The UK’s largest scheduled coach operator is boosting capacity on services between Scotland and London plus key intercity and airport services in order to meet demand over the busy festive travel period.
From Monday 22 December, National Express is expanding its daily Scottish-Anglo services with an additional overnight journey from Glasgow to London, providing four direct journeys per day. From Saturday 20 December 1,500 extra seats are also being added to services linking Edinburgh, Glasgow and London during the festive period, ensuring that passengers continue to have access to reliable, affordable cross-border travel.
In addition National Express is adding tens of thousands of extra seats to services between the North West, North East, the Midlands, London and the South West in order to meet increased demand for travel amid planned rail engineering works and disruption over the Christmas period.
Additional capacity added to National Express services from 20 December to 4 January includes:
12,300+ seats on airport services between Stansted and London
10,300+ seats on intercity services to and from the North West
9,200+ seats on services to and from the South West
4,000+ seats on services to and from the North East and Yorkshire
1,500+ on services to and from the West Midlands
1,500+ seats on services between Scotland and London
Ed Rickard, Network Director for National Express, said:
“We already operate the UK’s biggest coach network and with decades of experience and operational capacity we have the flexibility to add extra journeys and capacity to meet the huge demand we’re seeing for our services.
“With planned rail engineering works ahead, more people are turning to us for affordable and reliable travel and we’ve stepped up to add a new overnight journey between Scotland and London, plus over 40,000 extra seats to key intercity and airport services, connecting customers with every region across the country this Christmas.
“Our services are great value, customers enjoy a guaranteed seat, and most importantly, we get them to their destinations safely. We expect to be busy and tickets are selling fast so we’re advising customers to book in advance to avoid disappointment.”
With rail services completely grinding to a halt on Christmas Day, the leading coach operator is providing the UK’s biggest festive coach network with 355 journeys serving 96 locations, including towns, cities and airport locations across the country.
In addition to increased scheduled services, National Express is also helping families travel for less with free coach travel for up to three kids travelling with an adult until 4th January 2026**.
Ed added:
“Whether it’s visiting the Christmas markets or watching a pantomime to keep the kids entertained this Twixmas, our kids go free offer is helping parents save on travel costs so they can enjoy winter adventures with the whole family.”
Passengers can expect a safe and comfortable experience on board, with leather reclining seats, free Wi-Fi on selected services, USB power sockets and a generous luggage allowance of up to 20kg. Change & Go flexible ticket options are also available.
Visit www.nationalexpress.com to plan your journey and book tickets.
