Great Western Coffee Shop

Hi - I posted recently in another thread that due to the continued problems at Dawlish I was going to break the habit of a lifetime and give the Nat Express coach a go to get  me back to Plymouth for a few days. Having returned yesterday I thought I would give my thoughts on the comparison, based on 1st class advance fares on the train & the fare that I actually paid on the coach (which wasn't the cheapest available), and the trains I usually use.

Fare: Train (Reading BR to Plymouth BR) - approx ^100 First class advance
         Coach (Reading Calcot to Plymouth Bretonside) - ^46

Duration: Train 2hrs 52mins
               Coach 3 hrs 45 mins

Facilities: Train - buffet, at seat tea/coffee service, newspapers
               Coach - nothing, one 15 min comfort break at motorway service station each way.

Comfort: Train - reserved, large comfy seat in 1st class.
              Coach - similar seat to Standard rail seat but more leg room.....no reservation but   guaranteed seat.

Ambience: I felt knackered after sitting on a coach for almost 4 hours, whereas the train is much more relaxing. The coach was bang on time both ways though and talking to others they are generally very reliable........was sitting near the front and could hear the drivers moaning constantly to each other both ways, and the coach was a bit stuffy.

Overall - I'd say it's pretty much honours even - although having now experienced both I would choose the train I think, the cost of the coach is its obvious advantage and I could have saved more if I'd booked a more restricted ticket.......whether the advantages of the train I have listed above justify charging over twice as much is another point for discussion, although of course the standard class fare may have been a better comparison in this respect.

I'd be interested in anyone else's thoughts/experiences along these lines?

How does standard class compare to the coach.

Reading your report FGW 1st class vs Nat Ex coach isn't a fair comparison.

I would be interested to see how it compares to standard class.

I think I'd go for the train every time, with a good look online to see whether I could get the ticket any cheaper (Not that I'm any good at that; I'd probably just ask the timetable guru, grahame!)  Trains are the only mode of transport I can use without suffering travel sickness, so that would always get me on the railway.  Have you done a CO2 comparison?  That would be another consideration from my point of view.

Thanks to TaplowGreen for his comparison - it's many years since I've undertaken such a lengthy journey by coach.

Fares wise in Standard Class, a Super Off-Peak return is ^59.20, Off-Peak return is ^74.00, Anytime return is ^177.60.  Singles available at ^88.90 for Anytime, ^33.30 Super Off-Peak, and finally advance singles available from ^24.40 (at least, that's the cheapest I could find), and that compares with the cheapest advance fare on the coach I could find at ^14.70. 

So, Off-Peak and advance fares compare pretty well considering the superior and much more frequent service, but as usual the Anytime fare is very expensive, but I don't think the difference is as much as on some other fare flows.

The one advantage coaches have over the train is that your luggage is stowed safely in the hold. Otherwise, no thanks.

I don't know how busy the train is on this route but one advantage the coach will have is that everyone gets a seat.

(Might not be an advantage if you can't get on though)

To be fair, the coaches offer a 'safe' environment for elderly passengers, with a friendly driver, help with luggage etc - I understand that many old folk find trains rather impersonal and somewhat confusing (correct platform, having to change etc).

Also super-cheap fares for students: Megabus start from 90p!

I was planning Redruth to London and back, with my nus discount card, it came to ^1.80 return in February. I had to abandon my plans due to other commitments, but I couldn't believe 90p each way!