Great and timely video. We travel to Scotland from the US in less than three weeks and are planning a day trip from Edinburgh to Glasgow with a stop in Falkirk. The train is ideal for this trip. We will be buses to places the train no longer runs. When an option, the train is my choice. I now have to find the TARDIS when we visit Glasgow.
Great video Rog. Nice to see more. About the buses! You were indeed on a Plaxton Panorama, based on a B11RLET chassis. 50403 was new to Kilmarnock's Stagecoach West Scotland depot on delivery in 2018, and is still operated by them to this day. The reason its running your Megabus/Citylink route is purely down to operations behind Citylink. Citylink is primarily a brand name for a coalition of operators who are subcontracted by Citylink to operate the services. At first majority owned by Stagecoach, and co-owned by Comfortdelgro, Citylink became the Scottish Megabus. In the last few years, Comfordelgro bought out stagecoaches shares in Citylink, meaning it now owns the majority share, and along with this Citylink bought megabus off Stagecoach too, which is part of why you can book services from either website. The Stagecoach and later Citylink ownership of Megabus allowed routes like the M11 to pop up, which are routes for one of the operators operated on behalf of or with the other. Hope it doesnt make much confusion but TLDR, Stagecoach runs bus as Citylink doesnt, and Megabus can book the services as they are owned by Citylink now.
Very interesting! Thank you for presenting a fair non biased report. I live in Edinburgh and always take the train now but the bus was the only option in my student days on a budget. Echoing a few comments the way the CityLink brand works does mean that the quality of the hard product is dependent on what operator is operating a particular service, that’s too much variation for me given that someone on that nicer coach next to yours could have paid the same ticket price. While the 385s are a bit utilitarian they are consistent, you are paying for “speed” Either way it’s fantastic that we have a choice, Scotlands relatively small population does tend to mean that transport options aren’t always sustainable leading to one option having a monopoly.
I think the bus is generally good if you want to see where you are but you can't beat the speed of a train. I wish busses round me had seats like that one, the ones round me (30ish miles from London) are rock hard, they're like medieval torture devices, oh and no air con or wi-fi. At least all the trains have air-con.
I believe that Citylink sub-contract routes out to other coach operators like Stagecoah or West Coast Motors. I think the reason you could book it as a megabus is because megabus is owned by Stagecoach, so it is possible to book buses operated by Stagecoach on there also.
Try one of the Ember services with their electric buses. Was most impressed when tried these out during industrial action on the rail network. They’ve just introduced a new service from Glasgow to Dundee that physically stops in Perth City Centre itself.
The coach that you traveled on from Edinburgh to Glasgow was indeed a Plaxton Panorama Volvo B11R but wasn’t made by Alexander Dennis. It was made by, as the name suggests, Plaxton at their factory in Scarborough. I drive the single deck coach variant of these, Plaxton Elites as I work for Stagecoach. Also, Citylink and Megabus have a partnership so this is why sometimes Stagecoach liveried vehicles will sometimes be used on the service as Stagecoach own Megabus. I always tell passengers to ignore the paint scheme of the vehicle but to always check the destination board on the front of the vehicle or to just ask the driver.
The route is shared between stagecoach and parks of hamilton busses although the parks 900s have tables and wireless charging etc but the stagecoach dont
Good idea, but to be fair You should consider few other factors: - return ticket price (trains usually a lot affordable when buying return ticket) - flexibility (how often train/bus leaving station and what happens if You miss one for some reason, time of first/last bus/train, did it run on Sunday as well?) - toilets and restricted mobility acces (on bus stations usually you need to pay for toilets, and is more difficult to use coach for person with wheelchair) - luggage option (how much you can grab with You)
I live in Edinburgh there Are blue police boxes in Edinburgh, one in Rose street, and up the bridges and others dotted in Edinburgh. Mostly coffee booths. I get a bus to Glasgow megabus and takes 1 hour 10 minutes. You must have picked a bad day 👍
Cheers Clive. The Edinburgh Police Boxes are a unique design. They didn't use the design used in other UK cities that went on to become associated with the TARDIS. Thanks for watching.
If you're looking for a bus service with leather seats then do the X43 from Manchester Chorlton Street to Burnley Bus Station. The brand is called the Witchway run by the Burnley Bus Company which is part of Transdev. Also try the 152 Hotline service from Burnley Bus Station to Preston which is run by The Blackburn Bus Company.
