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Britain by Coach and BusWhile rail should be the best form of ground transport, it is worth giving consideration to the coach for many journeys. Coaches usually work out cheaper than taking the train, and in cost conscious times many people are giving the bus a go. However, cost is not the only reason for using the bus. It can sometimes make little difference to journey times, and is sometimes just as comfortable. In England and Wales, National Express is the main coach operator, while Scotland has Scottish Citylink. This page gives details of the large, and smaller, operators, and some tips for the best occasions to use the bus. National Express
National Express is the only national coach network in England and Wales. The company serves over 900 destinations (including some cross border services to Scotland). Taking the coach is rarely as fast as the train, but more comparable with driving. However, the coach is usually always a lot cheaper than taking the train, so if time is not an issue, it can make a lot of financial sense. National Express even have an unlimited travel ticket for those on holiday, so you can travel as much as you like, and when you please for one low price. However, cost is not the only reason for taking the coach. Onboard, National Express is surprisingly comfortable, with decent legroom that exceeds that of some of the less generous train operators. The coaches also give a pleasant ride, are quiet, air conditioned and have toilet facilites. Each seat has its own air vent, which is an improvement on the train, and you can be sure to get a seat if you have a reservation. While it is also possible to reserve a train ticket, you never know if the train will be very busy, which is not pleasant even if you do have a seat. The coach on the other hand has no standing passengers.
Another benefit of the coach is the luggage space.
There is ample room, and it is in a dedicated hold, so
the interior is not packed with everyone's cases (rail
operators, and airlines should take note!). Scottish Citylink
Destinations. From Inverness Citylink routes go to Thurso / Wick (for Orkney), Ullapool (for the Isle of Lewis ferry), the Isle of Skye, and Oban, via Fort William. There are useful connections with rail at Fort William and Kyle of Lochalsh. There is also a busy route south to Glasgow and Edinburgh via Perth. Aberdeen is linked to both Glasgow and Edinburgh, with stops at Perth and Dundee. There is a busy Glasgow to Edinburgh service as well as routes to Campbeltown and Stranraer. In all there are 400 services a day to 200 destinations. Students can get 20% off usual fares, while children receive 30% off the adult fare. Everyone can receive 20% off if holding an Edinburgh Pass or Scottish Youth Hostel Association membership. The one significant gap in the Citylink network is between Inverness and Aberdeen, which is not served at all by the company, or Megabus. Stagecoach does operate a bus between the two cities, but it is a slow service with frequent stops. Citylink is now partly owned by Stagecoach, which sometimes results in less well appointed Stagecoach vehicles turning up in place of Citylink coaches. This practice appears to be particularly prevalent on routes from Inverness.
Visit the Citylink website at:
Citylink.co.uk Citylink Gold
An exciting development in 2010 has been the
introduction of a new luxury express coach service by
Citylink. The service runs non stop from Aberdeen
to Glasgow, and between Inverness and Aviemore, and
Glasgow. Dedicated coaches feature generous leg
room, on board toilet, leather seats, WiFi internet, and complementary
snacks and drinks served by a host. The service is
designed to compete with first class rail services, and
many would argue is actually better than the completing
Scotrail trains. Due to these coaches not
stopping, they actually also match train times.
Citylink Gold has its own
Website Oxford TubeThe Oxford Tube is operated by Stagecoach. The 'tube' is Britain's most frequent coach route with coaches departing up to every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day. The route is between London and Oxford only and offers a comfortable and cheap way of getting between the two cities. The coaches used on this route have two levels, toilets, comfortable seats and onboard WiFi. Megabus
Greyhound LinesNo, you didn't read that wrong, the Greyhound has arrived in the UK (due to the US bus company now being owned by the Aberdeen based First Group). Don't expect an epic road trip across a continent (you'll need to head to America for that), but do expect very high quality buses with fast trip times. The first routes are in the south of England, and offer fast journey times with no or limited intermediate stops. Where do Greyhound buses run? The routes are currently:
What are Greyhound buses like? In the UK Greyhound has invested in luxury coaches which all have air conditioning, reclining leather seats, free WiFi, toilet / washroom, power sockets and extra legroom compared to normal coaches. The service also includes a free newspaper. As Greyhound are competing with both National Express and fast rail services, they are going to an extra effort to really win the business, and it shows.
Visit the
Greyhound UK website for details and to book online.
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Scottish Citylink Coaches is the largest coach company
in Scotland. Their coaches are comfortable,
although not as spacious as those of National Express.
Even for rail travellers, there are useful routes taking
you to the places that the rails can't reach including
the Ullapool to Isle of Lewis ferry and the Isle of
Skye. There is also a useful route from Fort
William Railway Station to Inverness along the Great
Glen and stopping at Urquhart Castle. As with
other coach companies, it is all reserved, everyone gets
a seat and there is plenty of space for luggage -
everyone can take two large cases in the hold and one
small item on board. 
Megabus is the low fares coach operator which runs on
selected routes in Britain (and the USA and Canada).
The UK version tends to compete against other coach
companies and on price alone. The routes tend to
be fast with few intermediate stops, and the coaches
modern. However, they are not the most comfortable
coaches on the road, with limited leg room and sometimes
lack personal air ventilation. The North America
version has good reports though. See|
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