Shite collection planning...Megabus or Railway?

[outlaw118]

What's everyone's opinion on Megabus?

 

I'm currently in the process of planning a trip oop North to (possibly) collect some shite, and the train ticket is going to cost me £43, and the journey time is either 4h30ish to 5h 30ish.

 

If i go with Megabus, it's £11.30 to London then £8 for the journey North.

travel time is 1h20m to London then 6h30m on the bus, total with a wait for the bus, about 8h30m. And the bus arrives in Northsville at 730am, having left London at 1.00am.

 

I'm then looking at 3.5-4 hours driving.

 

Hpw much room do you get in a megabus, are the seats designed for short-arsed thin blokes, and not 6ft tall fatlads?

 

Any comments or opinions will be much appreciated.

[hairnet]

done a few times from bristol to manc and back (they wanted 78 for the train return the bus was 19 quid each way)

 

not massive legroom and that a 4.5 hour trip

 

done london manc also

 

never had to use the loo tho

 

pot luck on the driving standards too some are ok some are shocking

 

id be train cos smoother and less time over cost - rather pay more to get there quicker

 

wheres to london then oop north then - sounds like scotland or newcastle

[Bobthebeard]

Shameless copied and pasted quote from t'internet:

 

"The best answer for what to expect on Megabus routes is to remember that this is budget travel. You get what you pay for. Megabus will* transport you from point A to point B safely. Just don't expect much else."

 

IMHO the train will almost certainly be larger. Excellent for moving away from any drunks, mongs, chavs, smelly people, lunatics or any other close proximity undesirable travelling companions!

[scooters]

TRAIN - sell your GRANNY for the ticket - the ritual of the bacon bagle, coffee, classic car mag and the excitement of knowing that on the way back you have some new chod to drive - you cannot beat chod collecting, it's my favourite thing EVA.

 

Best one I remember was - the Yugo 45 Skizzer and I collected from Nigel and the Daf44 I drove up from Nottingham 4 years ago and then sold onto Hillman imp

 

funnily enough, I have always loved the small/odd car collection, the 7 hour drive back to Scotland shows their pluck!

[outlaw118]

Hmmm, cheers chaps, I'm wondering if the train is a better bet, purely out of a) comfort, timings, ie not travelling through the night, then probably falling asleep on the M6 on the way home.

 

But the price thing is a factor, and i can sleep on a washing line/standing up/through the Zutons set at V Festival...... it's just nobody else near me will!!

 

 

Edit: Just seen your post Scootahz, Nigel is in Sussex, you're in Jockland. THATS dedication!!

[scooters]

Yugo 45! all the way, cracking wee car, did it without mishap in about 8 hours and used tap all petrol to boot.

All this without a decadent imperialist propaganda unit (stereo) cos it was a pov spec one

[Bobthebeard]

Having done two long distance rail journeys to collect new* cars, I would advise it TBH. It turns a one day fun event into a three day fun event. Day one = anticipation of train trip, day two = actual train trip plus collection, meeting a new similar minded person and then the road trip home, day three = waking up to new* car outside and tinkering with it.

A coach journey may* well interfere with the pleasures of all the above due to various uncertainties, toilet related hassles and unwanted travelling companions!

[Squire_Dawson]

By all accounts these cheap coaches are OK - they do what they say on the tin and that's it. Rail would be my natural choice because I like the different scenery and rail travel generally.

 

Depends on how skint you are and if you really are a rail enthusiast.

[Bobthebeard]

By all accounts these cheap coaches are OK - they do what they say on the tin and that's it. Rail would be my natural choice because I like the different scenery and rail travel generally.

 

Depends on how skint you are and if you really are a rail enthusiast.

+1

[Dave_Q]

I got the megabus from manc to bristol quite recently.

The bus was clean but the toilet was out of order. Most of the Megabuses are quite new, I sat downstairs and got a train style seat with a table so legroom was fine. I normally struggle. There are however only 2 tables on the bus so you need to get lucky to get the right seat and not have one of the great unwashed sat next to you.

Overall I'd recommend it if you're a mingebag looking to travel as cheaply as possible and your time is as worthless as mine is. Train all the way would have been much quicker.

[oman5]

Train. it's the only way to travel. But I am biased, I can haz TARTAN THERMOS and ANORAK

[Bobthebeard]

I got the megabus from manc to bristol quite recently.

Overall I'd recommend it if you're a mingebag looking to travel as cheaply as possible and your time is as worthless as mine is. Train all the way would have been much quicker.

Quite so.....

[Danblez]

Public transport is bad enough, don't make it any worse than it has to be!

[Bobthebeard]

Public transport is bad enough, don't make it any worse than it has to be!

The 'transport' is often far better without the 'public' IMHO.

[warren t claim]

You're not buying the former Mr Bollox Rover 220 and refusing to pay over £30 to collect it are you? I seem to remember a very long thread over that about a year ago.

 

MEGABUS drivers all have +E on their PCV licences so take an A frame with you and offer them a small bribe to haul your tat home behind the coach.

[Richard]

I went to London on the Megabus about ten years ago for a total of £2.50 return. The bus has the advantage that you will get a seat, while on the train you might be lucky to get enough room to put both feet on the floor at once.

[Bobthebeard]

I went to London on the Megabus about ten years ago for a total of £2.50 return. The bus has the advantage that you will get a seat next to a lunatic while on the train you will at least be able to avoid the lunatics by hiding somewhere in, or near to a toilet.

EFA?

[phil_lihp]

You're not buying the former Mr Bollox Rover 220 and refusing to pay over £30 to collect it are you? I seem to remember a very long thread over that about a year ago.

 

MEGABUS drivers all have +E on their PCV licences so take an A frame with you and offer them a small bribe to haul your tat home behind the coach.

 

I wish to disassociate myself from the above, t'weren't me.  Actually paid a considerably chunk of the car's purchase price for a 300+ mile train journey which was quick, efficient - despite 2 changes - and comfortable.  Highly recommended and quite a good way to spend a day.  Actually better than the return journey which although good was quite monotonous due to 4 hours of motorway with no radio and a car that turned out to be perfectly well behaved.

[robinmasters]

I went to London on the Megabus about ten years ago for a total of £2.50 return. The bus has the advantage that you will get a seat, while on the train you might be lucky to get enough room to put both feet on the floor at once.

 

Don't you get reserved seats of you go any distance on the train? I always have when I've gone up North*.