Great Western Coffee Shop

While the line was closed at Dawlish, road travel had to be used to replace rail, and coach companies such as National Express used the opportunity to encourage more people to use their servics, with a view to having them do so on a more permanent basis too.  There's a similar scenario at present:

http://www.nationalexpress.com/rail-disruption.aspx

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/coachdisruption.jpg)

Amongst the text, I note


and


Both of these strike me as being incorrect - services to the South West of England and Wales are reduced not completely stopped, and Melksham had the same number of trains as normal - no reduction in quantity.  That latter is really cheeky as a "plug" - since Melksham has a grand total of ONE National Express journey in each direction per day - but who's going to let the truth get in the way of some good publicity?

The page also highlights Coach v train:


Coaches have their place, but I'm afraid I disagree with many of their suggestion or say "yes, but" ... starting off with the replacement of crowded platforms with ... crowded bus stations and crowded carriages with ... wedged coaches!  :-\

Some of the claims being made by National Express are blatant untruths; that is a job for the ASA if it bothers anybody that much. Personally I dislike long distance road coach travel and would never consider using it unless there was absolutely no alternative. On that basis I take no note of anything that appears in related adverts.

There would never be standing on a coach..

Indeed.

I've seen pepole standing on a coach, it was working a local bus service and there was no other way of letting the driver know to stop at a request stop. I wouldn't describe the seating on any coach I've ever been on a spacious either, not enough legroom (I avoid coaches though, so haven't been on many). I've also sat on the steps outside the toilet on a rail-replacement coach and wondered how passengers are met to get to the toilet given they are not supposed to be permitted to unfasten their seat belts while the vehicle is moving.

I think the thread is discussing "National Express" coach services, or at least coach services that aren't RRS at least. And yes, standing is allowed on buses as opposed to coaches.

You don't and many of us on forums like this don't because we are generally aware of what trains are running at times of engineering work and strike action.

Sadly Mr and Mrs Average who read the press, watch the news think because there is engineering work or strike action that nothing is running on the railways or journey times are vastly increased/replaced by buses. When they see adverts like the ones National Express are running coupled together with what the media are saying; they tend to believe it when often it's only a small increase in journey time*

*West Coast mainline engineering work being the exception!

I'd be interested in what claims you consider worthy of referral to the ASA?

You might also want to run FGW's "Building a Greater West" campaign by them at the same time - it was just a teeny bit disingenuous as nearly all the investment comes from Network Rail/the taxpayer.

I travel quite frequently from Taplow/Reading-Plymouth, I've always used the train but gave the NE coach a go whilst everything had collapsed around Dawlish and to be honest thought it was pretty good and I've used it several times since - ^15 from Reading to Plymouth is excellent value......I normally treat myself to 1st class rail travel on this route as I'm in a position to book in advance but this has become so expensive over the last year or so, even when booking weeks in advance that the coach is looking like a good option - alright a coach is never going to be as comfy as a 1st class HST seat but I wouldn't say that the latter is a 5 or 6 times x superior offering as the rail fare is starting to suggest.

Rail travel as far as I know is the only form of travel where a seat is not guaranteed, despite higher fares than other methods, and yes I have seen people having to stand from Exeter/Tiverton to Reading and vice versa.

Where I live local buses are a form of travel where a seat is not guaranteed, despite higher fares than other methods. 

Well - I "liked" the suggestion ... my concerns included:

Making the switch to coach from train?  Here are some of the many benefits our passengers enjoy on every journey: A spacious seat for every passenger  I find the seats far from spacious on many journeys!

Making the switch to coach from train?  Here are some of the many benefits our passengers enjoy on every journey: Limited stops for a faster, smoother journey Melksham to London by train - from 90 minutes, by coach 210 minutes. How is that faster?

Making the switch to coach from train?  Here are some of the many benefits our passengers enjoy on every journey: Cleaner travel - the most environmentally-friendly form of public transport More friendly than an electric train powered by renewables?

Making the switch to coach from train?  Here are some of the many benefits our passengers enjoy on every journey: Regular services every day of the year So when does the coach leave on 25th December?


