Megabusplus

[deltabravo]

Hello all, anybody used Megabusplus? I'm off to london in a couple of months, and at £9, it sounds like good value.

 

[Greenback]

What is Megabusplus? Is it a premier section on the bus, like first class on a train?!

 

[sonic2009]

Megabusplus is a coach and train combination with coaches operating feeder services from locations in Yorkshire and East Midlands Parkway railway station where passengers transfer to an East Midlands Trains service to London St Pancras.[2] Unlike Megatrain, this service is available daily. When engineering works disrupt rail services between London and East Midlands Parkway, the service is run using direct coaches from London Victoria. Feeder services:-
Huddersfield - Halifax - Bradford - East Midlands Parkway
Harrogate - York - Castleford - East Midlands Parkway
Hull - Scunthorpe - East Midlands Parkway

 

[Greenback]

I see. How disappointing! Thanks though!

 

[nctx]

Only a problem if you catch a peak train back form St Pancreas as seats get reserved and it takes ages .

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Megabus have their nominated departure stand at Manchester Shudehill bus station from where a number of destinations are served.

Just look on the Megabus web site for any information that you require.

 

[bb21]

I know the Souter empire isn't exactly the most popular corporation on earth, however you must applaud their drive for innovation and the fact that they regularly come up with new ideas (good or bad) for the market.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

What is Megabusplus?

I asked my young grandson who said it was a big dinosaur.

 

[tbtc]

I know the Souter empire isn't exactly the most popular corporation on earth, however you must applaud their drive for innovation and the fact that they regularly come up with new ideas (good or bad) for the market.

I agree.

Some work (Megabus seems to have given Stagecoach a decent share of the market that National Express/ Scottish Citylink had, Magicbus has worked to keep "real" competition away from profitable corridors, Gold-line is a good way of "upgrading" buses, free wifi on many new vehicles...)...

...some don't (Taxibus was a nice idea for the "niche" between a frequent bus service and the flexibility of a taxi), but they do keep trying new things.

In comparison First have given us the white elephant ftr - I think Stagecoach win hands down!

MegaBusPlus seems a good compromise for those who want the cheapness of a coach but not the whole journey that way, it sells seats on Stagecoach trains and provides a faster alternative than sitting on National Express the whole way.

 

[jamesontheroad]

MegaBusPlus seems a good compromise for those who want the cheapness of a coach but not the whole journey that way, it sells seats on Stagecoach trains and provides a faster alternative than sitting on National Express the whole way.

It's especially clever as what slows all buses in and out of London is the bit in London! Trains can get in and out of the London termini far quicker than a bus can get to Victoria, so you can easily shave an hour off some journeys.

 

[anthony263]

Pity Megbua services from south wales dont go anywhere nr Bristol TM would be nice to get a coach from Cardiff to Bristol then the SWT service to London Waterlool.


Stagecoach have started operating some of their London - South wales Megabus services west of Cardiff to Swansea & Pembroke dock to connect with the ferries to Roslare and through ticketing is available

 

[WestCoast]

It's certainly an interesting concept. It would be great if they could do something similar with Virgin Trains at somewhere like Birmingham International - since megabus/train already has a partnership for rail only with them.

 

[deltabravo]

Anyone know what buses they use from Skipton to East Midlands Parkway?

 

[WestCoast]

Anyone know what buses they use from Skipton to East Midlands Parkway?

Slightly older, single decker coaches. More comfortable than the old Hong Kong double decker buses that they used a few years back.

 

[deltabravo]

Slightly older, single decker coaches. More comfortable than the old Hong Kong double decker buses that they used a few years back.

Ah, cheers for that WestCoast. I was originally searching buses from Leeds to London, and then I noticed Skipton in the drop down menu on the Megabus website.

It sounds an interesting concept, and as I have never traveled with East Midlands Trains before or arrived at St Pancras, it will be a new experience for me.

 

[tbtc]

Slightly older, single decker coaches. More comfortable than the old Hong Kong double decker buses that they used a few years back

Thats another interesting touch, they started off Megabus using life expired double deckers in Scotland (I think my mum had a ride on a C reg Ailsa, can't be sure), meaning there was basically no set up cost for the operation (everything bought online/ phone, buses with minimal "book value"...).

 

[bb21]

Thats another interesting touch, they started off Megabus using life expired double deckers in Scotland (I think my mum had a ride on a C reg Ailsa, can't be sure), meaning there was basically no set up cost for the operation (everything bought online/ phone, buses with minimal "book value"...).

Good point. I still have a picture of a vehicle used in the early days of operation on the Leicester - London Megabus route - a cascaded Coastline Volvo Olympian D/D, complete with Brighton Zone megarider fares information.

