National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand

Brand

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 and company, owned by the National Express Group

National Express Group

National Express Group plc is a British transport group headquartered in Birmingham that operates bus, coach, rail and tram services in the UK, the US and Canada, Spain, Portugal and Morocco and long-distance coach routes across Europe...

, under which the majority of long distance bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

 and coach

Coach (vehicle)

A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...

 services in Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 are operated,

Most services are subcontracted to local bus and coach companies throughout England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 and Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, as specified below. The company's head office is based in Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, in offices above the new Birmingham Coach Station.

History

Following the Transport Act 1968

Transport Act 1968

The Transport Act 1968 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The main provisions made changes to the structure of nationally owned bus companies, created passenger transport authorities and executives to take over public transport in large conurbations.-National Bus Company:The Act...

, the National Bus Company (NBC) was formed and many local bus companies were nationalised. Many of these bus companies also operated coach services and these were marketed as National Express from 1972 (the actual coach services continued to be operated by the individual companies).

Coach services were de-regulated under the Transport Act 1980

Transport Act 1980

The Transport Act 1980 was a Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It introduced deregulation of coach services in the United Kingdom and allow authorities to deregulate bus services on a trial basis. It was introduced by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher. The later Transport Act...

 and buses by the Transport Act 1985

Transport Act 1985

The Transport Act 1985 was a Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It introduced deregulation of bus services throughout Great Britain, although a different system of franchised routes was applied in Greater London. It was introduced by the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher.Bus...

. The National Bus Company was privatised and National Express Holdings Ltd was formed in 1998 following a management buy-out; National Express Group (NEG) was formed in 1991 prior to the company being floated on the London Stock Exchange

London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...

 in 1992. It was given a remit to acquire new businesses in the passenger transport market, National Express was as a subsidiary company.

During 2001, National Express took the decision to end the historic on-board steward/ess service. Phil White, their then MD had stated he felt they made the company look old fashioned and passengers did not need them.

For most of its existence, National Express Coach Division had little, if any, competition in the long distance coach market. A number of operators had attempted to compete with the company after deregulation in 1980, the largest being the British Coachways

British Coachways

British Coachways was a consortium of independent coach operating companies in the United Kingdom. Formed immediately after the deregulation of coach services in October 1980, it competed with the state-owned National Express Coaches and Scottish Bus Group on a range of long-distance routes...

 consortium, but most had given up competition by the end of the decade. However, in 2003, Stagecoach Group

Stagecoach Group

Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...

 introduced a "no-frills" service, Megabus

Megabus (United Kingdom)

Megabus is a UK coach service operated by Stagecoach Group. It started in 2003 and as of February 2010 operated 19 UK coach routes serving 41 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. Some services link with Megatrain services which are also operated by Stagecoach...

, whose £1 fares sparked a price war

Price war

Price war is a term used in economic sector to indicate a state of intense competitive rivalry accompanied by a multi-lateral series of price reduction. One competitor will lower its price, then others will lower their prices to match. If one of them reduces their price again, a new round of...

 with National Express in autumn 2004. The competition intensified in 2007 when Megabus transferred its London terminus from the Green Line Coach Station

Green Line Coach Station

Green Line Coach Station is a coach station in London, England, situated in Bulleid Way, Victoria.The station offers coach services within Southeast England by Green Line Coaches and Greyhound UK...

 into the main Victoria Coach Station

Victoria Coach Station

Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London. It serves long distance coach services and is also the departure point for many countryside coach tours originating from London. It should not be confused with the nearby Green Line Coach Station serving Green Line...

.

In 2007–2008, as part of the group wide restructuring and re-branding the group's rail operations were branded as 'National Express' and the coach fleet received a slightly different livery, retaining the red white and blue theme, but adoption a new lower-case logo

Logo

A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...

; coaches stated appearing in the new livery from December 2007.

Routes and Brands

National Express offer many standard 'National Express routes across the country. In addition they run shuttle and airport services.

Shuttle Services

Many 'National Express' coach routes pass through several town centres, which increases journey times for longer journeys considerably. A smaller number of Shuttle services operate at least once an hour over faster direct routes. Shuttle services operate on the following routes:

• 010 - London - Cambridge
• 025 - London - Gatwick Airport - Brighton
• 032 - London - Southampton
• 035 - London - Bournemouth
• 040
  National Express Coach route 040
  National Express Coaches Route 040 is a UK coach service operated by National Express Coaches in England which starts in Bristol and travels directly to London. One journey a day continues to Burnham-on-Sea.-Expansion:...
  
   - London - Bristol
• 060 - Leeds
  Leeds
  Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
  
   - Manchester
  Manchester
  Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
  
   - Liverpool
  Liverpool
  Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
  
  
• 070 - Sheffield
  Sheffield
  Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
  
   - Leeds
  Leeds
  Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
  
  
• 420 - London - Birmingham, Dudley and Wolverhampton

The 040 Bristol - London Shuttle continues to Burnham-on-Sea once a day in each direction, usually early morning to London and late evening from, while retaining its NXL shuttle branding. It operates with Irizar PB

Irizar PB

The Irizar PB is a coach body built on a wide range of chassis. It was designed by Arup Design Research in the UK. Its revolutionary styling and features led to the variant with a Scania chassis being named European Coach of the Year 2004....

 / Scania K124

Scania K124

The Scania K124 is a rear-engined bus built by Scania AB of Sweden with 12-litre engine , coupled to a Scania manual or automatic transmission....

 coaches.

The 420 London - Birmingham service is operated directly by National Express from Birmingham coach station. However during 2007, along with other Birmingham based services operated by Travel West Midlands and Go West Midlands

Go West Midlands

Go West Midlands was a bus company based in Birmingham in the United Kingdom. It was owned by Go-Ahead Group and was formed through Go-Ahead buying Probus Management Limited and Birmingham Coach Company and merging the two...

, these were franchised out to Veolia, due to the lack of space available at Birmingham's temporary coach station.

