Greyhound buses come to the UK

[PacificOcean]

I was surprised to find out in the article that First own the American Greyhound buses.

Anyway, they are on their way over here now.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...hallenge-National-Express-coach-services.html

I know it's just a branded coach at the end of the day, but it's great to see such an iconic brand in the UK.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

More legroom? They've got my attention straight away. The legroom on NE buses is a disgrace. People are , on average, much taller in Britain than China, yet buses here have less legroom. Work that out.

 

[strung out]

it's a shame the tossers at first can't extend their 'cheap fares ethos' to their normal services in the uk

 

[Fruitloop]

Will they leave from the same places I wonder? NE coach stations are some of the grimmest places in the country.

 

[Roadkill]

This is a good thing IMO. The competition might force National Express to raise its game a little, if nothing else. That said, I can't see myself using them - I loathe long-distance coaches and would rather pay a bit more to travel more quickly and comfortably by train.

 

[ViolentPanda]

More legroom? They've got my attention straight away. The legroom on NE buses is a disgrace. People are , on average, much taller in Britain than China, yet buses here have less legroom. Work that out.

Easy.
Less legroom = more seats.
More seats = more fare income.

 

[ViolentPanda]

This is a good thing IMO. The competition might force National Express to raise its game a little, if nothing else. That said, I can't see myself using them - I loathe long-distance coaches and would rather pay a bit more to travel more quickly and comfortably by train.

I remember doing, variously, London - Penzance, London - Coventry and London - Shrewsbury on the old National Express. Truly "Hell on wheels".

 

[marty21]

I remember doing, variously, London - Penzance, London - Coventry and London - Shrewsbury on the old National Express. Truly "Hell on wheels".

years ago, I went on coach holidays to the Czech Republic and Hungary, 30 hours in a coach, and knowing the journey back would be the same

they were exceedingly cheap though, New Millennium Holidays I think they were called, 93/94 I think we went

It's a pity they can't bring over the old greyhound buses, they were iconic, these ones are just buses

 

[Roadkill]

I remember doing, variously, London - Penzance, London - Coventry and London - Shrewsbury on the old National Express. Truly "Hell on wheels".

*shudders*

Ten years ago when I was an impecunious student I used to do London-Hull and London-Newcastle by coach a fair bit. It wasn't pleasant but it was cheaper than the train.

I did recently look into doing London-Hull by coach again, when I'd left booking train tickets very late and it was expensive. I was intrigued to see that the fare isn't much cheaper than you can get by booking the train two or three weeks in advance and that, presumably because of rising congestion, the journey's been slowed down. It used to be about four and a half hours: it's now five and a half - or six and a half via Leeds. No thanks.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Easy.
Less legroom = more seats.
More seats = more fare income.

I get that, but I'd pay a bit more quite frankly to get more legroom, I'm 6ft 2/3 which is hardly uncommon, and more than a couple of hours is severely uncomfortable on those buses.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

years ago, I went on coach holidays to the Czech Republic and Hungary, 30 hours in a coach, and knowing the journey back would be the same

they were exceedingly cheap though, New Millennium Holidays I think they were called, 93/94 I think we went

It's a pity they can't bring over the old greyhound buses, they were iconic, these ones are just buses

Yeah if it was the proper Greyhounds that would be cool. People would probably use them just to be trendy.

 

[starfish2000]

National Express are fucked they will be bought out soon, most likely by Stagecoach who own Megabus and who are also famous for running services at a loss to drive out competition.

 

[mattie]

I took a Greyhound from Montreal to Boston and it was utterly miserable.

The only 'highlight' was stopping at Roy Rogers and getting french fries in a cardboard holster.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

would be nice if they were going to use the silver metal hunks they use in America but they're not

 

[teuchter]

*shudders*

Ten years ago when I was an impecunious student I used to do London-Hull and London-Newcastle by coach a fair bit. It wasn't pleasant but it was cheaper than the train.

I did recently look into doing London-Hull by coach again, when I'd left booking train tickets very late and it was expensive. I was intrigued to see that the fare isn't much cheaper than you can get by booking the train two or three weeks in advance and that, presumably because of rising congestion, the journey's been slowed down. It used to be about four and a half hours: it's now five and a half - or six and a half via Leeds. No thanks.

