Years ago when I was in my late 20's (now soon to be 80) I used National Express from Bradford to London.once after working a 10 hour shift I fell asleep on the coach,when I awoke I found I had my head on a strangers shoulder and was cuddled up to him. I said I'm so sorry and in an American accent,he said no problem ma'm it was a pleasure. Thankfully we both laughed, it could have been so embarrassing. x
I have done this coach trip many times.Travelling from Birmingham to Bournemouth then catching the Breezer to wonderful Swanage.Its rarely a troublesome journey.Its wonderful to get the ferry to Swanage,your holiday really begins then.
We took the National Express from Manchester to Bradford last month. What a fantastic driver and quick thinker too. We were scheduled to arrive approximately at 9pm in Bradford, we were late 45 mins BUT the driver diverted us through Oldham Road (A672) instead of the M62 where we could see a massive traffic jam to our right side. And we saw beautiful scenery and small towns like Booth Wood. Our bus was tidy and comfortable, and the driver was funny and professional. Your video basically is like our journey. Sums it up. Was not good because of the delay but not bad since we weren't stuck in a traffic jam for miles. 😊 We also took the 2.30am bus from Bradford back to Manchester and it only took us 1 hour and 10 mins. 🎉
Do they actually block out all noise , i'm thinking of getting some for a flight , i can't stand people whining, if they work i will get some, how much for a good set of headphones?? thanks
@@Ian.eastwood5457 Yes they do work. They don't block everything but most sounds including the hum of the engines in an aircraft cabin. You don't realise how wearing that hum is until it goes away. Bose & Sony are probably the best and Bose can be had for around £200.
During the 1970s, and living in Ramsgate, Kent, when I was attending universities for interview (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Durham etc; because half my family is Scots) my late father would not pay for my fares; and so I used the overnight sleeper (which I could afford; courtesy of my school's 'hardship fund') run in those days by 'Caledonian Scottish' from Victoria. Blankets were provided; and for their day - the coaches were magnificent, with two drivers. The most dreadful thing was - having attended interview at Edinburgh - I returned home to an invitation from Aberdeen! I later worked as a bus conductor, to re-pay my borrowings; and that enabled me to return to university, after every summer vacation, as one of the wealthier students. Yours is a great channel. Thanks for the post and tips.
@Mark_Dyer1 my granddaughter graduated from Edinburgh university in 1976 and worked on the trolley bus service in Luton for 35 years happily retired in 2003
@@AGNETHAFALTSK0G Some of today's young stuydents could do with the interaction with other people which such jobs provided. 1976 was when I started to study Theology at Bangor University, North Wales.
@@AGNETHAFALTSK0G It has been very helpful to me throughout my life as 'non-church-going' Christian: and my faith was helpful during my career as a Registered Nurse.
@@DavidHalfordsLane I strongly dislike rudeness, mobile phone irritants, and noisy/disruptive kids on public transport. If money were no object, I would choose to hire an Uber taxi to drive me anywhere in the UK, especially late at night when I feel safer in a taxi than in public transportation.
@@booth2710 At least you can relax on public transport - read, doze, look at your phone, enjoy the scenery - on trains you can even go for a stroll. Driving a car, on the other hand, you lose concentration for a moment and you are dead . . .
For some nice scenery try the 180 overnight from Birmingham to Glasgow via Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. At the right time of year you can catch a gorgeous sunrise off the Northumberland coast whilst chugging up the A1.
I caught a coach from Bournemouth travel interchange to Heathrow Airport at 3am. Brilliant. I fell fast asleep very shortly and woke up just before we arrived.
The most efficient and cost effective time for most HGV operators is through the night. I used to do TTN deliveries and I could do 10 deliveries over a pretty large area. On days, it takes the same time to do 3! You’ll also find a lot of HGV companies will set off at 2-3 am again to miss the rush hour traffic. You’re usually then unloading/loading during rush hour and back on the road after things have quietened down!
As a former wagon driver... stuff is moving on sunday for any of the following reasons: Sunday delivery and pre-positioning for an early or distant monday delivery/pickup. Sunday is usually an overtime day for drivers, and is usually used only when needed. Of course, some companies and contracts differ.
Great vlog. I really enjoyed it, I have made trips recently to London and Cardiff and had Bournemouth on my ' to travel to list'. My experience with National express was positive.
I unavoidably had to travel cross country trains from Birmingham to Bournemouth. They laid on a 4 car train on a day when the NES had a major show. As a result found myself stood up from Birmingham to Brockenhurst. Never again. It was nothing short of horrific.
Speaking as someone from Ringwood, wherever that is. National express is one of our only ways out, assuming driving isn't an option. Bournemouth station is a bus ride and a wait away. You can get to London Victoria for about £15 in 2 hours if you plan ahead and then the world is your lobster.
Cheers Andrew, apologies I must be honest I’d never heard of Ringwood before and the coach never really gave me much of a view. I’ll try and make a point of visiting sometime and for £15 to London, like you say can’t go wrong for that. Main thing for me though would be it’s near the coast and there are surely some great ferry journeys you can do down there.
I'd heard of Ringwood before but that was because I worked in Poole in the early 2000s. I used to drive from Sunbury-on-Thames down to Poole on Sunday and back on Friday afternoon.
Traveled from B'ham to Exeter last year to do a English Summer Camp on the Exeter uni campus. A good journey despite the 5 hour trip. It was cheap too, about £29 on National Express. Went from London to Brum more recently for about £12.
What I find stupid and which is the same in most towns and cities with a train station is the coach/bus station is not in the same place. Birmingham being a classic example when the built the new, New st station they could have added a coach station but no its only a half mile walk .. carrying a heavy suitcase, herding a bunch of kids in heavy rain
@@p24hrsmith we don't integrate our public transport systems and they are a law unto themselves. I've just seen an article where south east trains have been given a bigger subsidy but have raised their profits...it's a scam
In Germany (where I live) rail and bus are integrated, as is the online transport information app (DB Navigator). You enter a bus-stop in Stuttgart, say, and your destination bus-stop elsewhere in the country, and the app lays out the whole bus-train journey - with exemplary clarity . . .
There was a NatEx service north of Leicester, toward Manchester via Macclesfield (Buxton?)and Stockport ? It was A roads through the south pennines / peaks and interesting
Rowdy kids on public transport are one of my my pet hates. Be it on aircraft, on buses or on trains, I dread the thought that I may have to share my journey with these inconsiderate families.
