The United Kingdom has a number of intercity coach services.
The United Kingdom has a number of intercity coach services.
Coach services generally travel further than, and do not stop as frequently as, and cost more than, bus services. It is common, but not universal, for coach travel to require advance purchase of tickets, whereas on buses tickets are mostly bought (or, increasingly, electronic payment is made) on board. The distinction is not absolute, and some coach services, especially in Scotland, operate as local bus services over sections of route where there is no other bus service.
Coach usage in the United Kingdom is a small fraction of that of rail, which has increased since privatisation in the mid-1990s. [1]
Long-distance horse-drawn stagecoach services were effectively replaced by the arrival of the railways in the 1830s and 1840s, [2] but stagecoaches and charabancs were still used for short journeys and excursions until the early years of the 20th century. [3]
The first motor coaches were acquired by operators of those horse-drawn vehicles: for example, W. C. Standerwick of Blackpool acquired their first motor charabanc in 1911 [4] and Royal Blue of Bournemouth acquired their first motor charabanc in 1913. [5] Motor coaches were initially used only for excursions. [6] In 1919 Royal Blue took advantage of a rail strike to run a coach service from Bournemouth to London. The service was so successful that it expanded rapidly. [7] In 1920 the Minister of Transport Eric Campbell Geddes was quoted in Punch magazine as saying, "I think it would be a calamity if we did anything to prevent the economic use of charabancs" [8] and expressed concern in Parliament at the problems caused to small charabanc and omnibus operators. [9]
The first scheduled motorcoach service to carry passengers from both ends and to and from intermediate points was the Greyhound Motors service between London and Bristol, started on 11 February 1925. [10]
The coach industry expanded rapidly in the 1920s, a period of intense competition. Several bus companies, including Midland Red, Crosville and Red & White, started coach services. By 1930, no fewer than 18 companies were running coaches between Oxford and London. [11] For example, the original Royal Blue service from Bournemouth to London grew from twice a week during 1920 to twice daily during 1921. [7]
The Road Traffic Act 1930 introduced a national system of regulation of passenger road transport and authorised local authorities to operate transport services. [12] It also imposed a speed limit of 30 mph for coaches [13] whilst removing any speed limit for private cars. [14] The act caused considerable disruption and it received criticism - In 1931 the commissioner refused to sanction coaches operating into central London. Frank Pick, managing director of Underground Electric Railways Company of London commented on this at the time saying
The Road Traffic Act of 1930 was passed to restore order and prevent abuse on the roads. No one envisaged its use to deprive the public of reasonable service. It outruns its object. Control is one thing; prohibition is another. [12]
Following the 1930 act coach operators bought, or reached agreement with competitors to share services and pool revenues.[ citation needed ] Many of the independent companies were bought by the two major bus groups, the Tilling Group and British Electric Traction. In 1932, a group of coach operators opened Victoria Coach Station in London, which became the London terminus for most coach services. In 1934, six coach operators (Black & White, Bristol Greyhound, Midland Red, Red & White, and Royal Blue & United Counties) formed the Associated Motorways consortium, to provide a nationwide network of coach services that centred on Cheltenham Coach Station.
Coach operators were required to suspend services from 1942 (during World War II) to conserve fuel. Services recommenced again in 1946.
After the Transport Act 1947 the Labour government acquired the Tilling Group and Red & White bus companies, and Scottish Motor Traction, so that a large part of the coaching industry fell under state control. The 1950s and early 1960s were prosperous times for the industry, before foreign holidays became commonplace and car ownership spread. The Beeching cuts of the rail network in the early 1960s generated more traffic for coach operators. The speed limit for buses and coaches on 'open roads' was increased from 30 mph to 40 mph in 1961. [15]
In 1951, Northern Roadways were given permission to operate overnight services from London to Edinburgh and Glasgow. [16] [17] Despite objections from British Railways and Scottish Omnibuses, services commenced in May 1952. [18] [19] [20] [21]
In March 1960, Midland Red became the first operator to operate a motorway service when it commenced a three times daily service from Birmingham to London. [22]
The Transport Act 1968 nationalised remaining privately owned bus and coach services. It created five PTEs Passenger transport executives and the National Bus Company (from January 1969) which merged the state-owned Transport Holdings with the private British Electric Traction, at which point most of the industry became state-owned. [23] Only a few independents, such as Yelloway and some smaller operators, remained.
