I prepared for the journey, and we set off. Caroline was driving me to Trumpington P&R, I was going to take the National Express 010 to London (Victoria Coach Station), changing their to the 592 to Dundee. We sat in the Landcruiser, parked in the drop-off area. Caroline spotted the 010 arriving before I did, at 1905. She commented that the bus was a little early, which was unusual, as they usually seem to need a bit more than the allocated twelve minutes from Parkside to Trumpington P&R. The coach turned up – one of Burton’s usual Volvo’s. YU 04 XFC. The driver parked up, and although I forget his name, he had a (south-west of Scotland) Scottish accent. (There was also another Burton’s driver in an adjacent Ford Courier van.) There were three of us waiting for the service here, two others who were going to Heathrow (an American couple who had been visiting the country, and flying home). The driver pulls up, and discusses with his colleague the directions in the road atlas. Slightly un-nerving, but not as bad as what followed, when he announced the bad news – he only had one seat spare. It was the normal size of vehicle - a 49 seat coach – and he’d not been selling tickets, he said that they were all pre-booked passengers. I’d just said goodbye to C, but I called her phone, and asked her to come back. At this point, the two drivers were trying to get through to control, but to no avail. This particular weekend was interesting, as there were a large number of rail replacement bus services running in and out of Cambridge. Had more people decided to take the coach?
The drivers finally get through, and explain they’ve been oversold. After some discussion, the driver decides to take me on board the coach, and the other two passengers for Heathrow would go on Service 787. I had a rather large bag with me (a Sainsbury’s large polypropylene bag), so I put it in the first nearside locker, and I proceed to find this elusive seat. I walk up and down the coach, and do not find it. So, I went off and asked the driver which one it is. Driver re-counts. “Someone must have been in the toilet”. Now he’s got 52 passengers booked on his 49 seat coach. They then ask me where I’m heading for, i.e. was it just London. The driver with the Scottish accent seemed to click when I said Dundee.
At this point, the driver asks the other if he is ok to go, and the three oversold passengers are left in the arms of the other driver (not sure if he was changing over onto or from another run, but he was really helpful. No idea where we would have been otherwise without him anyway). We will get put onto the 787 towards Heathrow, which is the next service due in. As the coach drives off, Caroline remembers my bag is in the coach… still…
(My head now hurts… and we’ve not got out of Cambridge yet! As regular readers will be aware, this particular visit had to happen, as part of the run-up to surgery next month).
… I ask the off-duty (?) Burtons driver if he can be called back (he was at the traffic lights at the junction of the car park access road, and the A1309 [Hauxton Road] at this point). Nope, but the other driver has finally got through to control. I’m asked to put my details onto a piece of Cambridge Coach Services headed notepaper (how many years ago was it NatEx took them over?), and I put down my name, a description of the bag, and where it was i.e. first locker, beside the legal lettering, as well as explaining the rest of the journey as best as I could (I was booked on the 592 which did not serve Heathrow – the 2300from Victoria – as opposed to the 2230 from Victoria, which does). As it was getting windy, I took shelter in the car. The driver then came over to me, and said that NX would be calling me directly. They would now try to get my luggage onto the bus north.
At this point, my mobile phone rings. M, from NatEx, called me. Firstly, he seemed to be under the impression that the bag contained some legal documents (I did say it was beside the legal lettering – the name and address of the owner of the coach), but there were no legal documents inside. Some transport literature that I’d picked up for friends, plus some changes of clothing and underwear for a couple of days away. I pointed out that it wasn’t legal documents, but it would kind of be nice to have some changes of clothing for the time away! Anyway, that appeared not to be a problem, as he was going to speak to both NX people at Victoria and Heathrow, and ‘swap’ me between the two 592’s, so I could get on at Heathrow. He was going to alert the NX people at Victoria and Heathrow so that the bag would get put on the ‘via Heathrow’ 592 at 2230, and that I was to speak to someone once I got into Heathrow.
The 787 arrives, a shade late, and pulls in as National Express’s own DAF coach, T208 AUA. The driver is not aware of any moving of passengers, but the off-duty Burton’s driver explains the situation, and his word is taken for it. There is ONE other passenger on the coach… so we had plenty of room to spread out, at least initially. C. pulls out of Trumpington, just in front of the coach, and the coach follows behind her all the way to the Royston by-pass.
(Incidentally, when I first started doing these journeys, I put Dundee to Royston into the journey planner, for interests sake. It did not pick this up as a through journey – not even when changing from the 592 to the 787. Not sure why).
At Royston Tesco, we pick up another couple of passengers, and pick our way through North Herts & Beds – mostly in the dark, but the names were familiar from previous daylight use of this service. Baldock, Letchworth, both stops in Hitchin didn’t generate any users for the 787. We got to Luton, and a passenger (in broken English) approached the driver, and asked where the Cambridge 787 was. We were leaving at 2040 to Heathrow, but the coach to Cambridge should have left at 1935, and according to the passenger, hadn’t yet arrived. It had passed our coach as we left Trumpington, so presumably the driver forgot to call at Luton Bus Station. The 787 is operated by National Express’s own coaches, so this was not the work of a subcontractor, unlike most of the rest of the network.
(By this point, I’ve already got quite a bad head, and I’m trying to ignore thoughts of what happens on the rest of the way – A1 roadworks, timekeeping, getting on the next coach, and the rest. I’m tired, but I don’t want to fall asleep, incase I end up getting turfed off late at Heathrow Terminal 4).
After this, Luton Airport, Hemel Hempstead is called at late, and I have dreads for the roadworks, but I felt slightly reassured by the fact that we got into Heathrow Central Bus Station just before the scheduled time of 2200 – about five minutes early. As instructed, I look for someone in a NatEx hi-vi. I can’t remember this guy’s name, but he didn’t really seem interested. As I tried to explain this complicated story, he kept butting in, and at one point said the last coach to London had gone for the night. I mentioned Dundee, and I was cut short again to say it was due at 2305… which was after he finished for the night in five minutes. OK, he just wants home, I can understand that, because it’s how I felt just a few hours before… and still did. I thank him, and walk off to find the controllers hut. The door was locked, but I managed to attract their attention by tapping on the window (through the cage mesh) with a key.
Two women answer the door, and say “Are you Suzy?”
Turns out the one going off shift had just had a phone call in from Victoria, and they confirmed that they had stuck the bag on the right 592, and that they would ensure that I got on. They also apologised for the problems with the 010 (but I did understand it was not their doing. Their work at Heathrow is busy enough, without adding problems from miles away into it!). They introduced me to each other, but my head was spinning by this point. One was just going off duty, and the second was doing what I’d call stance duty that evening, so she said she’d make sure I got on.
After sitting down briefly, and calling C. to explain what had occurred, I went to carry on. Having seen many things over the various times I’d used this service, I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but the NX rep kindly ensured I got on. First on as well, and she covered the explanation, so I didn’t have to explain/argue with the Trathens/Parks drivers, which was appreciated. She also came upstairs, called me by name, to check my destination, and ensure the bag ended up in the correct compartment (coach was Trathens LSK 825).
Anyway, we left late from Heathrow, and continued into the night.
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