I strongly dislike rudeness, mobile phone irritants, mouthy chavs, plebs, individuals with disgusting habits, swearers, and noisy/disruptive kids on public transport. If money were no object, I would choose to hire an Uber taxi to drive me anywhere in the UK, especially late at night when I feel safer in a taxi than in public transportation.
I used to drive for Luckets on the NX job didn’t last long not a bad firm but the hours were diabolical and it wasn’t long before I realised it was not for me. Nice run really it’s just when you draw that short straw of a noisey family deciding to give you the privelidge of their company, same thing happens in Wetherspoons on Steak night 😂👍
Haha, loved the Spoons comparison - so true! I think the hours thing would be an issue for me too. I used to do shift work but much prefer standard hours tbh.
Used to drive for nx on the 205 to poole via bournemouth, do miss it but some of the hours were long, used to be a push on that run because of the hours but if the traffic was good it was nice to get down that way instead of going to london and brighton lol.
@@prodriver357On the overnight 880 from Leeds (6pm) via Manchester (8pm) to Dublin (6am the next morning), we had a regular Welsh driver who would drive all the way from Leeds to Holyhead, where he finished his shift and drove home to Bangor at 1.00 am, then the new driver would drive onto the Irish Ferries 2.40 am sailing to Dublin and drive direct off the ferry to Dublin Busaras Coach station - this service was always comical, as we would see people scrambling like mad for the connecting Bus Eireann coaches to Sligo, Galway & Castlebar/Westport, especially if there was any delay docking at Dublin Port or if there was any early morning traffic in Dublin getting to Busaras
@@jaysomastandup unfortunately yes that's when our council tax 1st went up th build the BIC bournemouth international centre. We now have BCP Bournemouth Christchurch Poole council, they couldn't arrange a party in a disco!! they only joined Poole and Christchurch (both previously successful councils) to bail out Bournemouth S....H....
I love National Express ... used them to catch a plane from Manchester airport. Nice and easy to use. I rarely use public transport as I drive but I was surprised at their product / service.
I have used the 160 once, sometimes they leave Birmingham on the A38 (m), M6, M42 then M40. There is also a second Birmingham to Bournemouth service the 161 which goes via Cheltenham and Swindon. Megabus used to have a Glasgow to Southampton overnight service which was useful. Now it’s Glasgow to Portsmouth and is much longer, I think it’s the longest coach service in the UK.
As a haulier, with regard to your question about vehicle operating, as others have said, the key to running an efficient operation, is to keep the vehicles rolling, covering the miles, as the miles covered and load you are carrying dictates how much you get paid. So for me, I prefer long distance, night driving with precision timed early morning deliveries, that is what produces the big bucks. Sitting in congested day time roads, or even worse London! Is what costs a fortune, and it is not always possible to convince clients, why their delivery into London will cost so much. Keep up the videos, and you are absolutely correct Seat 2A for £2 is an absolute no brainer, i use a small kit bag to support my ankles, in the absence of Royal Class seats that you find on certain Belgian and German and Spanish coaches, best seat in the house!
It’s quite rare to see a large family on a coach so well done for not going too mad. This as the route we used to take back,on family holidays when travelling down from Stockport to Poole and that was before the Newbury bypass but we used to set off very early, grab breakfast at Chieveley Services and only hit traffic joining the end of the M3. As for scenic routes I love the route up the A19 north of Thirsk when travelling to the North East, great views of the North York Moors in the distance. There is also a FlixBus route that goes over the Woodhead Pass from Manchester to Sheffield on route to Leicester and almost most passes my house as it climbs up. Since NX dumped their route to Sheffield this is the only coach service to use it.
Thanks for the info mate and I’ll note those routes down for future reference. I don’t mind the families in coaches thing one bit unless it’s like this experience. I just don’t need to listen to some woman swearing at her kids constantly in front of everyone. Not a great look.
During the summer months there are three open- top bus routes running around the New Forest, well recommended. You can catch them at Brockenhurst railway station..
Last time I caught National Express was years ago they used to show a film and had hostess trolley. It was lovely trip no mobiles then. Bournemouth to London. I hope you like it here and are treated nicely 😊 🙏
Have seen that before yes it does look a fantastic route. I’m back up in Scotland in Jan and one of the things I’m doing is the Inverness to Ullapool run and then across to Stornoway for a couple of days. Hope the scenery’s decent for that one too 😊👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip Travelling in January is one way to avoid the midges. ; ) If you've not been up that way before at that time of year don't underestimate how short the days are and how badly that might affect any filming. (The timeanddate website is useful as it includes twilight, too, if you'll be needing every minute of that!) Thanks again & Have fun. : )
Something always go wrong on my National express trips. The all time classic being a Heathrow -Nottingham trip that involved a diversion, the driver getting lost and a 8 hour journey. Throw in the 3 hours i waited for the bus and my secondry bus home at 5 AM and this journey took longer than my trip from Thailand to London. When i complained they tried to pass it off as traffic and out of there control. ( this was 9PM-5AM ). If the trip was outgoing we would all have missed flights.
The Divine Comedy.got it right with thier song.about NX. I understand some of the most scenic routes are around Scottish highlands, the lake district and in devon and cornwall.
When I was at Oxford Poly in 1977 you could drive (or ride) into Central Oxford and easily park for free outside Blackwells. Things have changed since then.
i remember taking National Express when i was about 12 or something like that and went by myself. met by my grandparents in Ipswich at the start of my holiday and at the end travelled back to Basingstoke. the driver actualy got lost getting into basingstoke (lots of new building going on and bus station had moved) and i had to actualy give directions. many many years ago now. my wife recently used national express to go to scotland. luckily no driver getting lost that time.
I used to do the Sunderland - Reading journey and back again between 2005-2008. Wasn't too bad (would take ages though) and you sometimes encountered nice fellow passengers
@@LetsMakeaTrip I think they're going to try and remedy this with some Class 222 Meridians, cascaded from EMR. They're going through a refurb programme on their fleet. In my opinon, they really should explore the possibility of using 9-11 car bi-mode Hitachi or 2x bi-mode Stadler FLIRTs.
I use National Express, Leeds to Bournemouth. Changes at Victoria Station usually with a well needed 90 mins break. The best bit is travelling through the city. The worst is the time it takes, 8.30 am until 5.30 pm. Buses have always been clean with good drivers. Think there is a shortage of drivers so they dip into a pool of ‘sub contracted’? Spent most of one journey chatting to the driver.
