National Express is increasing the frequency and speed of its coach services between London and key destinations along the South Coast from 4 July 2025.
The expansion includes additional daily journeys to and from Poole, Bournemouth, and Southampton, alongside new services connecting Portsmouth and Gatwick Airport.
The operator aims to provide more travel options for passengers during the busy summer period, with fares starting from 5.20 GBP one way.
This expansion comes in response to recent findings from YouGov’s Destination Index, which suggest that a growing number of UK residents are opting to spend their holidays closer to home. The data shows that 14% of respondents are most likely to choose domestic destinations this summer, just behind Spain at 16%.
National Express will increase services on the following routes:
- London to/from Poole: From 15 to 20 daily journeys, including 8 faster services
- London to/from Bournemouth: From 16 to 22 daily journeys, with 10 faster services
- London to/from Southampton: From 12 to 14 daily journeys, with journey times from 2 hours 35 minutes
Services to and from London airports are also being enhanced:
- Poole to/from Heathrow: Increased to 20 daily journeys, with some journeys around 2 hours 30 minutes
- Bournemouth to/from Heathrow: Reduced journey times, with some taking just 2 hours
- Southampton to/from Heathrow: Some journeys as quick as 1 hour 40 minutes
- Portsmouth to/from Gatwick: Six new daily services, with journey times from 1 hour 35 minutes
The operator reports strong early demand, with bookings up nearly 30% on the Bournemouth–Heathrow route and over 30% on the Southampton–Heathrow route.
National Express Network Director Ed Rickard said:We are continuing to invest in our coach network and look forward to introducing our faster, more frequent services connecting customers between London and the South Coast this summer.
As the leading scheduled coach operator we’ve got some of the fastest coach services from London and fares from £5.20 one-way, offering more affordable, convenient and reliable transport choices than any other operator.