In 1972, the National Bus Company formed the brand 'National Travel' (soon to be re-branded as National Express) to run long-distance coach services. Most of the coach operations of NBC's subsidiaries in England and Wales were franchised to National Express - the individual bus companies mostly continued to own the coaches, but were required to adopt the National Express brand white livery.[ citation needed ] In Scotland, and between England and Scotland, coach services continued to be operated by subsidiaries of the state-owned Scottish Bus Group.[ citation needed ]
Express coach services were deregulated by the Transport Act 1980 under the Thatcher government five years before the deregulation of local bus services by the Transport Act 1985. This led to a flurry of new coach operators. The largest of these was British Coachways, a consortium of established independents formed in 1980 to compete against National Express on six routes. It was disbanded in 1982. Other operators survived longer, but could not shake the dominance of National Express. [24] An exception was the Oxford to London coach route, where Stagecoach Oxfordshire and the Oxford Bus Company continue to compete fiercely. (In October 2019 the Oxford Bus Company announced that it was ceasing operation of the X90 Oxford - London service after 4 January 2020. The company cited substantial falls in ridership occasioned by enhanced competition from the railways, with a new frequent service to London Marylebone, and ever-increasing road congestion especially in London. Usage had fallen by 35% between 2015 and 2019, the decline appeared to be continuing thus rendering the service unviable). [25]
National Express was sold to its management in 1988, and floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1992. In 1985, Scottish Citylink was formed to run coach services to and within Scotland - as a franchise operation, like National Express. It too was sold to its management in 1990, but in 1993 it was sold to National Express. In 1997, the Competition Commission ordered National Express to sell Scottish Citylink, following the award of the ScotRail franchise to National Express. [26] In 1998 Scottish Citylink was sold to ComfortDelGro.
The first Coachway interchange (Milton Keynes Coachway) was opened in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Coachways are coach interchanges built close to motorway/trunk road junctions that link to local transport, as distinct from interchanges in the middle of towns.
Speed limiters were introduced in coaches in 1988. These were initially set at 70 mph, but reduced to 65 mph in 1994. [27] In 1993 ten people died in a coach crash on the M2 motorway, provoking calls to make it compulsory to wear a seat belt. [28] (In 2006 a regulation was passed to require all passengers over the age of 3 years to wear a seat belt if one is available. Previous legislation had required the provision of seat belts in all new coaches.) [29]
In 2003, Stagecoach started its Megabus operation in England and Scotland. This brought back national competition, and fares started to fall. [30]
In Scotland, competition between Megabus and Scottish Citylink drove Stagecoach to a joint venture with ComfortDelGro in 2005 to operate both companies' coach services. The Competition Commission ruled in 2006 that the joint venture reduced competition, [31] and in February 2008 Stagecoach announced the sale of some services, operating under the Saltire Cross brand, to Park's Motor Group. [32]
Receipts for long-distance coach travel in 1996/1997 were £1.4 billion (2008 prices) rising to nearly £1.8 billion in 2004/2005 (also 2008 prices). Since 2005 statistics are no longer collected for UK non-local bus services. Unlike the UK rail market, which has seen massive growth since 1996, long-distance coach travel has continued to decline (from a low base). Vehicles travelled 1.6 billion km in 1996/1997, falling slightly to 1.5 billion km in 2007/2008. [33]
From 1 January 2008 express coaches were banned from using the third lane of motorways by Section 4 of The Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2004. [34] [35] In 2008 National Express announced that passenger numbers had grown by 2% in the previous year. [36]
In 2009 FirstGroup entered the market with Greyhound UK, competing with National Express and Megabus. [37] The Birmingham Coach Station opened after a major rebuild. [38] Reconstruction of the Milton Keynes Coachway started (opening Spring 2010). [39]
In September 2010 FirstGroup announced it would be expanding the Greyhound UK service significantly. [40]
In October 2010, Philip Hammond, the transport minister, announced that the M4 bus lane would be scrapped, saying: "Nothing is more symbolic of Labour's war on the motorist". [41] The Confederation of Passenger Transport said that the decision, which was supported by all the main motoring organisations, had "come out of the blue" and that "high occupancy vehicle lanes for buses and coaches can be key tools in persuading people out of their cars and onto public transport." [42]
