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Flixbus UK - ant17612 - 02/07/2020 17:40
https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2020/07/01/flixbus-launches-in-uk/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rootymasters/50069114271
Flixbus UK - tyresmoke - 15/07/2020 16:05
Just a quick post to say Flixbus start running from Manchester tomorrow. First departure being 0810 to London as route 023, a second coach will operate at 1515 (arriving from London at 1345).
I've attached the full schedule here as made for another forum. Feel free to share.
RE: Flixbus UK - Mrboo - 15/07/2020 21:44
Crap timing they don't understand uk yet Manchester needs a 7am and 9am and a 6pm and 9am and 1pm 7pm return am ex NX so know the services
RE: Flixbus UK - ant17612 - 16/07/2020 00:34
Their is already a thread for this in the elsewhere section.
RE: Flixbus UK - knutstransport - 16/07/2020 08:50
(15/07/2020 21:44)Mrboo Wrote: Crap timing they don't understand uk yet Manchester needs a 7am and 9am and a 6pm and 9am and 1pm 7pm return am ex NX so know the services
Not sure what you're trying to say. NX Manchester-London services currently depart at 07:30 and 09:30. The 07:30 isn't a fast service, so the Mon/Thurs 08:10 Flixbus service will arrive in London only 5 minutes after NX. If they've identified Mon/Thurs are days when people want to travel early I'd say that's a clever move as in addition to it being faster it means if someone needs to get a bus/train to central Manchester in order to pick up the coach they have more chance of making the first service e.g. if the first train arrives in to Victoria
or Piccadilly at 07:30 they would not be able to catch the NX service but could catch the Flixbus service.
RE: Flixbus UK - Mrboo - 16/07/2020 10:34
(16/07/2020 08:50)knutstransport Wrote: Not sure what you're trying to say. NX Manchester-London services currently depart at 07:30 and 09:30. The 07:30 isn't a fast service, so the Mon/Thurs 08:10 Flixbus service will arrive in London only 5 minutes after NX. If they've identified Mon/Thurs are days when people want to travel early I'd say that's a clever move as in addition to it being faster it means if someone needs to get a bus/train to central Manchester in order to pick up the coach they have more chance of making the first service e.g. if the first train arrives in to Victoria
or Piccadilly at 07:30 they would not be able to catch the NX service but could catch the Flixbus service.
I worked at VCS and at Leeds so know loading onfo. People like the coaches that leave about 7am so your in London for Midday then you get other wave that don't want to travel that early so a 9am hits traffic so your looking at 3pm in London and then you get the 6pm that gets in London in time for last London trains and tube and people like a set timetable same every day and a 7 sat service. I travel to London every day of week when I work in London. But I can't use them as they don't have the return at midnight. You only have to look at Megabus timetable to see when you need coaches as there gaps. Most who travel on coach don't get a bus or train first and most Manchester core routes start for 6am . But the big killer is BM Coaches on RR they are known as badly managed coaches. When I did RR they was the sh*t firm we used down south. Turners are fine as Megabus use.
And there little Promotion from them there only hope is due to Megabus and NX not fully running there networks they can get in a gap. But they did the school boy error of trying Portsmouth to London. Both First and Stagecoach failed to get off ground so they was mad to think a internet only firm who no one knows in UK market unless your from Europe.
RE: Flixbus UK - knutstransport - 16/07/2020 11:03
(16/07/2020 10:34)Mrboo Wrote: Most who travel on coach don't get a bus or train first and most Manchester core routes start for 6am
I'd like to hear your reasoning for that presumption. If the entire coach market lived within walking distance of
either Shudehill or Chorlton Street then that would be a very small market - I doubt it would be big enough for NX to operate more than one coach per day, never mind multiple operators running multiple coaches! My brother uses Manchester-Birmingham coaches and he uses a connecting train at both ends - not that anyone working for NX or Megabus would know that unless they ask him to take part in a survey and he agrees.
You also seem to presume that they can't attract some of the Avanti West Coast customers to switch to a slower coach if they offer a much lower price. There's a reason why all Avanti West Coast services stop at Stockport and if you've been to Stockport in the morning peak you'll see why - demand for London travel from 'South Manchester' is much higher than it is from central Manchester shown by how empty the southbound trains are arriving at Stockport, compared to how full they are leaving.
