National Express Coaches Discussion

[Steve440]

Now that Flix is deemed to be the main competitor, I wonder if it might be better for Mobico to flog the National Express coaching operation to ComfortDelgro/Stagecoach for a nominal sum (considering the debts), along with the National Express brand, and bring NX and Citylink under the same umbrella once again. Keep the Citylink brand for internal Scottish services and National Express for the rest.

I wouldn't have thought that Stagecoach or Comfort Delgro would touch National Express with a barge pole.

 

[route101]

I know that if they are running late, drivers will pass the booked service station stops but I was wondering if they can go past even if they are on time - the overnights from Leeds to London often do it which, whilst getting into London early, is annoying for those unable to use the onboard toilet such as wheelchair users

Do the Leeds to London overnights have booked service stops or just stops to swap drivers?

 

[Sealink]

While we are talking about cuts to services I have always found it strange that the 502 North Devon route has always been able to maintain the service level it does. It currently seems to be at 3 services a day, plus at present there is also a (summer seasonal???) service to Birmingham. When you consider just how much the network has been decimated in recent years, particularly the last year or so, then this does seem an anomaly.

I also remember reading an article in the Dorset Echo that there were rumours that the 035 once a day extension to Weymouth was going to be axed. These rumours were seemingly refuted by NX but given that the Swanage extension has been axed and that there is a quite a bit of dead mileage at the start and end of the route (as the coach is based in Bournemouth) then I wouldn't be surprised to see it go, no matter how busy it is.

I wouldn't be surprised either.

When Megabus launched four coaches a day from Weymouth to Heathrow and Victoria, the response from National Express was go cut one of the two 035 services from Weymouth.

Megabus dropped their service after a few weeks. The second 035 service never resumed


They are competing with two trains an hour basically, with one coach per day.

NX also told me that there was zero chance of the 305 Brighton - Plymouth via Bridport, Exeter coming back.

 

[Mwanesh]

Now that Flix is deemed to be the main competitor, I wonder if it might be better for Mobico to flog the National Express coaching operation to ComfortDelgro/Stagecoach for a nominal sum (considering the debts), along with the National Express brand, and bring NX and Citylink under the same umbrella once again. Keep the Citylink brand for internal Scottish services and National Express for the rest.

Dont think the Stagecoach management want to run coaches. 20 years ago the coaching unit in England and Wales was large. Cwmbran-Megabus, Oxford- National Express and Oxford Tube, Folkestone-National Express, Barnsley-National Express before they moved to Chesterfield, Cheltenham-National Express, Rugby-Megabus, West Ham-Megabus, Peterborough-National Express, Bedford X5, Manchester Hyde Road-Megabus, Preston-Megabus, Portsmouth-Megabus, Newcastle Megabus Chesterfield Megabus . In a few days time it will only be Oxford and Plymouth only left with coaching units.
Note some of the places mentioned only provided drivers on the network.

 

[joieman]

Before [Flixbus] were totally dominant in Germany, another bus company tried a super low fares promotion - Flix just had their employees buy and throw away every discounted ticket so no genuine customers could get them.

Oh, now that's REALLY DIRTY!

 

[F Great Eastern]

Oh, now that's REALLY DIRTY!

Happens more often than you'd think.

There was once one operator who was a new entrant on a corridor that wanted to take on a very well resourced and established operator who was making lots of money on a route. The new entrant said that they would go £1 cheaper than whatever price the incumbent would charge.

The fact that the new entrant said out loud they were going to do that was massive commercial naivety, because by broadcasting it widely, the incumbent then put massive price cuts in the next day in the knowledge that by doing so their new competitor would also have to cut the prices hugely and when you are a new entrant it's not like you have the volume either. Effectively it allowed the incumbent to effectively drive the new operator into death by 'yield suicide' as someone put it at the time.

Also I know someone who worked in the industry who saw an MD come in from outside the transport industry, where a marketing consultant came up with the idea of giving 200 free tickets away each month to celebrate 20 years in business at a certain time of day. The MD thought it was a great idea. The promo codes for the website were guessable and of course what happened in reality was that the competition had a bunch of staff stand by at the predictable time to book out every single ticket on the busiest services

 

[EYFanatic]

Do the Leeds to London overnights have booked service stops or just stops to swap drivers?

Yes - the 465 is booked for a half hour stop at Leicester services southbound (for a few more days at any road!) but more often then not skips it due to late running but will sometimes go screaming past even if on time. Oddly, the northbound will almost *always* stop at Watford Gap

 

[swinny1990]

With the new regulations coming in October has any national express coaches been fitted with next stop screens?

 

[EYFanatic]

With the new regulations coming in October has any national express coaches been fitted with next stop screens?

Could the CCTV screen be retrofitted to display this?

 

[JJM22]

With the new regulations coming in October has any national express coaches been fitted with next stop screens?

I’ve seen some of the London airport services (A1, A2 etc.) have next stop screens integrated into the front monitor/CCTV screen.

 

[swinny1990]

Any other then london ones ?

 

[Man of Kent]

Any other then london ones ?

Not required if more than half the route is non-local i.e. stops are at least 15 miles apart. Very few NX routes are registered, so will mostly be exempt.

 

[Deerfold]

Not required if more than half the route is non-local i.e. stops are at least 15 miles apart. Very few NX routes are registered, so will mostly be exempt.

And, of course, that's bookable stops. So National Express services running from Bradford via Leeds mostly don't allow bookings between the two (though pre -COVID they did).

