service our customers want is by offering them the chance to try it out for real. Travelling direct from city centre to city centre beats the hassle of a red-eye flight from an airport and is a greener, smarter way to travel.”

megabus.com will be running passenger trials of the sleeper service during August before the first scheduled services go live.

 

[185]

Many a celebrity who has slept in a rock & pop bus will tell you they ain't the most comfortable. Good luck though, it will certainly do well.

Maybe Nasty Express will finally realise that Stagecoach reintroducing refreshments on board core routes is a sign that NX made a particularly stupid mistake in 2001, which they tried to blame on elf & safety.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Many a celebrity who has slept in a rock & pop bus will tell you they ain't the most comfortable. Good luck though, it will certainly do well.

Maybe Nasty Express will finally realise that Stagecoach reintroducing refreshments on board core routes is a sign that NX made a particularly stupid mistake in 2001, which they tried to blame on elf & safety.

well citylink gold have done it for a year now and theres been no notable H and S type things reported I dont think. think, in fact I know I will have to try this and will report back I think it wil be popular and it will be interesting to see what if anything Scotrail make of it! has anyone ever tried this type of travel out?

 

[Greenback]

Sounds interesting. Even if the sleep quality in a berth is poor, it must be better than any sleep you might get in a seat! I speak as someone who was unable to sleep AT ALL on two overnight coach journeys!

 

[gordonthemoron]

dunno, it's getting to the stage now when I hardly get any sleep in a couchette, no matter how much/little I've had to drink

 

[tbtc]

Again, we seem to see more innovation from coach operators than from train franchises

 

[jamesontheroad]

This is very very interesting. These have long been a staple of long distance routes through Asia, China and (IIRC) parts of the Indian sub-continent.

I saw absolutely nothing special about either the launch of Citylink Gold or Greyhound; both are just polishing the same old turd, which on a nine hour overnight journey still a turd.

I'm very intrigued; shame it's being launched under the Megabus brand. Doesn't seem quite right for a more luxurious service.

 

[Greenback]

I'm very intrigued; shame it's being launched under the Megabus brand. Doesn't seem quite right for a more luxurious service.

I don't think luxurious is the right word! it sounds like a couchette on a bus! Yes, better than sitting up, but not exactly the Orient Express!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Again, we seem to see more innovation from coach operators than from train franchises

Which is strange, seeing as many of them are coach operators as well!

 

[tbtc]

I saw absolutely nothing special about either the launch of Citylink Gold or Greyhound; both are just polishing the same old turd, which on a nine hour overnight journey still a turd

Whats a realistic journey time then?

 

[Deerfold]

Whats a realistic journey time then?

I don't think that was the point - the point was not much had changed with the rebranding.

Whereas a sleeper bendybus is a bit different (it's been at VCS testing it can fit through).

 

[tbtc]

Which is strange, seeing as many of them are coach operators as well!

It is.

I guess that when its their own operation (buses/coaches) they can be innovative (e.g. Stagecoach's GoldLine, many new buses with wifi on "regular" services, many new buses with leather seats on "regular" services, "hybrid" engines)...

...but on the railways they are merely managing someone else's trains on someone else's track (and only doing so for a fixed period), so there's little scope/incentive to make improvements? It does show one of the flaws of privatisation on the railways; shouldn't we be seeing things like these on trains too?

 

[Blindtraveler]

I don't think that was the point - the point was not much had changed with the rebranding.

Whereas a sleeper bendybus is a bit different (it's been at VCS testing it can fit through).

what coaches are being used and have the beds been located away from the engine?

 

[jamesontheroad]

Apparently the vehicles are already out and about in Glasgow. They're three ex-Stagecoach Express (Ayrshire) Volvo B10Ms (don't know if they're Jonckheere or Plaxton bodies though). They went south a few months ago for conversion and came back in a recognisable shade of blue

If they have 24 berths and 24 seats, and given that the front portion of an articulated B10M is longer than the rear, I'd expect the seats to be in the rear portion and the beds to be in the front; perhaps three berths high, four berths in length, either side of the aisle?

Incidentally, there's a nice circularity about this. Anyone remember Stagecoach's first excursion into privatised railways? A small fleet of seated mk 2 coaches that were hooked onto the back of the (IIRC) London - Aberdeen sleeper.

 

[Greenback]

It is.

I guess that when its their own operation (buses/coaches) they can be innovative (e.g. Stagecoach's GoldLine, many new buses with wifi on "regular" services, many new buses with leather seats on "regular" services, "hybrid" engines)...

...but on the railways they are merely managing someone else's trains on someone else's track (and only doing so for a fixed period), so there's little scope/incentive to make improvements? It does show one of the flaws of privatisation on the railways; shouldn't we be seeing things like these on trains too?