Airport services

National Express operate a number of Airport services to a number of different airports. Services include:-

• 200 - Gatwick Airport - Heathrow Airport - Reading - Bristol
• 201 - Gatwick Airport - Heathrow Airport - Bristol - Newport - Cardiff - Swansea
• 202 - Heathrow Airport - Bristol - Newport - Cardiff - Swansea
• 205 - Gatwick Airport - Heathrow Airport - Ringwood - Bournemouth - Poole
• 206 - Gatwick Airport North Terminal - Gatwick Airport South Terminal - Chichester - Portsmouth - Portsmouth (CFT) - Fareham - Southampton - Ringwood - Bournemouth - Westbourne - Branksome - Parkstone - Poole
• 210 - Gatwick Airport - Heathrow Airport - Banbury / Coventry - Birmingham - Wolverhampton
• 230 - Gatwick Airport - Heathrow Airport - Milton Keynes - Leicester - Nottingham
• 240 - Bradford - Leeds - Sheffield - Chesterfield - East Midlands Airport - Coventry - Warwick Parkway - Heathrow Airport - Gatwick Airport (Accessible Coach Service)
• 707 - Gatwick Airport - Heathrow Airport - Hemel Hempstead - Luton Airport - Luton bus station - Milton Keynes - Northampton
• 727 - Brighton - Gatwick Airport - Heathrow Airport - Stansted Airport - Newmarket - Thetford - Attleborough - Norwich bus station - University of East Anglia
• 747 - Brighton - Gatwick Airport - Heathrow Airport
• 777 - Stansted Airport - Luton Airport - Birmingham (early morning and evening services extend to/from Wolverhampton)

The Airport brand was created in 2003 when the National Express image brand was updated - it merged the former Airlink, Flightlink, Jetlink and Speedlink brands, which were confusing, especially to passengers travelling between Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

Most coaches on these services operate with the National Express Airport brand, the airport being in white inside a red box below the 'National Express' name on the side of the coach.

Vehicles on services 777 and 210 operate in standard National Express branding as these services are now operated by Veolia, and use the same pool of coaches of that operators services based in Birmingham (namely the 325, 420 and 545).

Accessible coach routes

National Express is introducing a new generation of coaches that feature a wheelchair lift incorporated into the passenger entrance onto the UK network . These vehicles feature a wider entrance and a completely flat floor throughout the coach to aid mobility for all. The NX Magic Floor Lift is incorporated into the passenger entrance and when deployed, the wheelchair is locked in place and the customer safely and securely uses the same standard three-point seat belt as other customers.

As of February 2010 the following services are advertised as operating with accessible vehicles:-

• A6 - Stansted Airport - Golders Green - Finchley Road - Lord's Cricket Ground - Baker Street - Marble Arch - Victoria Rail Station - London Victoria Coach Station
• A9 - Stansted Airport - Stratford - Bow - Mile End - Whitechapel - London Liverpool Street Street Station - Shoreditch - Bethnal Green - as of 16/12/2010
• 240 - Leeds - Sheffield - Coventry - Heathrow Airport - Gatwick Airport
• 314 - Liverpool - Stoke - Birmingham - Coventry - Northampton - Bedford - Cambridge
• 333 - Blackpool - Bolton - Mancs - Stoke - Bristol - Yeovil - W'mouth - Poole - B'mouth
• 337 - Coventry - Leamington - Stratford - Cheltenham - Bristol - Exeter - Torquay - Paignton
• 341 - Burnley - Blackburn - Bolton - Mancs - B'ham - Weston-S-M - Exeter - Torquay (not including night or seasonal services)
• 390 - Hull (Docks) - Leeds - Manchester
• 403 - Bath - Swindon - Chippenham - Heathrow - London (side-entry passenger lift)
• 538 - The Midlands - Manchester Airport - Manchester - Preston - Carlisle - Scotland
• 560 - Barnsley - Sheffield - London (not including night or seasonal services)
• 562 - Hull - Doncaster - London
• 591 - Edinburgh - Newcastle - London (not including night or seasonal services)
• 737 - Oxford - High Wycombe - Luton Airport - Stansted Airport
• 767 - Nottingham - Leicester - Luton Airport - Stansted Airport

Vehicles include reclining leather seats, air conditioning, and a large toilet. A programme of routes is currently being planned to roll out the accessible coach across the network, with the whole network being fully accessible by 2012. Unfortunately, during this roll-out the operation on occasions will use vehicles without accessible features on services advertised as accessible.

Fares

A number of discount fare brands are available, including:

Coachcards
National Express offers a range of coachcards to customers which allows discounts on National Express tickets. At one point, this consisted of a Student, Young Persons, and Advantage 50 coachcards - which allowed the holder up to 30% of the price of coach tickets. This has since been rationalised with the company only offering an NX2 card (recently renamed the 16 to 25 coachcard in order to provide a clearer brand name), offering the same discount to previous Students and Young Persons cards. Since the introduction in 2004 of half price fares for the over 60's, the Advantage 50 card was scrapped, although cards are still valid until expiry. A Family coachcard is also offered, and is cheaper than the NX2 card, and allows the holder of the card to take one child free with them, in many cases the cost of the Family Coachcard is cheaper than the fare for a child.

Brit Xplorer
This is a card valid for a set period of time which allows non-UK residents (a passport of another country is needed to purchase this) travel as a standby passenger on all National Express services, the holder can opt to pay a small fee in order to reserve a seat on a specific service.

Funfares
Launched as a result of severe competition from easyBus

EasyBus

EasyBus provides UK express coach services to and from London and its main airports. It was founded by entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou in 2003, and is part of the EasyGroup...

 and Megabus

Megabus (United Kingdom)

Megabus is a UK coach service operated by Stagecoach Group. It started in 2003 and as of February 2010 operated 19 UK coach routes serving 41 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. Some services link with Megatrain services which are also operated by Stagecoach...

, funfares are cheap single fares, purchased only on the internet as an 'e-ticket', similar to low-fare airlines, thus reducing overheads. Further restrictions are put on these tickets - such as the inability to change the time on the ticket, or to travel on a different coach. Funfares were launched on Shuttle services but have since been rolled out across the network. A percentage of seats on off-peak services can be booked in this way. For a long while Funfares were priced from a highly competitive £1 a ticket, which undercut Megabus when taking into account booking charges. Subsequently though the price of Funfares increased to a less attractive minimum of £5 a single ticket with an additional booking charge which means that they are often undercut by rival bus and on occasions train operators.

