Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
Good morning
I'm hearing that National express buses lost it's London contract
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Reginald Barrington
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,258
Where are you hearing that Keith, i wasn't aware National express had a bus service contract in london?
Do they operate under a different name?
Arte et Marte
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
I don'tknow the full contents of how all this runs, the bus service prexsently run by national express from pencester to London vic appears to have been lost to another company?
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Guest 2133- Registered: 18 Jun 2017
- Posts: 5
My understanding is ( i could well be wrong though) Stagecoach supplied the drivers for National Exspress services from Dover to London, But pulled out. (probally no money in it). I think Kings Ferry Coaches now supply the drivers for the same sevice. Leaves room for Megabus to maybe dip there toe in the water and undercut N/Ex.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
A friend of mine uses National Express on a regular basis.Her trip via London now goes Pencester To Folkestone then to Canterbury.Does not go to Whitfield .prices have also risen
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
kings ferry yes that's the one must be true then
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Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
Yes Kings Ferry .Some of the National Express drivers now on the town routes
Guest 1395- Registered: 5 Nov 2014
- Posts: 463
Some confusion here. When the contract came up for renewal, Stagecoach lost it to Kings Ferry (which happens to be owned by National Express). That change occurred at the end of July. The timetable changes, which are horribly complex and involve a couple of journey going via Folkestone, pre-dated that, coming into force in April. Essentially there are different patterns of service for Fridays to Mondays, and Tuesdays to Thursdays, but some Saturday and Sunday times differ from the Friday and Monday ones due to extra time being allowed for London traffic. You almost need a degree in Advanced Maths to work it out........
Lew Finnis
Weird Granny Slater
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 7 Jun 2017
- Posts: 3,080
Both National Express Coaches and Kings Ferry are UK Coach brands within the National Express Group. The former runs the long distance and aiport services, the latter commuter coaches and private hire. Unlikely that NE routes would be taken by KF, as this would make no organisational or branding sense.
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'Pass the cow dung, my dropsy's killing me' - Heraclitus
Guest 1395- Registered: 5 Nov 2014
- Posts: 463
National Express does not generally run any services itself, it has them operated under contract by bus or coach firms. In this case it just happens that they own the operator that got the contract. For example, the London to Swindon service I used to use was operated by the South Gloucestershire Coach Company but that has also changed operators this year (I'm not sure who has it now, as I no longer make that journey). If you look at the coaches now used on the 007, you will see Kings Ferry legal details low down near the door. Incidentally, all the coaches Stagecoach used have transferred to other Stagecoach companies in Scotland.
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Lew Finnis
Reginald Barrington- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Dec 2014
- Posts: 3,258
Hi Lew, does that mean National still have the contract just being sub contracted to a different operator under their livery?
Arte et Marte
Guest 1395- Registered: 5 Nov 2014
- Posts: 463
National Express hold the licences for the routes which they contract out to a variety of operators rather than run the coaches themselves. On some routes Stagecoach compete as Megabus with fares as low as £1 if booked online but I imagine they didn't think there was enough business from Dover to make it worthwhile. Coaches have been totally deregulated since 1980.
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Lew Finnis
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
yes we all remember 1980
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
It was around that time that Mrs Thatcher proposed turning all railway lines into roads for coaches to run on. Her ministers were mystified by this until they found out that she had a morbid fear of trains since childhood.