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Not to bad although everytime i go to London one driver whose been doin it for years likes to go on a tour of heathrow plane spotting, i have witnessed two passengers asking why we went this way he got somewhat stressed saying ive done this for 20 years etc. I have also witnessed one falling asleep on the M4 at 1am luckily he woke when he hit the rumble strips and then drove with his window wide open and i sat in front froze to death.
i have also seen on numerous times people running into victoria to catch the 11.30pm coach only to see the driver smilling and leaving them behind. the next bus is 7.30am!
also the timetable from gloucester to london could be greatly improved there is a evening one at 7pm to london the next 2.30am the following morning, one at say 10pm would be very helpful
This is a letter that i have sent to the National Express over 5 times, with no response!!!
To whoever it may concern,
My name is Katy Port. I am a twenty year old, female student at University College Falmouth, Cornwall. It was recommended to me by a freind that I used your cheap service to get home (Andover) during the Easter break. I only wish now that I had stuck to my original plans to use the train service instead!
Friday the 17th of March was the day that I experienced The Nightmare. I arrived at the Falmouth station early and was looking forward to the journey. It came on time and I boarded. The seats were uncomfortable and the journey to Plymouth was extremely bumpy, I was disappointed but thought this was the price I paid for wanting cheaper transportation.
The Nightmare began at Plynouth, though I was unaware of it at the time of departure. At 12:25, I had boarded the wrong bus, through the lack of efficeiency of the driver of the bus. I specifically remember telling him that I was traveling to Bristol and him replying with a 'yep', scowling at my ticket, grunting and allowing me to board the bus. I looked at my ticket later on, and it clearly states that Bristol was to be my destination.
It was at 16:30 that I eventually realised that something was wrong. It had been half an hour from the time that the bus was supposed to have stopped at Bristol. I thought that perhaps the bus was behind schedule, but when I looked out of the window and saw signs for Birmingham I became scared and confused. I was lost.
We pulled into the National Express depo. I was grateful that it was not just a small bus stop as I needed assistance. Still scared and feeling vulnearble i walked to the ticket office where I found some assistance. I had this silly notion in my head that maybe your company could help me with the mistake the driver had made, with either putting me on a bus home or in the extreme event of not being able to get a bus home, putting me up in some safe accomodation. Remember, I am a 20 year old girl and I was in a city I have never been to that is known for its crime and viollence.
The man in the ticket office tried to assist me, but I feel that your company could have done more to help me. I was told that I could be put on to a bus back to Bristol, but once there, there would be no other buses back to Salisbury because it was late. So I would have to find my own way home. I was disgusted. Bristol is miles away from where I live. The only other option was for me to phone the National Rail and find out whether I could get a train. I enquired about getting a train from Bristol, but again, it was too late. So my only other option was to get a train from Birmingham.
I recieved no help i getting me to the train station and was made to drag my heavy bag around the city until I stumbled across someone willing to help me. A very dangerous act. Who knows what sort of people I might have encontered. I was terrified!
I got to the train station and managed to get a train, though it cost me more than I could afford.
Eventually, I boarded a train. The seats were much more comfortable than those on the National Express buses, infact the rest of the journey was more comfortable than the hours I had spent on buses!
At around 11pm, I arrived at my home, exhausted. After spending around 15 hours on public transport because I have been messed around by National Express, all I ask of you is an appology and that you find some decency and refund my tickets. Both the National Express ticket and the train ticket from Birminham to Andover.
Apart from a handful of very kind helpful drivers, the rest I have come across have been dreadful. A 14 year old girl was travelling alone from Mansfield to Sunderland and the driver agreed to wait a minute at the service station for her but then drove off and left her! I know of others abandoned at the service station. Watchout it may be a plain coach or a Ledger coach that picks up and the drivers don't always get out to gather you up. I waited 1 hour to be told it was a plain coach and they didn't bother to come out and tell me, they had driven straight off and left me there. I then had the added expence of a train ticket.
The chap in the office smiled and said sorry you missed your coach!!!! Terrible/unreliable/not safe to travel long distances alone - Could end up anywhere.
I used these every so often for shorter journeys no longer than an hour. I feel that each time when I have gone on a journey with them, the toilets absolutely wreek!!!!, and that was the seat in the middle of the coach. I cannot imagine the heart and the bladder ache, if you were busting, and the only toilet was blocked.
The drivers on these buses are equally rude. Some are friendly and helpful don't get me wrong. I find the majority do not have any customer handling skills what soever.