I did Inverness-London (overnight) on the coach once. 12hrs. Since then I've been happy to pay the extra to go by train.



As far as this Greyhound thing is concerned ... I don't like it. Just rebranding but in the most unimaginative way possible. Why this need to emulate American stuff? Getting a bus from London to Portsmouth has just about nothing in common with a long-distance bus journey in the states.

A bit like Grand Central. Worst example of branding on the rail network.

 

[starfish2000]

Yeah but Grand Central are an open access operator, there not a franchise. I thought the trains looked classier than the bland corporate First or Stagecoach colours. I mean have you seen the power cars on an EMT HST, they look like a tube of toothpaste

 

[teuchter]

Yeah but Grand Central are an open access operator, there not a franchise. I thought the trains looked classier than the bland corporate First or Stagecoach colours. I mean have you seen the power cars on an EMT HST, they look like a tube of toothpaste

"Classy" isn't the word I'd use.

Their logo looks like the MD's kid designed it for their GCSE art project.

 

[teuchter]

Mind you the livery applied to First group franchises is pretty bad too, but not in quite such an amateurish way

 

[skyscraper101]

Both times I used Greyhound busses in the USA they broke down en-route.

Cue ages being stuck in the middle of fucking nowhere. I think I even started a thread about it from my blackberry because I was so bored.

Edit: Oh yeah I did! http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=233233

 

[Roadkill]

"Classy" isn't the word I'd use.

Their logo looks like the MD's kid designed it for their GCSE art project.

Be that as it may, Grand Central power cars still have the wonderful-sounding Valenta engines, and as such they're above criticism IMO.

 

[STFC]

A bit of competition for National Express can only be a good thing. I sometimes use NE when I go to visit my family and I've left it too late to get train tickets for a decent price, but I wouldn't want to spend any more than about three hours on a coach.

 

[Lemon Eddy]

I did Inverness-London (overnight) on the coach once. 12hrs. Since then I've been happy to pay the extra to go by train.

Skint student, 15 years ago.

Aberdeen - Penzance was a bloody awful bus journey, which I endured to meet up with some mates and go surfing.

But whilst there I hooked up with a girl I met, and decided to go back to her home town for a week. Penzance - Wick by National Express, at a time when you could smoke on buses. It was not pleasant.

 

[teuchter]

Be that as it may, Grand Central power cars still have the wonderful-sounding Valenta engines, and as such they're above criticism IMO.

Oh, I'm quite aware of this!

Although the last time I travelled behind one it went and broke down and I was three hours late getting back to London.

 

[teuchter]

Penzance - Wick

Hard to beat that one!

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Skint student, 15 years ago.

Aberdeen - Penzance was a bloody awful bus journey, which I endured to meet up with some mates and go surfing.

But whilst there I hooked up with a girl I met, and decided to go back to her home town for a week. Penzance - Wick by National Express, at a time when you could smoke on buses. It was not pleasant.

Jesus. That must have taken nigh-on a millennium.

 

[Pingu]

Hard to beat that one!

liverpool - Paris

not NE but may as well have been

I am NEVER doing a journey like that again

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

I did the London to Czech one a few years back, 1996, luckily it was with three good friends, you got to sleep quite a bit, and IIRC the coach wasn't quite as uncomfortable as other NE coaches, had it been I'd have died.

 

[teuchter]

liverpool - Paris

not NE but may as well have been

I am NEVER doing a journey like that again

Hard to beat in the UK I meant.

My dad did Inverness to Budapest without stopover once ... in his 50s. Made of stronger stuff than me, I think.

 

[Pingu]

Hard to beat in the UK I meant.

My dad did Inverness to Budapest without stopover once ... in his 50s. Made of stronger stuff than me, I think.

in all seriousness had i been on that coach people would have died, violently.

 

[PacificOcean]

Penzance - Wick by National Express, at a time when you could smoke on buses.

There really is a coach route from Penzance to Wick?

Who uses it? Who needs to get to Penzance from Wick and visa versa?

If you have moved that far from your family it must be for a reason?