Multirides
For frequent travellers, packs of ten separate journeys can be bought for a saving of ten percent on regular fares on a limited number of services. Tickets are valid for up to six months and can be used in either direction of travel. These are only sold on a limited number of services.

Franchise operators

The majority of National Express services are contracted to local bus and coach companies. As part of the contract, operators who run services every day are required to use coaches in full National Express livery, although there are a few exceptions for operators who operate irregular services (for example extras laid on at weekends). There are also some occasions where an operator will use a privately hired vehicle due to lack of availability.

In addition to this, coaches from outside companies can be hired in at anytime to work "Duplicate Coaches" which can run alongside a route for all or some of it - an extremely common practice during busy periods.

Recently some of the operators who are not contracted to provide National Express liveried coaches have begun to break away from this, by using vehicles in plain white with a National Express logo on the side, and a few have also acquired coaches that are no longer in regular service on the network.

One such operator - Stagecoach - is both a National Express franchisee, and operates its own rival Megabus

Megabus (United Kingdom)

Megabus is a UK coach service operated by Stagecoach Group. It started in 2003 and as of February 2010 operated 19 UK coach routes serving 41 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. Some services link with Megatrain services which are also operated by Stagecoach...

 services.

• Ace Travel, Chapelhall
  Chapelhall
  Chapelhall is a village outside the town of Airdrie in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. However, with house building this distinction between Airdrie and Chapelhall is being eroded...
  
  
• Ambassador Travel, Great Yarmouth
  Great Yarmouth
  Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
  
  
• Atlantis Coach Travel, Reading
  Reading, Berkshire
  Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
  
  
• Bebb Travel, Llantwit Fardre
  Llantwit Fardre
  Llantwit Fardre is a large village situated on the A473, Pontypridd to Bridgend , road near the Welsh towns of Pontypridd and Llantrisant. Confusingly, Llantwit Fardre is also the name of the old parish and the community area that takes in the villages of Llantwit Fardre, Tonteg and Church...
  
  
• Bennett's Travel, Stafford
  Stafford
  Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
  
  
• Berwyn Coaches, Trefor
  Trefor
  Trefor is a village on the north coast of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. Its population, with nearby Llanaelhaearn is 1,560.-Location and amenities:...
  
  
• B L Travel, Pontefract
  Pontefract
  Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
  
  
• Bruce's Coaches, Salsburgh
  Salsburgh
  Salsburgh is a small semi rural former coal mining village in the heart of greenbelt surrounded by farmland in the district of North Lanarkshire, Scotland, the closest major town to the village is Shotts 3 miles to the South East and Airdrie, North Lanarkshire 6 miles to the North West...
  
  
• Burton's Coaches, Haverhill
  Haverhill, Suffolk
  Haverhill is an industrial market town and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England, next to the borders of Essex and Cambridgeshire. It lies southeast of Cambridge and north of central London...
  
  
• Chalfont Coaches, Southall
  Southall
  Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
  
   (does not operate vehicles in National Express livery)
• Chenery, Dickleburgh
  Dickleburgh
  Dickleburgh is a village in South Norfolk situated six miles north of the Suffolk border. It lies on the old Roman road to Caistor St. Edmund which was the main road until a bypass was built in the early 1990s...
  
  
• Classic Buses, Annfield Plain
  Annfield Plain
  Annfield Plain is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated on a plateau between the towns of Stanley, to the north-east, and Consett, to the west. According to the 2001 census, Annfield Plain has a population of 3,569. Along with much of the surrounding area, Annfield Plain's...
  
  
• Clynnog & Trefor, Trefor
  Trefor
  Trefor is a village on the north coast of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. Its population, with nearby Llanaelhaearn is 1,560.-Location and amenities:...
  
   (does not operate vehicles in National Express livery)
• East Midlands Motor Services, Lincoln
  Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
  
  
• East Yorkshire Motor Services
  East Yorkshire Motor Services
  East Yorkshire Motor Services is a large bus and coach operator which operates throughout Kingston upon Hull, the East Riding of Yorkshire, the North Yorkshire coast and the North York Moors. In and around Scarborough, EYMS operates as Scarborough & District Motor Services...
  
  , Hull
  Kingston upon Hull
  Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
  
  
• E.Stott and Son, Huddersfield
  Huddersfield
  Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
  
   (operates coaches in D-Express livery)
• Epsom Coaches
• Excelsior Coaches, Bournemouth
  Bournemouth
  Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
  
  
• First Coaches (various)
• First Cymru
  First Cymru
  First Cymru Buses Ltd. is a provider of public transport bus services in South Wales. First Cymru was formed from a number of privatised former bus companies, including South Wales Transport. Its headquarters are in Penlan, Swansea...
  
  , South Wales
  South Wales
  South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
  
  
• First Devon and Cornwall
• First Somerset & Avon
  First Somerset & Avon
  First Somerset & Avon Ltd provides bus services in Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Bath and West Wiltshire. It is part of First Group. First Somerset & Avon operates an extensive network of services in and around Bath, Bridgwater, Bristol, Taunton, Trowbridge, Wells, Weston-super-Mare and...
  
  , Bath
• Flights Hallmark
  Flights Hallmark
  Flights Hallmark is a luxury coach and corporate cars business, which is part of the Rotala group. It is based in the English Midlands and has depots around the country, including one at Heathrow Airport.- History :...
  
  , Birmingham
  Birmingham
  Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
  
  
  • Galloway European Coachlines, Mendlesham
    Mendlesham
    Mendlesham, Suffolk is a small village with 1328 inhabitants, north east of Stowmarket and from LondonMendlesham is known for its large street fair which is held on every May Day bank holiday. Mendlesham has a popular community newsletter, and a good primary school. There are two public houses in...
    
    
• Go North East
  Go North East
  Go North East is the largest operator of bus services in North East England, United Kingdom. Go North East operates services in the counties of Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland...
  