I really enjoy watching . Those families with crying babies I mean. God bless. They follow me around like no tomorrow. On a plane from Bangkok to London . Only the other day , Blooming Doncaster to Sheffield..the same scenario ! 😂
Overnight coaches from Manchester or London to Dublin on National Express/Eurolines are not worth it and ever since Covid, the fares have at least doubled - there used to be a direct 880 coach from Leeds via Manchester & Holyhead to Dublin but they withdrew it some years before Covid, the only other option now is connections from Manchester Chorlton St via Birmingham to their 871 coach to Dublin (from London Victoria) - there used to be an overnight Megabus Coach from Manchester Shudehill to Dublin direct, but they withdrew that as well some years before Covid - in my 23 years living in Manchester, they really need to do something about SailRail because it is a disaster - what they really need is a dedicated SailRail service from Hull, Leeds, Manchester Victoria to Holyhead direct, without having to change trains, timed to meet ferry check ins at Holyhead and ferry arrivals from Dublin
To correct you about the clock tower in Southampton. It is the Civic Centre clock tower I used to work in an office directly next to the tower and the clock chimes very loudly. The Sea City Museum was previously the central police station,
Lucketts are based in Fareham, near Portsmouth. So they will have sent that coach North to Birmingham, or to Bournemouth, before even starting a route. The major problem is letting franchisees take routes clearly out of sensible, legal, driving range. These issues have been commonplace for over a decade now.
It probably worked into Birmingham on a northbound trip. Unlikely to have gone up empty. Bournemouth to Birmingham is hardly a ridiculously long journey
The noisy people problem exists everywhere including hotels restaurants and of course planes and trains. I take noise cancelling headphones and download films and music. Like many I’ve spent hours on a plane with a screaming child and the headphones have saved the day.
I stopped at Birmingham coach station on the way to Brighton from my home town in Cheshire. It left at 10am stopped in Birmingham then onto London bus station, about an hr in London then on to Brighton I ended up getting to Brighton at 7pm. My ticket cost me 20 pounds return but this was 2010. If I had booked online it would have cost me 60 pounds so I booked at my local public bus station with a national express office.
Caught the Flixbus from Manchester to Newcastle and a woman got on at Leeds and proceeded to eat chunky Dog food out of a tin with a fork, a real eye opener that one.
I have never had a problem with Birmingham coach station ..it always seems quite clean ..my only moan is the cost of food and the queues at the info desk ,,my favourite is Bristol with a Greggs 10ft away...National Express is fantastic value compared to the train and you can put a suitcase in the hold ...unlike the train ...if you are going to a holiday destination you usually take luggage but trains dont have any space for a larger suitcase and you have to hope that no-one walks off with yours as it is impossible to keep an eye on it
I'm not keen travelling on coaches for 5 hours, i take the train any day to get from A to B train would arrived at your destination 2 hours before the coast even arrives at the coach station 3 hours later.
Yay Bournemouth :D Its a bit late in the year now, but maybe for next year you can take the New Forest Tour Bus, its a fantastic trip around the New Forest on an open top bus and theres plenty to see. Thanks for this lovely video, its nice to see people promoting Bournemouth in a positive light :)
I'm thinking of taking the coach from Bournemouth to Hereford at a cost of £24.50 one way rather than £107 train return. The only thing I'm worried about is having a coach with the loo out of order for the journey.
I was on a coach from London to Liverpool, and even before we set off there was this guy bellowing into his mobile. The driver stopped and told him to either get off his phone or get off the bus. He went quiet immediately.
I often think loud families act this way deliberately to be noticed or perhaps even seek confrontation. I say this because I grew up in a large family, but my parents were always mindful of others, showing situational awareness and common courtesy. This morning, I was enjoying a quiet coffee at Costa when a family with two toddlers sat directly behind me. One toddler was watching *Paw Patrol* on an iPad at full volume, while the other ran around, and the parents spoke loudly over the noise, as if to ensure everyone can hear them. Or maybe I’m just a grumpy old sod and need to be more understanding. After all, they’re probably hard-working people with a growing family, facing all the challenges that come with it. They likely deserve a Sunday coffee and toast just as much as I do.
I have to say it. I do prefer rail over National Express coaches. It seems that when ever anyone is sick in the toilet, the toilet door never seems to close & fans the stench up the coach. One thing I ask is why don't National Express coaches do not have a cleaning crew on standby at main bus or coach stations to clean the toilets when this happens? Also do they provide sick bags for passengers to use if they feel that they want to be sick. I'm not against coach travel, but on various occasions I have had the experience of being on a coach when this has happened and it doesn't make the journey a pleasant experience. The travelling environment really counts in making journeys memorable.
I wish I had footage from the early 1980s in Digbeth coach station. It was just a big messy warehouse full of coaches you had to search down. No facilities, I don’t even remember toilets. Liverpool lime st coach station and Victoria in London were the same though I do remember toilets there. . But the cost of journeys was nothing compared with rail even then.
Seemed pretty good to me. And an 18 minute delay is really nothing. You'll always have the chance of a noisy group, whichever public transport you use. It's just on most trains, you can walk to a different carriage, etc. Although, you're not guaranteed a seat and it's at least twice the price, so maybe the coach is a better option, especially if you've got 2A. I think I was put off by National Express when, admittedly many years ago, the coach was overheating on the way to Bristol from London, so the driver put the heating on full to cool the engine. It was horrendous and we eventually stopped to await another coach, but only because the driver was about to have a riotous mutiny!
In the early 1980's, there used to be an overnight service from Birmingham Digbeth to Portsmouth. The daytime service changed at Cheltenham, so the night time service was a better bet. Used to depart at about 10 p.m., and arrive at the Portsmouth Hard Travel Terminal around 3 a.m.
With regards to lorries using motorways and costs the truth is there is no extra charge or reduction for using a roads and motorways its simply customer requirements, they pay road tax just like cars and coaches except they pay a few thousand a year for the privilege, haulage is now a 7 day 24 hour operation especially with supermarkets and fresh deliveries unlike in continental Europe where there are restrictions but there are none in the UK, and most haulage fleets especially fresh and frozen deliveries run their vehicles 20 plus hours daily and simply change drivers to maximise revenue
Thanks for this - we relied on rail transport in the UK until our last visit where we had some horrendous experiences and vowed to never set foot on a British train again. If we ever come back there, we will definitely look at Coach transport where at least you get luggage storage, a reserved seat, and some consideration of a duty of care. Yes, I know you can reserve a seat on trains, but that all goes out the window the minute that train gets cancelled and you are thrown into the melee.
