Stagecoach to trial UK’s first budget sleeper coach service

Sir Brian Souter on board the sleeper coach

Stagecoach Group is to trial the UK’s first budget sleeper coach service between Glasgow and London from next month.

Sir Brian Souter on board the sleeper coach

The new pilot service, operated by market-leading budget coach provider megabus.com, will offer passengers their own berth as well as a standard seat for greater comfort during their journey.

Passengers will have access to a toilet, free wi-fi, on-board refreshments and a complimentary overnight pack containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bottle of water, an eye mask and a luggage label. Each berth has a reading light and curtain for extra privacy, as well as a duvet, pillow and blanket.

Fares on the new service, which is being operated with three specially-refurbished articulated coaches fitted with 24 berths and seats, will range from £1 to £40*.

The coaches have been safety certified by VOSA and are fitted with CCTV. For additional safety and security, each berth is equipped with a button to alert the driver in the event of an emergency. The vehicles also meet Transport for London’s new Low Emissions Zone (LEV) requirements which come into force in the capital in January 2012.

From next month, customers purchasing tickets online for the existing overnight megabus.com services between Glasgow and London will be given the opportunity to upgrade to the new sleeper service.

Bookings for the sleeper coach can be made from 5 September by visiting www.megabus.com. The service will operate seven nights a week to the following timetable:

• Depart Glasgow at 23:15 and arrive in London at 07:20
• Depart London at 23.59 and arrive in Glasgow at 08:05

Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, Sir Brian Souter, said: “Travelling overnight is a great way to save time, and we’ve already seen growing demand for our night-time megabus.com journeys. The new sleeper services will offer extra comfort and facilities, but still at excellent value for money prices.

“We’ve always been at the forefront of innovative ways to make public transport more attractive and convenient for people. We believe the best way to find out if it’s a service our customers want is by offering them the chance to try it out for real. Travelling direct from city centre to city centre beats the hassle of a red-eye flight from an airport and is a greener, smarter way to travel.”

megabus.com will be running passenger trials of the sleeper service during August before the first scheduled services go live.

megabus.com was launched in the UK in 2003 and revolutionised coach travel by offering fares from just £1* via a simple online booking system. Almost three million passengers now use megabus.com services in the UK every year, travelling between more than 60 towns and cities across the country.

In 2006, Stagecoach launched megabus.com in North America where it has now been used by more than 10 million passengers.

For more information about megabus.com services visit www.megabus.com

*All reservations are subject to a 50p booking fee.