Student Loan Express, info????
Just wondering if anyone's been on one of these coaches and what the
service is like, and what to expect.
I'll be going to London and back shortly (4.5 - 5hrs each way). Do
you get a double seat? Table? A jolly hostess serving drinks and tea?
Yes, I know it's OT, but maybe while I'm there I'll pop into Channel
4 and ask to borrow the fuse from the plug of the red dot machine.
I used to use the National Express coaches all the time when I was a student
(of course you'll put up with more when you're 19 and skint that 30+ and
reasonably well off). That was back when they had the double deckers and a
TV and the jolly hostess.
Been using them again lately after one too many horrible rail journeys and
there's no longer a hostess, so take your own food (cold) and drink (non
alcoholic), though on a journey of the length you're going on there'll
likely be a rest stop part way. They're all single deckers now and don't
have a TV so you have to make your own entertainment. There's no smoking
allowed of course. I've not seen a one with a table for 10 years
They are a bit cramped, so if you want a bit of leg room sit on an aisle
seat so you can stretch a bit, And I think the best seat is second row from
the front. The driver generally keeps one of the front rows clear to store
his belongings and in case they have a passenger with mobility problems, so
there's usually little chance that it will get reclined.
I did Mcr -> London by coach a couple of years ago and my advice would be to
go by train instead. The seats are about as comfortable as a bus and you
might get the chance to stop off at a service station. If they use a National
Express coach you'll probably get a smelly chemical toilet (something to
consider when picking a seat) but they sometimes subcontract them. I
remember travelling 3 hours from Mcr to Birminghan Digbeth desperate to use
the loo but unable to because they had a Finglands coach of the kind
normally used to take people on low budget holidays.
Victoria coach station (at the other end) was refurbished a few years ago
but it still has the charm of a motorway service station. It's a fair
distance from anywhere, including Victoria train station.