National Express
www.nationalExpress.co.uk
A brief history of National Express
The distinctive white coaches of National Express are a
familiar site on the UK roads, and they represent a proud heritage
of public transport that now goes back well over a hundred years.Horse-drawn stagecoaches were undoubtedly the forerunners of today’s
long distance coach network, but it was not until after the first
World War, and the introduction of motorbuses, that express coach
services really came into their own. These were initially operated
by independent companies with differing company names who later came
together to form a loose network of nationwide services.
The formation of the National Bus Company (NBC) in 1968 brought many
of these independent companies together and soon led to a more
co-ordinated policy of express coach planning. This resulted in a
'National' branding of such services during 1972 and the
introduction of a new and distinctive 'all white' livery for
vehicles was quickly adopted. A new brand name of 'National Express'
first appeared on publicity during 1974 and was then introduced onto
vehicles during 1978.
The introduction of a new Transport Act during the early 80's meant
that National Express faced strong competition on many of its most
popular routes, especially on those to/from London. Totally without
subsidy, and by introducing new services and lower fares the 'coach
war' actually gave National Express a major publicity boost and its
customer numbers quickly increased.
The de-regulation of the NBC led to a management buy-out of National
Express and a new company called National Express Holdings Ltd was
formed on 17 March 1988. Over the next few years the new company
quickly began acquiring other bus and coach businesses in the UK and
eventually grew to become the National Express Group (NEG) during
1991 which was then eventually floated on the London Stock Market in
December 1992.
During the 1990's, and working within the NEG, National Express
coaches continued to expand its business base with the acquisition
of both European and UK coach services - especially those serving
the UK airports. This growth in route development was also matched
with the opening of the UK's first purpose-built coach stations at
Liverpool, Leeds, Southampton.
As National Express entered a new Millennium it was clear that
technology was going to play an increasingly important role. Over
the past few years improvements to ticketing technology, booking
procedures, call centre access and websites have all played an
important part in providing even easier access for you.
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