 

[JonathanH]

My last journey on the 465 called at Barnsley, then omitted Wakefield, on the way to Leeds, as there were no passengers for there, and no pick up allowed. Would a next stop indicator be programmed to show where the coach isn't stopping?

 

[Eyersey468]

Not required if more than half the route is non-local i.e. stops are at least 15 miles apart. Very few NX routes are registered, so will mostly be exempt.

National Express drivers announce the stops anyway

 

[Deerfold]

National Express drivers announce the stops anyway

Which is fine if you don't have hearing problems.

 

[BG2024]

With the new regulations coming in October has any national express coaches been fitted with next stop screens?

I saw a whole family stand up, get their bags ready and walk to the front of the coach because the screen said "next stop Manchester Airport", as we were just getting on the M62 in Liverpool! Driver wasn't too impressed with them.

 

[MotCO]

I saw a whole family stand up, get their bags ready and walk to the front of the coach because the screen said "next stop Manchester Airport", as we were just getting on the M62 in Liverpool! Driver wasn't too impressed with them.

Maybe they should say something like 'due in 30 minutes'?

 

[Deerfold]

Maybe they should say something like 'due in 30 minutes'?

Ember's signs list the next stop and the final stop with estimated arrival times at both.

 

[route101]

I saw a whole family stand up, get their bags ready and walk to the front of the coach because the screen said "next stop Manchester Airport", as we were just getting on the M62 in Liverpool! Driver wasn't too impressed with them.

Some people have no sense where they are.

 

[MotCO]

Some people have no sense where they are.

There, fixed it for you

 

[James H]

The latest NX submissions to TfL for London Service Permits show some changes to stopping arrangements at Heathrow Central for London-bound coaches

https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk/london-service-permit-consultations

National Express Ltd has applied to Transport for London to amend LSP1077 with the following changes: As requested by Heathrow Airport, new stops 1-4 will be provided on Consort Road and will be served by services: 1) Terminating at London Victoria 2) Terminating at Heathrow Airport (from any location) 3) Terminating at Gatwick Airport Timetables are changed accordingly with the new stop descriptions. No changes made to timings or level of service

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Aug 2026 ==

The New Forest fire (and closure of the A31) has caused big problems for the 035.

Today they have started diverting via Andover and Salisbury

At least two other operators - including Seaward Coaches - have been called in to run trips on the 035 to keep the show on the road.

 

[markymark2000]

The latest NX submissions to TfL for London Service Permits show some changes to stopping arrangements at Heathrow Central for London-bound coaches

I wonder if this will affect other coach operators too. Only NX and Oxford Airline would have to register this change (Flixbus isn't registered) so it's difficult to know from the LSP consultation, but this feels like an awful lot of coaches which will be diverted to this new road. Everything towards London Victoria, Gatwick Airport and terminating services. That's a hell of a lot of trips for those few stands.

 

[Wilko82]

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Aug 2026 ==

The New Forest fire (and closure of the A31) has caused big problems for the 035.

Today they have started diverting via Andover and Salisbury

At least two other operators - including Seaward Coaches - have been called in to run trips on the 035 to keep the show on the road.

Of course the New Forest fire has caused huge issues and delays for all motorists, which does impact the 035 service. However I mentioned on here a week or so back that NX are already running to a tight schedule on this very same route with very little time built into the timetable for issues like this.

 

[Andyh82]

I wonder if this will affect other coach operators too. Only NX and Oxford Airline would have to register this change (Flixbus isn't registered) so it's difficult to know from the LSP consultation, but this feels like an awful lot of coaches which will be diverted to this new road. Everything towards London Victoria, Gatwick Airport and terminating services. That's a hell of a lot of trips for those few stands.

I’m guessing the main stands are getting too busy so these services which will be mostly alighting services (or passengers going to London or Gatwick) will now stop outside

 

[markymark2000]

I’m guessing the main stands are getting too busy so these services which will be mostly alighting services (or passengers going to London or Gatwick) will now stop outside

Terminating services and services which do not pick up (which covers quite a lot of services given not all NX routes are registered to carry Heathrow-Victoria passengers, and no Flixbuses are allowed to do this either, so combine that with terminators, that's a lot of services) I fully get these moving. If it's only alighting too, you won't get people loitering.
For services towards London which pick up, yeah maybe I can get as there's going to be limited people wanting to do that too.

What gets me is including Gatwick in this. There are a so many buses now going from Heathrow CBS to Gatwick, just these alone would be enough for Consort Road to handle. Let alone adding on the other trips on top. I think it should have been terminators & Londons, or Gatwicks moving. Not both. I don't believe there is capacity for all of this, unless huge works have happened to create more stands there somehow.

 

[Gareth1990]

Why isn’t it on the Government’s agenda to nationalise National Express? There’s arguably a stronger case for them to do so than the toc’s

 

[Deerfold]

Why isn’t it on the Government’s agenda to nationalise National Express? There’s arguably a stronger case for them to do so than the toc’s

Is there? What is it?

 

[Gareth1990]

Is there? What is it?

The network is at real danger of vanishing, or of being sold to Flixbus, if the rail network is deemed to be important enough to be in public hands, why not our coach network too?

 

[Deerfold]

The network is at real danger of vanishing, or of being sold to Flixbus, if the rail network is deemed to be important enough to be in public hands, why not our coach network too?

It hadn't been deemed important enough for government to influence it at all since deregulation, why now?

I'd love coaches to return to some of the routes I used to use, but I'm not sure what the argument would be for the government to fund them.