 

[WestCoast]

Good point. I still have a picture of a vehicle used in the early days of operation on the Leicester - London Megabus route - a cascaded Coastline Volvo Olympian D/D, complete with Brighton Zone megarider fares information.

I used to do quite a bit of coach travel with NX and Megabus. I used to quite like buses and coaches, until I discovered how much better train/tram travel is! Now, for some reason, I am not keen on buses or coaches at all!

In the early days, I did London - Manchester on a Stagecoach in Manchester Volvo Olympian with traditional bus seating! It wasn't very comfortable, it made the HK Olympians look luxurious (at least they had toilets!). It put me off a bit.

The bus was similar to the pictures bb21 has posted.

 

[anthony263]

I have even seen 1 of the south wales based volvo b10m's (alexander ps) work on a megabus duty as well as a dennis trident
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Slightly older, single decker coaches. More comfortable than the old Hong Kong double decker buses that they used a few years back.

Had 1 of those coaches back in june 2010, i think 1 of them was written off after having a inccident in novermber 2010 while working on the Cardiff - Sunderland service.

 

[WestCoast]

Had 1 of those coaches back in june 2010, i think 1 of them was written off after having a inccident in novermber 2010 while working on the Cardiff - Sunderland service.

Don't quote me on this, but I think they are Jonckheere Mistrals? I think they came from Stagecoach's National Express operations.

 

[trentside]

Yes, they're Volvo B10Ms with Jonckheere Mistral bodywork.

A few of them were based at Lincoln for rail replacement for a little while, and some even escaped onto local service work during the winter disruption. Not ideal, as they lack ticket machine fittings!

 

[route101]

Ive used Megabus a few times and it makes a big difference if you sit upstairs on the megavanhools . Its quieter , tho they are only the London to Aberdeen overnight service.

 

[Deerfold]

Ah, cheers for that WestCoast. I was originally searching buses from Leeds to London, and then I noticed Skipton in the drop down menu on the Megabus website.

It sounds an interesting concept, and as I have never traveled with East Midlands Trains before or arrived at St Pancras, it will be a new experience for me.

Stagecoach seem to be very poor at publicising these services - I live in Keighley and only found out we have a megabus service as I was looking on their site for something else. There's no timetables available - you have to search every possible combination that might be of use to you. I'm sometimes suprised any of their non-London services get booked.

 

[tbtc]

Stagecoach seem to be very poor at publicising these services - I live in Keighley and only found out we have a megabus service as I was looking on their site for something else. There's no timetables available - you have to search every possible combination that might be of use to you. I'm sometimes suprised any of their non-London services get booked.

Thats one thing I've not liked about the Megabus site, the lack of "common or garden" timetables.

They have it set up like Airlines, where all that matters is the start/end of your journey, but I prefer to see where services run "via"/ alternative journeys etc.

 

[Deerfold]

Thats one thing I've not liked about the Megabus site, the lack of "common or garden" timetables.

They have it set up like Airlines, where all that matters is the start/end of your journey, but I prefer to see where services run "via"/ alternative journeys etc.

Indeed - especially when there's more than one service to an area - you can get a regular megabus to Leeds or a megabusplus to Bradford - if you're going between or beyond the two it'd be good to just look at when they run to see which might be of use.

Also rather annoying that's there's a service from London which passes through Bradford at 2.25am and calls at Keighley. However they don't offer tickets between those sections.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Well, yes, you'd think there'd advertise it better.

One place you can find the timetable is though the traveline websites.
Even the South-east one (which I'm most familiar with) now includes info on the East Midlands, so go here http://www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk, select "find a timetable", and type "East Midlands Parkway" , then, when asked, clarify "Ratcliffe on Soar, East Midlands Parkway Rail Station (stop) - and Bob's your uncle.

 

[Deerfold]

Well, yes, you'd think there'd advertise it better.

One place you can find the timetable is though the traveline websites.
Even the South-east one (which I'm most familiar with) now includes info on the East Midlands, so go here http://www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk, select "find a timetable", and type "East Midlands Parkway" , then, when asked, clarify "Ratcliffe on Soar, East Midlands Parkway Rail Station (stop) - and Bob's your uncle.

Well, quite. I'd have never thought to put in Ratcliffe on Soar to find a Megabus timetable!

 

[route101]

Stagecoach seem to be very poor at publicising these services - I live in Keighley and only found out we have a megabus service as I was looking on their site for something else. There's no timetables available - you have to search every possible combination that might be of use to you. I'm sometimes suprised any of their non-London services get booked.

I agree , i didnt know they ran a service through the borders to London.

 

[tbtc]

Has anyone compiled a proper "map" of Megabus/Megabusplus services?