The coach is better, usually very reliable, problem free and a fraction of the price of the equivalent train journey in the UK. My experience of Digbeth coach station (I'm a Brummie) is that people mostly mind their own business and are focussed on the own journeys ahead.
I use national express regularly,in fact came back from Basingstoke to Coventry Thursday! Much cheaper than the train. Single fare to Coventry on the train £45. Coach £14. No brainer!!
A very good video and very informative and I have traveled with national express a lot. My friend use to work for Royal Mail and he drove at night an HGV and he said night time was easier and probably more cost effective.
I live and work in Birmingham and was a bit disappointed by your view of Digbeth bus station. It is a shame that was your experience. To be fair I haven't been there for many years as I prefer the train. I think the security guard was trying to help but over cautious and it is just upsetting sometimes as it plays into the view (that I feel is unfair) that there are no go areas of Birmingham. Glad nothing bad happened and I hope your experience of Birmingham is better in future. I do really want to go to Bournemouth and travel to Swanage on the bus so this helped me see alternatives to the train which is very expensive but possibly better for me due to disabilities.
Regards Trucks, drivers wages are generally higher at nights and weekends so that can be a factor, daytime's can be a time issue if routes are congested.
I went to Aberdeen from victoria on a megabus. 12 hours. The people opposite were youths going up to a festival and all had 'bottles of water' with them. They got more and more 'water drunk' the further up the country we went. Their night time chattering went on for HOURS. I was so glad when they got off. The worst part of the whole journey was the hill of paper and poop that grew during the trip as the flush didnt work. A week later I went back to london and I would swear it was the same unmended toilet. I was sitting next to a very beardy looking man who physically recoiled as I got my hip flask full of actual water out when I ate my sandwiches.I was travelling light . My husband and son went up on an N express about a year later and said all the coach loos must be like that as they had the same experience.
I used to drive an HGV overnight from Bournemouth to Birmingham and back, following the same route - without the stops, though. Hardly any traffic, so good fuel economy.
no special effect and a grumpy middle aged man , why i like this channel
Haha, I aim to please 😊
Birmingham to Bournemouth is a wonderful journey. Mind you, Birmingham to anywhere is a wonderful journey 😂
Made me laugh . . .
Visiting Birmingham is like visiting the vet but less fun
Years ago when I was in my late 20's (now soon to be 80) I used National Express from Bradford to London.once after working a 10 hour shift I fell asleep on the coach,when I awoke I found I had my head on a strangers shoulder and was cuddled up to him. I said I'm so sorry and in an American accent,he said no problem ma'm it was a pleasure. Thankfully we both laughed, it could have been so embarrassing. x
😆😆😆
@@barbaraaldam204 Or the start of something wonderful 😀
The craziest thing about this whole video is that its sunny in Birmingham
With the smell of weed apparently
@@mrjagriff
Weed has a nice sweet smell which masks the appalling BO of weed smokers!
I have done this coach trip many times.Travelling from Birmingham to Bournemouth then catching the Breezer to wonderful Swanage.Its rarely a troublesome journey.Its wonderful to get the ferry to Swanage,your holiday really begins then.
You were very diplomatic in your description of that family. We’ve all been there! Lol.
Oh yeah! Whether it's by train,plane,or bus,it's still the same rough experience!
There always seems to be A NOISY FAMILY that spoils your day!!
On a train, on a plane........
National Express employ them especially.
Usually immigrants who have come to the UK to get 'benefits', and who have no respect for the indigenous inhabitants.
We took the National Express from Manchester to Bradford last month. What a fantastic driver and quick thinker too.
We were scheduled to arrive approximately at 9pm in Bradford, we were late 45 mins BUT the driver diverted us through Oldham Road (A672) instead of the M62 where we could see a massive traffic jam to our right side. And we saw beautiful scenery and small towns like Booth Wood. Our bus was tidy and comfortable, and the driver was funny and professional.
Your video basically is like our journey. Sums it up. Was not good because of the delay but not bad since we weren't stuck in a traffic jam for miles. 😊
We also took the 2.30am bus from Bradford back to Manchester and it only took us 1 hour and 10 mins. 🎉
I always travel with good noise cancelling headphones to avoid loud people especially kids. Humbug!
Do they actually block out all noise , i'm thinking of getting some for a flight , i can't stand people whining, if they work i will get some, how much for a good set of headphones?? thanks
@@Ian.eastwood5457 Yes they do work. They don't block everything but most sounds including the hum of the engines in an aircraft cabin. You don't realise how wearing that hum is until it goes away.
Bose & Sony are probably the best and Bose can be had for around £200.
ok thanks
During the 1970s, and living in Ramsgate, Kent, when I was attending universities for interview (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Durham etc; because half my family is Scots) my late father would not pay for my fares; and so I used the overnight sleeper (which I could afford; courtesy of my school's 'hardship fund') run in those days by 'Caledonian Scottish' from Victoria. Blankets were provided; and for their day - the coaches were magnificent, with two drivers. The most dreadful thing was - having attended interview at Edinburgh - I returned home to an invitation from Aberdeen! I later worked as a bus conductor, to re-pay my borrowings; and that enabled me to return to university, after every summer vacation, as one of the wealthier students. Yours is a great channel. Thanks for the post and tips.
@Mark_Dyer1 my granddaughter graduated from Edinburgh university in 1976 and worked on the trolley bus service in Luton for 35 years happily retired in 2003
@@AGNETHAFALTSK0G Some of today's young stuydents could do with the interaction with other people which such jobs provided. 1976 was when I started to study Theology at Bangor University, North Wales.
@Mark_Dyer1 Theology very interesting, the kingdom of heaven is within.
@@AGNETHAFALTSK0G It has been very helpful to me throughout my life as 'non-church-going' Christian: and my faith was helpful during my career as a Registered Nurse.
Do NOT attempt any sort of public transport without noise-cancelling headphones.
or better still try not to attempt any sort of public transport
Not attractive is it.
@@DavidHalfordsLane I strongly dislike rudeness, mobile phone irritants, and noisy/disruptive kids on public transport. If money were no object, I would choose to hire an Uber taxi to drive me anywhere in the UK, especially late at night when I feel safer in a taxi than in public transportation.