We should, and innovation is one of the things we were promised would be a benefit of privatisation!

 

[tbtc]

We should, and innovation is one of the things we were promised would be a benefit of privatisation!

Ah, yes, I was young and naive too

 

[northwichcat]

I speak as someone who was unable to sleep AT ALL on two overnight coach journeys!

I've done four overnight journeys on coaches where I've been unable to sleep at all. I'm not going to attempt it again - it was bad enough the first time when I was 15 and it was a school trip to France - it's not really something over 25s should attempt if they know they can't sleep sitting up.

 

[Greenback]

I've done four overnight journeys on coaches where I've been unable to sleep at all. I'm not going to attempt it again - it was bad enough the first time when I was 15 and it was a school trip to France - it's not really something over 25s should attempt if they know they can't sleep sitting up.

I gave up after those two attempts! I have no trouble sleeping when siting up in a train though. I am so bore dof the run from here to Cardiff and Newport that I often have a good kip, especially on early trains!

I think the seats in a coach must be just too cramped for me!

 

[gordonthemoron]

If you have trouble sleeping on overnight services, this may do the trick. Not that I'm recommending it you see

 

[Greenback]

That stuff would knock me out for several days!

 

[gordonthemoron]

it's website warns not to drink more than one shot a day and not to smoke near an open bottle

 

[Howardh]

What puts me off travelling any distance by coach (and I call Manchester - London distance!) is
(a) how cramped the seats are
(b) how cramped the toilet space is (if any)
(c) not being able to enjoy a glass or two of red.
So I'll pay more to go by train - faster and way more comfortable.

However..if a company could introduce a first-class coach service, for, say, the price of a train standard return, then I'd deffo consider it. To be first class the seats would have to be larger therefore three in a row max), more legroom between them, and on-board would have to be tea/coffee & light snacks (but no TV blaring away pleeeze!!).

 

[rail-britain]

How times have changed
Stagecoach Express looked into this, but decided against it as it meant the coach was only in operation for 12 hours per day
It would then need to be cleaned at each end of the journey and then placed into storage

Usually this is the sign of a competitor offering a similar such service, or rumours of such...
Knowing these coaches are nearing the end of their (lease value) life then it sees their use continue on a part-time basis

Anyone remember Stagecoach's first excursion into privatised railways? A small fleet of seated mk 2 coaches that were hooked onto the back of the (IIRC) London - Aberdeen sleeper.

Previous Director of said company
http://www.rail-britain.co.uk/stagecoach_rail.html

 

[EM2]

Now, if they ran these through the night to connect with the early morning Holyhead ferry, I'd be interested!

 

[WestCoast]

Now that is interesting.

I am not promoting them or anything (becuase I dislike their local bus divisions and sometimes their attitude), but I do find Stagecoach probably the most daring and willing to try new things of all the big transport operators. Look at megabus/megatrain/megabusplus/megaferry.

However, on the megabus you always seem to share the coach with an "interesting" (hock crowd, NX is still more refined.......:roll:

 

[185]

Citylink Gold or First Greyhound; both are just polishing the same old turd, which on a nine hour overnight journey still a turd.

There's only one polished turd. And here he is in his pyjamas.....

http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=5701&categoryid=0

I have now gone off my tea :x

 

[exile]

The Germans used sleeper-coaches back in the 70s and 80s for long distance coach trips - a lot of "cocoons" rather like a Japanese "capsule hotel" on wheels. However they used to lay up in a coach park overnight I think!

Of course a train is much better for this sort of idea but sleepers are a shrinking market, even on the continent and barely survive in the UK. I've used train sleepers many times but can't recall ever getting a full night's sleep.

 

[Blindtraveler]

have now booked a trip and wil report back. If the trial works with the b10m's maybe new purpose built vehicles wil be ordered, expanding the runs to say, Inverness?

 

[starrymarkb]

I believe Jumbocruiser coaches have a Neoplan Jumbocruiser in a 20 bed config, so 24 berths on a single deck artic might be a squeeze

 

[Deerfold]

have now booked a trip and wil report back. If the trial works with the b10m's maybe new purpose built vehicles wil be ordered, expanding the runs to say, Inverness?

I didn't think booking had opened yet? I can't see any coaches at the times of the sleeper on megabus.com - just the current seated overnight service.

 

[jamesontheroad]

I believe Jumbocruiser coaches have a Neoplan Jumbocruiser in a 20 bed config, so 24 berths on a single deck artic might be a squeeze

Jumbocruiser buses also happen to have kitchens, lounges, etc. The photo in the Guardian suggests berths up front, seats down at the back.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/aug/02/megabus-overnight-coach-sleeper