Local buses - round here we have big signs like "maximum load - 37 seated and 21 standing" ... and I can recall taking the vehicle ferry from Dartmouth to Kingswear on foot and having to stand on that.

None of this to say that at times the coach isn't an excellent option - I recommend it from here to London (Heathrow) if the person wants to travel at the time of day the coach is running; good price, direct, town centre drop off.   But it ain't every day of the year, it ain't faster, and the seats ain't spacious!

The statement that there will be no trains between South Wales and the South West to London is grossly misleading. FGW have made it very clear that trains will run, they ran on previous strike days and have been timetabled to run again.

I would have thought the ASA would take a very dim view of that particular statement if they were made aware of it.

Grahame - apologies for the perceived heresy! I have italicised my responses


I'd be interested in what claims you consider worthy of referral to the ASA?

Well - I "liked" the suggestion ... my concerns included:

Making the switch to coach from train?  Here are some of the many benefits our passengers enjoy on every journey: A spacious seat for every passenger  I find the seats far from spacious on many journeys! - matter of opinion.

Making the switch to coach from train?  Here are some of the many benefits our passengers enjoy on every journey: Limited stops for a faster, smoother journey Melksham to London by train - from 90 minutes, by coach 210 minutes. How is that faster? - you've misunderstood/misinterpreted this statement - it refers to limited stops leading to a faster, smoother coach journey - it doesn't imply that it's faster than the train - that's something you've chosen to suggest - not to say it isn't a fair point.

Making the switch to coach from train?  Here are some of the many benefits our passengers enjoy on every journey: Cleaner travel - the most environmentally-friendly form of public transport More friendly than an electric train powered by renewables? - how many of these trains are currently in service on long distance FGW routes?

Making the switch to coach from train?  Here are some of the many benefits our passengers enjoy on every journey: Regular services every day of the year So when does the coach leave on 25th December? - see below, from National Express website.

For the first time, we'll be running services on Christmas Day to make sure you can get exactly where you need to go to enjoy your Christmas. We're running the following services:

801 Bradford, Leeds, Nottingham, Heathrow, London
802 - Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Heathrow, London
803 Gloucester, Cheltenham, Swindon, Heathow, London
804 Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol, Heathrow, London
805 - Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol, Heathrow, London
806 - Poole, Bournemouth, Southampton, Heathrow, London

-bit of an improvement on FGW's 48 hour shutdown? (and annual chaos between Xmas/New Year)

Rail travel as far as I know is the only form of travel where a seat is not guaranteed ...

Local buses - round here we have big signs like "maximum load - 37 seated and 21 standing" ... and I can recall taking the vehicle ferry from Dartmouth to Kingswear on foot and having to stand on that - this thread is about/in the context of longer distance coach/rail travel, not local buses, I thought that was implicit and was also pointed out by other posters, but OK to avoid pedantry I should have inserted "long distance" between "of" and "travel" - laughed my head off at the Dartmouth/Kingswear example though!  :D

None of this to say that at times the coach isn't an excellent option - I recommend it from here to London (Heathrow) if the person wants to travel at the time of day the coach is running; good price, direct, town centre drop off.   But it ain't every day of the year, it ain't faster, and the seats ain't spacious! - (i) yes it is (ii) it doesn't claim to be, (iii) in your opinion.

-good luck with the ASA!  ;)

Oh - I'm very much in behind a mixture of transport modes - just felt that the National Express advert was disenjenuos.  For personal travel, we have a total of 1 coach each way per day in our town, and so it's only occasionally that it suites.

I think much of my argument with the advert relates to the (apparent?) linkage of the text above the bullets with the bullets. And "faster" and "smoother"  are comparatives, so beg the question "faster than what" with the implication "faster than the train" as that's the only comparative being offered.  "Fast" and "smooth" without the "er" wouldn't invite the comparison.  The use of "every" is also interesting as it implies a universality of the claims; totally agree that the rail industry does itself a huge dis-service by shutting down at Christmas and showing how the country doesn't really need trains on one of the busiest sporting / leisure shopping days of the year, but equally that bus advert reads to say that the 402 runs on 25th December just like other days, which it doesn't.



Better things to do - like promoting IT courses, hotels and appropriate public transport use - on all modes of transport  ;D