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Long-term development of express coach services in Britain

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  • White, Peter
  • Robbins, Derek

Abstract

Express coach services compete for longer distance market with car and rail, and largely cater for the leisure, tourism, and visiting friends and relatives. markets. Britain deregulated its express coach system in 1980, and it is now opportune to examine long-term impacts of that change. The initial impacts were reviewed by the authors in 1986 (Robbins & White, 1986) but such impacts do not necessarily match long-term outcomes. Monitoring of the British system has been conducted by examining service changes and data on ridership, together with financial performance of the main operator groups and technical press coverage. It can be shown that a dominant position has been retained by the major operator (National Express), with a continued decline in the role of smaller independent operators in the all-year-round daily network. However, new competition has emerged from other large groups (most notably Stagecoach ‘Megabus’ in 2003). The paper analyses the operating and marketing strategies of the new operator and contrasts these strategies with those adopted in the 1980s. Implications for the future development of the network in Britain are outlined.

Suggested Citation

  • White, Peter & Robbins, Derek, 2012. "Long-term development of express coach services in Britain," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 30-38.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:retrec:v:36:y:2012:i:1:p:30-38
    DOI: 10.1016/j.retrec.2012.03.012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sue Jaffer & David Thompson, 1986. "Deregulating express coaches: a reassessment," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 7(4), pages 45-68, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nash, Chris & Smith, Andrew, 2020. "Public transport procurement in Britain," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    2. Blayac, Thierry & Bougette, Patrice, 2017. "Should I go by bus? The liberalization of the long-distance bus industry in France," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 50-62.
    3. Reynolds, Tim & White, Peter, 2022. "Forty years’ experience of deregulated express coach services in Britain," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    4. Brand, Christina & Sieg, Gernot, 2020. "The impact of delays on the welfare effects of on-track competition: The case of transfer passengers with operator-tied tickets," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    5. Samuel de Haas & Daniel Herold & Jan Thomas Schaefer, 2017. "Entry deterrence due to brand proliferation: Empirical evidence from the German interurban bus industry," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201731, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    6. White, Peter, 2018. "Prospects in Britain in the light of the Bus Services Act 2017," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 337-343.
    7. Mizuta, Seiichiro, 2020. "Deregulation and competition in Japanese intercity coach industry," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 17-34.
    8. Crozet, Yves & Guihéry, Laurent, 2018. "Deregulation of long distance coach services in France," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 284-289.
    9. Burgdorf, Christian & Eisenkopf, Alexander, 2018. "Effects of road tolls for intercity buses on travel activities and the choice of means of transport in German long-distance passenger transport," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 92-105.
    10. Aarhaug, Jørgen & Fearnley, Nils, 2016. "Deregulation of the Norwegian long distance express coach market," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 1-6.
    11. Van Acker, Veronique & Kessels, Roselinde & Palhazi Cuervo, Daniel & Lannoo, Steven & Witlox, Frank, 2020. "Preferences for long-distance coach transport: Evidence from a discrete choice experiment," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 759-779.
    12. Beria, Paolo & Bertolin, Alberto, 2019. "Evolving long-distance passenger services. Market concentration, fares and specialisation patterns in Italy," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 77-92.
    13. Aarhaug, Jørgen & Farstad, Eivind & Fearnley, Nils & Halse, Askill Harkjerr, 2018. "Express coaches: An up-hill battle after liberalization?," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 82-91.
    14. de Haas, Samuel & Herold, Daniel & Schäfer, Jan Thomas, 2022. "Entry deterrence due to brand proliferation: Empirical evidence from the German interurban bus industry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    15. Dürr, Niklas S. & Hüschelrath, Kai, 2017. "Patterns of entry and exit in the deregulated German interurban bus industry," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 196-208.
    16. Francisco J. Bahamonde-Birke & Uwe Kunert & Heike Link & Juan de Dios Ortúzar, 2014. "Liberalization of the Interurban Coach Market in Germany: Do Attitudes and Perceptions Drive the Choice between Rail and Coach?," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1415, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    17. White, Peter, 2014. "An assessment of the Competition Commission report and subsequent outcomes," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 277-285.
    18. Fageda, Xavier & Sansano, Sergi, 2018. "Factors influencing prices and frequencies in the interurban bus market: Evidence from Europe," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 266-276.
    19. Beria, Paolo & Grimaldi, Raffaele & Laurino, Antonio, 2013. "Long distance coach transport in Italy: state of the art and perspectives," MPRA Paper 53768, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Joseph P. Schwieterman & Nicholas J. Klein & Alexander Levin, 2019. "Direct to your destination: the size, scope and competitive status of express coach carriers in the United States," Transportation, Springer, vol. 46(4), pages 1487-1504, August.
    21. van de Velde, Didier, 2014. "Market initiative regimes in public transport in Europe: Recent developments," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 33-40.
    22. Beria, Paolo & Nistri, Dario & Laurino, Antonio, 2018. "Intercity coach liberalisation in Italy: Fares determinants in an evolving market," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 260-269.

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