Rail strike pain is National Express’ gain: Bumper coach bookings as Brits find ways to reach Wembley, Epsom and Beyonce
National Express has seen a 30 per cent jump in travel bookings over the week of rail strikes, figures shared with Morning Wire show, as passengers flocked from rail to coach to get around the country.
The long distance bus and coach group, who operate around 1,500 journeys per day in the UK, warned “we are very busy across our UK-wide network, with a 30 per cent increase in bookings so far” and tickets selling out rapidly.
“We are working hard to increase availability on our services where possible. However, there are only limited seats still available and they are selling fast so we strongly encourage customers to book as early as possible to guarantee a seat for travel.”
“Our network will be a lot busier than usual and we advise customers to plan in advance, allow plenty of time and to be patient. We’re doing our best to help everyone travel to where they need to be and regular updates will be posted on our website and social media.”
The findings come on the first of three days of industrial action this week, which continue an ongoing pay dispute between rail unions and government.
The strike dates – currently set for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday – will coincide with the FA Cup final, the Epsom Derby and Beyonce’s renaissance tour gig at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, hitting event-goers from all over the country.
Keith McNally, operations director at CPT, the UK trade association for the coach sector, told Morning Wire that “what you are seeing this week as a result of the rail strikes, is that coaches can step in for other transport modes when called upon to keep passengers on the move and ensure Britain stays connected.”
“Our coach members are a vital component of the UK’s transport system and wider economy. Every day, they provide home-to-school, leisure, long-distance, corporate and tourism transport.”
National Express has benefitted from a profit boost on the back of consistent industrial action over the last year, as commuters consistently opted for bus and coach trips to escape the disrupted rail service.
In its quarterly results in April, the company saw UK coach revenues rise by 87 per cent on the previous year, with total UK revenue growing by 27 per cent in the same period to £774.4m.
National Express is currently planning on changing its name to ‘Mobico Group’ in June.