Comparing Flixbus and National Express between Exeter and London

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Comparing Flixbus and National Express between Exeter and London

Рет қаралды 6,266

Күн бұрын

I have to be in London for a night for a birthday party. So rather than take the train, let's have a go at two of the main coach competitors on the route between Exeter and London.
First up I go Exeter to London with Flixbus, and then the following morning I return with National Express. Who has the better service? Let's try them out to see!
Departure: Exeter. England, UK
Destination: London Victoria Coach Station, England, UK
Operator: Berrys Coaches for Flixbus
Vehicle: Van Hool EX16M (2021)
Price: £22.99 / €26,90
Distance: 325 km / 202 miles
Duration: 5 hrs 5 mins
Average speed: 64 km/h 40 mph
Departure: London Victoria Coach Station, England, UK
Destination: Exeter. England, UK
Operator: Edwards Coaches for National Express
Vehicle: Scania K410CB6 Caetano Levante 3A (2023)
Cost: £18.90 / €22,10
Distance: 319 km / 198 miles
Duration: 4 hrs 35 mins
Average speed: 70 km/h 43 mph
Rail comparator:
Exeter Central to London Waterloo return (advance ticket, 1 month in advance)
1st Class: £56.89 / €66,50
2nd Class: £38.59 / €45,10
Date of Travel: March 2024
Thank you to everyone that supports the channel by subscribing, liking, commenting or just watching these videos. I really appreciate it!

Пікірлер: 86

@MikeS29 3 ай бұрын

You've done it so we won't have to! Thanks for taking one for the team, Johnny 🙂

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Here to be of service 😄 Thanks for watching this madness 👍

@phronsiekeys 3 ай бұрын

I'm jealous of the train being cheaper than the bus. Not so here in East US. I did a 4 hour-ish each way trip between NYC & DC recently on Flixbus with a friend. It got us where we were going for practically no money,, but oh brother, those awful seats. On the way to meet my friend in NYC, I did the train back and forth between Boston & NYC because the road traffic between those two cities can be intolerable and even though it probably cost 4x what the bus would have. We were 2 hours late anyway on my trip home, due to downed wires!

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Nice the hear the difference in the USA. Very interesting. And thanks too for watching 👍

@scorpion787x8 7 күн бұрын

Well done... Thank you... You do it so we don't have to...

@JohnnyHooverTravels 6 күн бұрын

@@scorpion787x8 that seems to be the way! Thanks for watching 👍

@colinlambert882 3 ай бұрын

If you are flying out of Heathrow, a train to Waterloo isn’t the best way, National Express takes you there without any changes - very good if you have extra luggage for your trip. National Express also has services around the clock, so that you can arrive at Heathrow in good time for your onward flight, whatever the timing.

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

You are quite right. Someone else in the comments said the same thing. The train for city to city... but i would happily go NX for Heathrow if i had a lot of luggage and the timing fitted. Train changes with a lot of luggage is difficult. Thanks for watching 👍

@Timstravels01 3 ай бұрын

A really enjoyable compare and contrast. Top work!

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Cheers Tim! 👍

@FiremanSamBoy2008 3 ай бұрын

Nice, I live in Exeter too so this is nice to see.

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Thanks. Nice to have some local viewers! Best wishes to you 👍

@FiremanSamBoy2008 3 ай бұрын

@@JohnnyHooverTravels Thank you too mate :)

@Sim0nTrains 3 ай бұрын

Great video, coach journey do look nice but the train journey is always better

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

In general I agree. At heart I'm still a train fan 😄

@andyml1 3 ай бұрын

Great to join you on a coach trip for a change of pace Jonny.🙂 Arriving at Victoria reminded me of my time working over the road at the BOAC Air Terminal. We ran buses too…to T3 LHR. In much earlier times trains left a dedicated platform behind the building taking pax to the flying boats in Southampton Water!

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

I was looking at the building on google maps and i did reckon that there was probably a dedicated platform for it. Nice to hear that confirmed 👍 Thanks for that and thanks for watching 👍

@enricomonti156 3 ай бұрын

Great video. I have visited Victoria Coach station several times using Megabus, National Express and Terravision whilst they still operated the service to Stansted (from which they were banned since 2015). A good tip should you ever take a long journey on National Express. Ever since I saw a video of Mark (@Let's Make a Trip) doing an overnight to Edinburgh on National Express, I discovered the magic seat 2A of their newer coaches (you were on one of them). I always have been booking that seat ever since (I am 1.81 m tall), and on longer travels (Leeds to Luton Airport in 2022) and Birmingham to Luton Airport two weeks ago it was amazing

@GabrielsReviews 3 ай бұрын

The seat 2A trick ? I've done that many times . Think I'll do it again at some point .