RE: Flixbus UK - Mrboo - 16/07/2020 12:47
(16/07/2020 11:03)knutstransport Wrote: I'd like to hear your reasoning for that presumption. If the entire coach market lived within walking distance of
either Shudehill or Chorlton Street then that would be a very small market - I doubt it would be big enough for NX to operate more than one coach per day, never mind multiple operators running multiple coaches! My brother uses Manchester-Birmingham coaches and he uses a connecting train at both ends - not that anyone working for NX or Megabus would know that unless they ask him to take part in a survey and he agrees.
You also seem to presume that they can't attract some of the Avanti West Coast customers to switch to a slower coach if they offer a much lower price. There's a reason why all Avanti West Coast services stop at Stockport and if you've been to Stockport in the morning peak you'll see why - demand for London travel from 'South Manchester' is much higher than it is from central Manchester shown by how empty the southbound trains are arriving at Stockport, compared to how full they are leaving.
So tell me how come the megabus from London that leaves VCS at about 23:30 is often full and they had re work the service to run 2 coaches a M11 and M11A there 2 markets to London Coach and Train there is also a cheap train route to London with a change at Crewe I often use that as takes about 3.5hrs. but they do like to hide the super off peak ticket from crewe and London north western railway tickets from Manchester
trains carry many more so have to stop to pick up more station or they would have to put on smaller London trains from the mid points. There was a London train from Manchester Airport and Rochdale and Victoria run by First North Westen with a 158 class but it did not take off with a small train. with Flexbus they don`t know there market here was same with megabus at start they should look at NX 440 / 410 / 040 / 035 / 509 are the routes that often have 3rd party coaches on as they get very busy. Also the megabus routes that call into Birmingham get a lower fare as people want the non stop. When megabus started they did not run Manchester to Birmingham. there also SNAP running Cardiff / Bristol to London and Nottingham to London they ran out of money and had to have a break before having a 2nd attempt. at VCS there 3 peak times. 8am. / 6pm / 11pm with euro coaches at 9am and 8/9pm
I would love to know there game plan. as NX have airports and Megabus have Uni markets well there was a gentleman's agreement think that not case now due to Heathrow and Manchester airport getting megabus
RE: Flixbus UK - knutstransport - 16/07/2020 14:15
(16/07/2020 12:47)Mrboo Wrote: So tell me how come the megabus from London that leaves VCS at about 23:30 is often full
That service doesn't get to Manchester until almost 4am - there are some trains and buses running out of Manchester between 4am and 5am, so I don't know what you're trying to prove by saying that service is well utilised. It certainly isn't evidence that people on it don't make onward travel from central Manchester.
I used to live in Huddersfield and I used NX coaches from both Manchester and Leeds while living there, using TPE trains to connect to them, including one that departed Manchester at around midnight and one that arrived in Leeds in the middle of the night and I know I wasn't the only person who did that.
I really don't know why you don't want to accept that if the first Flixbus coach leaves later than the first NX coach then it means some people who can't get in to central Manchester in time for the NX coach will be able to make the Flixbus one.
Even if there is no-one on that Megabus service who catches an onward train or bus it doesn't mean there's no-one on the service who wouldn't find it more convenient if there was an onward train or bus e.g. if they have to get a lift, Uber or taxi from Shudehill to their home.
Quote:There was a London train from Manchester Airport and Rochdale and Victoria run by First North Westen with a 158 class but it did not take off with a small train.
The Airport service was to Euston via the Trent Valley and 322s were used on it - it was effectively what LNR operate now but extended to the airport and less frequent and slower due to 110mph running not being possible. The Rochdale service was to Waterloo and ran via Shrewsbury and Bath with FGW crews operating it for part of the journey - it was a poor attempt to provide a connection with Eurostar services, opposed to being real competition for Virgin.
RE: Flixbus UK - mikestone - 16/07/2020 15:21
The Rochdale service did run to Euston.
;
Manchester-Waterloo via the Marches was a completely seperate service.