@@booth2710 At least you can relax on public transport - read, doze, look at your phone, enjoy the scenery - on trains you can even go for a stroll. Driving a car, on the other hand, you lose concentration for a moment and you are dead . . .
@@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301and if the coach driver loses concentration for one moment what happens then?
For some nice scenery try the 180 overnight from Birmingham to Glasgow via Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. At the right time of year you can catch a gorgeous sunrise off the Northumberland coast whilst chugging up the A1.
I caught a coach from Bournemouth travel interchange to Heathrow Airport at 3am. Brilliant. I fell fast asleep very shortly and woke up just before we arrived.
What an interesting story.
The most efficient and cost effective time for most HGV operators is through the night. I used to do TTN deliveries and I could do 10 deliveries over a pretty large area. On days, it takes the same time to do 3! You’ll also find a lot of HGV companies will set off at 2-3 am again to miss the rush hour traffic. You’re usually then unloading/loading during rush hour and back on the road after things have quietened down!
@@petercotton89 Agreed.........
I was a motorcycle despatch rider doing long distance deliveries and just loved doing late night/early morning trips.
As a former wagon driver... stuff is moving on sunday for any of the following reasons: Sunday delivery and pre-positioning for an early or distant monday delivery/pickup. Sunday is usually an overtime day for drivers, and is usually used only when needed. Of course, some companies and contracts differ.
Great vlog. I really enjoyed it, I have made trips recently to London and Cardiff and had Bournemouth on my ' to travel to list'. My experience with National express was positive.
I unavoidably had to travel cross country trains from Birmingham to Bournemouth. They laid on a 4 car train on a day when the NES had a major show. As a result found myself stood up from Birmingham to Brockenhurst. Never again. It was nothing short of horrific.
In BR days they would have laid on extra or special services for a big event on
I worked for BR through to NR I have boxes buy virtually never use trains anymore.
Sardines, no leg room, endless noise.
I drive instead
I'm the same ,trains are pretty awful these days and the roads are congested but would sooner drive.
*standing up, not "stood up". Basic English.
As a Scot, having travelled throughout England I have to admit it does have some wonderful towns and villages.
First time viewer, i enjoyed the journey :)
Thanks for watching mate and also leaving a comment. Much appreciated 😊👍
Speaking as someone from Ringwood, wherever that is. National express is one of our only ways out, assuming driving isn't an option. Bournemouth station is a bus ride and a wait away. You can get to London Victoria for about £15 in 2 hours if you plan ahead and then the world is your lobster.
Cheers Andrew, apologies I must be honest I’d never heard of Ringwood before and the coach never really gave me much of a view. I’ll try and make a point of visiting sometime and for £15 to London, like you say can’t go wrong for that. Main thing for me though would be it’s near the coast and there are surely some great ferry journeys you can do down there.
@@LetsMakeaTrip Try going from Portsmouth to Lymington via the Isle of Wight. Hovercraft, bus, ferry. That would be interesting
. . . oyster . . . ?
@@jamesneilsongrahamloveinth1301 Metaphors are for mixing.
I'd heard of Ringwood before but that was because I worked in Poole in the early 2000s. I used to drive from Sunbury-on-Thames down to Poole on Sunday and back on Friday afternoon.
Traveled from B'ham to Exeter last year to do a English Summer Camp on the Exeter uni campus. A good journey despite the 5 hour trip. It was cheap too, about £29 on National Express. Went from London to Brum more recently for about £12.
Yes, a very enjoyable video. I look forward to seeing some more.
What I find stupid and which is the same in most towns and cities with a train station is the coach/bus station is not in the same place. Birmingham being a classic example when the built the new, New st station they could have added a coach station but no its only a half mile walk .. carrying a heavy suitcase, herding a bunch of kids in heavy rain
@@p24hrsmith we don't integrate our public transport systems and they are a law unto themselves. I've just seen an article where south east trains have been given a bigger subsidy but have raised their profits...it's a scam
In Germany (where I live) rail and bus are integrated, as is the online transport information app (DB Navigator). You enter a bus-stop in Stuttgart, say, and your destination bus-stop elsewhere in the country, and the app lays out the whole bus-train journey - with exemplary clarity . . .
There was a NatEx service north of Leicester, toward Manchester via Macclesfield (Buxton?)and Stockport ? It was A roads through the south pennines / peaks and interesting
You've gotta love those big families who get on, take up space and act as if they are at home rather than in public! Teehee. Great video as always.
Thanks mate, yeh they always sit right next to me too!
Rowdy kids on public transport are one of my my pet hates. Be it on aircraft, on buses or on trains, I dread the thought that I may have to share my journey with these inconsiderate families.
95% of the time it's the parents who are the problem
My worst nightmare too...
Aaahh for the long-gone days when the only sound you ever heard on a bus was the striking of matches and the rustle of newspaper 😂😂
I think you have to go First, Business Class whenever possible.
I strongly dislike rudeness, mobile phone irritants, mouthy chavs, plebs, individuals with disgusting habits, swearers, and noisy/disruptive kids on public transport. If money were no object, I would choose to hire an Uber taxi to drive me anywhere in the UK, especially late at night when I feel safer in a taxi than in public transportation.
Love the face when surrounded by the family, we've all been there. I'd describe it as a carnival atmosphere. Nice vlog
I used to drive for Luckets on the NX job didn’t last long not a bad firm but the hours were diabolical and it wasn’t long before I realised it was not for me. Nice run really it’s just when you draw that short straw of a noisey family deciding to give you the privelidge of their company, same thing happens in Wetherspoons on Steak night 😂👍
Haha, loved the Spoons comparison - so true! I think the hours thing would be an issue for me too. I used to do shift work but much prefer standard hours tbh.
Used to drive for nx on the 205 to poole via bournemouth, do miss it but some of the hours were long, used to be a push on that run because of the hours but if the traffic was good it was nice to get down that way instead of going to london and brighton lol.
@@prodriver357On the overnight 880 from Leeds (6pm) via Manchester (8pm) to Dublin (6am the next morning), we had a regular Welsh driver who would drive all the way from Leeds to Holyhead, where he finished his shift and drove home to Bangor at 1.00 am, then the new driver would drive onto the Irish Ferries 2.40 am sailing to Dublin and drive direct off the ferry to Dublin Busaras Coach station - this service was always comical, as we would see people scrambling like mad for the connecting Bus Eireann coaches to Sligo, Galway & Castlebar/Westport, especially if there was any delay docking at Dublin Port or if there was any early morning traffic in Dublin getting to Busaras
Bournemouth is in Dorset!
