Hi Mark, firstly I want to thank you for travelling with us on the 010 from Victoria to Edinburgh as we were the crew on that particular journey. The security guards at Edinburgh know us well and they had told me you were filming so when I said "so what you had my permission as did the passengers". As a team myself John and my wife Patricia do take pride in the way our coach is presented as first impressions last. I want to apologise for the overhead lights being on as in Victoria the coach looks very dark and if you are visually impaired then these lights help I just forgot to turn them off on departing Victoria so sorry again. We had passengers that day from a coach (not flixbus) breakdown on M4 and they should have left 2hrs before they did so when they got on ours they were asking us to try and get in on our time to Glasgow as they were trying to catch the last Belfast coach or they were going to be stranded until the following day. I think that's why it seemed relentless (after this video was shown we are now the relentless crew 😂) . We normally give stops at Sheffield and Newcastle as they are the long parts of the trip. We try our best to accommodate passengers and if they are trying to catch a connection then we try harder (we phoned ahead and asked citylink if they could hold the coach for 5mins which they did. Thank you for travelling with us and we hope to see you again.
Hi John (and Patricia). Many thanks for responding to this - great to hear from you and thanks for sticking up for me with the security guys in Edinburgh! I’m not sure they realised I was filming myself which I tend to do anyway out of respect for other peoples privacy. Anyway, I really appreciate you providing the detail on the trip here - it’s interesting how many different variables you guys have to deal with in terms of the knock-on effects from other peoples travel situations. The logistics must be quite something - especially when other coach companies are involved and I wonder how many others would feel obligated to help them out as much as you both did. I’ve done a few of these videos now and I must say it really does matter to me as a passenger when the crew are on top of their game and just being that extra bit helpful and friendly. It shows. And for me, positive experiences like this need to be mentioned and credit given. I hope that came through in the film because as I’ve said to others, I would much rather do this journey in the day than overnight and given the choice, I would not hesitate to choose you guys over the ‘opposition’. That’s mainly because of the service provided and the quality/standard of the coach. Thanks again for the comment and sorry about the new nickname - I take full responsibility 😊👍
How nice to hear the crew's perspective - things the passengers don't know/realise that impact the journey. This crew obviously went the extra mile for their 'breakdown extras' which was really caring - I hope they made their connection. The Relentless Crew 😁 seem to take great pride in their work and it was deserving that they got such a positive review in the concluding remarks here!
@@LetsMakeaTrip Moja milovaná (my beloved) is Slovak and I spend half my year there. For the other half of the year I am home on the edge of the New Forest. We have used National Express; Ringwood to Victoria and then Victoria to Stansted. We then endure the misery of Standsted and then the tender mercies of O'leary for our flight to Bratislava. Slovak air crew speak competent English and their announcements are perfectly intelligible. Irish staff may as well not bother. The safety announcements are gabbled and on the last flight from Budapest, from the Irish dialect announcement about the sales trolley, I was able to discern "9.99" and "offers". I think the preceding word was "special" but only because I don't know what else it could have been. At the Slovak end, I travel free on Slovak trains, the full fare averages about 7 pence per mile. They are often late but you can sit at home watching the progress on an app so no waiting at the station. Parking at the station is free, for days if you want, . When I have explained to Slovaks about our train fares in Britain AND about parking charges at our hospitals, they are horrified. Parking at hospitals in Slovakia is free. If we are making longer journeys (Bratislava 75 miles from us for instance) we use the train. The carriages are built like brick §§§§houses. Platforms are very low at most stations so mountaineering skills are advisable to climb up, but, once up there, the carriages are very comfortable. Only once have we had a grumpy driver on National Express..... he wasn't unpleasant, just morose. Other than him we have found ALL National Express staff to be lovely people. On one occasion Táni, travelling on her own, left her computer on the coach at Victoria. By the time she realised, the coach had started another run. She contacted her employer in Slovakia straight away and they remotely wiped the computer. National Express charged us 20 quid but staff found the computer. They kept in touch with us all the way and