  , Chester-Le-Street
  Chester-le-Street
  Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...
  
  
• Haytons Executive Travel, Burnage
  Burnage
  Burnage is a neighbourhood of the city of Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire it was included in the county of Greater Manchester in 1974. It is about south of Manchester city centre, bisected by the busy dual carriageway of Kingsway, part of the A34...
  
  
• Hills Coaches, Wolverhampton
  Wolverhampton
  Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
  
   (operates coaches in D-Express livery)
• Johnson Bros
• Linburg Touring,Sheffield
• Lucketts Travel
  Lucketts Travel
  Lucketts Travel is a small coach hire and excursion company based in Fareham, Hampshire, employing 70 people with a turnover in 2007 of £4.5m.The main vehicle type is the Scania Irizar coach, in either 49 executive or 53 standard seat configuration...
  
  , Fareham
  Fareham
  The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
  
  
• Park's, Hamilton
  Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
  Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
  
  
• Maineline Travel
• Mike De Courcey
• Peter Godward, South Woodham Ferrers
  South Woodham Ferrers
  South Woodham Ferrers is a town and civil parish in the borough of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It is approximately from London and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 16,629. The town is located east of Fenn Creek, and near where it meets the River Crouch...
  
   (operates coaches in D-Express livery)
• Selwyns Travel, Runcorn
  Runcorn
  Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
  
  
• Silverdale Tours, Nottingham
  Nottingham
  Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
  
  
• Skyline Travel, Oldbury
  Oldbury, West Midlands
  Oldbury is a town in the West Midlands in England. It is a part of the Black Country and the administrative centre of the borough of Sandwell.-Local government:...
  
  
• South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach
  South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach
  SGBC Ltd t/a South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach operate a number of bus services in the Bristol area. The majority of their bus services are school routes operated on behalf of South Gloucestershire Council, Bristol City Council and the Cabot Learning Federation, as well as a number of National...
  
  , Patchway
  Patchway
  Patchway is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated northwest of central Bristol. The town is a housing overflow for Bristol being contiguous to Bristol's urban area, and is often regarded as a large outer suburb. Nearby are the other Bristol satellite towns of Filton and Bradley Stoke....
  
  , Bristol
  Bristol
  Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
  
  
• Stagecoach Cambridgeshire
  Stagecoach Cambridgeshire
  Stagecoach Cambridgeshire is a bus company in England, which is part of the Stagecoach Group.Its headquarters are in Cambridge, and it operates services under the following brand names:—...
  
  , Peterborough
  Peterborough
  Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
  
  
• Stagecoach Cheltenham and Gloucester
  Stagecoach in Cheltenham
  Stagecoach in Cheltenham is a subsidiary of Stagecoach West, itself a sector of the larger Stagecoach Group, that operates buses in Cheltenham.- History :...
  
  
• Stagecoach South East
  Stagecoach South East
  Stagecoach South East is an operating division of the Stagecoach Group. The headquarters of the division are situated in Canterbury, England....
  
  , Dover
  Dover
  Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
  
  
• Stagecoach East Midlands
  Stagecoach East Midlands
  Stagecoach East Midlands is a bus company, part of the Stagecoach Group.Its headquarters are in Lincoln, England, and it operates services under the following brand names:*Stagecoach in Bassetlaw*Stagecoach in Mansfield*Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes...
  
  , Mansfield
  Mansfield
  Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
  
  
• Stagecoach South Midlands
  Stagecoach South Midlands
  Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is the name given to Stagecoach Group bus operations in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It used to be part of Stagecoach South Midlands along with Stagecoach in Warwickshire until March 2004.-History:...
  
  , Oxford
  Oxford
  The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
  
  
• Stagecoach Yorkshire
  Stagecoach Yorkshire
  Stagecoach Yorkshire is an operating division of Stagecoach UK Bus.It was formed in 2005 to take over the former Traction Group fleets in Yorkshire by Stagecoach Group, which took over Traction from Frank Carter on 14 December 2005; Yorkshire Traction, Yorkshire Terrier and Barnsley & District....
  
  , Barnsley
  Barnsley
  Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
  
  
• Stuarts Coaches, Carluke
  Carluke
  The town of Carluke lies in the heart of the Lanarkshire countryside in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, 5.4 miles northwest of Lanark and 4 miles southeast of Wishaw....
  
  
• Thomas Travel (Veolia Cymru), Barry (operates coaches in D-Express livery)
• Travelstar European, Walsall
  Walsall
  Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
  
  
• Travel de Courcey
  Travel De Courcey
  Travel de Courcey is a bus operator based near Coventry in the West Midlands region of England. They operate routes in the Coventry and Warwickshire area. The company was founded in 1972 by Mike de Courcey and now operate 74 vehicles, including 12 executive coaches, and employ around 130 staff...
  
  , Birmingham
  Birmingham
  Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
  
   (took over the depot from Veolia, Birmingham
  Veolia Transport
  Veolia Transport is the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia Environnement...
  
  )
• Transdev Yellow Buses
  Transdev Yellow Buses
  Yellow Buses is a bus operator based in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England, owned by the RATP Group, a company owned by the government of France. Although most routes are restricted to the Bournemouth local authority area, an increasing number are expanding into the adjacent areas of...
  
  , Bournemouth
  Bournemouth
  Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
  
  
• Trathens Travel Services, Plymouth
  Plymouth
  Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
  
  
• Travellers Choice, Carnforth
  Carnforth
  - References :...
  
  
• Truronian
  Truronian
  Truronian was a bus service and coaching holiday operator primarily located in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, In April 2008 Truronian was taken over by First Group PLC. Truronian local bus service has now merged with First Devon and Cornwall's bus operations. Truronian still operates the...
  
  , Truro
  Truro
  Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
  
  
• Ulsterbus
  Ulsterbus
  Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink , which also includes Northern Ireland Railways, Metro Belfast and Flexibus.-Services:Ulsterbus is responsible for most of the province-wide bus...
  
  , Belfast
  Belfast
  Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
  
  
• Wilts & Dorset
  Wilts & Dorset
  Wilts & Dorset is a bus company in England covering Poole, Bournemouth, East Dorset, South Wiltshire and West Hampshire. Its local headquarters is in Poole, but it is owned by the Go-Ahead Group, a major UK transport group....
  
