Prospect Coaches (Megabus contractor) PR71 BEC at Barton Mills - 2 Apr 2023 (P1140820)

Sunday 2 April 2023 (1405) – Prospect Coaches of Lye near Stourbridge PR71 BEC seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 1300 Megabus service M37 from Norwich to Cardiff. It is an Irizar i6 new in November 2021.

From Monday 27 March 2023 the Birmingham-Norwich/Norwich-Birmingham Megabus service M37 saw an increase in frequency running five days per week (Thursdays to Mondays). Latterly it had just been a single round trip working on four days per week (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from Birmingham at 1110 arriving Norwich at 1510 returning from Norwich at 1615 arriving Birmingham 2010).

Westbound the new timetable features departures from Norwich at 1300 and UEA at 1315 (to Cambridge, Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol (UWE), Bristol city, Cardiff University and Cardiff city) and from Norwich at 1900 and UEA at 1915 (to Cambridge, Coventry and Birmingham).

The Eastbound timetable features a departure from Bristol Airport at 1020 (via Bristol city, Bristol (UWE), Swindon and Oxford to Birmingham continuing at 1355 to Coventry, Cambridge, UEA and Norwich. There is also a departure at 0815 from Birmingham to Norwich via Coventry, Cambridge and UEA.

The somewhat different routings and points served beyond Birmingham to/from Bristol etc is unusual.