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Amazed to hear a Yorkshire rock band had branched out into coach services! 🤣 Yeah the 2a seat is getting popular for sure! Best wishes to you and thanks for watching 👍

@lovefive5733 3 ай бұрын

A great video jonny,Hope you're well 😊😊

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Thanks. I'm good. I hope you are too 👍

@davidredgewell7415 11 сағат бұрын

Exeter St Davids And Exeter Central to London Waterloo,

@JohnnyHooverTravels 8 сағат бұрын

@@davidredgewell7415 that is definitely my preferred route for combination of cost, speed and comfort 👍

@dazzlingdaz187 3 ай бұрын

Great review. Never taken FlixBus but always found NX very good so this has just confirmed that. I haven't seen those cheap SWR fares into Waterloo though, I guess because I don't book far enough in advance!

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Yes, i will try to stick to NX on that route in future, if i cannot pick up the cheap SWR fare. Thanks for watching 👍

@ampersand. 3 ай бұрын

Ha, gotta watch out for those sneaky seat squatters! Thanks for the informative video - bit of a nuisance to have to go via Bristol isn`t it...

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Yes. Not one i would like to repeat, but them was the breaks!

@Fan652w 3 ай бұрын

Congratulations Johnny on an excellent and very informative video. I have known Exeter since 1966 so I was familiar with the HUGE coach station, right next to the bus station, which used to exist in Paris Street. Nowadays coach stops in many places are in out-of-the way back streets.

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Yes it is a shame that the redevelopment of the bus station did not include any provisions for c coaches. At least there is a good coffee shop on that road where you are now forced to wait. Thanks again for the kind words and for watching another 👍

@paulgibsonphotography 3 ай бұрын

Great Video Johnny

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Thanks Paul 👍

@Kulla1berg 3 ай бұрын

At least there are no buss conflicts as there are for the trains I am right now in England and found it quite difficult to understand how to ride and buy train tickets Travelling from Manchester Airport to Lancaster, brought a ticket in a machine but then trying to find at what time that company had a train going north wasn’t easy and even trying to understand off peak and peak. No signs was telling me about that

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Yes. UK trains are difficult. Download the Northern Trains app and buy tickets through that. You can buy tickets right across the uk with it. But there are still many ticket types! Best wishes for your travels 👍

@andrewhemingway337 3 ай бұрын

I took flix bus from Warsaw to Wroclaw took about 4 hours I stop off in a Polish town I can’t pronounce. Knowing I’m the only Englishman here was a great feeling. It was cramped but you can’t beat the price

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Yes, i think you can get some crazy cheap prices sometimes on FlixBus! Thanks for watching 👍

@andrewhemingway337 3 ай бұрын

@@JohnnyHooverTravels you’re a fantastic travel aid

@andrewlong6438 3 ай бұрын

I was in Poland last week and took a day trip to Poznan from Wrocław. Now that my wife and I are both over 60, we get 30% off rail fares and travelled first class. It cost just over £40 return for both of us and took 90 minutes each way.

@iiBus 3 ай бұрын

Lodz? (pronounced Woodge)

@davidredgewell7415 11 сағат бұрын

The Flixbus coaches stops are poor at Taunton at the Garage no bus or coach shelters and at Bristol Bond Street, Flixbus never appear to work with councils and Transportation Authority on waiting rooms like National Express coaches, On National Express coaches limited

@JohnnyHooverTravels 8 сағат бұрын

@@davidredgewell7415 it is pretty much the same everywhere i go. Often in European places i see a lonely Flixbus sign on a lampost near an industrial estate or something. Keeps it cheap i suppose 🤷‍♂️ Thanks so much for watching 👍

@Diana-andre2018 3 ай бұрын

Thanks Johnny for these interesting journeys by coach. Sometimes it’s good to travel by another method just to compare different forms of transport, if nothing else. I was a little surprised by the prices you showed at the end, as I assumed all coach trips are way cheaper than by train, but maybe not every time! Looking forward to seeing your trip with Megabus. 😊

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

I think the coach probably could have been cheaper, but those are the fares this rookie coach traveller got. The SWR tickets are a sneaky cheap route into London, even though slower than GWR. Thanks for watching 👍

@peterdnreynolds777 3 ай бұрын

Brilliant video as always!!!

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Thanks Peter 👍

@CherylRayment-ec3ke 3 ай бұрын

Great video as always

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Thank you. And thanks for watching another 👍

@davidredgewell7415 11 сағат бұрын

Bristol city council need to improve passenger experience in Bond Street shelters Interchanges with the west of England mayoral combined transport Authority

@JohnnyHooverTravels 8 сағат бұрын

@@davidredgewell7415 Bond St is miserable, I agree.

@godders7964 3 ай бұрын

It's not good to see one of the Flixbus coach drivers thinking he only needs one hand to steer. A big bump and ...!

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Oh yes. Didn't notice that! Thanks for watching 👍

@iiBus 3 ай бұрын

Different operators will be contracted to run on behalf of these companies running with a variety of vehicles so trips may not be the same. The one at 9:15 may well be one of the ones operated by McGill's in Scotland.