  , Salisbury
  Salisbury
  Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
  
  
• Woottens Luxury Travel
  Woottens Luxury Travel
  Woottens Luxury Travel are a coach company in Buckinghamshire, England and the surrounding counties. They run local bus services under the name Tiger Line.-History:...
  
  , Chesham
  Chesham
  Chesham is a market town in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located 11 miles south-east of the county town of Aylesbury. Chesham is also a civil parish designated a town council within Chiltern district. It is situated in the Chess Valley and surrounded by farmland, as well as...
  
  , Buckinghamshire
  Buckinghamshire
  Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
  
  
• Whittle Of Kidderminster
• Yeomans Canyon Travel, Hereford
  Hereford
  Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
  
  
• YourBus
  Yourbus
  Dunn Motor Traction Ltd., trading as Yourbus, is a bus company based in Heanor, Derbyshire. It was formed by Scott Dunn in June 2009...
  
  , Nottingham

Advertising

A television advertising campaign in the 1980s included a jingle

Jingle

A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...

 with the slogan 'National Express Coaches go our way, we're going yours'.

Fleet

National Express and its franchises operate a number of the different vehicle types. Below is a list of some of the most common ones:

• Caetano Levante
  Caetano Levante
  The Caetano Levante is a coach body built on the Scania K-series 6x2 & 4x2, Volvo B12B 4x2 chassis and recently Volvo B9R 4x2 chassis, exclusively for National Express in the UK...
  
   - introduced in 2005 and designed for better disabled access
• Scania Irizar PB
  Irizar PB
  The Irizar PB is a coach body built on a wide range of chassis. It was designed by Arup Design Research in the UK. Its revolutionary styling and features led to the variant with a Scania chassis being named European Coach of the Year 2004....
  
   - mostly used in the Midlands/Birmingham and on routes to London
• Plaxton Paragon
  Plaxton Paragon
  The Plaxton Paragon and Plaxton Panther are closely related designs of coach bodywork built by Plaxton in Scarborough, England, since 1999, and still in production as of 2009....
  
  /Panther - most common type. Used nationwide
• Van Hool
  Van Hool
  Van Hool NV is a Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers.The company was founded in 1947 by Bernard van Hool in Koningshooikt, nearby Lier, Belgium. In the early years, the company introduced serial production and exported their products all over Europe...
  
   Alizee
• Jonckheere Mistral
• Caetano Enigma
• Plaxton Elite
  Plaxton Elite
  The Plaxton Elite is a coach body unveiled at the Euro Bus Expo at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham in November 2008. It went into production in late 2008. Each vehicle costs an estimated £780,000...
  
  

Incidents

Since National Express

National Express

National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...

 started operating, there have been few road traffic accidents (RTIs) involving their coaches. Early incidents were:

26 July 1974: Three killed and over 30 injured when a double decker overturned on the M1 near Luton after swerving to avoid an earlier collision.

17 August 1983: Three killed on the M4 near Swindon when a lorry careered in to the side of a coach.

3 August 1985: One killed and 40 injured when a double decker overturned on the A1(M) in County Durham after swerving to avoid a sheep on the carriageway.

2007

The 2007 National Express coach crash can refer to one of at least two motorway road traffic incidents (RTIs) involving National Express Coaches in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 in 2007. In both instances, the cause of the coach

Coach (vehicle)

A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...

 crashes were wholly attributed to the fault of the driver.

Background

A Neoplan

Neoplan

NEOPLAN Bus GmbH is a German automotive company that manufactures buses, trolleybuses and coaches. NEOPLAN is now a subsidiary of NEOMAN Bus GmbH, which itself is a part of MAN SE.-Foundations:...

 Skyliner N122/3L

Neoplan Skyliner

The NEOPLAN Skyliner is a double-deck multi-axle luxury touring coach built by the German coach manufacturer and MAN SE subsidiary NEOPLAN Bus GmbH.-History:...

 coach (VIN

Vehicle identification number

A Vehicle Identification Number, commonly abbreviated to VIN, is a unique serial number used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles. VINs were first used in 1954...

: WAGPA8ZZ364001057, 2006 model year

Model year

The model year of a product is a number used worldwide, but with a high level of prominence in North America, to describe approximately when a product was produced, and indicates the coinciding base specification of that product....

) was operating on route 592 and was heading towards Aberdeen

Aberdeen

Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....

. It left London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 Victoria Coach Station

Victoria Coach Station

Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London. It serves long distance coach services and is also the departure point for many countryside coach tours originating from London. It should not be confused with the nearby Green Line Coach Station serving Green Line...

 at 22:30 (GMT), was carrying 65 passengers, and was due to arrive at Aberdeen Coach Park at 10:30 (GMT) on 4 January 2007. The coach was due to stop en route at Heathrow Airport, Carlisle, Hamilton

Hamilton, South Lanarkshire

Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...

, Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 and Dundee

Dundee

Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...

.

Crash and emergency response

The crash occurred on the motorway slip road

Interchange (road)

In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...

 of junction 4B connecting the westbound M4 motorway

M4 motorway

The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...

 to junction 15 of the northbound (clockwise) M25 motorway

M25 motorway

The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...

, at approximately the point where the slip road merges with the slip road from the eastbound M4 51°29′52.13"N 00°29′52.13"W. At this point the slip road is on a downhill gradient with a right turn with decreasing radius, necessitating a posted advisory speed limit of 40 miles per hour (18 m/s).

A total of five fire appliances

Fire apparatus

A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...

, twenty London ambulances, eight doctors

Physician

A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

 and one specialist Fire Service unit attended the accident scene. The injured were treated at six different hospital

Hospital

A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

s. It was initially reported that thirty eight passengers were taken to Hillingdon Hospital

Hillingdon Hospital

Hillingdon Hospital is an NHS hospital, located in Pield Heath Road, Hillingdon, Greater London. It is a general hospital serving the local area, providing a wide variety of services including Accident and Emergency , In-patients, Day Surgery and Outpatient Clinics...