Hi Roger. With or without a Senior Railcard, the train is quicker, although more expensive, than by bus. The wet pavements in Glasgow, can be very slippy, as I remember when last in Glasgow, a couple of weeks ago! Good revamps done to both Queen St and St. Andrews Sq. Did you get a discount for your bus journey? Overall, the train is just so much better, although you pay more for the privilege! A good comparison done between the two!👍
Thanks for the video Roger. I agree with your findings. There are examples when airlines do fly that sector for operational reasons (bad weather or to combine flighrs for commercial reasons). Many years ago BD operated that route as a commercial service and I bought myself a ticket ...EDI-GLA for around £5.
Thanks Alex - I might be remembering wrong but I’m sure BA (Using Dash8s) did an Edinburgh to Bristol with a touch down in Glasgow for a while and you could use that as a mini-shuttle! We’re talking 1996ish though! 🤔
@@RogEdwardsTV I am sure you are correct Rogar. I remember in the 1990s catching Brymon (I think it was a BA subsidiary at that time) from Bristol to Glasgow on a Dash-8. It was an evening flight and it could have continued on to Edinburgh.
If you wanted to be really weird, you could even fly between Edinburgh & Glasgow via Belfast or Dublin with Ryanair, easyJet or Aer Lingus... Great travel video Roger! 👌👌
@@RogEdwardsTV I would love to see an airline do a direct EDI/GLA service, I know Loganair did it back in 2020, but that was a temporary gig heading to one of the islands.
@@JettTyler17It used to happen. Many years ago BD (British Midland) operated a triangular route EMA-EDI-GLA-EMA. It deployed a Viscount for this service. As an excited teenager I bought myself a ticket for around £5 (no taxes/fees/charges at that time) for the EDI-GLA sector.
Depends on what time you travel, have missed the last train a few time but the busses run through the night. In the wee hours the DONT hang about they straight line roundabouts and when they have to pull off to stop you get thrown across the seats... bit terrifying bit also bit fun lol. Think it was about 50 mis too the last time i experienced it.
Hey! I bought the tickets on the day though in fairness for short journeys in Scotland there’s no real difference. If I’d been travelling further, say to Manchester or London then I would have bought advance tickets! Thanks so much for watching and commenting! 😀
Hi Rog I’m gonna do the same thing for you as a disabled traveller, I have limited mobility using crutches and I have both the Scottish concession card and a disabled railcard
Hi Rodger... Great video. As you aren't too familiar with citylink buses. Citylink don't actually have any buses. Several operators work the Citylink contract. Parks of Hamilton, Stagecoach & West Coast Motors. We do have Citylink branded coaches its just unfortunate you caught one of the Stagecoach vehicles. I drive that coach often on the 900 and its a great bus for power. Unfortunately the heating is jammed on upstairs. The bus does have WiFi but Stagecoachs Citylink Don't. I hope you enjoyed your journey on board the pride of Kilmarnock Fleet
Look forward to having you back again soon and hopefully you'll catch a citylink branded one next time you travel. And you never know you might get me 😉
Our buses are easily identified by the 5 digit fleet number at the front with a standard registration plate. The 900 coach parked next to the one you boarded is one of Parks of Hamilton coaches their easily identified by the private reg usually either LSK or HSK
Great comparison, I’ve recently been looking at a journey between Glasgow and Edinburgh so this helps quite a lot! Like I said National Express are definitely the ones to go for in terms of features for a coach (leather seats, tray tables, footrests and most of the time decent toilets) I will definitely be looking at a coach for my trip between Glasgow and Edinburgh now so thank you!
The 900s have been a mix bag of anything lately due to the original paragon 900s having a myriad of issues including structure and they have been pulling and anything in, including National Express. Talking about an identity crisis. National express stepping in to do the citylink 900 because new buses are shit. Thug life
We are traveling around the UK and Ireland and trying to decide between train and bus. Which would be better for international tourists with suitcases?
Depending on the route, space for suitcases can be limited on trains (always check with the operator). Most buses have luggage holds underneath so not a problem there. Have a great trip! 😀
@@RogEdwardsTV Do you think it is tricky driving around Scotland and England in a rental car or taking a tour. From Australia, Im into cycling so was wondering if there are any good cycle ways? Is it worth to go to the Orkneys and Scottish Islands?
