Bristol - Reading coach services

[hatt55]

Apologies if I shouldn't post this as a separate thread - I realise now I just posted something similar in the Flixbus thread, but maybe this question is more general.

I travel between Bristol and Reading quite frequently. Historically I used the train, which is obviously a very quick and regular service, but the price (and that I no longer have a railcard) now makes it quite prohibitive.

I started to take the National Express coach which was often cheaper than the train. National Express then really reduced their service but Flixbus came along and offered some good deals and a relatively frequent service. Megabus may also have served the route at some point.

National Express now seem to have no direct options and I would need to change at Bath. Flixbus have just recently reduced the timetable and there is a very early service leaving Bristol or a 1945, but nothing in between. The Megabus website gives me a route via Manchester!

Just wondering if I'm missing an option for this journey anywhere? As I said in another thread, there must be so many coaches that pass both locations on the M4 and yet the route seems to barely be served anymore by any coach provider. I understand that getting to Bristol Bus Station adds quite a bit to the journey but Mereoak is only a few minutes off of J11.

Suggestions or condolences welcome! I guess the coach providers are businesses at the end of the day and if enough people weren't using it then I guess its no surprise if they drop the route. Maybe that's all that's happened here.

 

[markymark2000]

The routes which serve Mereoak seem to be completely random

NatEx has 1 trip on the 401 (restricted to travel to/from London only), 4 trips each way on the 403 (London in one direction, Chippenham & Bath in the other), 1 trip each way on the 504 (from Penzance/Plymouth to London. Only serves towards London though), and 1 trip each way on the 508 (West Wales and Swansea to London). Completely random trips in that the 401 only permits London travellers and the 504 serves only one way. 508 goes a really long way so you have trips to London or in the other direction, Bridgend is the first stop. Very strange routes.

Flixbus have just recently reduced the timetable

Replied to this in the Flixbus thread.

The Megabus website gives me a route via Manchester!

Megabus really bizzarely serve Reading on their London - North routes. It's something that's baffled me for a long time why you'd divert London - Birmingham - Manchester service via Reading. Perhaps trying to compete with Cross Country given their poor train services but still a really big diversion for such routes which are time sensitive.


I'm not sure on the reasons, just thought I would provide some context on the services.

 

[embers25]

One reason may be the awful journey time to the stops. Reading Station (megabus) takes ages to serve so is the worst but is convenient obviously.
Mereoak is an awful location, poorly served by local buses with poor facilities. It takes up to 10 mins each way to serve due to the awful syncing on thd traffic lights from the M4 to there, even at 5am.
Flix only serve the Uni on the overnight coach from Plymouth which still adds 5-10 mins each way plus 5 min wait time. It moved from Mereoak as that wasn't served at 4am by local buses. The uni has a great onward bus to town 5 mins after flix arrives if on time. Otherwise you have an hour wait.

The solution is to go back to seeing Calcot but that has traffic issues too. Alebit often better than all other options.

Each time I've stopped at Reading there are 5-10 boarding, even to London so it is used.

 

[markymark2000]

The solution is to go back to seeing Calcot but that has traffic issues too. Alebit often better than all other options.

Where was the stop in Calcot? Sainsburys?

It takes up to 10 mins each way to serve due to the awful syncing on thd traffic lights from the M4 to there, even at 5am.

Shame that the busway isn't the best as bus priority would be great here. Sadly I think the bus priority is slower than going the same way that cars would around the roundabout then the normal turnings into the Park and Ride.

 

[AlastairFraser]

Where was the stop in Calcot? Sainsburys?

Yes, the Savacentre Sainsburys, by where the 26 and 1 stop.

Shame that the busway isn't the best as bus priority would be great here. Sadly I think the bus priority is slower than going the same way that cars would around the roundabout then the normal turnings into the Park and Ride.

Mereoak is OK, but it's got the issue of quite sporadic bus service into central Reading on some days of the week.

Honestly a decent shout for an accessible coach stop may be Green Park station. Useful for football supporters walking to the nearby Select Car Leasing stadium, a train into Reading that takes only 3 mins approx. every 30 mins from 06.30 to 23.30, and an hourly bus connecting to other areas of Reading, including the main hospital for suburban connections. Plus a 10 min walk away gets you the frequent 50 bus into central Reading, if you want the south end of the centre by the council offices, or the hotels up at Kennet Island.

 

[hatt55]

Thanks all, some useful insight.

For me, Mereoak is actually much more convenient than Calcot. Now you point it out though, it isn't particularly well connected for other people to get in and out of town. I almost always get a lift, although that would have been true at Calcot as well. Mereoak also isn't the sort of place that I'd want to be waiting for a bus on my own at night.

Its been pointed out in the Flixbus thread that there looks to be another being added in September which is really good to know!

 

[busken]

As I understand it, the reason the stop was moved from Calcot to Mereoak is that local bus services were being impeded by coaches in the layby, and as far more people were using the bus service, that took priority, and it was moved. At one point coaches used the layby on the A4, 100 yds nearer Reading, and that seemed to work. Green Park station could be an alternative, but usually takes a lot longer to get to from the M4 than Mereoak.

 

[route101]

The routes which serve Mereoak seem to be completely random

NatEx has 1 trip on the 401 (restricted to travel to/from London only), 4 trips each way on the 403 (London in one direction, Chippenham & Bath in the other), 1 trip each way on the 504 (from Penzance/Plymouth to London. Only serves towards London though), and 1 trip each way on the 508 (West Wales and Swansea to London). Completely random trips in that the 401 only permits London travellers and the 504 serves only one way. 508 goes a really long way so you have trips to London or in the other direction, Bridgend is the first stop. Very strange routes.


Replied to this in the Flixbus thread.


Megabus really bizzarely serve Reading on their London - North routes. It's something that's baffled me for a long time why you'd divert London - Birmingham - Manchester service via Reading. Perhaps trying to compete with Cross Country given their poor train services but still a really big diversion for such routes which are time sensitive.


I'm not sure on the reasons, just thought I would provide some context on the services.

I took a Megabus M11 service that went via Reading, Birmingham, Manchester to Glasgow. The service was operated by Macleans and served the railway station. After Reading we took a country road North towards Oxford and the driver took a left on a minor road. Drivers must of been following the sat nav literally.

 

[JonathanH]

I took a Megabus M11 service that went via Reading, Birmingham, Manchester to Glasgow. The service was operated by Macleans and served the railway station. After Reading we took a country road North towards Oxford and the driver took a left on a minor road. Drivers must of been following the sat nav literally.

The reality is that the A4074 is the only practical route north from Reading for a coach (although the B481 isn't unknown). Reading seems to have been added as a stop to more Megabus routes in recent years.