National Express is once again bringing loved ones together this Christmas with the UK’s biggest festive coach network and thousands of services running throughout the season, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
With rail services grinding to a halt on Christmas Day and planned rail disruption hindering travel plans throughout the festive period, the UK’s largest scheduled coach operator is stepping in with thousands of frequent, reliable coach options to get people home this Christmas, and affordable fares starting from £6 one-way*.
On Christmas Day National Express is providing over 300 journeys to and from London, connecting friends and families between towns, cities and airport locations across the UK.
Bookings for London services are already up over 100% compared to this time last year and passengers have been quick to secure their seats to destinations including Plymouth, Luton Airport, Sheffield and Nottingham, demonstrating strong demand for its unbeatable Christmas Day services.
National Express continues to lead the way in reliability, with punctuality across the network consistently exceeding 90% and cancellations less than 0.2%. Passengers can rely on the UK’s most trusted service, offering an extensive network of routes connecting destinations across the country and a market-leading customer experience.
Ed Rickard, Network Director for National Express, said:
“When reliability matters most our customers know that they can count on us to get them home safely this Christmas – and as the nation’s favourite coach operator we are offering the UK’s biggest festive transport network, with thousands of frequent, comfortable and affordable services throughout Christmas and New Year – including over 300 journeys to and from London on Christmas Day itself.
“Given the planned rail disruption over the festive period we’re expecting our coaches to be busy so we encourage customers to book early to get the best prices and guarantee a seat for travel.”
The leading coach operator has also extended its popular Kids Go Free offer until 4th January 2026**, helping families save on festive travel – whether it be to visit the Christmas markets, watch a pantomime, or enjoying activities during the Twixmas period.
Ed added:
“It’s worth remembering that we could not deliver the outstanding services that we do, day-in-day-out, without our highly respected partner operators, coach drivers and colleagues. While they are appreciated daily, they deserve special thanks at Christmas when working jolly hard to get everybody home for Christmas.”
In addition to its Christmas and New Year services, National Express is also introducing new timetables and improvements between London and Stansted Airport from 8th December. Changes include:
An additional departure from London Liverpool Street, providing up to 4 services an hour
Services from London Stratford become faster, with journeys taking as little as 45 minutes
Additional services from Canary Wharf, meaning round-the-clock journeys 24 hours a day
Customers can expect a safe and comfortable experience on board, with leather reclining seats, free Wi-Fi on selected services, USB power sockets and space for all the family’s Christmas gifts, thanks to a generous free luggage allowance of up to 20kg.
Visit www.nationalexpress.com/christmas for service information and to book tickets.
