New to the network from 3 July will be route A31, offering 12 services a day from Luton Airport to Portsmouth and Fareham via London Victoria Coach Station, route 424 offering a daily overnight service from Blackpool to London via Manchester, and route 455 with four services a day from Northampton to London via Milton Keynes.
Routes enhanced from the same date are the A2 from Luton Airport to London Paddington via Golders Green, Finchley Road, St Johns Wood and Baker Street, which sees services increased from 16 to 48 per day, route A5 from Stansted Airport to London Paddington, up from 16 to 39 services a day, running every 30 minutes, and every 20 minutes at peak times, and the A7 from Stansted Airport to London Victoria Coach Station, which has more daily services calling at Southwark and Waterloo, and a reduced journey time.
The operator said its investment in providing fast, frequent services connecting cities, towns and airports follows a continued surge in customers turning to coach travel during 2023. The new routes and increases to existing services will take National Express’ weekly capacity up to over 11,150 journeys. Earlier this year, the company announced the purchase of 130 new vehicles that will both replace some of the existing fleet and add to its inventory.
The operator reports that, despite growing competition in the sector, in 2022 over 16 million people used the its coach network, up from over 10 million from 2021. It cites rail strikes and soaring costs for motorists as contributing factors, with 10% of rail users reported to have switched to coach travel for better value and reliability of service.
National Express Service Delivery Director Ed Rickard said: “More and more customers are turning to coach for great value, reliable and sustainable travel. It’s encouraging to see customers making the switch from other modes of transport and choosing our coaches.
“With continued investment in our services this month, we are making it even easier for our new and existing customers to save their money for their holiday treats. And by letting us do the driving our customers can enjoy a relaxing, comfortable journey to their summer destinations. 2023 has been hugely busy across our network so far, giving us confidence that the demand is there. As we roll out more services across our network, we expect to see 21 million customers travelling by coach to get there where they need to be.”