, though this was subsequently clarified as 36. Sixteen were taken to Charing Cross Hospital

Charing Cross Hospital

Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....

, seven to West Middlesex Hospital

West Middlesex Hospital

The West Middlesex University Hospital is an acute NHS hospital in Isleworth, west London. It serves the London Boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames...

 in Isleworth

Isleworth

Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...

, four to St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey, one child was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington

Paddington

Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...

, and another child to Wexham Park Hospital

Wexham Park Hospital

Wexham Park Hospital is an NHS hospital at the northern fringe of Slough, Berkshire, part of the Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.The hospital opened in 1965 in a "countryside" setting....

 in Slough

Slough

Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...

.

Two people were killed in the crash, a 30 year old male Chinese national, Yi Di Lin, and a woman named Christina Munro Toner, 76, of Monifieth, Dundee, Scotland. Another passenger, John Carruthers, 78, of Chertsey, Surrey, died on 1 July 2007 from injuries sustained in the crash.

Investigation

The Neoplan Skyliner

Neoplan Skyliner

The NEOPLAN Skyliner is a double-deck multi-axle luxury touring coach built by the German coach manufacturer and MAN SE subsidiary NEOPLAN Bus GmbH.-History:...

 coach was removed from the motorway for subsequent investigation. The Police

Policing in the United Kingdom

Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland ....

 later confirmed that no other vehicles were involved in the accident.

The 40 year old coach driver

Bus driver

A bus driver, bus operator or omnibus driver is a person who drives buses professionally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach drivers, is...

 was arrest

Arrest

An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...

ed on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, but was released on Police bail. The driver was later named by the Police as Philip Rooney, of Lanarkshire, Scotland. Following Police investigations Rooney was charged

Indictment

An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...

 with three counts of causing death by dangerous driving. He was to answer charges before Reading

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

 Magistrates' Court

Magistrates' Court

A magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...

 on 31 July 2007.

Aftermath

National Express Coaches had taken its remaining 11 Neoplan

Neoplan

NEOPLAN Bus GmbH is a German automotive company that manufactures buses, trolleybuses and coaches. NEOPLAN is now a subsidiary of NEOMAN Bus GmbH, which itself is a part of MAN SE.-Foundations:...

 double-deck

Double-decker bus

A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...

 Skyliners

Neoplan Skyliner

The NEOPLAN Skyliner is a double-deck multi-axle luxury touring coach built by the German coach manufacturer and MAN SE subsidiary NEOPLAN Bus GmbH.-History:...

 off the road for safety checks. These are all operated on behalf of National Express by Trathens Travel Services of Plymouth, which is a subsidiary of Park's of Hamilton. They were relatively new at the time of the crash, being delivered in October 2006. The vast majority of the National Express fleet comprises single-deck coaches

Single-decker bus

A single-decker bus or single-decker is a bus that has a single deck for passengers. Normally the use of the term single-decker refers to a standard two-axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which is essentially a single decked bus with an extra deck and...

, and its services were not significantly affected by the recall. It was originally reported that the coaches would be stopped where they were (i.e. motorway hard shoulder), but this was corrected to that they would be stopped at their destination.

NEOPLAN Bus GmbH

Neoplan

NEOPLAN Bus GmbH is a German automotive company that manufactures buses, trolleybuses and coaches. NEOPLAN is now a subsidiary of NEOMAN Bus GmbH, which itself is a part of MAN SE.-Foundations:...

 announced on 5 January that all the coaches had passed their safety checks, with no safety problems or defects being found, and were ready to return to service "as and when the operator whishes".

The driver of the coach, Philip Rooney, from Lanarkshire, initially denied all three charges of causing death by dangerous driving at a hearing at Reading Magistrates' Court. Rooney was bailed to appear at Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

 Crown Court

Crown Court

The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...

 on 8 September 2008 for a committal hearing for a trial on 27 October 2008. He subsequently changed his plea

Plea

In legal terms, a plea is simply an answer to a claim made by someone in a civil or criminal case under common law using the adversary system. Colloquially, a plea has come to mean the assertion by a criminal defendant at arraignment, or otherwise in response to a criminal charge, whether that...

 and admitted guilty

Guilt (law)

In criminal law, guilt is entirely externally defined by the state, or more generally a “court of law.” Being “guilty” of a criminal offense means that one has committed a violation of criminal law, or performed all the elements of the offense set out by a criminal statute...

 to all three counts of causing death by dangerous driving at a hearing at the Old Bailey

Old Bailey

The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...

. Rooney was again bailed, this time by Mr Justice Gross at the Old Bailey, until sentencing on 24 November. On 26 November 2008 at Oxford Crown Court, Judge Mr Justice Gross jailed Rooney for five years.

Actions of the driver

Oxford Crown Court was told that the coach driver, Rooney, was speaking to passengers on the coach via its public address system, making a "safety announcement" whilst speeding round a bend. One witness

Witness

A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...

 described Rooney's control of the coach as: he drove like a man "possessed". It was confirmed on the Court record that as a direct result of Rooneys actions, two persons died in the crash, and a further person died on 1 July 2007. Furthermore, four passengers had to have limbs amputated

Amputation

Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...

, and many more needed to be cut from the wreckage by fire fighters using specialist cutting equipment. The Court also heard that Rooney had previous speeding conviction

Conviction

In law, a conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime.The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal . In Scotland and in the Netherlands, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which counts as an acquittal...

s, and that Rooney had repeatedly exceeded speed limits on this journey, as proven by tachograph

Tachograph

A tachograph is a device fitted to a vehicle that automatically records its speed and distance, together with the driver's activity selected from a choice of modes. The drive mode is activated automatically when the vehicle is in motion, and modern tachograph heads usually default to the other work...

 evidence. Rooney's manner of driving, partiularly his heavy braking

Brake

A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....

, caused luggage to fall from the overhead baggage racks.

Prosecuting

Prosecutor

The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...

 barrister

Barristers in England and Wales

Barristers in England and Wales are one of the two main categories of lawyer in England and Wales, the other being solicitors. -Origin of the profession:The work of senior legal professionals in England and Wales...