I would advise to use the toilet if you can before you board, as this has been on each journey I make, I am so glad that I don't use them that regualarly.
The good thing is if you go online you can get bargins for as little as £2 return.
Travelling from Kent to Suffolk via London. Canterbury office refused to sell me a through ticket even though sufficient connection time. Long queue in booking office at Victoria so forced to jump queue inorder to catch last coach.
Birmingham complaints office cannot comment on Victoria booking office because it has been out sourced!
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Visitors to the site are reminded that the details contained within user comments are uncorroborated and as such should not be read as fact but as the opinion of the person who left the comment.
Comments:
i have also seen on numerous times people running into victoria to catch the 11.30pm coach only to see the driver smilling and leaving them behind. the next bus is 7.30am!
also the timetable from gloucester to london could be greatly improved there is a evening one at 7pm to london the next 2.30am the following morning, one at say 10pm would be very helpful
To whoever it may concern,
My name is Katy Port. I am a twenty year old, female student at University College Falmouth, Cornwall. It was recommended to me by a freind that I used your cheap service to get home (Andover) during the Easter break. I only wish now that I had stuck to my original plans to use the train service instead!
Friday the 17th of March was the day that I experienced The Nightmare. I arrived at the Falmouth station early and was looking forward to the journey. It came on time and I boarded. The seats were uncomfortable and the journey to Plymouth was extremely bumpy, I was disappointed but thought this was the price I paid for wanting cheaper transportation.
The Nightmare began at Plynouth, though I was unaware of it at the time of departure. At 12:25, I had boarded the wrong bus, through the lack of efficeiency of the driver of the bus. I specifically remember telling him that I was traveling to Bristol and him replying with a 'yep', scowling at my ticket, grunting and allowing me to board the bus. I looked at my ticket later on, and it clearly states that Bristol was to be my destination.
It was at 16:30 that I eventually realised that something was wrong. It had been half an hour from the time that the bus was supposed to have stopped at Bristol. I thought that perhaps the bus was behind schedule, but when I looked out of the window and saw signs for Birmingham I became scared and confused. I was lost.
We pulled into the National Express depo. I was grateful that it was not just a small bus stop as I needed assistance. Still scared and feeling vulnearble i walked to the ticket office where I found some assistance. I had this silly notion in my head that maybe your company could help me with the mistake the driver had made, with either putting me on a bus home or in the extreme event of not being able to get a bus home, putting me up in some safe accomodation. Remember, I am a 20 year old girl and I was in a city I have never been to that is known for its crime and viollence.
The man in the ticket office tried to assist me, but I feel that your company could have done more to help me. I was told that I could be put on to a bus back to Bristol, but once there, there would be no other buses back to Salisbury because it was late. So I would have to find my own way home. I was disgusted. Bristol is miles away from where I live. The only other option was for me to phone the National Rail and find out whether I could get a train. I enquired about getting a train from Bristol, but again, it was too late. So my only other option was to get a train from Birmingham.
I recieved no help i getting me to the train station and was made to drag my heavy bag around the city until I stumbled across someone willing to help me. A very dangerous act. Who knows what sort of people I might have encontered. I was terrified!
I got to the train station and managed to get a train, though it cost me more than I could afford.
Eventually, I boarded a train. The seats were much more comfortable than those on the National Express buses, infact the rest of the journey was more comfortable than the hours I had spent on buses!
At around 11pm, I arrived at my home, exhausted. After spending around 15 hours on public transport because I have been messed around by National Express, all I ask of you is an appology and that you find some decency and refund my tickets. Both the National Express ticket and the train ticket from Birminham to Andover.
Regards
Katy
The chap in the office smiled and said sorry you missed your coach!!!! Terrible/unreliable/not safe to travel long distances alone - Could end up anywhere.
The drivers on these buses are equally rude. Some are friendly and helpful don't get me wrong. I find the majority do not have any customer handling skills what soever.
I would advise to use the toilet if you can before you board, as this has been on each journey I make, I am so glad that I don't use them that regualarly.
The good thing is if you go online you can get bargins for as little as £2 return.
Complaints service could not care.
Travelling from Kent to Suffolk via London. Canterbury office refused to sell me a through ticket even though sufficient connection time. Long queue in booking office at Victoria so forced to jump queue inorder to catch last coach.
Birmingham complaints office cannot comment on Victoria booking office because it has been out sourced!
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