Stagecoach re-started its megabus coach services on Monday 29 March, helping to keep the country connected as lockdown restrictions start to ease.
A reduced service will run initially connecting key towns and cities across the UK, including London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Birmingham and Birmingham Airport, Southampton and Southampton Airport, Portsmouth, Heathrow, Cardiff, Coventry, Huddersfield, Oxford, Leicester and Loughborough. Services continue to run in Scotland for essential journeys, and there will be additional cross-border services.
Around 15% of pre-Covid services will be running from 29 March, with services ramped up from 12 April when hospitality and leisure facilities are expected to re-open. A further ramp up of services is planned for the summer period.
megabus said that the number of bookings made so far reflect its popularity as a value-for-money travel option, with a surge in demand reported for the late May bank holiday and after 21 June.
Mark Venables, Managing Director for megabus said: “Coach services will play a key role as the country opens up, particularly as people look to visit friends and family and enjoy staycations around the country. We know that people are desperately keen to start travelling again and we’re excited to be able to help them to do that.
“We’re pleased to be re-starting our megabus services again from Monday 29 March and our drivers are looking forward to welcoming customers on board again. We have extensive safety measures in place to ensure people can travel with confidence including reduced capacity to allow for social distancing, regular touch-point cleaning, anti-virus filters and anti-bac stations on board all coaches.”
