National Express Coaches Discussion

[JD2168]

It will be very interesting to see how the Yutong coach does on the route & if it gets the range required for Nat Ex work. The Coach looks quite smart with subtle electric branding.

 

[JRT]

It has probably been mentioned above, local fares are now not generally available for short journeys unless part-registered as a local bus service.

For example Leeds – Bradford
However local fares ARE available on the overnight 465 service including Leeds–Wakefield etc.

 

[Smethwickian]

It has probably been mentioned above, local fares are now not generally available for short journeys unless part-registered as a local bus service.

For example Leeds – Bradford
However local fares ARE available on the overnight 465 service including Leeds–Wakefield etc.

Oddly, they have in fact been reintroduced in recent months on a number of routes including 210/400 between Wolverhampton-Dudley-Birmingham, the 025 Worthing-Brighton, various services Birmingham-Birmingham Airport- Coventry, A1/A2 Golders Green-Finchley Road-London Victoria, and 707 locally within Northampton. I believe local journeys east of Canterbury on the 007 and 022 such as Folkestone-Dover are also available shortly.

 

[Deerfold]

It has probably been mentioned above, local fares are now not generally available for short journeys unless part-registered as a local bus service.

For example Leeds – Bradford
However local fares ARE available on the overnight 465 service including Leeds–Wakefield etc.

Interesting that they're available between Leeds and Bradford on the 465 but not the 561 or other services.

 

[Parebunks]

Interesting that they're available between Leeds and Bradford on the 465 but not the 561 or other services.

Not familiar with the local buses, but is it the case that there's no other night options Leeds-Bradford? Probably not worth selling tickets on the day coaches if there's regular, cheaper bus alternatives, but the night journeys might be more popular/useful.

 

[markymark2000]

Oddly, they have in fact been reintroduced in recent months on a number of routes including 210/400 between Wolverhampton-Dudley-Birmingham, the 025 Worthing-Brighton, various services Birmingham-Birmingham Airport- Coventry, A1/A2 Golders Green-Finchley Road-London Victoria, and 707 locally within Northampton. I believe local journeys east of Canterbury on the 007 and 022 such as Folkestone-Dover are also available shortly.

007 and 022 are already available.

There's a good few local journeys already available, would it help anyone if I put a full list on here?

 

[Deerfold]

Not familiar with the local buses, but is it the case that there's no other night options Leeds-Bradford? Probably not worth selling tickets on the day coaches if there's regular, cheaper bus alternatives, but the night journeys might be more popular/useful.

The last services from Bradford to Leeds on the 72 bus are at 2325 and Midnight. The 465 coach is at 2340.
In the other direction the 465 is at 0600 from Leeds - that's within a minute of the second 72 of the morning.

 

[markymark2000]

Not familiar with the local buses, but is it the case that there's no other night options Leeds-Bradford? Probably not worth selling tickets on the day coaches if there's regular, cheaper bus alternatives, but the night journeys might be more popular/useful.

Probably not worth the faffing for Leeds - Bradford. IT's a lot of forward planning and can create challenges operationally. Route 465 isn't just registered between Bradford and Leeds, it's registered between Huddersfield and Nottingham which means that 'local trips' between all of the West Yorkshire towns are available, Leeds-Bradford is just a byproduct of that. For West Yorkshire stops though, registering the 465 opens up journey opportunities between any two of these destinations, Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield and Barnsley. If it wasn't registered, Between Huddersfield and Barnsley the route would have to be pick up only and between Barnsley and Huddersfield would have to be set down only.

 

[GusB]

Van Hool Altanos have been ordered by Edwards and Selwyn's for National Express services.

Van Hool TDX21 Altano for National Express work makes debut - routeone

National Express has unveiled the first of 25 Van Hool TDX21 Altanos that will enter service with Edwards Coaches and Selwyns Travel.

www.route-one.net

National Express has unveiled the first of what is now confirmed to be 25 Van Hool TDX21 Altano overdeckers that will enter service with partner operators Edwards Coaches (10) and Selwyn’s of Runcorn (15).

They represent the first Van Hool products built for the National Express scheduled network for many years. 63 Kiel seats and a floor-level toilet are on the upper deck, with three seats and space for a wheelchair user adjacent to the driver.

The Altano has been customised by the Belgian manufacturer to suit both National Express’s first life needs and use beyond that. The initial 25 will be deployed by Edwards on route 040 between Bristol and London, and by Selwyn’s on service 540 between Manchester and the capital.