the lady at Bishop's Stortford was as overjoyed that they had found it as we were. Táni needed it urgently so I arranged to drive up there. We were advised that they could have it for pick up at the airport or at the Bishop's Stortford depot but they advised the depot so as to avoid the airport parking charges .... a nice little touch. We were and are grateful to all concerned. We do find the National Express fares to be a bit pricey though. We have started using Bournemouth to Budapest. It takes less time. and the cost of the total journey is less. A neighbour drops us off and picks us up, along with, it appears about a third of all users of the airport, OUTSIDE on the public road and we walk in and out on a rough path to avoid the £4 pick-up/drop-off charge. It went up from £2.50 recently. These are just figures plucked out of the air by these thieving cowboys. (At Bratislava there is 15 minutes free). At Stansted, we find that most of the staff suffer from the deepest of depression. and give the impression of being perpetually harassed. It may just be the Essex way. This compares to warm and friendly staff/immigration at the spotlessly clean Bratislava. From stepping off of the plane onto the tarmac to waiting at the bus stop for the 61 to the railway station has never taken more than 10 minutes even though I have knee problems and sitting on Ryanair seats hard against the seat in front plays havoc with them, I like to be last. It is more complicated at Budapest ... a bus to the end of the metro, metro to the main railway station, train to Nové Zámky (just inside Skovakia) The train runs along the side of the Danube for mile after mile, lovely views and, on the other side, castles overlooking the river from the crags. Nové Zámky to Šurany, Šurany to Levice. Then home to our village. Seems a lot but very little waiting at the connections. We used a Flixbus from Nitra (deepest Slovakia) to Ljubljana (Slovenija) in May, return per person €39:99 (About £34.50) for the 640 mile return journey (5.39 pence per mile). It took 8 hours via Bratislava, Vienna, and Graz. We went to visit a friend of mine for several days. I translate for Primož so that he can put English subtitles on his videos. Buses and trains are fast, efficient, and on time in Slovenija. Bus fares are about 10 pence per mile. The 8 hours included some time at each of the stops and a meal stop at a very pleasant service station. Although we shouldn't have needed them, I took my passport and Táni her identity card. It was just as well, Schengen is breaking down. Leaving Slovakia we were stopped by Austrian border guards. They insisted on seeing identification from every one and asked questions of several passengers. We sailed through the Austria-Slovenija border. On the way back, they were busy at the Austria border. We were waved on but many vehicles were stopped. One car had all the doors open and the entire contents out on the tarmac. Fall in love with Ernestina, English in the C C subtitles ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1j8Zd4bo4cs.html
The journey did not look too bad, but it's not good for you sat down for all of those hours without a chance to stretch your legs. Certainly, it was cheap enough, and the service provided was excellent, especially by security at Edinburgh who spotted you were a troublemaker .....lol. Excellent video as always, as you go where others fear to tread.
Troublemaker 😂 well, you know, maybe they were pre-warned of my arrival! Cheers Keith, yep not too bad overall but I was a bit stiff the day after tbh 👍
Oh I come away from this feeling angry at your 'welcome' to Edinburgh. I had similar assumptions made by rude staff recently and it really does make it difficult to do what we do! But fantastic video and very informative - imagine you'd got aboard with no food.drinks! :D Although I'd be pretty dehydrated by the end, I'd probably skip drinking too much to avoid a coach toilet! All in all I think I'd take the train every time, but really appreciate you taking this hit for our viewing entertainment. Now get yourself on the Bla Bla!
Cheers Steve. Yep, first time for me I’ve had anyone say anything like that. Caught me off guard a bit but at least I was able to give them some back. I was tired and grumpy at that stage too but, overall, I reckon it was a pretty-decent journey (if a tad full-on). For me the coach was comfortable enough and the McGills staff were very good. Now I must go and book the BlaBla experience 😂
Hi it’s Paul from Kent mr jobs worth at Edinburgh was rude 🎉your allowed to film it’s a public place. I done Edinburgh with megabus and national express and do you remember mega bus gold I did this trio to London from Edinburgh i sat at the bottom you got a bottle of water and a cake. 😢keep up the great work my friend your channel us really good Paul
Cheers Paul. I only know what others have told me about Megabus Gold but it did seem really good and an economic alternative to the sleeper train. I wonder if it’ll ever come back? Personally I think there’s room for it but I’m not an expert and things aren’t getting any cheaper!
