Megabus

Friday 9 February 2024 (1352) – Norwich bus station Ambassador Travel 215 (BV19 XPU), a Caetano Levante bodied Scania K360 new in June 2019, was about to work the 1355 National Express service 728 to Heathrow Airport. This service had started from UEA (University of East Anglia) at 1330. Its route would be via Thetford (1440), Mildenhall (1500), Newmarket (1520), Cambridge (Parkside) (1550-1600), Trumpington Park & Ride (1625), Stansted Airport (1705-1715), Heathrow Airport (Central 1845-1855 and Terminal 5 (1905)). Prospect Coaches 151 (PR19 STU), an Irizar i6 integral new in June 2019, was about to work the 1405 Megabus service M87 to Liverpool. The route was via UEA (1415), Cambridge (1545), Coventry (1720), Birmingham (1805-1810), Manchester Airport (2000). Manchester (2040) and Liverpool (2150). My outing today from Cambridge to Norwich and back was on the Megabus service. Whichever of these coaches a passenger chose to travel to Cambridge they would have arrived there on time. First Eastern Counties Buses 36916 (YN69 XZW), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400 MMC bodied Scania N250UD new in December 2019, which would work the 1400 ‘excel’ service B to Peterborough. Konectbus 607 (SN61 CZX), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400D new in January 2012. (Out of service) Konectbus 632 (SN65 OAO), an Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400D new in September 2015 on Park & Ride service 503.

Saturday 2 November 2024 (1215) – Thandi Executive Coaches TH18 NDY seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). It is a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18 YTC. Only a few weeks remaining before Megabus withdraws this and most other services it operates in England. In this case Sunday 1 December will be the last date of operation. On the left is a United States Air Force Unvi Cimo coach quite possibly working the shuttle service which links the two USAF bases at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall.

Saturday 2 November 2024 (1215) – Thandi Executive Coaches TH18 NDY seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). It is a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18 YTC. Only a few weeks remaining before Megabus withdraws this and most other services it operates in England. In this case Sunday 1 December will be the last date of operation.

Sunday 3 November 2024 (1214) – Thandi Executive Coaches TH18 NDY seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). It is a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18 YTC. It had worked the same service timing on both Saturday 2 and Sunday 2 November. Only a few weeks remaining before Megabus withdraws this and most other services it operates in England. In this case Sunday 1 December will be the last date of operation.

Friday 29 November 2024 (1214) – Thandi Coaches, Smethwick TH18 NDY, a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18 YTC, seen in busy Friday traffic on the A11 approaching Fiveways, Barton Mills. It was working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). The coach returned from Norwich to Birmingham as the 1425 service which, on paper, was shown as through working through to Bristol (2035). In reality it would seem the service was split at Birmingham because TH18 NDY often appeared on the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich and 1425 Norwich-Birmingham journeys on consecutive days, as it did on the three days of this weekend, confirming that the service hadn’t run through to Bristol. Prospect Coaches of Lye, Stourbridge had operated the service for a couple of years or so before I noted that Thandi appeared around September 2024. During this time coaches had run to/from Liverpool via Manchester rather than to Bristol. It had been announced that Megabus would withdraw most of its services in England and Wales after service on Wednesday 4 December 2024. Since service M87 had become Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only in the late summer that would have meant the final day of M87 operation would be Sunday 1 December 2024. After photographing the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich run on the three days of the ‘last weekend’ I discovered the service was being run for a while longer on a new timetable. (The Megabus website, which seemed haphazard at the time, suggested operation on just December 6,7,8,13,14,15 and 21 with no further dates – but who knows?)

Friday 29 November 2024 (1214) – Thandi Coaches, Smethwick TH18 NDY, a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18 YTC, seen in busy Friday traffic on the A11 approaching Fiveways, Barton Mills. It was working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). The coach returned from Norwich to Birmingham as the 1425 service which, on paper, was shown as through working through to Bristol (2035). In reality it would seem the service was split at Birmingham because TH18 NDY often appeared on the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich and 1425 Norwich-Birmingham journeys on consecutive days, as it did on the three days of this weekend, confirming that the service hadn’t run through to Bristol. Prospect Coaches of Lye, Stourbridge had operated the service for a couple of years or so before I noted that Thandi appeared around September 2024. During this time coaches had run to/from Liverpool via Manchester rather than to Bristol. It had been announced that Megabus would withdraw most of its services in England and Wales after service on Wednesday 4 December 2024. Since service M87 had become Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only in the late summer that would have meant the final day of M87 operation would be Sunday 1 December 2024. After photographing the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich run on the three days of the ‘last weekend’ I discovered the service was being run for a while longer on a new timetable. (The Megabus website, which seemed haphazard at the time, suggested operation on just December 6,7,8,13,14,15 and 21 with no further dates – but who knows?)