@@Brucemcleod2345 I wouldn’t say driving is tricky. Can get congested in cities but the countryside is usually okay. I can’t really comment on cycling on the Scottish Islands as I’ve never done it. 😀
Definitely coach. We use it frequently to head to Edinburgh for shopping, for a meal, a nightout or the theatre. In our experience the coach is cheaper, quicker and far far more reliable than the train. We use the Baillieston stop off as its handier for us than the bus station. Add to that the late night service is much better. We find the last train from Edinburgh is pretty early. Time tables get changed all the time too. Not the first time we’ve had to change trains at Airdrie late at night. The biggest annoyance with the coach though is the amount of single travellers taking up two seats and being very very reluctant to remove coats and bags to allow folk to sit. Very rude and bad mannered but sadly common. I guess the operator can’t be blamed for societies ills! Regarding branding, Citylink just like National Express and Flix don’t own their own buses. They have a series of sub contractors. One of the largest is Stagecoach. To confuse things Stagecoach also have the Megabus brand and own a substantial share of the ownership of Citylink. This means occasionally coaches will appear in Stagecoach colours or Megabus brand and will serve the Megabus service as well as Citylink. Parks of Hamilton are another common provider of vehicles on this route too often using the same type of vehicle and usually in Citylink colours.
Hey Mark, thanks so much for your comment and for watching. People do the "bag on the seat" trick on the trains too! If they are reluctant to move their stuff I usually ask if their bag has a ticket of its own! 😂
If you enjoyed the video please subscribe for more travel adventures - it’s totally free! RUclips.com/c/rogeredwardsmarketingtv?sub_confirmation=1
Bus or Train? I'll take the Tardis. Cheers Roger!
😂 Just reverse the polarity of the neutron flow first! 😂
Thank you so much! You made my trip much easier now! :)
Great to hear! 😀
Great and timely video. We travel to Scotland from the US in less than three weeks and are planning a day trip from Edinburgh to Glasgow with a stop in Falkirk. The train is ideal for this trip. We will be buses to places the train no longer runs. When an option, the train is my choice. I now have to find the TARDIS when we visit Glasgow.
Thanks Cliff. Hope you enjoy your trip to a Scotland. There are quite a few Police Boxes in Glasgow so I’m sure you’ll spot one! 😀
Great video Rog. Nice to see more. About the buses! You were indeed on a Plaxton Panorama, based on a B11RLET chassis. 50403 was new to Kilmarnock's Stagecoach West Scotland depot on delivery in 2018, and is still operated by them to this day. The reason its running your Megabus/Citylink route is purely down to operations behind Citylink. Citylink is primarily a brand name for a coalition of operators who are subcontracted by Citylink to operate the services. At first majority owned by Stagecoach, and co-owned by Comfortdelgro, Citylink became the Scottish Megabus. In the last few years, Comfordelgro bought out stagecoaches shares in Citylink, meaning it now owns the majority share, and along with this Citylink bought megabus off Stagecoach too, which is part of why you can book services from either website. The Stagecoach and later Citylink ownership of Megabus allowed routes like the M11 to pop up, which are routes for one of the operators operated on behalf of or with the other. Hope it doesnt make much confusion but TLDR, Stagecoach runs bus as Citylink doesnt, and Megabus can book the services as they are owned by Citylink now.
Wow - thanks so much for all that information. Much appreciated. 😀
I fell asleep reading that 🥱
Very interesting! Thank you for presenting a fair non biased report. I live in Edinburgh and always take the train now but the bus was the only option in my student days on a budget. Echoing a few comments the way the CityLink brand works does mean that the quality of the hard product is dependent on what operator is operating a particular service, that’s too much variation for me given that someone on that nicer coach next to yours could have paid the same ticket price. While the 385s are a bit utilitarian they are consistent, you are paying for “speed” Either way it’s fantastic that we have a choice, Scotlands relatively small population does tend to mean that transport options aren’t always sustainable leading to one option having a monopoly.
Thanks for watching Thomas. Much appreciated. 😀
nice job. fairly presented. helped me decide to make a round-trip ED-Glas-ED in one day.
