Time travel
National Express turns 50
Clocking up 3.8 billion miles, the National Express coach company has been getting ‘everyone, everywhere, everyday’ for the past 50 years.
When passengers first took to the road, a ticket from London to Birmingham cost £1.20. In today’s money that would be £13.89, but current fares are actually cheaper, with the average price for the same journey just £8.15.
In the 1970s, the most popular destinations for travel on National Express were London, Bournemouth and Blackpool, and handwritten tickets had to be purchased at a station or via an agent.
Today, airports and big cities such as Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester make up a third of journeys. E-tickets were introduced in 2004 and by 2019 75% of bookings were being made online.
Over the past five decades coach travel, like all forms of transport, has changed considerably.
When the company first started, there were limited toilets on board and passengers would be served snacks, as referenced in The Divine Comedy’s 1999 Top 10 single, National Express. However, onboard catering services ended a year later.
Modern coaches offer such facilities as free wi-fi and USB charging points.
The UK’s largest coach company made 21 million journeys in 2019 across 540 destinations around the country. It also runs services to festivals and events, and is the official transport provider for Wembley Stadium.
To mark its 50th anniversary, National Express is urging staff, customers and coach enthusiasts to get in touch with their memories from the last half decade and be part of a summer of celebration.
Submissions will be archived and a selection will feature in a special online storybook. Other activities include a 50-day giveaway, publication of a commemorative hardback book and UK-wide events to share the history of National Express and showcase modern coach travel.
www.nationalexpress.com/ shareyourstories
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