@@lynnjaquest3622 when did that happen 😂😂
FYI - the caption when you arrive at the Bournemouth bus station should be the county of Dorset 👍.
used to be Hampshire but I think switched to Dorset in 70s
@@jaysomastandup unfortunately yes that's when our council tax 1st went up th build the BIC bournemouth international centre. We now have BCP Bournemouth Christchurch Poole council, they couldn't arrange a party in a disco!! they only joined Poole and Christchurch (both previously successful councils) to bail out Bournemouth S....H....
@@leegilbert7551 We used to be in Hampshire until someone in the government at the time decided to move us, lock, stock and barrel to Dorset 🙄
The smell of weed hides the smell of wee which is a bonus. 😂
Haha, I couldn’t possibly comment!
I love National Express ... used them to catch a plane from Manchester airport. Nice and easy to use. I rarely use public transport as I drive but I was surprised at their product / service.
Birmingham Coach Station is really nice.
Enjoyed that. Sorry about Brum. I tend to steer clear of it now
King's Heath high street is always busy during the day, even Sundays.
I guess at least it should be good for local trade 👍
I have used the 160 once, sometimes they leave Birmingham on the A38 (m), M6, M42 then M40. There is also a second Birmingham to Bournemouth service the 161 which goes via Cheltenham and Swindon.
Megabus used to have a Glasgow to Southampton overnight service which was useful. Now it’s Glasgow to Portsmouth and is much longer, I think it’s the longest coach service in the UK.
As a haulier, with regard to your question about vehicle operating, as others have said, the key to running an efficient operation, is to keep the vehicles rolling, covering the miles, as the miles covered and load you are carrying dictates how much you get paid. So for me, I prefer long distance, night driving with precision timed early morning deliveries, that is what produces the big bucks. Sitting in congested day time roads, or even worse London! Is what costs a fortune, and it is not always possible to convince clients, why their delivery into London will cost so much.
Keep up the videos, and you are absolutely correct Seat 2A for £2 is an absolute no brainer, i use a small kit bag to support my ankles, in the absence of Royal Class seats that you find on certain Belgian and German and Spanish coaches, best seat in the house!
It’s quite rare to see a large family on a coach so well done for not going too mad. This as the route we used to take back,on family holidays when travelling down from Stockport to Poole and that was before the Newbury bypass but we used to set off very early, grab breakfast at Chieveley Services and only hit traffic joining the end of the M3. As for scenic routes I love the route up the A19 north of Thirsk when travelling to the North East, great views of the North York Moors in the distance. There is also a FlixBus route that goes over the Woodhead Pass from Manchester to Sheffield on route to Leicester and almost most passes my house as it climbs up. Since NX dumped their route to Sheffield this is the only coach service to use it.
Thanks for the info mate and I’ll note those routes down for future reference. I don’t mind the families in coaches thing one bit unless it’s like this experience. I just don’t need to listen to some woman swearing at her kids constantly in front of everyone. Not a great look.
I used the the flixbus 079 last weekend and yes it’s interesting as it used the M67 motorway and over the woodhead.
During the summer months there are three open- top bus routes running around the New Forest, well recommended. You can catch them at Brockenhurst railway station..
Thought I might appear in one of you're videos sooner or later. Surprised I didn't see you seeing as you walked straight past! 😂
Last time I caught National Express was years ago they used to show a film and had hostess trolley. It was lovely trip no mobiles then. Bournemouth to London. I hope you like it here and are treated nicely 😊 🙏
I remember those days when they had the hostess on the coaches and the films!
@@joannesaltfleet2071 Yay thank you 😊 🤣noone believes me
Nice trip, the most scenic coach trip is not national express, it's citylink from Glasgow all the way to Portree, Isle of Skye! It's amazing!
Have seen that before yes it does look a fantastic route. I’m back up in Scotland in Jan and one of the things I’m doing is the Inverness to Ullapool run and then across to Stornoway for a couple of days. Hope the scenery’s decent for that one too 😊👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip Travelling in January is one way to avoid the midges. ; )
If you've not been up that way before at that time of year don't underestimate how short the days are and how badly that might affect any filming. (The timeanddate website is useful as it includes twilight, too, if you'll be needing every minute of that!)
Thanks again & Have fun. : )
I'm going to disagree! Between Oban and Glasgow is! But then living at the Oban end,I'm biased!
@@markc8956 Oban is beautiful, but... Skye! 😅🖤
Something always go wrong on my National express trips. The all time classic being a Heathrow -Nottingham trip that involved a diversion, the driver getting lost and a 8 hour journey. Throw in the 3 hours i waited for the bus and my secondry bus home at 5 AM and this journey took longer than my trip from Thailand to London. When i complained they tried to pass it off as traffic and out of there control. ( this was 9PM-5AM ). If the trip was outgoing we would all have missed flights.
The Divine Comedy.got it right with thier song.about NX.
I understand some of the most scenic routes are around Scottish highlands, the lake district and in devon and cornwall.
When I was at Oxford Poly in 1977 you could drive (or ride) into Central Oxford and easily park for free outside Blackwells. Things have changed since then.
i remember taking National Express when i was about 12 or something like that and went by myself. met by my grandparents in Ipswich at the start of my holiday and at the end travelled back to Basingstoke. the driver actualy got lost getting into basingstoke (lots of new building going on and bus station had moved) and i had to actualy give directions. many many years ago now. my wife recently used national express to go to scotland. luckily no driver getting lost that time.
Thanks for the video It shows just anyone can do a blog on anything You have put me off though I definitely wont be using the national express coach
Lol, I. Not sure whether to take this as a compliment or not! 😂 I did take NX up to Blackpool once, thought it was a good trip tbh (and cheap).
I used to do the Sunderland - Reading journey and back again between 2005-2008. Wasn't too bad (would take ages though) and you sometimes encountered nice fellow passengers
I think the security guard was looking out for you, he knew the type of people that transit through there
@@jonathanm2690 yep, quite possibly. He was decent enough tbf 👍
Bournemouth is in Dorset, it swapped over when i was a kid.
Grr, I can’t believe I put Hampshire on that. Apologies, of course it’s Dorset. Cheers Chris
@@LetsMakeaTriponly 50 years late. 1974 it changed. Next door Poole has always been Dorset.
