National Express enhances routes between London and the South Coast – including boosted services to Gatwick and Heathrow

The boost to services follows recent data from YouGov’s Destination Index, indicating that more than one in 10 (14%) of Britons are most likely to visit UK destinations during the summer period – just behind Spain (16%) – with 53% of UK adults indicating that they are consistently pleased with their holidays in Blighty.

For those looking to swap the city for the coast, the UK’s largest scheduled coach operator will increase services between London, Poole, Bournemouth and Southampton with some of the fastest journeys reaching the seaside in as little as two-and-a-half hours.

Ed Rickard, network director for National Express, said: “We are continuing to invest in our coach network and look forward to introducing our faster, more frequent services connecting customers between London and the South Coast this summer.

“As the leading scheduled coach operator we’ve got some of the fastest coach services from London and fares from £5.20 one-way, offering more affordable, convenient and reliable transport choices than any other operator.”

Enhanced services from Friday, July 4 include:

• London to/from Poole: increasing from 15 to 20 journeys a day with eight faster journeys
• London to/from Bournemouth: increasing from 16 to 22 journeys a day with 10 faster journeys
• London to/from Southampton: increasing from 12 to 14 journeys a day with journeys as fast as two hours 35 minutes

In addition, National Express is boosting services between the South Coast and London airports:

• Poole to/from Heathrow: increasing from 15 to 20 journeys a day, with journeys up to an hour quicker at two hours 30 minutes
• Bournemouth to/from Heathrow: journeys will become faster with some as quick as two hours
• Southampton to/from Heathrow: faster journeys from one hour 40 minutes
• Portsmouth to/from Gatwick: introducing six journeys a day with journeys as quick as one hour 35 minutes

Ed added: “We’re making it easier than ever for savvy holidaymakers - whether they’re travelling to coastal destinations here in the UK – or heading to the airport for somewhere further afield, with our brilliant coach drivers taking them right to the terminal door.”

Customers can expect a safe and comfortable experience on board, with leather reclining seats, free Wi-Fi on selected services, USB charging points and a generous luggage allowance of up to 20kg.

Visit www.nationalexpress.com to plan your journey and book tickets.