The organisers of the 2012 Summer Olympics aimed to get 100% of people to the venues by public transport or other non-car modes (cycling/walking) [43] with around 10 per cent of spectators arriving by bus and coach. [44] In January 2010 the South East England regional transport board criticised the current proposals[ which? ] for not providing plans for a credible long term coach network: "The ODA has been working on an extensive network of coach services... [but] the lack of reference to this work [in the plan] is both intriguing and at the same time concerning." [45]
The last Greyhound service ceased in December 2015. [46] [47] [48]
Bus and coach usage in the United Kingdom has suffered a serious decline, [49] especially for long-distance travel. Due to road congestion and the country's geography and infrastructure, coaches cannot compete with rail travel in terms of speed. Between London and Manchester, for example, the (hourly) National Express Coach service takes a minimum of 4 hours and 35 minutes, with most services taking 5 hours 20 minutes; the three-per-hour train service [50] takes just two hours and seven minutes (average). Thus a day trip for leisure or business by coach would either give a very short time at the destination, or require a very early start or late return; many regard it as too arduous. Coach travel is still generally cheaper than rail, but cheap advance rail tickets have narrowed the gap; for example as of 2012 both National Express Coaches and Virgin Trains offered a single off-peak ticket for around £25 between London and Manchester. Further, many major cities (for example Norwich) only have (at best) a two hourly coach service to London, whilst rail [51] may operate a half-hourly (or better) service, in half the time. Furthermore, many coach stops (and bus stations) have few facilities (such as parking, retail outlets, information centres) compared with the railway network's infrastructure. Finally, many politicians and governments of all parties have in recent years been champions of the developing rail network. For example, the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government formed in May 2010 stated in its initial programme for government its commitment to creating a high-speed rail network. [52]
The main coach operators today are:
The number of International Coaches available has decreased due to the fall in passenger numbers using coaches in the UK. Flixbus, National Express and Scottish Citylink are mostly franchise operations. Coaches are contracted in from many operating companies. [55]
In addition there are numerous operators of coach excursions and tours, and coaches for charter.
There are a number of major coach interchanges in the UK, some of which are listed here:-
Mobico Group, formerly National Express Group, is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham, England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express. The company also operates transport services including trains abroad: in the Republic of Ireland, United States, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Germany, Bahrain, Morocco, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and South Korea, and long-distance coach services across Europe. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
A coach is a type of bus built for longer-distance service, in contrast to transit buses that are typically used within a single metropolitan region. Often used for touring, intercity, and international bus service, coaches are also used for private charter for various purposes. Coaches are also related and fall under a specific category/type of RVs.
National Express, also abbreviated NX, is an intercity and inter-regional coach operator providing services throughout Great Britain. It is a subsidiary of the British multinational public transport company Mobico Group. Most services are subcontracted to local coach companies. The company's head office is in offices above Birmingham Coach Station.
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The company operates transport services in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Stagecoach Group is a transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses and express coaches in the United Kingdom.
Scottish Citylink is a long-distance express coach operator in Scotland and Ireland and formerly England. The company was formed as a subsidiary of Scottish Transport Group in March 1985. It is operated as a 63/37 joint venture between ComfortDelGro and Stagecoach.
Stagecoach West Scotland is an operating region of Stagecoach UK Bus, comprising Western Buses Ltd based in Ayr, Scotland.
Stagecoach East Scotland is a bus operator providing services in eastern Scotland, with its regional base in Dunfermline, Fife. The company is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group.
An intercity bus service or intercity coach service, also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public transport service using coaches to carry passengers significant distances between different cities, towns, or other populated areas. Unlike a transit bus service, which has frequent stops throughout a city or town, an intercity bus service generally has a single stop at one location in or near a city, and travels long distances without stopping at all. Intercity bus services may be operated by government agencies or private industry, for profit and not for profit. Intercity coach travel can serve areas or countries with no train services, or may be set up to compete with trains by providing a more flexible or cheaper alternative.