Thanks for watching. Enjoy your trip!
Megabus I believe are owned by Stagecoach and Citylink are the Scottish branch of Megabus, so a strange situation you needed up but not unusual
Thanks for that! 😀🙌🏻
I think the bus is generally good if you want to see where you are but you can't beat the speed of a train. I wish busses round me had seats like that one, the ones round me (30ish miles from London) are rock hard, they're like medieval torture devices, oh and no air con or wi-fi. At least all the trains have air-con.
Agree! Thanks so much for watching! 😀
I believe that Citylink sub-contract routes out to other coach operators like Stagecoah or West Coast Motors. I think the reason you could book it as a megabus is because megabus is owned by Stagecoach, so it is possible to book buses operated by Stagecoach on there also.
Great information. Thanks for watching. 😀
Try one of the Ember services with their electric buses. Was most impressed when tried these out during industrial action on the rail network. They’ve just introduced a new service from Glasgow to Dundee that physically stops in Perth City Centre itself.
I tried Ember just a few weeks ago and was very impressed:
ruclips.net/video/2l-kbZpJGI0/видео.html. Thanks for watching. 😀
The coach that you traveled on from Edinburgh to Glasgow was indeed a Plaxton Panorama Volvo B11R but wasn’t made by Alexander Dennis. It was made by, as the name suggests, Plaxton at their factory in Scarborough. I drive the single deck coach variant of these, Plaxton Elites as I work for Stagecoach. Also, Citylink and Megabus have a partnership so this is why sometimes Stagecoach liveried vehicles will sometimes be used on the service as Stagecoach own Megabus. I always tell passengers to ignore the paint scheme of the vehicle but to always check the destination board on the front of the vehicle or to just ask the driver.
That's great info, thanks James. 😀
Plaxton is owned by Alexander Dennis
The route is shared between stagecoach and parks of hamilton busses although the parks 900s have tables and wireless charging etc but the stagecoach dont
Thanks for that! Makes it a bit and miss but it was a decent ride! Appreciate you watching. 😀
Good idea, but to be fair You should consider few other factors:
- return ticket price (trains usually a lot affordable when buying return ticket)
- flexibility (how often train/bus leaving station and what happens if You miss one for some reason, time of first/last bus/train, did it run on Sunday as well?)
- toilets and restricted mobility acces (on bus stations usually you need to pay for toilets, and is more difficult to use coach for person with wheelchair)
- luggage option (how much you can grab with You)
Good tips, thanks. 😀
Bus from Edinburgh to Glasgow means McGill's X38 from Edinburgh to Falkirk, then McGills X37 from Falkirk to Glasgow.
Absolutely! 😂
Or take the city link 900 and miss out Falkirk
I live in Edinburgh there Are blue police boxes in Edinburgh, one in Rose street, and up the bridges and others dotted in Edinburgh. Mostly coffee booths. I get a bus to Glasgow megabus and takes 1 hour 10 minutes. You must have picked a bad day 👍
Cheers Clive. The Edinburgh Police Boxes are a unique design. They didn't use the design used in other UK cities that went on to become associated with the TARDIS. Thanks for watching.
If you're looking for a bus service with leather seats then do the X43 from Manchester Chorlton Street to Burnley Bus Station. The brand is called the Witchway run by the Burnley Bus Company which is part of Transdev.
Also try the 152 Hotline service from Burnley Bus Station to Preston which is run by The Blackburn Bus Company.
Thanks Phil, some interesting suggestions there. And also from back near where I original come from so worth a look. 😀
As someone who loves buses I can tell you that the coach you travelled on is a Plaxton Bodied Volvo Panarama B11RLET
Thanks! 🙏🏻
Hi Roger. With or without a Senior Railcard, the train is quicker, although more expensive, than by bus. The wet pavements in Glasgow, can be very slippy, as I remember when last in Glasgow, a couple of weeks ago! Good revamps done to both Queen St and St. Andrews Sq. Did you get a discount for your bus journey? Overall, the train is just so much better, although you pay more for the privilege! A good comparison done between the two!👍
Thanks, Alan. No discount for the bus - £6.40 was the full fare (including a £1 booking fee). 🚍
Megabus/Citylink also go during the night, which Scotrail doesn't.
👍Definitely very handy if you're on a night out!
