Megabus Sleeper Coach Glasgow to London

[northwichcat]

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.

You can't book yet but if you have booked you'll be given the chance to upgrade:

Bookings for the sleeper coach can be made from 5 September by visiting www.megabus.com 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.

 

[BestWestern]

I'd certainly give this a go, provided the fare is right. Stagecoach are indeed one of the more creative operators, and I'd have to say this is a pretty ingenius use for their fleet of otherwise superfluous bendy coaches! I'd have thought future new vehicles would be likely to go double deck though rather than more bendies? The inevitable Skyliner or VanHool effort with 20 or so seats downstairs and bunks upstairs, sounds sensible. Perhaps we'll see the current generation of Oxford Tubes being converted in five years or so when these bendies are knackered!

 

[jamesontheroad]

I'd certainly give this a go, provided the fare is right. Stagecoach are indeed one of the more creative operators, and I'd have to say this is a pretty ingenius use for their fleet of otherwise superfluous bendy coaches!

Ever since Brian Souter piled so much cash into his bigoted Section 28 campaign, I've avoided Stagecoach wherever possible. However it's true that if you compare First Group and Stagecoach, it is the latter that has been a little more inventive.

After all, First Group went to America and bought Greyhound for millions, and have slowly struggled to bring it back into shape. Meanwhile Stagecoach went to America and started Megabus from scratch. Likewise this venture is much more inventive than just acquiring another company or brand and deploying it here (eg. First Group buying the Silver Choice London/Glasgow operation, rebranding it as a Greyhound, and not even bringing it up to the same standard as the initial Greyhound UK routes).

Let's wait and see. I'll look forward to the first trip reports, although with only 24 berths on each service I expect it'll be a sell out for the first couple of months.

 

[shinkansen1966]

Ever since Brian Souter piled so much cash into his bigoted Section 28 campaign, I've avoided Stagecoach wherever possible.

Hear, hear. Post of the day.

And this is why I dislike Stagecoach, too.

 

[christopher]

'Metre High Club' ?

 

[Deerfold]

'Metre High Club' ?

We've had posts on that subject...

 

[Blindtraveler]

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.

my bad, ment to put I have booked a date in the diary for a trip. Cant wate for bookings to open!
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not sure if it will be as popular as it sounds, your average mega traveler is still gunna use the convensional overnight at 23:00 (a decker I think) as prices wil probs be lower. If this does work I can see maybe some of the aberdeen and inverness runs going to shared accommodation.

 

[Yew]

Do we have any interior pictures? If its done right it will be pretty good, Possibly a nights sleep equivelent to a sleeper and better accomodation. However if its done badly, no chance

 

[deltabravo]

Do we have any interior pictures? If its done right it will be pretty good, Possibly a nights sleep equivelent to a sleeper and better accomodation. However if its done badly, no chance

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

I assume that it is what it will be like (minus Brian Souter in his dressing gown)

 

[exile]

Sorry, the onboard Souter is compulsory!

They do remind me of the early American sleepers, which had curtains down each side of a centre aisle coach.

 

[Blindtraveler]

hope also during refurb the coaches got a good general overhall - nout worse than a noizey b10m coach through the nite!

 

[Yew]

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

I assume that it is what it will be like (minus Brian Souter in his dressing gown)

IOts been done..... Okay, It would nice to have a lip on the side of the bunk, for those of us who roll over amd the interior looks very Bussy (lots of bus style handrails, and in stagecoach colours.) Not too bad, but you are definately on a bus with a bed in it, not a bed that just so happens to be on a bus.

 

[gordonthemoron]

They do remind me of the early American sleepers, which had curtains down each side of a centre aisle coach.

and also like the DB Night Talgo which ran until December 2009, very comfy they were

 

[185]

Hear, hear. Post of the day.

And this is why I dislike Stagecoach, too.

The winner was when Souter was funding the Keep Sec. 28 campaign citing moral decency when at the same time one of his top directors was arrested in the US trying to find a male prostitute

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...gns-after-being-arrested-in-US-gay-sting.html

lololololol

 

[scotsman]

Intriguing idea, which I'd be tempted to try. However, if I need to coach it anywhere it'll be on a rail replacement bus or NatEx - at least their owners aren't homophobes!

 

[Deerfold]

Intriguing idea, which I'd be tempted to try. However, if I need to coach it anywhere it'll be on a rail replacement bus or NatEx - at least their owners aren't homophobes!

Don't stagecoach run any rail replacement buses?

 

[W-on-Sea]

I wish Stagecoach ran some local buses around where I currently live: they are in an entirely different league for competence and creativity and in terms of positively encouraging people to use public transport than either First or Arriva. Stagecoach actually innovate, whereas with rare (and not always well thought-through exceptions) Arriva and First just seem to be about "managing decline". And Stagecoach tend to better than NX for coach services, generally speaking, too.