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Yes I do find it interesting how these large national and international bus companies are really sales and marketing companies. They accept the risk/reward on routes by providing them and setting the prices... then the actual bus operators provide the equipment to deliver the service... seems to work pretty well as a model as everybody seems to work like that on the whole. Thanks for watching 👍

@horsehollerer 3 ай бұрын

What a great idea, and I say that as a fellow train person! I mean, the Flixbus seats can't have been as bad as the GWR standard class ironing boards, amirite? 🤣Last month, I took my first ever Flixbus, from Trieste to Ljubljana, to save an Interrail day, and it was, y'know, alright/ok/fine etc. Cheers! P.S. Well played with the hangover management...

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

I think they were about as bad as the GWR seats. About an hour in my bum was numb. I'm actually off to Ljubljana myself tomorrow for a couple of nights. I think i will just get the bus to Bled on my non interrail day there. Thanks for coming along again 👍

@horsehollerer 3 ай бұрын

@@JohnnyHooverTravels Amazing, I love Slovenia so much. And yep, I also took the bus to Bled! (It's Arriva believe it or not). If you have time I also recommend taking a local train from Ljubljana to Kamnik Mesto (about 40 mins). Kamnik is an absolute gem of a village and seems to be way off the tourist trail. Cheers and have a great time!

@sandiandgregh 3 ай бұрын

Trains are always 1st with us too but sometimes buses are nice for a change. National Express does seem to rate well with KZfaqrs. I have to ask: was that a real camel??

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Haha that's Humphrey, the Bridgwater Camel! He's been there since the 1980s. My family has always waved to him! One of those "you're nearly home" markers. This area in Somerset is known for their carnival floats and the camel was built for one way back and the farmer that made it just plonked it at the end of the field by the motorway and he's been there ever since. He had a break in 2020 when he popped off to get re plastered, re fibreglassed and re painted Pleased he made you smile 👍

@neilmcdonald9164 3 ай бұрын

Coach seat trays are by definition flimsy due to their foldaway nature🎩

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Well, yes... except they can be sturdy on trains and planes... Thanks for watching 👍

@tonys1636 3 ай бұрын

Whatever happened to the National Express hostess with an arse the size of a small country. Usually I would take the train except when travelling from Cork to UK, then it's Eurolines from Cork to Victoria, train too much effort humping luggage and a lot of walking between train and ferry terminal. Don't think the services from Cork have been reinstated since Covid so it's from Dublin for now.

@alang5764 3 ай бұрын

The Cork - London route was not cancelled due to covid, National Express dropped the route about a month prior to the big shutdown in 2020 for commercial reasons, there is no suggestion they will restart it unfortunately.

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Ah a hostess? That would surely have been a Divine Comedy if it still was provided. London to cork by bus would have made a nice video. Ah well... Thanks for watching 👍

@WINGSANDRAILS 3 ай бұрын

Never drive flixbus in Germany ;-(.

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

I will remember that! 👍

@francoisworld9924 3 ай бұрын

Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery Bristol B6 (Purdown) and the old mental asylum ( yellow building ) . I've done a couple of videos there

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for that. I will go have a look. And thanks for watching 👍

@MarcsCupofTea 3 ай бұрын

Great comparison. I've been on Flix twice now and found the value the real selling point. Bristol to London for £3.99 for instance but extra do cost money, neighbour free, extra baggage etc, Ryanair style up selling but I enjoyed using Flix, just unfortunate they ain't at my local stop in Chippenham yet. So for that I like to use National Express, they have a good service from here and fares have been reasonable £10.40 yesterday for 2 of us into London but unfortunately the air conditioning wasn't working 🥵. A minor glitch as it was one of the older 17 plate coaches which are set to go shortly. Overall National Express still set the benchmark for coach travel in the UK.

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for that. Yes i must agree there's probably more deals to be had for the more savvy coach traveller. So i will persist with the coach travel 😃 Thanks for watching 👍

@GabrielsReviews 3 ай бұрын

If they run to Bath , would that potentially be worth doing? I know there's a local bus between Bath and Bristol

@MarcsCupofTea 3 ай бұрын

@@GabrielsReviews if they ran to Bath yes. It's only 1 local bus for me and would be very convenient

@GabrielsReviews 3 ай бұрын

@@MarcsCupofTea Shame that stopped. Flixbus suggested booking to Frome or Bristol instead .

@MarcsCupofTea 3 ай бұрын

@@GabrielsReviews yeah I seen Frome listed as a stop. I'll look into what routes that is

@neilmcdonald9164 3 ай бұрын

Some NX rivals mash together bits of National Express routes hence more meandering routes🎩

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

That makes sense. Good point 👍

@benedictdesilva6677 3 ай бұрын

7:31 The German translation of *DEPARTURES* is *Abflüge* but should be *Abfahrten.* Translating back *Abflüge* literally means *Departing Flights.* Seeing this in a sophisticated world city is quite toe-curling, unless it is an obscure nod to the nearby building that was once Imperial Airways Empire Terminal-as one has learnt here. But if indeed, why only in German?

@JohnnyHooverTravels 3 ай бұрын

No. I suspect they just got it wrong! Maybe copied from something written for an airport? Anyway, thanks so much for watching 👍