 Mr Richard Latham, QC

Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

, told the Court that passengers had reported that the coach was being "driven significantly faster, as if the driver was seeking to make up for lost time". Prior to the coach leaving Victoria coach station, it had been delayed by half an hour; due to the luggage of one family not being able to fit on the coach, and that Rooney had to call for a taxi to transport the luggage. Before the crash, after leaving Heathrow airport, one passenger described Rooneys actions as: "After Heathrow the driver drove like he was possessed. He kept overtaking everything and going like the clappers". The Court heard that as Rooney approached the motorway slip road sharp bend, he was driving the coach at 55 miles per hour (25 m/s), clearly exceeding the 40 miles per hour (18 m/s) speed limit

Speed limit

Road speed limits are used in most countries to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum , minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign...

. The coach first clipped one crash barrier; and Rooney then lost control of the vehicle. The coach then skidded

Skid mark

A skid mark is the mark a tire makes when a vehicle wheel stops rolling and slides or spins on the surface of the road. More generally, any solid which moves against another can cause visible marks, and is an important aspect of trace evidence analysis in forensic science and forensic engineering...

 sideways for some distance, before hitting a second crash barrier and finally overturning

Rollover

A rollover is a type of vehicle accident in which a vehicle tips over onto its side or roof. The most common cause of a rollover is traveling too fast while turning.- Dynamics :Vehicles can roll over in several ways...

.

At an earlier Court hearing, it was confirmed that Rooney had five previous convictions for speeding in passenger vehicles. It was also confirmed that Rooney had been disciplined in December 2004 by his employer for "tampering with a speed limiter

Governor (device)

A governor, or speed limiter, is a device used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine, such as an engine. A classic example is the centrifugal governor, also known as the Watt or fly-ball governor, which uses a rotating assembly of weights mounted on arms to determine how fast the engine...

".

On sentencing Rooney, the Judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

, Mr Justice Gross told Rooney and the Court: "No sentence I pass can undo the events of that day and the deaths and injuries that resulted". As well as being jailed for five years, Rooney was also banned from driving for a further three years.

3 September 2007 incident

Background

The single-decker coach

Single-decker bus

A single-decker bus or single-decker is a bus that has a single deck for passengers. Normally the use of the term single-decker refers to a standard two-axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which is essentially a single decked bus with an extra deck and...

, travelling southbound on the M1 motorway

M1 motorway

The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...

, which had recently stopped at Coventry

Coventry

Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...

, was the National Express Coach 777 service from Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

 to London Stansted Airport

London Stansted Airport

-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...

, via London Luton Airport

London Luton Airport

London Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway...

. There were 33 passengers on board at the time of the accident, of the 33 on board, 30 were injured, six with serious injuries.

Crash

The coach rolled

Rollover

A rollover is a type of vehicle accident in which a vehicle tips over onto its side or roof. The most common cause of a rollover is traveling too fast while turning.- Dynamics :Vehicles can roll over in several ways...

 on to its side after it clipped a kerb

Curb (road)

A curb, or kerb , is the edge where a raised pavement/sidewalk/footpath, road median, or road shoulder meets an unraised street or other roadway.-Function:...

 and then a lamp post

Street light

A street light, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is a raised source of light on the edge of a road or walkway, which is turned on or lit at a certain time every night. Modern lamps may also have light-sensitive photocells to turn them on at dusk, off at dawn, or activate...

 and tree at the entry to a motorway slip road

Interchange (road)

In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...

 by the Newport Pagnell services area on the southbound M1 motorway

M1 motorway

The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...

. It was ultimately confirmed that the coach driver mistook the entry to the service area for a major junction on the M1.

The injured were taken to hospital

Hospital

A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

s in Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...

, Northampton

Northampton

Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...

 and the John Radcliffe Hospital

John Radcliffe Hospital

The John Radcliffe Hospital is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England.It is the main teaching hospital for Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University. As such, it is a well-developed centre of medical research. It also incorporates the Medical School of the University of Oxford....

 in Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

. One of the injured was transported to hospital by air ambulance

Air ambulance

An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....

.

The driver of the National Express coach was arrest

Arrest

An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...

ed by Thames Valley Police

Thames Valley Police

Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....

 in hospital for driving whilst under the influence of alcohol

Drunk driving (United Kingdom)

Drink-driving laws in the United Kingdom govern driving, attempting to drive, or being in charge of a motor vehicle when either over the prescribed limits of alcohol in the body, or unfit to drive as a result of consuming alcohol or other intoxicating substances.-Offences:There are three main types...

 and dangerous driving

Reckless driving

Reckless driving is a major moving traffic violation. As a legal term, it is used within the United States. This offence has been abolished in the United Kingdom and replaced...

 after being cut free from the wreckage. He had earlier been breath tested

Breathalyzer

A breathalyzer or breathalyser is a device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample...

 at the scene of the collision.

Aftermath

National Express

National Express

National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...

 decided not to withdraw the fleet of coaches to conduct tests. It was deemed that there were not any faults with the vehicles, leaving the cause of the crash to driver error.

National Express chief executive Richard Bowker defended the safety of their operation. Speaking on BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...

s Today programme, Bowker stated they (National Express) were "obsessed" with safety. Bowker went on to explain that their drivers must meet "tough standards", and pass random drink-drive tests. To be even considered to drive for National Express, you have to pass very rigorous tests and the recruitment test, particularly around drugs and alcohol, is very tough, Bowker stressed. Bowker continued by explaining that the drink limits for National Express are far stricter than the legal limits, and that the company randomly test, and that means that it is extremely likely that you will be caught at some point. Mr Bowker confirmed that National Express were fully co-operating with the police regarding this crash, explaining This is now a police investigation, and obviously we need to learn the detail of this ourselves as quickly as possible. Bowker insisted that it was extremely rare for National Express to have an accident like this, and he concluded that travelling by coach is far, far safer than travelling by car - it was last week, it will be this week and it will be in the future. However, there was no mention of how National Express allowed this particular driver to get behind the wheel of their coach whilst he was over the mandatory drink-drive limit, let alone National Express's more strict limits.