I used to think that Stagecoach were cowboys of the roads back in their earlier days and in the early post-deregulation years, although I suspect this may in part have been due to smears put about by Souter's political opponents that didn't have a great deal of basis in truth (but...there were some questionable practices in some of the bus wars for sure) but now, having experienced the sheer quality of their services in two different parts of the UK over the last 15 years or so, it's clear they've come a long way and are a positive asset to the transport system of Britain.

Would I try this? Hmm, I'd have to be persuaded that travelling by coach from London to Glasgow (or vice versa) were a sane thing to do. If I could be persuaded of that, I'd happily try it out. That might take a great deal of persuasion.

 

[WestCoast]

Stagecoach town/city services are okay and better, but their bog-standard rural/inter-urban services in my area of the UK are fairy poor IME: overpriced (day tickets cheaper than singles!), constantly late (add 10-15 mins at least to the timetable) and with a fair number of rude drivers. They always use the older fleet as well - none of the shiny fleet you see on town routes. I keep telling them about problems, but they aren't really interested. In the morning peak, they reduce the service, so everyone is forced to cram on one bus. It's so daft.

I binned my megarider for a rail season ticket. I was getting peed off at the one morning peak bus not turning up. I have to walk further at each end of the journey, but it's so worth it!! The Pacer is more comfortable...

The local coach operator operate an alternative route and they are so much better. They make an effort to take feedback onboard (pardon the pun!) and the drivers are obviously happier with their employer.

I have seen no sheer quality from Stagecoach Bus.

 

[gordonthemoron]

I'll never forgive Stagecoach for destroying Darlington's Council run bus service

 

[jamesontheroad]

Just out of interest, has anyone in or around Glasgow snapped one of these three refurbished and rebranded B10M artics?

 

[tbtc]

overpriced (day tickets cheaper than singles!)

Depends how you look at it - if the day ticket is cheaper then you could argue that they have cheap day tickets...

They always use the older fleet as well

Thats to be expected on rural/inter-urban services though, of any operator.

However, to be fair to Stagecoach, they do seem to run/ maintain/ introduce more of these kind of routes - look at how they've run a lot of mid-distance coach services (the X5 Cambridge - Oxford being the most famous, but a fairly decent set of routes in a few places, especially central Scotland), whilst First/ Arriva have downgraded/ withdrawn these kind of links

(I'm talking "normal" Stagecoach routes here, not Megabus-speficic routes)

 

[anthony263]

I ment in terms of the price of fare's Stagecoach are hell of a lot cheaper than First & Arriva and their tickets are better value for money

 

[Drsatan]

Stagecoach town/city services are okay and better, but their bog-standard rural/inter-urban services in my area of the UK are fairy poor IME: overpriced (day tickets cheaper than singles!), constantly late (add 10-15 mins at least to the timetable) and with a fair number of rude drivers. They always use the older fleet as well - none of the shiny fleet you see on town routes. I keep telling them about problems, but they aren't really interested. In the morning peak, they reduce the service, so everyone is forced to cram on one bus. It's so daft.

I binned my megarider for a rail season ticket. I was getting peed off at the one morning peak bus not turning up. I have to walk further at each end of the journey, but it's so worth it!! The Pacer is more comfortable...

The local coach operator operate an alternative route and they are so much better. They make an effort to take feedback onboard (pardon the pun!) and the drivers are obviously happier with their employer.

I have seen no sheer quality from Stagecoach Bus.

I've had similar problems with Stagecoach in Exeter. A single from Queen Street to Cowley Bridge Road is about £2 (from the last time I used the H bus in 2009), while the cheapest return Stagecoach sell in Exeter is a Dayrider for £3.50. Although the buses used on routes in Exeter are fairly modern (I've noticed on a couple of routes the buses used have leather seats: can't recall the model of bus), I prefer to cycle since Exeter's a small city and I save £3.50 in the process.

I've also had problems with rude drivers with Stagecoach in Hampshire and expensive fares: a return from Romsey to Winchester on the X66 is now about £5.70 whereas a CDR with my 16-25 is £3.90. While the fleet used on the 'Switch' routes in Winchester is fairly modern the majority of buses used on services outside Winchester (like the X64) were built in the last century.

Back on topic, much as I dislike Brian Souter, I admire the fact that he's prepared to think outside the box. Certainly if this new sleeper route is successful it might be rolled out across the rest of the UK as a replacement for sleeper services once operated by BR such as the Poole-Glasgow (or Edinburgh?) sleeper. in the future I may end up using Megabus more frequently too if I can't afford the train fare for where I want to go to...

 

[WestCoast]

Sorry, I am just not a Stagecoach Bus fan, I have seen no quality from them in my local area of the UK whatsoever, and I'm still waiting for the innovation bit.

Stagecoach care about some areas (e.g. Sheffield and Manchester) and quite obviously don't care about others.

It might be different in other areas but Stagecoach in Lancashire don't have a good reputation at all. They've not treated the area well though, especially with the whole "dirty tricks" saga with Preston Bus, where they touted for business at stops, made fares super-low and employed people who threw eggs at Preston Bus services! That's 100% true and how flippin' immature. They robbed Preston of a decent, low-fare employee owned operator, that had been going for a very long time.

