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BC starts on Oct 6
A RIDE THE FLAG as your Daily Express advertising campaign may well ensure that British Coachways successfully impresses itself on the minds of the public on the new delicensed trunk coach routes in Britain, reports NOEL MILLIER.
British Coachways are a result of a marketing and route network umbrella formed by six of Britain's largest independent coach operators. The network will link London with Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth/Torbay, Cardiff, Swansea, Middlesbrough and Newcastle as well as a number of intermediate points.
It will begin operations on Monday, October 6. Routes from Wales and the West will service Heathrow Airport Central.
New low-economy fares will undercut NBC's National Express standbyes and should identify a new travel market as well as abstract business from British Rail.
The operators included are Grey-Green which will run from London, Wallace Arnold ' from Yorkshire and Devon, Shearings from the North-west, Ellerman Bee-Line from the North-east, Parks of Hamilton from Scotland and Morris Brothers from Swansea.
A new livery has been devised for the British Coachways fleet which is expected to comprise new heavyweight Leyland, Volvo, and MAN coaches. Herman and Shearings may run heavyweights in place of Fords, but have yet to decide.
North-west based operator Smiths Happiway Spencers is not involved as was implied in CM, October 20, but it is possible that more operators will join the British Coachways network as it becomes established.
The network is being launched at a series of special presentations to travel agents throughout the country, and booking for the services are being accepted through a chain of appointed agents.
British Coachways can already draw on strong support from the constituents' combined fleets which number over 500 coaches and should ensure that new competition after the Transport Act will be both fierce and immediate.