There are people that would never dream of taking the coach for this journey.im one of those people. By the time the coach gets to Leeds uoud be able to step off the train for lunch tsking the train......nah i couldnt cope with being couped up like that for over 9hrs.......
I love you to travel on two journeys one of which is the overnight M10 from Swansea to London Victoria operated by megabus and the Brand new M5N service Swansea to Canterbury
The overhead reading lights on the Volvo 9700 are controlled from the driver area, they have 3 options on a rocker switch. The options are all on, all off and passenger controlled (from the button above you). I have to admit that my first time ever driving a 9700 I thought I had put them onto passenger control but I actually had them all on solid, it bothered me afterwards that it may have impacted passenger comfort as it was a late service and some people might have preferred them off. I think its a handy function being able to turn them all on, it means its safer when embarking and disembarking and it allows crew to check for lost items etc easier.
Cheers Nicholas, glad you enjoyed it 😊 The comfort stops I think in my limited experience appear to be a thing on the overnight services and because there were two drivers on this service, I guess there was no need. Like I said though, it was pretty relentless but then with the amount of people getting on and off along the way, I would say not many were going the full distance anyway.
I do London to Glasgow a lot as I go to watch rangers play on a overnight bus for about £15/£20 can't go wrong with that I'm flying up to Edinburgh and then on a city link bus from Edinburgh to Glasgow this weekend on Saturday I will do video on it
Mark. It's a great way to end the week with one of your videos. Admire you making that trip by bus. Used LNER a few times, and that is excitement enough.😄 I do think you should try the BlahBlah bus to Paris if you can. I worked in the French capital for a while, so I am familiar with the drive. Enjoy the weekend. D
Cheers David - kind words indeed and I’m glad you liked it. Quite a few people agree with you about the BlaBla bus thing so I guess I’ll have to make the effort now 😂 watch this space 😊👍
A very fair review and the seats looked more comfy than Megabus. I prefer National Express as they will allow you off at services for a leg stretch as at 6ft 2 the seats can be a bit tight at times though I did like the extra leg room on Megabus for a small fee . I must admit though the FlixBus option of booking the neighbouring seat is very good value as it can make a big difference in overall comfort.
You could of gone for the Premier Inn at York Place Edinburgh I've stayed at Premier Inn at York Place in Edinburgh Scotland when my wife and I went on Easyjet from Bristol Airport to Edinburgh Airport then I went on the Edinburgh trams from Edinburgh Airport to York Place in February 2020 before the lock down
Cheers Gavin, just trying to think, I may have stayed there before but my No.1 choice these days is the ‘Hub by Premier Inn’ on Rose St, close to the bus station, Waverley Street and some decent bars 👍
Query. If you used the seat belt supplied. The journey would be a lot less comfortable. And how would you stretch your legs out in the adjacent seat if you paid extra? Very hard to impossible to do in a seat belt. In the real (and practical) world, passengers rarely use them. In my experience. Even if they "should."
Well I did Flixbus: Birmingham to Liverpool (that’s not particularly long), National Express: Birmingham to Bristol, Wolves to London, London to Bristol & Bristol to Tiverton. Megabus, Birmingham to LHR. All journeys of between 2 and 4 hours and also some regional bus services. Check in my ‘Bus & Coach Journeys playlist Gary - you’ll be surprised!
My word, that looks very dark, I don't know why coaches always seem to have the darkest interiors possible? Particularly if they don't have any interior lights on. And those semi-underfloor toilets are horrid. Any journey more than about 3 hours without a stop long enough to stretch your legs and use the facilities on offer 🚾, no thank you. 🥴 But trains now are nearly always less comfortable than they were, so the edge they normally have on comfort is being steadily eroded
I can still see the advantages with trains: getting up to walk around, catering (hopefully) and better toilets(?) but seat-wise, yep, I think most of the standard coach services like National Express, Megabus and Flixbus (ordinarily) can at least rival the train. And then there’s the cheaper prices….