Bournemouth at heart is still a Hampshire town .
Cross Country Trains, overcrowded and overpriced.
Yep, they don’t want people doing short journeys.
@@LetsMakeaTrip I think they're going to try and remedy this with some Class 222 Meridians, cascaded from EMR. They're going through a refurb programme on their fleet. In my opinon, they really should explore the possibility of using 9-11 car bi-mode Hitachi or 2x bi-mode Stadler FLIRTs.
UK trains, overcrowded and over priced! Not unuqie to them!
And appalling seats in my one experience going from Reading to Birmingham.
@@cyrildhy8993 very true
Make a trip on bus to Swanage it's beautiful 😊
Open toppers 😊
Hi Mark, I hope you’re well watching your blog now.. always very informative ..
I don’t know if it still runs but the route to Inverness was very scenic.
Just an FYI - The River Thames is called the River Isis as it passes through Oxford. I don't know why......
Is that true? Never heard of that…….
What a lovely day to record. I miss the blue sky. Bournemouth is in Dorset not Hampshire since 1974
.........but Poole was and still is in Dorsetshire!
Glad you mentioned the franchise holder on this Nat Ex service. Sort of thing nerds like me notice!
I use National Express, Leeds to Bournemouth. Changes at Victoria Station usually with a well needed 90 mins break. The best bit is travelling through the city. The worst is the time it takes, 8.30 am until 5.30 pm. Buses have always been clean with good drivers. Think there is a shortage of drivers so they dip into a pool of ‘sub contracted’? Spent most of one journey chatting to the driver.
I really enjoy watching . Those families with crying babies I mean. God bless. They follow me around like no tomorrow. On a plane from Bangkok to London . Only the other day , Blooming Doncaster to Sheffield..the same scenario ! 😂
Overnight coaches from Manchester or London to Dublin on National Express/Eurolines are not worth it and ever since Covid, the fares have at least doubled - there used to be a direct 880 coach from Leeds via Manchester & Holyhead to Dublin but they withdrew it some years before Covid, the only other option now is connections from Manchester Chorlton St via Birmingham to their 871 coach to Dublin (from London Victoria) - there used to be an overnight Megabus Coach from Manchester Shudehill to Dublin direct, but they withdrew that as well some years before Covid - in my 23 years living in Manchester, they really need to do something about SailRail because it is a disaster - what they really need is a dedicated SailRail service from Hull, Leeds, Manchester Victoria to Holyhead direct, without having to change trains, timed to meet ferry check ins at Holyhead and ferry arrivals from Dublin
Done it myself, but about 20 years ago, a long time on the coach, nice place Bournemouth, or at least it used to be.
Love National express,really good Drivers,
Been to london from Hampshire loads of time.
VICTORIA COACH station east to navigate.!
To correct you about the clock tower in Southampton. It is the Civic Centre clock tower I used to work in an office directly next to the tower and the clock chimes very loudly. The Sea City Museum was previously the central police station,
Lucketts are based in Fareham, near Portsmouth. So they will have sent that coach North to Birmingham, or to Bournemouth, before even starting a route. The major problem is letting franchisees take routes clearly out of sensible, legal, driving range. These issues have been commonplace for over a decade now.
It probably worked into Birmingham on a northbound trip. Unlikely to have gone up empty. Bournemouth to Birmingham is hardly a ridiculously long journey
I just read the operators address on the side of the coach by the door and assumed it’d come up from Bournemouth in the morning tbh 👍
The earlier service leaving Birmingham is operated by a West Midlands operator.
Very informative and a joy to watch as usual.
Thanks Tim, glad you enjoyed it mate 😊
The noisy people problem exists everywhere including hotels restaurants and of course planes and trains. I take noise cancelling headphones and download films and music. Like many I’ve spent hours on a plane with a screaming child and the headphones have saved the day.
I stopped at Birmingham coach station on the way to Brighton from my home town in Cheshire. It left at 10am stopped in Birmingham then onto London bus station, about an hr in London then on to Brighton I ended up getting to Brighton at 7pm. My ticket cost me 20 pounds return but this was 2010. If I had booked online it would have cost me 60 pounds so I booked at my local public bus station with a national express office.
Caught the Flixbus from Manchester to Newcastle and a woman got on at Leeds and proceeded to eat chunky Dog food out of a tin with a fork, a real eye opener that one.
OMG i know times are tough but tuna is cheap, she must have been mentally disabled ?
@dazisback2 .never heard that before a woman eating dog food out of a Tin .was she from another country culture
Either that or as a joke she replaced the label.
Leeds to Inverness has some great views passing through Perth , Aviemore , pitlockry and Carlisle to name a few
Carlisle ? that is a strange route from Leeds to Inverness.
I have never had a problem with Birmingham coach station ..it always seems quite clean ..my only moan is the cost of food and the queues at the info desk ,,my favourite is Bristol with a Greggs 10ft away...National Express is fantastic value compared to the train and you can put a suitcase in the hold ...unlike the train ...if you are going to a holiday destination you usually take luggage but trains dont have any space for a larger suitcase and you have to hope that no-one walks off with yours as it is impossible to keep an eye on it
Brilliant video as always, hope all is well, take care
I'm not keen travelling on coaches for 5 hours, i take the train any day to get from A to B train would arrived at your destination 2 hours before the coast even arrives at the coach station 3 hours later.
Yay Bournemouth :D Its a bit late in the year now, but maybe for next year you can take the New Forest Tour Bus, its a fantastic trip around the New Forest on an open top bus and theres plenty to see. Thanks for this lovely video, its nice to see people promoting Bournemouth in a positive light :)
Thanks for the tip, I’ll definitely be back. Enjoyed the Purbeck Breezer and I know there are others in the area. Cheers.
I'm thinking of taking the coach from Bournemouth to Hereford at a cost of £24.50 one way rather than £107 train return. The only thing I'm worried about is having a coach with the loo out of order for the journey.
what route did it take into Oxford,, did Oxford-Birmingham years ago on X5?joint COMS/Midland Red service via Stratford
I was on a coach from London to Liverpool, and even before we set off there was this guy bellowing into his mobile. The driver stopped and told him to either get off his phone or get off the bus. He went quiet immediately.
Haha, respect to the driver!
I often think loud families act this way deliberately to be noticed or perhaps even seek confrontation. I say this because I grew up in a large family, but my parents were always mindful of others, showing situational awareness and common courtesy.