Stagecoach East is a bus operator providing local and regional services across the East of England, operating in the counties of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The company is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group and is headquartered and registered in Cambridge.
Royal Blue Express Services was a coach operator in the south and west of England from 1880 until 1986.
The Oxford to London coach route is an express coach route between Oxford and London along the M40 motorway. Operated by Stagecoach West under the brand name Oxford Tube, there are up to five coaches an hour via Lewknor, High Wycombe Coachway, Hillingdon, Shepherd's Bush and Baker Street terminating on Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria.
Megabus is a long-distance intercity coach service operator owned by Scottish Citylink and based in the United Kingdom. Founded by Stagecoach Group in August 2003, it operates using low-cost fares, formerly starting at £1, based on a yield management model.
The Milton Keynes Coachway is a Coachway interchange close to junction 14 of the M1 motorway on the eastern edge of Milton Keynes, north Buckinghamshire, England. It supports National Express intercity coach services to cities, towns and airports on the M1, and on into Scotland, to Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton Airports, as well as Stagecoach East's route X5 between Oxford and Bedford, and interchange between these services. There are also local bus services and nearby, a park and ride site. It is the second busiest coach station in the United Kingdom. Dating from 1989, it was the first of the UK's Coachway interchanges.
Stagecoach Highlands is a bus operator based in Inverness that runs services in the Scottish Highlands as well as on the Orkney Islands and Isle of Skye. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group formed in 2008 following the purchase of the independent Rapsons Group, and is today part of the Stagecoach North Scotland group of companies.
Buses in Milton Keynes are run by a mixture of operators on a network of urban and rural routes in and around the Milton Keynes urban area. These services have a varied history involving five different companies. At the foundation of the 'New City' in 1967 and for some years afterwards, Milton Keynes was served by a rural bus service between and to the pre-existing towns. Apart from a small-scale experimental service, urban buses arrived on the scene with deregulation in 1986. Since April 2010 the core local services have been provided by Arriva Shires & Essex. Long-distance coach services also serve MK, often via the Milton Keynes Coachway located near junction 14 of the M1 motorway.
Stagecoach X5 is an inter-urban bus service linking Oxford and Bedford via Bicester, Buckingham and Milton Keynes
British Coachways was a consortium of independent coach operating companies in the United Kingdom. Formed immediately after the deregulation of coach services in October 1980, it competed with the state-owned National Express and Scottish Bus Group on a range of long-distance routes. Initially composed of six members, it varied in size and composition over its two years of operation to include a range of ten different companies.
Mr. BILLING: the poor people who cannot afford a motor-car and who go out occasionally in charabancs—are being taxed £84 a year, according to the seating capacity. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that that represents about 25 per cent. greater than the capital cost of the vehicle?... The MINISTER of TRANSPORT (Sir E. Geddes): Will the hon. Gentleman send me a workable scheme?
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)a passenger vehicle which is constructed or adapted to carry more than eight seated passengers in addition to the driver the maximum laden weight of which exceeds 7.5 tonnes... a passenger vehicle which is constructed or adapted to carry more than eight seated passengers in addition to the driver the maximum laden weight of which does not exceed 7.5 tonnes, which is required to be fitted with a speed limiter.
The timetable extension news comes as National Express Group announced a 2% rise in coach passenger numbers at their preliminary results on 28 February.
Greyhound UK Managing director Alex Warner told LTT that the move should be viewed as the start of a new phase of plans to roll out the Greyhound brand following the launch of the first routes between Southampton and Portsmouth and London a year ago, with subsequent extensions to Bournemouth and Poole. He is planning to launch another new route before Christmas, which he expects to surprise many people.
Simon Posner, chief executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, the industry group that represents bus and coach companies says the government's decision had "come out of the blue. We are deeply worried at any move to close lanes put in place to give priority to bus passengers... high occupancy vehicle lanes for buses and coaches can be key tools in persuading people out of their cars and onto public transport.
Bus and coach transport in the United Kingdom | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | |||||
| By country | |||||
| Private operators |
| ||||
| Public operators | |||||
| Public authorities | |||||
| Manufacturers | |||||
| Legislation | |||||
