AEY            National Express Coaches        24 July 2006

A reader may wonder why I am putting National Express Coaches in the frame.  Being such a well-known institution, you may well think I am being petty because of some minor upset has annoyed me.  If you read on you will see the point I am making, and it may apply to you.

I have to admit that my problem MAY have occurred because I happened to pick the wrong coach, whereas the rest of the fleet could be quite satisfactory.  I suspect that this is not the case as I would imagine the person who replied to my letter would have said something along those lines.

A bit over a year ago Beryl and I had a holiday in the Austrian Tyrol.  It was laid on by SAGA and was superb.  The fact that the aircraft was struck by lightning as we pulled out of Heathrow, added a bit of zest to that holiday.  Both on the way down from here in Nottingham and on the way back, the coach problem manifested itself.

There was a clear notice in the coach instructing passengers to only use the toilet while the coach was in motion; not just having the engine running.  Our pair of seats were about the third row and the toilet was at the rear.  So it was necessary to make one's way most of the length of the coach while it was in motion.  The word "motion" is the operative word.  Even when travelling along the M1, the sideways lurching was significant.  In town going round a roundabout gave a very high sideways acceleration.  This would have been tolerable had there been any sort of handhold.  The back of the seats was about four inches thick leather without any sort of grip.  I have two gammy feet, but have quite good hands, arms and shoulders.  Had the overhead luggage racks been open, a fair grip would have been possible, but these were all closed.  No sort of rail or strap existed anywhere.

I complained by letter saying that the coach was DANGEROUS, and I explained why.  I suspect the clerk who wrote back agreed with me because the only excuse I got was "that the coach met the requisite regulations".

If I travel any distance now, I pay the extra to have a car take me.  I am having a cruise soon, and have paid (quite a bit) to be collected here and delivered to the quayside in Dover.  Money makes being a misery much more comfortable.  I worked hard and saved hard during my life and now at 80+ I a reaping the reward!

The above story will enable anyone travelling by National Express to have a little more advance knowledge that they otherwise might have had.

I wrote to Alan Simpson afterwards suggesting that this weakness ought to be looked at with a view to tightening the regulations.  I sent my letter to him c/o the House of Commons.  He obviously didn't think my complaint warranted his time; I didn't receive a reply.  Incidentally, all the coaches I have travelled on with Skills of Nottingham, have a good handgrip on every seat.