Saturday 30 November 2024 (1215) – Thandi Coaches, Smethwick TH18 NDY, a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18 YTC, seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills. It was working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). The coach returned from Norwich to Birmingham as the 1425 service which, on paper, was shown as through working through to Bristol (2035). In reality it would seem the service was split at Birmingham because TH18 NDY often appeared on the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich and 1425 Norwich-Birmingham journeys on consecutive days, as it did on the three days of this weekend, confirming that the service hadn’t run through to Bristol. Prospect Coaches of Lye, Stourbridge had operated the service for a couple of years or so before I noted that Thandi appeared around September 2024. During this time coaches had run to/from Liverpool via Manchester rather than to Bristol. It had been announced that Megabus would withdraw most of its services in England and Wales after service on Wednesday 4 December 2024. Since service M87 had become Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only in the late summer that would have meant the final day of M87 operation would be Sunday 1 December 2024. After photographing the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich run on the three days of the ‘last weekend’ I discovered the service was being run for a while longer on a new timetable. (The Megabus website, which seemed haphazard at the time, suggested operation on just December 6,7,8,13,14,15 and 21 with no further dates – but who knows?)

Saturday 30 November 2024 (1215) – Thandi Coaches, Smethwick TH18 NDY, a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18 YTC, seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills. It was working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). The coach returned from Norwich to Birmingham as the 1425 service which, on paper, was shown as through working through to Bristol (2035). In reality it would seem the service was split at Birmingham because TH18 NDY often appeared on the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich and 1425 Norwich-Birmingham journeys on consecutive days, as it did on the three days of this weekend, confirming that the service hadn’t run through to Bristol. Prospect Coaches of Lye, Stourbridge had operated the service for a couple of years or so before I noted that Thandi appeared around September 2024. During this time coaches had run to/from Liverpool via Manchester rather than to Bristol. It had been announced that Megabus would withdraw most of its services in England and Wales after service on Wednesday 4 December 2024. Since service M87 had become Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only in the late summer that would have meant the final day of M87 operation would be Sunday 1 December 2024. After photographing the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich run on the three days of the ‘last weekend’ I discovered the service was being run for a while longer on a new timetable. (The Megabus website, which seemed haphazard at the time, suggested operation on just December 6,7,8,13,14,15 and 21 with no further dates – but who knows?)

Saturday 30 November 2024 (1215) – Thandi Coaches, Smethwick TH18 NDY, a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18 YTC, seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills. It was working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). The coach returned from Norwich to Birmingham as the 1425 service which, on paper, was shown as through working through to Bristol (2035). In reality it would seem the service was split at Birmingham because TH18 NDY often appeared on the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich and 1425 Norwich-Birmingham journeys on consecutive days, as it did on the three days of this weekend, confirming that the service hadn’t run through to Bristol. Prospect Coaches of Lye, Stourbridge had operated the service for a couple of years or so before I noted that Thandi appeared around September 2024. During this time coaches had run to/from Liverpool via Manchester rather than to Bristol. It had been announced that Megabus would withdraw most of its services in England and Wales after service on Wednesday 4 December 2024. Since service M87 had become Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only in the late summer that would have meant the final day of M87 operation would be Sunday 1 December 2024. After photographing the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich run on the three days of the ‘last weekend’ I discovered the service was being run for a while longer on a new timetable. (The Megabus website, which seemed haphazard at the time, suggested operation on just December 6,7,8,13,14,15 and 21 with no further dates – but who knows?)

Sunday 1 December 2024 (1208) – Thandi Coaches, Smethwick TH18 NDY, a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18 YTC, seen on the A11 approaching Fiveways, Barton Mills. It was working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). The coach returned from Norwich to Birmingham as the 1425 service which, on paper, was shown as through working through to Bristol (2035). In reality it would seem the service was split at Birmingham because TH18 NDY often appeared on the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich and 1425 Norwich-Birmingham journeys on consecutive days, as it did on the three days of this weekend, confirming that the service hadn’t run through to Bristol. Prospect Coaches of Lye, Stourbridge had operated the service for a couple of years or so before I noted that Thandi appeared around September 2024. During this time coaches had run to/from Liverpool via Manchester rather than to Bristol. It had been announced that Megabus would withdraw most of its services in England and Wales after service on Wednesday 4 December 2024. Since service M87 had become Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only in the late summer that would have meant the final day of M87 operation would be Sunday 1 December 2024. After photographing the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich run on the three days of the ‘last weekend’ I discovered the service was being run for a while longer on a new timetable. (The Megabus website, which seemed haphazard at the time, suggested operation on just December 6,7,8,13,14,15 and 21 with no further dates – but who knows?)