I witnessed Stagecoach drivers swearing at Preston Bus drivers back in the "war" of 2007. It was a disgusting attitude and I really felt quite sorry for Preston Bus to have to endure that crap. They then tried to turn it around on Preston Bus, when it was Stagecoach doing all the provoking.
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I ment in terms of the price of fare's Stagecoach are hell of a lot cheaper than First & Arriva and their tickets are better value for money

They charge more than other local operators in my area - Transdev and other local firms. If you ask for a single you are sold one generally, even if the day ticket is cheaper. :roll: Stagecoach Bus are all style and no substance if you ask me. Calling it a "megarider" rather than a "weekly" doesn't make it any better value.

The train is cheaper for me. Train fare = £4.65 return (with YP) and bus (peak no day ticket), £7.10.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Thats to be expected on rural/inter-urban services though, of any operator.

Funny how that's not the case in my area either - Lancashire County Council got sick of Stagecoach on a network of rural tendered routes (and their contract price as well!) and they contracted two local coach firms instead! The service improved with new buses.

When I say "inter-urban", I mean the Preston - Fylde Coast buses, which serve towns and villages on the journey. It's an every 30 mins double decker. Generally allocated an aged bus.

It runs late all the time, Stagecoach say they will alter the timetable and they never do. Infact they keep adding new areas to the route and not increasing the running time! The drivers seem really fed up with it too, they just can't keep to time, which (understandably) makes them grumpy!

 

[W-on-Sea]

I have seen no sheer quality from Stagecoach Bus.

I was rather impressed by what I saw of Fife Scottish bus network (and their central Scottish coach network with connections linking up between Edinburgh/ Glasgow/ Cumbernauld/ Dunfermline/ Kirkcaldy/ Glenrothes/ Leven/ Crail/ St Andrews/ Dundee

More recently what I've seen of their Oxford area operations is, mostly, highly positive, too. (Goldline, obviously, but also the standard of buses and service on the town services). Granted Oxford is not a typical place, and has much higher public transport use (and council support) than elsewhere.

And certainly during their first period of operating in Greater London (I've not used them so much since they returned) they stood out as being one of the most reliable and proficient operators, and their buses could be relied upon to be well turned out too!

 

[scotsman]

Don't stagecoach run any rail replacement buses?

In that case it would be unavoidable, Soutar is an unpleasant t**

 

[WestCoast]

I was rather impressed by what I saw of Fife Scottish bus network (and their central Scottish coach network with connections linking up between Edinburgh/ Glasgow/ Cumbernauld/ Dunfermline/ Kirkcaldy/ Glenrothes/ Leven/ Crail/ St Andrews/ Dundee

More recently what I've seen of their Oxford area operations is, mostly, highly positive, too. (Goldline, obviously, but also the standard of buses and service on the town services). Granted Oxford is not a typical place, and has much higher public transport use (and council support) than elsewhere.

And certainly during their first period of operating in Greater London (I've not used them so much since they returned) they stood out as being one of the most reliable and proficient operators, and their buses could be relied upon to be well turned out too!

All very well but for me they still don't come anywhere near the standards of Lothian and similar operators. They were forced to sell Preston Bus to Rotala last year. My experience of using one of their buses every day put me off them and what they have done to respected operators through bus wars. Wasn't that impressed with their Cambridge ops either. They are probably better than the other two big ones on the whole but they still haven't shown me sheer quality.
Bear in mind I've only used the bog standard product, not goldline or enhanced services like Brookesbus in Oxford.

 

[gingerheid]

Having lived in a first area, an Arriva area, a Stagecoach area, and in Edinburgh, I can safely say that my order of preference would be:

Locally owned
(long gap)
Stagecoach
(long gap)
Arriva
First

In particular, Stagecoach seems to have a particularly good model for operating services in towns and medium distance services between urban centres.

I don't think there's anything First are good at.

 

[WestCoast]

I don't think there's anything First are good at.

True with their buses, perhaps their Greyhound coach service is OK, I haven't tried it...

I don't really like any of the big companies operating buses. The best bus services I have experienced have been with municipal operators like Lothian and Warrington Borough Transport. Sadly, a rarity nowadays. A great shame.

I quite like how Go-Ahead and Transdev make a serious effort to tailor their branding and style of service to the local area. I've used Transdev before and thought they were not bad at all, particularly liked their leather seated buses (on inter-urban routes) with fantastic local themes, "The Witch Way".

 

[mbonwick]

Don't stagecoach run any rail replacement buses?

Yes, the Rail Replacement Unit is based at Lincoln mainly for EMT, though Stagecoach South also have vehicles for use on SWT rail reps.

There was nothing unfair or underhand about the competition in Preston. Yes both sides were guilty of stupid little incidents, but none of the affected the outcome.
The fact is that Preston Bus was badly managed, the bus war only hastened the end. I would argue that Stagecoach buying PB was a good thing - meaning multi-trip tickets were accepted across Preston for the first time. I know people who's commuting costs were halved when Stagecoach took over, but were trebled when Stagecoach were forced to sell to Rotala.