In the former case, they will displace Caetano Boa Vista double-deckers. In the latter, they will increase capacity on what National Express Network Director Ed Rickard says is a rapidly growing axis. For both instances, luggage space is key, he adds; while the Boa Vistas on the Bristol route have worked well enough, accommodating bags has been tricky.

 

[dmncf]

Sounds like now is the last chance to ride a Caetano Boa Vista before they're gone.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Is that a change of seating type also on these? The fact that passengers unable to manage the stairs and requiring to sit on the lower deck will not have access to a toilet is going to be instantaneously controversial and represents a backward step for National Express passengers

 

[route101]

Sounds like now is the last chance to ride a Caetano Boa Vista before they're gone.

Was on my list but I thought their use had dwindled of late.

 

[chopperman21]

A Yutong GTe14 will be trialled for four weeks on the London-Stansted routes, starting next week.

A picture can be seen here of it arriving into Stratford while working on the A9

Yutong GTe14 Demo

Explore Kris Lake Transport Photos' 11142 photos on Flickr!

flic.kr

 

[dmncf]

A picture can be seen here of it arriving into Stratford while working on the A9

Yutong GTe14 Demo

Explore Kris Lake Transport Photos' 11142 photos on Flickr!

flic.kr

Shame I can't seem to track this vehicle using Bustimes: https://bustimes.org/search?q=yd24eub

 

[M60lad]

Any idea of where the Caetano Boa Vistas will go when these new Van-Hools enter service?

 

[TUC]

Not familiar with the local buses, but is it the case that there's no other night options Leeds-Bradford? Probably not worth selling tickets on the day coaches if there's regular, cheaper bus alternatives, but the night journeys might be more popular/useful.

Not sure what the situation is now, but as a student in Bradford I had multiple experiences of returning from a long journey with a change in Leeds onto another coach for the last leg, only to be met by drivers who moaned strongly because all of their passengers from their journey thus far had got off and they thought they were going to be able to finish early by stopping short at Leeds.

 

[gray1404]

Until what date are National Express currently open for bookings?

 

[Blindtraveler]

Not sure what the situation is now, but as a student in Bradford I had multiple experiences of returning from a long journey with a change in Leeds onto another coach for the last leg, only to be met by drivers who moaned strongly because all of their passengers from their journey thus far had got off and they thought they were going to be able to finish early by stopping short at Leeds.

They need only have looked at their sheets or handhelds if they were being used at that point, if your booked for a connecting service then that connecting service would have shown up to the driver and less of course you were late for stop and to be honest even if you were it is still a large the irrelevant moot point as they are obliged to carry you on a journey that they are booked to run and taking it out on the passengers is the wrong attitude, they've got a control center they can ring up and moan at if they need to relieve their feelings and even then this shouldn't be done too much as control could quite easily report that driver to the contractor and contractor could haul him in and asking if he'd like to change his job or indeed perhaps even make sure that he does

 

[route101]

What route do National Express coaches take from Leeds to Bradford? Is it out to the M62?

 

[Deerfold]

What route do National Express coaches take from Leeds to Bradford? Is it out to the M62?

Unless it's changed recently, along the A647 pretty much all the way.

 

[Ridercross]

What route do National Express coaches take from Leeds to Bradford? Is it out to the M62?

I last did it nearly two years ago as part of a trip to Bradford to and from Birmingham and both ways it was via M621/M62/M606.

 

[JD2168]

Van Hool Altanos have been ordered by Edwards and Selwyn's for National Express services.

Van Hool TDX21 Altano for National Express work makes debut - routeone

National Express has unveiled the first of 25 Van Hool TDX21 Altanos that will enter service with Edwards Coaches and Selwyns Travel.

www.route-one.net

Interesting to note new Van Hool’s being introduced by National Express at the same time as Van Hool announcing job losses as mentioned in a separate thread.

 

[Martin1988]

Remember once being at Sheffield heading to Leeds on a Friday evening when there were two NX coaches going to Bradford at the same time. One was a regular service with a standard NX vehicle and the other a hired in coach from Stotts of Huddersfield which from memory, was operating a weekend extra. The Stotts coach took all the Leeds passengers (including myself) whilst the regular NX coach took everyone for Bradford and passengers on the Stotts coach who were going to Bradford were made to swap vehicles.