Saturday 2 November 2024 (1215) – Thandi Executive Coaches TH18 NDY seen at Fiveways, Barton Mills when working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). It is a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18YTC. Only a few weeks remaining before Megabus withdraws this and most other services it operates in England. In this case Sunday 1 December will be the last date of operation. On the left is a United States Air Force Unvi Cimo coach quite possibly working the shuttle service which links the two USAF bases at RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall.

Sunday 1 December 2024 (1208) – Thandi Coaches, Smethwick TH18 NDY, a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new to Shearings Holidays (148) in June 2018 registered BU18 YTC, seen on the A11 approaching Fiveways, Barton Mills. It was working the 0910 Megabus service M87 from Birmingham to Norwich (due 1315) via Coventry (1000), Cambridge (1135) and Norwich (University of East Anglia) (1305). The coach returned from Norwich to Birmingham as the 1425 service which, on paper, was shown as through working through to Bristol (2035). In reality it would seem the service was split at Birmingham because TH18 NDY often appeared on the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich and 1425 Norwich-Birmingham journeys on consecutive days, as it did on the three days of this weekend, confirming that the service hadn’t run through to Bristol. Prospect Coaches of Lye, Stourbridge had operated the service for a couple of years or so before I noted that Thandi appeared around September 2024. During this time coaches had run to/from Liverpool via Manchester rather than to Bristol. It had been announced that Megabus would withdraw most of its services in England and Wales after service on Wednesday 4 December 2024. Since service M87 had become Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only in the late summer that would have meant the final day of M87 operation would be Sunday 1 December 2024. After photographing the 0910 Birmingham-Norwich run on the three days of the ‘last weekend’ I discovered the service was being run for a while longer on a new timetable. (The Megabus website, which seemed haphazard at the time, suggested operation on just December 6,7,8,13,14,15 and 21 with no further dates – but who knows?)

Friday 10 April 2015 (0826) - Stagecoach Midlands (Midland Red) 50246 (SV62 BBJ), a Van Hool TDX27 Astromega new in September 2012 to Stagecoach Bluebird (Scotland), seen near Newmarket Road Park and Ride site, Cambridge. It was working the 0540 Megabus service M37 from Birmingham via Cambridge (0805) to Norwich (UEA 0945 and Bus Station 1000). It would return at 1220 running through to Cardiff (due 1850).

Sunday 7 May 2017 (1717) – Stagecoach west Scotland 54121 (SP62 CGY) seen leaving Edinburgh bus station on the 1715 Megabus service M92 to Perth (1840) and Dundee (1910). A Plaxton Panther bodied Volvo B13RT new in October 2012.

Sunday 7 May 2017 (1154) – The two road bridges over the Firth of Forth seen from the southern bank. The most distant (with white looking cables) is the new Queensferry Crossing due to open during 2017. The original Forth Suspension Bridge (with grey paintwork) is closer to the camera and opened in 1964. To the left of the taller supporting tower is a Megabus coach heading south, to the right of the tower is a Stagecoach Scotland coach heading north. The famous railway bridge that opened in 1890 is downstream to the right of where this photograph was taken.

Sunday 5 July 2015 (1017) - Stagecoach 50223 (OU59 AUW), a Van Hool TD925 Astromega, was new in September 2009 for operation on the Oxford-London 'Oxford Tube' service. It has subsequently operated on service X25 Glasgow-Abronhill in Scotland. It was seen here at Shudehill bus station in Manchester ready to work a service to Leeds (either Megabus or another Stagecoach economy service).

Showbus, Donington - Sun 25 Sep 2016 Megabus liveried Van Hool TX27 Astromega YJ66 FFT Stagecoach West Scotland (Western Buses) 50292

Showbus, Donington - Sun 25 Sep 2016 Megabus liveried Van Hool TX27 Astromega YJ66 FFT Stagecoach West Scotland (Western Buses) 50292