The coach driver

Two days after the crash, police were still waiting to question the coach driver. The driver had sustained serious injuries, including an injured arm and cracked ribs, and was being treated at Northampton General Hospital. Police officers had to guard the driver in hospital, until he was declared fit enough to answer police questions. The police confirmed that the slip road where the coach crashed needed to be re-surfaced due to damage caused by a diesel spill. The coach driver was later released from hospital on 10 September, and was also released on police bail, to attend Milton Keynes police station on 1 October for further questioning.

On 23 November 2007, police announced they had yet to decide whether to charge the driver. The police explained that due to delays in receiving forensic evidence

Forensic identification

Forensic identification is the application of forensic science, or "forensics", and technology to identify specific objects from the trace evidence they leave, often at a crime scene or the scene of an accident. Forensic means "for the courts"....

, the Crown Prosecution Service

Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...

 were not able to make a fully informed decision on whether to bring charges. The 35 year old driver from West Bromwich

West Bromwich

West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...

, who had still not been named, was further bailed until 28 January 2008.

On 28 January 2008, the National Express coach driver, now identified as Leslie Weinberg, 36 from West Bromwich, was officially charged

Indictment

An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...

 with driving while under the influence of excess alcohol, and a further charge of dangerous driving. He was due to appear on 12 February 2008 at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court

Magistrates' Court

A magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...

 to answer the charges. Weinburg's actions left eight people needing hospital treatment for their injuries. Weinberg was subsequently fired

Firing

Dismissal is the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee. Though such a decision can be made by an employer for a variety of reasons, ranging from an economic downturn to performance-related problems on the part of the employee, being fired has a strong stigma in...

 by National Express as a result of the charge.

On 14 April 2008, Leslie Weinberg's actions were finally made public, via full evidence in Court of Law

Court

A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...

. Appearing before Judge Christopher Tyrer at Aylesbury

Aylesbury

Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...

 Crown Court

Crown Court

The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...

, Weinberg finally pleaded guilty to the two charges: driving whilst under the influence of alcohol, and dangerous driving. The Court was told that Weinberg had a drink drive reading of 145 milligram (0.00511472450524123 oz) of alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

 in 100 millilitre (9.00009000090001E-09 imp fl oz) of blood

Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....

 - the UK legal limit is 80 milligram (0.00282191696840896 oz) per 100 ml. The court was told that six passengers suffered serious injuries as a direct result of Weinberg's actions; with one man having an arm amputated. The Judge warned Weinburg to expect a jail

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

 sentence

Sentence (law)

In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...

, and stated: "This is serious. The circumstances are very grave". The Judge continued: "As a result of your intoxication, you completely mistook where you were. You mistook the exit of the motorway and a number of people were seriously injured". The case was adjourned to seek medical reports on Wienburg, to re-appear during the week of 26 May 2008 for sentencing. Judge Christopher Tyrer imposed an Interim Disqualification Order which banned Weinberg from driving, and told him: "This is way past the custody threshold, and you should make arrangements accordingly".

Weinberg was sentenced on 24 June 2008. On re-appearing at Aylesbury Crown Court, it became known that Weinberg had returned from holiday the day before, and chose to stay up alone all night drinking. The court was told the following day, Weinburg then drove a National Express coach on a regular service from Birmingam to Stanstead Airport. Whilst travelling southbound on the M1, Weinberg overtook a lorry

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

 on the approach to a motorway junction. He then cut back in front of the lorry, and claimed to have mistaken the service station entry slip road for that of the actual junction exit slip road. As the coach entered the slip road, its tachograph

Tachograph

A tachograph is a device fitted to a vehicle that automatically records its speed and distance, together with the driver's activity selected from a choice of modes. The drive mode is activated automatically when the vehicle is in motion, and modern tachograph heads usually default to the other work...

 showed that the coach was travelling at 57 miles per hour (25 m/s). It then hit a kerb, and passengers reported the coach 'took off'. It then rolled

Rollover

A rollover is a type of vehicle accident in which a vehicle tips over onto its side or roof. The most common cause of a rollover is traveling too fast while turning.- Dynamics :Vehicles can roll over in several ways...

 onto its side, sliding into a lamp post and a tree. It went on the court record that seven passengers suffered serious injuries, including one man who had an arm amputated

Amputation

Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...

.

Leslie Weinberg was jailed

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

 for ten months, and was fined £500. Furthermore, he was disqualified from driving for four years for the guilty plea of driving with excess alcohol, and had a further concurrent two year disqualification for the guilty plea of dangerous driving.

2009

More recently, a collision occurred on 4 September 2009 at Gatwick Airport, when a Ford Ka

Ford Ka

The Ford Ka is a city car from the Ford Motor Company marketed in Europe and elsewhere.The current European version is produced by Fiat Auto in Tychy, Poland, while the model sold in Latin America is built in Brazil and Argentina....

 collided with and ended up underneath a National Express Coach. The single occupant of the car, 34-year-old Melanie Wisden from Ely, Cardiff

Ely, Cardiff

Ely is a community primarily dominated by council housing in western Cardiff, capital of Wales.-The Roman era:In Roman times, Ely was the site of a Roman villa, near the old racecourse...

 was crushed and killed instantly. She had just dropped a friend off at Gatwick Airport's North Terminal. The coach driver was taken to hospital and treated for shock. One coach passenger suffered a minor wrist injury. The subsequent road closures caused tailbacks stretching back as far as the M25

M25 motorway

The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...

 and beyond.

See also

• List of bus operators of the United Kingdom
• Scottish Citylink
  Scottish Citylink
  Scottish Citylink Coaches Ltd is a long distance express coach operator in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland . The company was formed as a subsidiary of Scottish Transport Group in June 1985...
  
   Scottish Express Coach services
• Coach transport in the United Kingdom
• ALSA
  ALSA (bus company)
  ALSA is a Spanish subsidiary of the UK company National Express Group, which operates bus and coach services in Spain and other countries across Europe, including Andorra, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,...
  
  Spanish Operator part owned by National Express

External links

• National Express - National Express official site
• National Express Gallery & Fleet lists - National Express Coach enthusiast site