They’ve gone back to st Catherine’s park and ride? That can’t be correct. The stop was axed two days after being approved as it was wholly unsuitable for tri axle vehicles. Kerbs were damaged and a car was tailswiped. Unless it’s a different park and ride or different part of it.
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National Express Coaches Discussion
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markymark2000
On Moderation
The newspapers are reporting that the council has agreed to make the necessary changes to the site to accommodate NatEx
I took the 1730 032 service to Southampton yesterday and we called at St Catherines Park and Ride. It was a bit tight entering the site. Only one person got off.
In addition we went via the M4 and M25 to reach the M3. Last time was A316/M3.
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Mr Magstripe
Member
Has anyone got any insight as to whether the National Express 035 service from Swanage to London might return? Most of the time there was one daily service with early departure (6.30am-ish) from Swanage, and a late arrival (11pm-ish), though in the summer peak there was a second service.
lxfe_mxtterz
Member
I'll be travelling from London to Glasgow with National Express tomorrow, and have reserved the front seats on the right-hand side (directly behind the driver).
Does anybody know if there are charging points available for these seats on the Caetano Levante coaches?
Many thanks.
Does anybody know if there are charging points available for these seats on the Caetano Levante coaches?
Many thanks.
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Yes, between the seats in front of you. NX are moving to the newer Levantes so you could get a newer one. I have never reserved a seat on National Express, I just sit towards the back.
lxfe_mxtterz
Member
Thanks for the reply.
I'm aware that there are charging points between the seats in front, but the trouble is that there aren't actually any seats in front of where I've reserved (with it being the first row behind the driver), so I wasn't sure what to expect?
I had overlooked that. Let us know how your journey was.Thanks for the reply.
I'm aware that there are charging points between the seats in front, but the trouble is that there aren't actually any seats in front of where I've reserved (with it being the first row behind the driver), so I wasn't sure what to expect?
If the NatEx spec ones are similar those specified for Kings Ferry, the charging points for those front seats would be in the side panels, somewhere between your knees and your ankles. Thankfully we didn't use them very often, because you can imagine the difficulty if you were in the aisle seat!
Eyersey468
Established Member
- Joined
- 14 Sep 2018
- Messages
- 2,198
I'm sure there are charging points on the side panels by the priority seat at the front, I'll double check when I'm in at the depot tomorrow. All charging points on Levante 3 are USB chargers, Levante 2 is plugs.
@lxfe_mxtterz , I normally reserve seats when travel National Express and book 2B, which is at the front on the right as you board the coach; this my preferred seat. Where the charging point is varies by model of coach, whether Levante 2 or 3.
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Smethwickian
Member
Liverpool One Bus Station and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Coach Station have had their NX ticket offices closed as of this weekend, so two more locations now without National Express staff to offer any kind of sales, help or assistance rather than hanging on a phone line for ages or attempting to find an answer on their clunky and unreliable website.
Do you normally get someone sitting next to you at the front? That is what puts me off reserving seats on Megabus/NX.
There are talks that the front seats behind the driver will be again sectioned off to give drivers extra caution against Covid. Many drivers have already been closing off the front seats, on Union advice.
Head office are currently deciding. Decision due end of week commencing Monday, 6th December.
Head office are currently deciding. Decision due end of week commencing Monday, 6th December.
markymark2000
On Moderation
It's a shame about Liverpool but with currently only 11 departures per day. Of which, only 5 are within the 'ticket office opening hours', I don't think that it's overly needed. If I were NatEx, I would work with Merseytravel to improve the waiting facilities at stands 1 and 2 and put up a departure screen there showing any delays. Keep people informed via that screen. Liverpool doesn't 'need' staff with the current, vastly reduced, level of service being offered.
It’s a shame that liverpool has lost its CSA’s. If anywhere needs a cull it’s VCS. The CSA there are known to be lazy, rude and extremely uncooperative with both drivers and passengers. We get constant complaints about them from many many people. They never announce services when they should, don’t always open and close the doors as they should. Refuse to amend tickets and just “pressurise” the driver to take said passenger, resulting in a peed off driver and lost revenue amongst others.
Head office doesn’t want to cut though as VCS is the south’s hub and it would send warnings to both competitors and shareholders should many cuts be made there.
They have however done away with cover at nights now.
Head office doesn’t want to cut though as VCS is the south’s hub and it would send warnings to both competitors and shareholders should many cuts be made there.
They have however done away with cover at nights now.
Currently running around 70% mileage. Not looking like it’s gonna increase for the foreseeable, if ever. The recovery hasn’t been as rapid as first forecast. Driver shortages also affecting many third parties, and owned ops themselves.
I see. I noticed the 160 runs Poole to Birmingham, did this run further pre covid?
Has always run that route since it’s inception as far as I can tell.
All the services in the 'regional' 1xx range are new post-Covid. They generally have replaced a 3xx or 5xx service that used to go to more distant destinations - eg there used to be a 303 from Weymouth to Liverpool that might map to the 160 that now runs from Poole to Birmingham. (That may not be the relevant change but gives an idea).
At one time there was a Poole - Bradford which I think was a 310 service.
They have chopped and changed the services many times over the years which imho does little to encourage patronage / repeat business.
Indeed, but the massive recent change is the cancellation of all of the 3xx and non-London 5xx services and their replacement with shorter 1xx services that don't reach the outlying places the original routes did. That is post-Covid it obviously is the next step in a process that was already happening.
It is probably stating the obvious but it is challenging to comment on the network given we? (I) have no idea of passenger carrying figures both in the years running up to covid, covid period and post covid.
When I worked for National Express in telephone enquiries many moons ago, a very significant source of business was from those who had found out the rail fare and quite simply didn't have the means or the desire to pay it. When we gave out travel times many accepted the simple trade off between journey time and fare.
When I worked for National Express in telephone enquiries many moons ago, a very significant source of business was from those who had found out the rail fare and quite simply didn't have the means or the desire to pay it. When we gave out travel times many accepted the simple trade off between journey time and fare.
There’s no point encouraging repeat business if it’s 9 people in a 55 seater coach. The company Simply cannot offer a direct route from everywhere to everywhere anymore. Those days are gone. And they won’t be back. The network has had to become more efficient. If that means a change of coach in London or digbeth, then so be it. If those customers no longer wish to use the company then so be it. Brutal but necessary.
Megabus from Southampton has always been a limited service, often cross country as opposed to London services. When Stagecoach ran South West Trains there were Megatrain tickets sold on the Megabus website.
First Bus tried to compete with National Express with their Greyhound services from Southampton and Portsmouth but again, these never took off and didn't last long. I remember the pick up for Greyhound was down near Town Quay/Platform Road in Southampton, not the most convenient of places for most people with the only buses down there being Unilink at the time.
I dont disagree but the network has become so skeletal that one wonders at what point it will no longer be viable at all.
Scotrail88
Member
- Joined
- 21 Jul 2014
- Messages
- 321
The whole efficiency argument is true - given I would imagine that the merger with Stagecoach is all about rescuing duplicate mileage and creating central interchange hubs.
Sadly just not enough passengers for both
Sadly just not enough passengers for both