Britain's largest scheduled coach operator, National Express, is significantly expanding its services this festive season to meet soaring demand, adding tens of thousands of extra seats and introducing a brand-new overnight journey between Glasgow and London.
Massive Capacity Boost for Festive Travel
The company is deploying additional resources across its network from Saturday 20 December until Sunday 4 January. This strategic increase is designed to provide reliable and affordable travel options, particularly with planned rail engineering works expected to cause disruption over the Christmas period.
Key additions to the schedule include:
- A new overnight service from Glasgow to London, launching on Monday 22 December. This increases the direct daily Scottish-Anglo services to four journeys per day.
- An extra 1,500 seats on services linking Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London during the festive period.
- Over 40,000 additional seats on key intercity and airport routes nationwide.
Detailed Breakdown of Extra Seats
The capacity increase is targeted to support travel across the UK. The extra seats from 20 December to 4 January are allocated as follows:
- Over 12,300 seats on airport services between Stansted and London.
- Over 10,300 seats on intercity services to and from the North West.
- Over 9,200 seats on services to and from the South West.
- 4,000+ seats on services to and from the North East and Yorkshire.
- 1,500+ seats on services to and from the West Midlands.
Ed Rickard, Network Director for National Express, commented on the expansion: "We already operate the UK’s biggest coach network and with decades of experience and operational capacity we have the flexibility to add extra journeys and capacity to meet the huge demand we’re seeing." He added, "With planned rail engineering works ahead, more people are turning to us for affordable and reliable travel."
UK's Biggest Festive Coach Network in Operation
With rail services not operating on Christmas Day, National Express will provide the country's most extensive festive coach network. This will consist of 355 journeys serving 96 locations, including towns, cities, and airports across the nation.
Beyond the scheduled service boost, the operator is helping families save money with a kids go free offer. Until 4th January 2026, up to three children can travel for free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult**. Ed Rickard noted this helps parents "save on travel costs so they can enjoy winter adventures with the whole family."
Passengers can expect comfortable travel with amenities including leather reclining seats, free Wi-Fi on selected services, USB power sockets, and a generous luggage allowance of up to 20kg. Flexible Change & Go ticket options are also available.
The company advises that tickets are selling quickly and encourages customers to book in advance to secure their travel plans. All services and offers are subject to Terms and Conditions, with full details available on the National Express website.
