Megabus to axe services across the country

Megabus to axe services across the country Intercity coach operator Megabus has announced it is discontinuing 15 routes across England and Wales.

The scaling back of the network will start from 4 December due to levels of customer demand the company said was "simply too low".

The firm said it would be contacting customers affected by the service change and arrangements were being put in place to ensure customers who have already booked tickets can find alternative transport or receive a refund.

Managing director Simone Walsh described the move as an "extremely difficult decision".

Once the changes take effect, only the following routes will be in operation:

All services within Scotland (under the Scottish Citylink and Megabus) All cross-border services between Scotland and England and Wales All Falcon services in the south-west of England Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and London Manchester, Birmingham and London Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff First launched in the UK in 2003, Megabus styled itself as the "market-leading coach operator in England, Scotland and Wales".

Its network linked more than 100 locations and at one point carried more than 4m customers a year.

The scaling back means the East Midlands cities of Derby, Nottingham and Leicester will no longer be served by Megabus.

A spokesperson for Derby City Council said they were "disappointed" at the firm's decision.

Megabus managing director Simone Walsh said: "Unfortunately, it is not sustainable for us to continue operating our current network as the customer demand is simply too low.

"So, we are making these changes to ensure that we have a more efficient network going forward.

"We want to thank the many passengers who travel with us every day and will ensure that we continue to operate an affordable and high-quality service on the parts of the network that are unaffected by these changes."

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