Take a National Express coach - the simple, stress-free solution to travel at Christmas
Just under half of passengers travelling with National Express in December will be doing so to visit friends and family.
But with Network Rail carrying out 386 engineering projects over the festive period, no trains running at all on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day and a limited service on Boxing Day, this isn’t always easy for those who can’t or don’t want to drive.
The UK’s largest coach operator is offering a solution with services running every day of the year across its unrivalled UK network, including direct to the terminals of all major UK airports.
To ensure they can meet additional demand, they are increasing capacity by adding more than 30,000 extra seats to services over the Christmas period.
National Express Coach Managing Director Chris Hardy said: ‘Demand for travel by coach is stronger than ever. Last year, 750,000 journeys were taken with us during the festive season with 74,000 passenger journeys on Boxing Day alone, making it the busiest single day for travel in the company’s history.
‘Advance bookings and forecasts predict another busy year which we’re more than ready for.’
A National Express commissioned survey of 2,000 UK adults revealed:
The average Brit will travel 74 miles on their trip home for Christmas to visit family - and four in five of those surveyed look forward to the journey home for the festivities.
Twenty nine per cent enjoy the feeling they get when they are closer to home, and one in five feel relaxed as they make tracks back to their home town.
Only 28 per cent believe it will be possible to see everyone they want to reconnect with this Christmas. And 63 per cent of those surveyed said spending time with their family was the best thing about the Christmas break.
Chris added: ‘Christmas is a time for friends and family and for thousands of Brits it’s the only time this year that the entire clan is gathered around one table.
‘We understand that life often takes us far away from home, and can separate us from our home towns and family.
‘We also know that Christmas can be a particularly challenging time to travel, and making your way across the country to see friends and family can sometimes feel impossible.
‘We aim to make it easier for families who may find themselves separated by hundreds of miles this Christmas, by helping to bring them together.’
Getting the coach is the simplest way to travel. You can expect a guaranteed seat with generous legroom and on National Express coaches you can really relax and enjoy your journey with a digital entertainment service, free wifi and USB charging points.
Journeys between Portsmouth and London start from 1 hour 25 mins and from just £4 one-way. Visit www.nationalexpress.com