Thanks for the video Roger. I agree with your findings. There are examples when airlines do fly that sector for operational reasons (bad weather or to combine flighrs for commercial reasons). Many years ago BD operated that route as a commercial service and I bought myself a ticket ...EDI-GLA for around £5.
Thanks Alex - I might be remembering wrong but I’m sure BA (Using Dash8s) did an Edinburgh to Bristol with a touch down in Glasgow for a while and you could use that as a mini-shuttle! We’re talking 1996ish though! 🤔
@@RogEdwardsTV I am sure you are correct Rogar. I remember in the 1990s catching Brymon (I think it was a BA subsidiary at that time) from Bristol to Glasgow on a Dash-8. It was an evening flight and it could have continued on to Edinburgh.
Brymon! That was it Alex! Memory jogged! 😀
If you wanted to be really weird, you could even fly between Edinburgh & Glasgow via Belfast or Dublin with Ryanair, easyJet or Aer Lingus... Great travel video Roger! 👌👌
Once upon a time BA CityFlyer used to fly from Edinburgh to Bristol with a touch down in Glasgow - so you could fly direct between the two! 😳
@@RogEdwardsTV I would love to see an airline do a direct EDI/GLA service, I know Loganair did it back in 2020, but that was a temporary gig heading to one of the islands.
@@JettTyler17It used to happen. Many years ago BD (British Midland) operated a triangular route EMA-EDI-GLA-EMA. It deployed a Viscount for this service. As an excited teenager I bought myself a ticket for around £5 (no taxes/fees/charges at that time) for the EDI-GLA sector.
For me personally trains, but if you don’t live near a train station then buses are still a great way to travel. Great video you got a new sub!
Thanks so much! 😀 Yes - I count myself lucky to live near a good railway network! The bus was a nice change though!
Depends on what time you travel, have missed the last train a few time but the busses run through the night. In the wee hours the DONT hang about they straight line roundabouts and when they have to pull off to stop you get thrown across the seats... bit terrifying bit also bit fun lol. Think it was about 50 mis too the last time i experienced it.
Ha ha that great to hear about what happened at night! 😂
Hello Roger. Just wondering how far in advance you bought the tickets? Figure they'd be quite a bit more expensive if you bought at the gate.
Hey! I bought the tickets on the day though in fairness for short journeys in Scotland there’s no real difference. If I’d been travelling further, say to Manchester or London then I would have bought advance tickets! Thanks so much for watching and commenting! 😀
Hi Rog I’m gonna do the same thing for you as a disabled traveller, I have limited mobility using crutches and I have both the Scottish concession card and a disabled railcard
That would be really interesting. 😀
I would say train although I have used the city link 900 service it's a good service would like to see trains run a little later like the 900 service
Agreed! Thanks for watching. 😀
3:02 You got unlucky with the coach being an off allocation. The correct ones (like the one to the right) are luxurios
900 is a Citylink route contracted to many operators, mainly Stagecoach and Parks of Hamilton
Fingers crossed for next time! 😀
Aye unfortunatly Stagecoach Western arent the best with branded buses aha
How about giving the stagecoach and Train from Ayr and Glasgow
Good idea. Thanks for watching.
Hi Rodger... Great video. As you aren't too familiar with citylink buses. Citylink don't actually have any buses. Several operators work the Citylink contract. Parks of Hamilton, Stagecoach & West Coast Motors. We do have Citylink branded coaches its just unfortunate you caught one of the Stagecoach vehicles. I drive that coach often on the 900 and its a great bus for power. Unfortunately the heating is jammed on upstairs. The bus does have WiFi but Stagecoachs Citylink Don't. I hope you enjoyed your journey on board the pride of Kilmarnock Fleet
Hey Ross - thanks for all that great info. I now understand the links between Megabus, Citylink and Stagecoach better now! I’ll definitely be back! 🚍
Look forward to having you back again soon and hopefully you'll catch a citylink branded one next time you travel. And you never know you might get me 😉
Our buses are easily identified by the 5 digit fleet number at the front with a standard registration plate. The 900 coach parked next to the one you boarded is one of Parks of Hamilton coaches their easily identified by the private reg usually either LSK or HSK
Would be great to be on one of your buses! Fingers crossed! ☺️
Cool. So much to learn and explore. 😀
Are there any massage places in Edinburgh?