This morning, I was enjoying a quiet coffee at Costa when a family with two toddlers sat directly behind me. One toddler was watching *Paw Patrol* on an iPad at full volume, while the other ran around, and the parents spoke loudly over the noise, as if to ensure everyone can hear them.
Or maybe I’m just a grumpy old sod and need to be more understanding. After all, they’re probably hard-working people with a growing family, facing all the challenges that come with it. They likely deserve a Sunday coffee and toast just as much as I do.
Sounds like chavvy scum tbh
I have to say it. I do prefer rail over National Express coaches. It seems that when ever anyone is sick in the toilet, the toilet door never seems to close & fans the stench up the coach. One thing I ask is why don't National Express coaches do not have a cleaning crew on standby at main bus or coach stations to clean the toilets when this happens? Also do they provide sick bags for passengers to use if they feel that they want to be sick. I'm not against coach travel, but on various occasions I have had the experience of being on a coach when this has happened and it doesn't make the journey a pleasant experience. The travelling environment really counts in making journeys memorable.
Done a bit of traveling on National Express, i really cant say which route is scenic as i fall asleep as soon the bus start moving 😊
I wish I had footage from the early 1980s in Digbeth coach station. It was just a big messy warehouse full of coaches you had to search down. No facilities, I don’t even remember toilets. Liverpool lime st coach station and Victoria in London were the same though I do remember toilets there. . But the cost of journeys was nothing compared with rail even then.
Seemed pretty good to me. And an 18 minute delay is really nothing. You'll always have the chance of a noisy group, whichever public transport you use. It's just on most trains, you can walk to a different carriage, etc. Although, you're not guaranteed a seat and it's at least twice the price, so maybe the coach is a better option, especially if you've got 2A.
I think I was put off by National Express when, admittedly many years ago, the coach was overheating on the way to Bristol from London, so the driver put the heating on full to cool the engine. It was horrendous and we eventually stopped to await another coach, but only because the driver was about to have a riotous mutiny!
I note that 2A is a priority seat. Would you have to give it up if a disabled person boarded - even though you had pre-booked?
@@Roy-r8h rules have changed again, the stickers are being removed so no dont worry!
Bournemouth is in the county of Dorset not Hampshire
Would you have taken your shoes off and stretched out if there was someone in the seat in front ?
Thanks Mark. Another great video. 😊
In the early 1980's, there used to be an overnight service from Birmingham Digbeth to Portsmouth. The daytime service changed at Cheltenham, so the night time service was a better bet. Used to depart at about 10 p.m., and arrive at the Portsmouth Hard Travel Terminal around 3 a.m.
Another great video Mark! Keep up the good work!
Cheers Brian 😊👍
With regards to lorries using motorways and costs the truth is there is no extra charge or reduction for using a roads and motorways its simply customer requirements, they pay road tax just like cars and coaches except they pay a few thousand a year for the privilege, haulage is now a 7 day 24 hour operation especially with supermarkets and fresh deliveries unlike in continental Europe where there are restrictions but there are none in the UK, and most haulage fleets especially fresh and frozen deliveries run their vehicles 20 plus hours daily and simply change drivers to maximise revenue
Thanks for this - we relied on rail transport in the UK until our last visit where we had some horrendous experiences and vowed to never set foot on a British train again. If we ever come back there, we will definitely look at Coach transport where at least you get luggage storage, a reserved seat, and some consideration of a duty of care. Yes, I know you can reserve a seat on trains, but that all goes out the window the minute that train gets cancelled and you are thrown into the melee.
@@lindseyrea9237 as a Brit.....never rely on our trains!
The coach is better, usually very reliable, problem free and a fraction of the price of the equivalent train journey in the UK. My experience of Digbeth coach station (I'm a Brummie) is that people mostly mind their own business and are focussed on the own journeys ahead.
I use national express regularly,in fact came back from Basingstoke to Coventry Thursday! Much cheaper than the train. Single fare to Coventry on the train £45. Coach £14. No brainer!!
Took a national express night coach from London, that was an eye opener
A very good video and very informative and I have traveled with national express a lot. My friend use to work for Royal Mail and he drove at night an HGV and he said night time was easier and probably more cost effective.
Cheers Simon, yep I did wonder about unsociable hours and the additional cost Vs time spent in traffic in the day.
I used to go through Digbeth about 25 years ago. It was always dodgy then. Saying that; nothing bad ever happened to me
Hi a great video and i really enjoyed it so much and thank you for making these videos.
Thanks for watching Bobby, I always appreciate the support mate 😊👍
I live and work in Birmingham and was a bit disappointed by your view of Digbeth bus station. It is a shame that was your experience. To be fair I haven't been there for many years as I prefer the train. I think the security guard was trying to help but over cautious and it is just upsetting sometimes as it plays into the view (that I feel is unfair) that there are no go areas of Birmingham. Glad nothing bad happened and I hope your experience of Birmingham is better in future. I do really want to go to Bournemouth and travel to Swanage on the bus so this helped me see alternatives to the train which is very expensive but possibly better for me due to disabilities.
Regards Trucks, drivers wages are generally higher at nights and weekends so that can be a factor, daytime's can be a time issue if routes are congested.
Yep it’s that time Vs money thing again I guess.
Cheers Mark for another interesting journey, the 151 over the Wolds to Louth is a scenic journey.
I’ll note that down mate, thanks 😊👍
I took the Grimsby to London national express service and it went cross country to Lincoln
One of the routes I drive
Thanks for another great video mark
I went to Aberdeen from victoria on a megabus. 12 hours. The people opposite were youths going up to a festival and all had 'bottles of water' with them. They got more and more 'water drunk' the further up the country we went. Their night time chattering went on for HOURS. I was so glad when they got off.
The worst part of the whole journey was the hill of paper and poop that grew during the trip as the flush didnt work. A week later I went back to london and I would swear it was the same unmended toilet. I was sitting next to a very beardy looking man who physically recoiled as I got my hip flask full of actual water out when I ate my sandwiches.I was travelling light . My husband and son went up on an N express about a year later and said all the coach loos must be like that as they had the same experience.
Looks like national express and flixbus are the best of the bunch?
I would probably say so at this point yes.
I used to drive an HGV overnight from Bournemouth to Birmingham and back, following the same route - without the stops, though. Hardly any traffic, so good fuel economy.