Whippet Coaches (National Express contractor) NX28 (BV67 JZN) at Barton Mills - 4 Apr 2020 (P1060595)

Saturday 4 April 2020 (1234 BST) – In response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak and the consequential reduction in passengers, National Express cut many services effective Tuesday 24 March 2020. From that date a limited number of routes operated on a temporary timetable with services numbered in the 800 series. Initially service 813 operated from Great Yarmouth to London (Victoria Coach Station) via Norwich, Thetford, Newmarket, Cambridge, Stansted Airport and Stratford with two departures from Great Yarmouth (at 0620 and 1050) and one from Norwich (at 1530). The northbound journeys departed Victoria at 0930 (to Norwich only) followed by two journeys to Great Yarmouth at 1200 and 1630.

However, on Wednesday 1 April 2020 the service was cut back further and the only trip was an 1130 departure from Norwich arriving in Victoria at 1525 returning from Victoria at 1630. Within days of that happening it was announced that both National Express and Megabus would cease operating completely after Sunday 5 April 2020 until further notice.

Whippet Coaches NX28 (BV67 JZN), a Caetano Levante bodied Scania K410 new in January 2018, was as it pulled away from Fiveways roundabout Barton Mills as it worked the 1130 from Norwich to Victoria.

Normally this particular coach is one of the regular machines that work the National Express service 727 from Norwich to Heathrow and Gatwick Airports which also travels along this road, a service curtailed for the period of the emergency measures.