I have tabled a series of Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Transport about the Southern Rail strikes, in particular regarding the lack of coach provision. The Managing Director of National Express Coach Division, Tom Stables, noticed this and was good enough to write to me to explain what they are doing to help mitigate the strike action by the rail unions.
Dear Mr Loughton
Following your written question to the Department for Transport regarding coach and bus companies mitigating the effects of industrial action on the Southern rail line, I wanted to outline what National Express is doing to support rail passengers.
Coach is a vital part of the national transport mix and offers flexible value for money travel that is accessible to all.
We are fast, frequent, and affordable. We are running 16 direct services a day each way between Brighton and London from 04.50am onwards with journey times starting at just one hour 40 minutes, and passengers get a guaranteed seat. Our network is highly responsive to passenger demand and we have added additional capacity to help people impacted by this latest strike. We are able to add even more extra seats if necessary to help people travel. We are also significantly cheaper than rail; single tickets start at £5 one way. Our annual London-Brighton season ticket costs £2688, a Brighton to London Bridge rail season ticket is £3,764.00 (according to National Rail enquiries this week).
For those travelling in to London during the London Underground disruption, our services have multiple drop-off points in Central London including: Streatham, Stockwell, Vauxhall and Victoria Coach Station. Services also call at Gatwick Airport and pick up at stops throughout Brighton
Over Christmas, our services will be running from Brighton on Christmas Day for the first time ever ensuring people can still see their friends and loved ones during the general rail shutdown.
Advance bookings have increased by up to 126% on some routes between Brighton and London during the strikes. We hope that the experience of passengers being able to get where they need to go comfortably and on time will encourage many more people to see Coach as a great option.
While we have not had direct discussions with the Department for Transport on how we can help mitigate the impact of the industrial action, we would certainly welcome the opportunity to do so, to ensure that we work together to keep south of the country moving during the disruption.
If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best regards
Tom Stables
Managing Director, Coach