The reviews for BlahBlah are about as bad as they get. With that said, feel free to try but expect the absolute worst and bring Xanax and a 2-pint thermos filled with your favorite ale.
Yep, I think it depends a lot on the operator AB and with this being McGills, they were way ahead of some in terms of service and standard of the coach. The crew have actually replied to this video (see pinned post) wrt limited comfort stops en route which was decent of them. I couldn’t really fault the service much tbh, definitely worth another go 👍
I guess it is in competition with megabus, however if your a smoker don’t do it. As the guy said, there is NO stop breaks. Last time there was a young guy got thrown off for vaping. Go national express if you smoke.why do people think it is acceptable behaviour to vape on buses is beyond me.
I would love to see you take the bla bla bus, just cos of its name. But it’s also different content…. I once took a coach at school in the 90s from Berkhamsted, just outside London to bad gastein in Austria … I think it was about 17hours.. it’s amazing how much a British man can suffer on an international coach journey, Lol
Leeds is definitely worth a trip! Lots to do and see and head off on interesting journeys from there all over beautiful Yorkshire 😁 I suppose I'm biased, it is my home city.
Brilliant content as ever. It's commendable to see how efficient the coach journey was, but I bet it was tough to not be able to get up and stretch for 9 hours. I'm not sure I could do it, especially as I am Coach sick. I've got the Coach from Victoria Coach Station to Cardiff a few times, and that was bad enough. Definitely get yourself on the Bla Bla Bus to Paris. When I've at Victoria Coach station, I saw a bus going to Poland and wondered how long that would take. Would love to see you do the Greyhound across America as well.
Cheers, yep I stood up in the aisle a few times for a stretch, that was about as good as it gets. Not sure about the Poland bus, I think there is one I’m sure I saw it somewhere. Definitely up for the BlaBlaBus though, just need to plan it in 😊👍
Thank you so much! Did this journey when a child and just remember the foggy Lake District... But I think you did a different route. But stll a totally valid method with major benefits like price and arrival point.
Respect to you Mark, 9 hours on a coach is dedication. My coach journeys consisted of the X96 Shrewsbury to Birmingham twice a week for two years in 1984-1986. I would pay the extra for a train journey purely down to having more freedom on journey. I can still remember catching the S9 or S10 bus with you into town in the old days. Anyway a good video again, keep them coming.
S9 and S10 yep, one of the last times I used a bus in Shrewsbury probably 😂 It’s normally the train for me as well but this is a useful option if you’re budget-conscious and not in a rush. I quite enjoyed it really. Cheers mate, see you soon 😊
Lovely Jounery ..got a nice feeling for Newcastle upon time people's love them BEUTIFUL and a great Wellcoming peoples always in my Heart .Greetings from LONDON
Mmmm, very interesting video. I watched it all. Would I do it - even though I like coaches? Probably not. It looked and felt just too utilitarian. No comfort or food stops??? That's a severe no, no in my book. Cheap yes, yet ultimately 'cheap': definitely. The coach looked comfy but passengers were viewed as 'cargo', not people. FlixBus - one for you. This is not a passenger service: it's a wearisome endurance test. You could at least serve some food and drink on board and factor in some humane comfort stops. I'll stick to the train. Paul in Oz.
Thank you for this presentation, and useful information. I'm fairly recently retired, and plan to do some traveling in the UK. I've been to London and loved it, but haven't seen much of the countryside. With all of the excellent programs like Doc Martin, Downton Abbey, George Gently, and Foyle's War, there is much to be discovered. Your video offers another transportation option. ✌️❤️, and all the best in 2024. Mark 🇺🇲
Well done Mark. I did this journey by National Express recently, it wasn't too bad, although I slept most of the way from London to Sheffield. We were also allowed to stretch our legs for half an hour in Leeds too. I also found it was worth popping over to Victoria train station to fill up on a full English in Wetherspoons to set me up for the day.