Also remember an operator who were based somewhere between Sheffield and Leeds who did a service between Birmingham and Bradford on Friday/Sunday evenings and more than once the driver told me he hoped to have nobody on for Bradford as he could then finish at Leeds and head home.

 

[Eyersey468]

Remember once being at Sheffield heading to Leeds on a Friday evening when there were two NX coaches going to Bradford at the same time. One was a regular service with a standard NX vehicle and the other a hired in coach from Stotts of Huddersfield which from memory, was operating a weekend extra. The Stotts coach took all the Leeds passengers (including myself) whilst the regular NX coach took everyone for Bradford and passengers on the Stotts coach who were going to Bradford were made to swap vehicles.

Also remember an operator who were based somewhere between Sheffield and Leeds who did a service between Birmingham and Bradford on Friday/Sunday evenings and more than once the driver told me he hoped to have nobody on for Bradford as he could then finish at Leeds and head home.

It will have been a duplicate, we sometimes have them on our services, what we try and do is get all passengers for one stop on the dupe so it can run direct,though its not always possible

 

[Swanny200]

Remember once being at Sheffield heading to Leeds on a Friday evening when there were two NX coaches going to Bradford at the same time. One was a regular service with a standard NX vehicle and the other a hired in coach from Stotts of Huddersfield which from memory, was operating a weekend extra. The Stotts coach took all the Leeds passengers (including myself) whilst the regular NX coach took everyone for Bradford and passengers on the Stotts coach who were going to Bradford were made to swap vehicles.

Also remember an operator who were based somewhere between Sheffield and Leeds who did a service between Birmingham and Bradford on Friday/Sunday evenings and more than once the driver told me he hoped to have nobody on for Bradford as he could then finish at Leeds and head home.

I remember regularly going from Edinburgh to London in the 2000s, Think Stuarts of Carluke used to do the runs then for duplicates, wasn't the first time that 3 or 4 coaches turned up on a Thursday or Friday night, driver one in the branded coach would do the full run with one of the dupes, then the other two, one would pick up a couple of stops, I used to always get the last one which was usually a Stuarts branded Van Hool, next to nobody on board, one maybe two stops at services and straight to London.

 

[Titfield]

It will have been a duplicate, we sometimes have them on our services, what we try and do is get all passengers for one stop on the dupe so it can run direct,though its not always possible

Yes this practice has been around for donkeys years. Back in the early 80s just after coach service deregulation we operated a service from Bournemouth to Heathrow Airport and London Victoria. Most Saturday mornings in the summer we had duplicates so would load them separately one going direct to Heathrow and one going direct to London Victoria. Made loading and unloading luggage so much easier and shaved about 20 - 25 minutes off the Victoria arrival time.

 

[route101]

I remember regularly going from Edinburgh to London in the 2000s, Think Stuarts of Carluke used to do the runs then for duplicates, wasn't the first time that 3 or 4 coaches turned up on a Thursday or Friday night, driver one in the branded coach would do the full run with one of the dupes, then the other two, one would pick up a couple of stops, I used to always get the last one which was usually a Stuarts branded Van Hool, next to nobody on board, one maybe two stops at services and straight to London.

Another operator still does this on the London to Scotland runs. Dupe goes direct but stops for driver change.

The M11X service operated by Macleans does London - Glasgow - Edinburgh but I often see it terminate at Glasgow.

I haven't seen any dupes on any Scottish national express services.

 

[Dfatcontroller]

Any idea of where the Caetano Boa Vistas will go when these new Van-Hools enter service?

The first of the Boa Vistas has transferred to Fareham as ALX400 replacement on schools.

 

[cambsy]

Will the Van Hools be diagrammed to operate the 540 and 040 services at particular times, or will they turn up on these services at any time? I'd like ride these in the next few weeks, but don’t really want to end up on a Caetano Levante.

 

[Deerfold]

National Express have registered Leeds - Bradford as a local bus service on the 171 from 17 May, so there's now 7 a day registered on that section unless the timetable changes.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65fdba34a6c0f70011ef931a/np_2624_22_March_2024.pdf

PD0000738/369 NATIONAL EXPRESS LTD, NATIONAL EXPRESS HOUSE,
BIRMINGHAM COACH STATION, MILL LANE, DIGBETH,
BIRMINGHAM, B5 6DD
From: Bradford Interchange
To: Leeds Coach Station, Bay 6
Via:
Name or No.: 171
Service type: Limited Stop
Effective date: 17 May 2024
Other details: Daily, except Christmas Day.