There’s a great spa at The Balmoral.
Great comparison, I’ve recently been looking at a journey between Glasgow and Edinburgh so this helps quite a lot! Like I said National Express are definitely the ones to go for in terms of features for a coach (leather seats, tray tables, footrests and most of the time decent toilets) I will definitely be looking at a coach for my trip between Glasgow and Edinburgh now so thank you!
Thanks Daniel. Will definitely try a National Express coach sometime soon. 😀
The 900s have been a mix bag of anything lately due to the original paragon 900s having a myriad of issues including structure and they have been pulling and anything in, including National Express. Talking about an identity crisis. National express stepping in to do the citylink 900 because new buses are shit. Thug life
Thanks for the info - sounds like a bit of a mess. Hope they get it all sorted out soon! 😀
@@RogEdwardsTV yeah although it sounds a mess they still get them all leaving in time. It's a mad testament
Try ember electric bus from Edinburgh to Dundee
I’ll add it to the bucket list. 😀
We are traveling around the UK and Ireland and trying to decide between train and bus. Which would be better for international tourists with suitcases?
Depending on the route, space for suitcases can be limited on trains (always check with the operator). Most buses have luggage holds underneath so not a problem there.
Have a great trip! 😀
Now trains usually on strike, delayed or cancelled.
Check on internet before You travel.
Otherwise You will be disapionted.
@@RogEdwardsTV Do you think it is tricky driving around Scotland and England in a rental car or taking a tour. From Australia, Im into cycling so was wondering if there are any good cycle ways? Is it worth to go to the Orkneys and Scottish Islands?
@@Brucemcleod2345 I wouldn’t say driving is tricky. Can get congested in cities but the countryside is usually okay. I can’t really comment on cycling on the Scottish Islands as I’ve never done it. 😀
It's 35 miles from edinburgh to glasgow I travel regularly
Cool! 😀
Definitely coach. We use it frequently to head to Edinburgh for shopping, for a meal, a nightout or the theatre.
In our experience the coach is cheaper, quicker and far far more reliable than the train. We use the Baillieston stop off as its handier for us than the bus station. Add to that the late night service is much better. We find the last train from Edinburgh is pretty early. Time tables get changed all the time too. Not the first time we’ve had to change trains at Airdrie late at night.
The biggest annoyance with the coach though is the amount of single travellers taking up two seats and being very very reluctant to remove coats and bags to allow folk to sit. Very rude and bad mannered but sadly common. I guess the operator can’t be blamed for societies ills!
Regarding branding, Citylink just like National Express and Flix don’t own their own buses. They have a series of sub contractors. One of the largest is Stagecoach. To confuse things Stagecoach also have the Megabus brand and own a substantial share of the ownership of Citylink. This means occasionally coaches will appear in Stagecoach colours or Megabus brand and will serve the Megabus service as well as Citylink. Parks of Hamilton are another common provider of vehicles on this route too often using the same type of vehicle and usually in Citylink colours.
Hey Mark, thanks so much for your comment and for watching. People do the "bag on the seat" trick on the trains too! If they are reluctant to move their stuff I usually ask if their bag has a ticket of its own! 😂
Used to work 90 hours in Edinburgh and 30 in Glasgow, bus infinitely better
Thank you! 😀
😅Prefer the train but with a senior travel card bus is a no brainer
How much of a discount do you get with the card? 🤔
@@RogEdwardsTV Totally free on the buses. So from Edinburgh to Glasgow nothing to pay on bus compared to somewhat expensive train fares
Cool! 😀
Stagecoach and City link work together
👍🏻😀
scottish citylink service 900 goes to glasgow
Yup - that was the bus I was on! 😀
Train!
👍🏻
Stagecoach distance
😀
£1.00 only with a Scottish concession card for 60 years old and over
On the bus
Thanks! 😀
Book it early and you can get it cheaper
Cheers 😀
TRAN IS BEST
👍🏻😀
It is train
👍
@@RogEdwardsTV you should do the Fife circular
Go by train, Sir
Definitely my preference! ☺️
@@RogEdwardsTV You see more. Cheers!
Think it depends on the Journey, Scotrail throw trains at the Gla/EDI service, whereas other destinations bus may be better.