Thanks Mark for another enjoyable video. I suppose having the en route stops provide an opportunity for Flixbus to earn more revenue (from pax alighting/disembarkating) rather than those who would travel all the way. LNER does the same ... hence its London-Edinburgh trains are mostly multi-stop. FYI I checked the one-way Lumo rail fare London-Edinburgh on March 14 (avoiding strike dates) and it was £40.90.
Cheers Alex, yes I must try Lumo at some point - haven’t done it yet and it looks like it might be the closest comparison fare-wise so thanks for the info. 😊👍
Been thinking about this one. I stay in Sheffield but originally come from fife so bus is longer but a lot cheaper than train and driving 5/6 hours does get tiring sometimes.
Another fine vid. Loved the response from the crew. How lovely they were and what a fine explanation they gave for any shortcomings of the journey. You should pin their comment to the top! Wrt Leeds. Yes, you do need to go. I've stayed there loads of times for work and, for one thing, it has most excellent beers! Overnight there, then do Settle & Carlisle?
Cheers mate. Yep, agree and have pinned the comment. It is great when you get that engagement from the drivers, really helps a lot. I’ve done the Settle & Carlisle already (filmed it last year I think) so I’d probably look at the Coastliner out to Scarborough I think that would be worth doing 👍
Hi there, I'm just wondering if you've tried doing the reverse journey on this route? I've only just subscribed to you today as well, despite having watched a couple of your videos over the past 2 years. Keep up the good work!
I always admire people that can withstand a long coach trip as I don't think I could!👏 But as you say, great value for money and Flixbus appear to have a good reputation. Those security guards were idiots!
Cheers Sheila, this was pretty good as far as long journeys go - a decent coach and great crew. Yeh the security guards, well, it’d been a long day, they could’ve been friendlier, not in my face and then it’s not a big deal is it. Thanks for the comment 😊👍
In the 1990s I travelled each year from Brussels to Spain, 1200 km overnight. You left in the afternoon and arrived at your destination before noon the next day. I was smart enough not to choose a destination in the south of Spain, which would have added another 500 km. There were many stops (bus exchange, mandatory shopping in Luxemburg, lunch, breakfast and so on. In fact they discouraged us from using the bus toilet except for emergencies. I was much younger, so I could take it. Today I don't know. My back and legs would hurt, not to mention other physical problems. Though these organised bus travels with several companies cooperating have gone, killed by cheap air travel.
As I mentioned this was a cooperation between several independent touring car operators and the only one I can remember was a major company called "Omnium Tours". Probably they organised and coordinated the whole thing, with departures at least once a week during the whole summer. And if I'm not mistaken they went bust in the early 2000s.
I have done Newcastle to Finchley Rd on Flix Bus and it was a cheap and pleasant journey. Finchley Road saves 1/2 hour to Victoria and the tube station is next to the bus stop for your onward journey in London.
How did you find flixbus compared to megabus? I’m going from Sheffield to London. National express is expensive but the only brand I’ve used before and last time I used it to go from Sheffield to Birmingham the coach was dirty and smelled very bad.
@@LetsMakeaTrip Thats true they're not great if you're in a rush but for price and destinations (they cover basically everywhere in Europe) they're great.
Great video mate nice coach that is for a FlixBus im surprised they didn't give you any stops for comfort at the services its a good thing you got food and drink for the journey I don't think I would really do that long journey of 9 hours the one I did which was over 5 hours is probably enough to the Isle Of Wight for me at least you had working Wi-Fi on your coach so you could entertain yourself throughout the journey those drivers that you had was definitely good then surprised they was bothered to keep the coach clean for the journey they definitely cared about the coach which is nice to see indeed i really do like your coach videos bud there really entertaining and professional keep up the good work 👍
Cheers FG, yes overall, it was a nice coach, definitely one of the better ones and huge credit to McGills, I was really impressed with them. Overall, it was pretty good and there’s plenty more of this kind of stuff to come. Thanks for the comment mate 😊👍
I’ve done two of the Anglo Scottish flixbus routes. The N10 which omits Leeds but adds Sunderland from London to Glasgow and the 030 which is Glasgow via Manchester to London.
