Following deregulation of scheduled express coach services in Britain from October 1980, rapid growth in ridership took place until 1985. However, since 1985, ridership on National Express (the dominant operator) has declined to a similar level to that of 1980. This paper re-examines the longer run impacts of deregulation and other factors which have affected the UK express coach market. Aspects considered include: legal definition of coach services; overall trends and the role of competition (both between coach operators and with rail); reasons for continued dominance of National Express; scale of independent competition; fare structures and changes in real fare levels; further development of the airport market; and the continued growth in international coach movements to/from Britain in contrast to domestic trends. Conclusions on possible future developments will be presented, including the effects of speed limits development and infrastructures.
Abstract