@@LetsMakeaTrip unfortunately used to it. Due to Stagecoach's diabolical service I quite often find myself waiting for prolonged periods there for the bus home, and the security are always without fail incredibly rude to everyone. Big fan of the channel by the way, I am traveling with Megabus on the M11 service from Glasgow to Preston in a few weeks and have found your content excellent in terms of knowing what to expect.
Love this video. I once did Adelaide to Perth (Australia) by bus and before the highway was paved. It was in maybe 1974, most of the passengers were young and a few of the guys brought on a case of beer. The good old days. We partied and slept in the back while the oldies had the front. I had tender gums for the first few days in Perth as the road was what they call 'corrugated'; kind of wavy ruts. When I slept, my teeth must have been chattering with all the bumps. I don't remember how long it took but let's say 30-odd hours. The route is 2,694 km (about 1,674 miles). It was fun at the time but I don't think I could do it now.
Hi Trish, thanks for the comment. I’m he same as you. Did Toronto to Florida (then back again) on various Greyhounds. Took around 48 hours each way but I was much younger then. No way would I do it now!
Your treatment by Security in a Scottish Bus station is nothing new. As a film Location manager (now ex) scouting for possible locations that ultimately put many tens of thousands of pounds into the local economies I have probably been slung out of Bus stations at least 6 times going back 20 years for quietly using a small stills camera. Buchanan Street, Glasgow and East Kilbride were the worst. The local authorities welcomed me with open arms but this never filtered through to the Bus stations. Thankfully its usually different in England and Wales.
Hi Phil, cheers for the insight. Yep, seems it might be a ‘thing’ up there although I haven’t had any other issues (yet). Guess it comes with the territory and it’s not particularly going to put me off. Just slightly irritating but hey-ho 😂
If I had to do this journey (London to Glasgow/Edinburgh) then I would use National Express as I belive that they are quicker compared to Flixbus but I would give them a go
Cheers Gary, I’d need to have a look at the NX website tbh, what I would do next time is look to see if there are any stops longer than 5 minutes just for a bit of a break.
I thought that Shaun though I’ve been informed it’s the Megabus London to Inverness which, although it says ‘1 change’ (in Glasgow) on their website, apparently it’s the same coach so I presume you can just stay on it.
Love these videos, Mark! Looks a bit much for me, they could have let you out for 10 minutes somewhere, what about DVT? I'll stick to the train, lumo have some good fares i hear. Hope you're keeping well, cheers for now 👍
Cheers Daz, I’ve yet to try Lumo. Had a few comments about them now so yep, might be my next jaunt between the two cities. Maybe there’s more time if the coach is ahead of schedule, but I reckon the schedule’s probably pretty tight and they’re mainly roadside bus stops anyway to keep costs down.
I have been on long coach trips couple times and some do have comfortable seats and some have lots of room. And I’ve been on some that are very cramped and uncomfortable.
I would put this in the comfortable category imo. I do think having the ability to reserve the adjacent seat made a big difference in that respect though. Cheers Andrew.
Great video most informative indeed. Well done to you Sir. Could I do it? Only as an absolute necessity. Again many thanks for all your effort to put people in the know.
Great journey and a good write up for Flixbus. Think at that price it’s a no brainier for those without time constraints and can handle the coach travel (the worst for feeling travel sick in my opinion!) Good to have you pass through my homeland of Newcastle, I wonder what the comparison would be between that, the train and the car between here and Edinburgh. The train can sometimes be as cheap as £20 return! Thanks for the video as always!
Cheers Craig. Yes I tend to agree with the travel sickness thing. I only ever feel it a bit on the coach or bus. The other part of your comment is very valid because it’s got me thinking maybe you could ‘mix and match’ say train out of London to Leeds then coach from there? Don’t know really, maybe it’s too much hassle tbh 🤷♂️
whilst you had stuff to do it would bore me to tears to have to sit on bus for that long without even being allowed off to stretch your legs, not great if you are at risk of DVT or there a screaming child on board. istr their night service has a stop for break yet odd their day one doesn't.
