Published: 10th June 2025
National Express enhances routes between London and the South Coast
- We're offering some of the fastest coach services between London and the South Coast
- Daily journeys increased between London, Poole, Bournemouth and Southampton
- New coach links between Portsmouth and Gatwick
- Great value fares available from £5.20*
From Friday 4th July National Express is boosting its daily coach services between London and the South Coast, providing even more affordable, convenient and reliable transport choices to the coast this summer.
The boost to services follows recent data from YouGov’s Destination Index, indicating that more than 1 in 10 (14%) of Britons are most likely to visit UK destinations during the summer period - just behind Spain (16%) - with 53% of UK adults indicating that they are consistently pleased with their holidays in Blighty.
For those looking to swap the city for the coast, the UK’s largest scheduled coach operator will increase services between London, Poole, Bournemouth and Southampton with some of the fastest journeys reaching the seaside in as little as 2 and a half hours.
Ed Rickard, Network Director for National Express, 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.”
Enhanced services from the 4th July include:
- London to/from Poole: increasing from 15 to 20 journeys a day with 8 faster journeys
- London to/from Bournemouth: increasing from 16 to 22 journeys a day with 10 faster journeys
- London to/from Southampton: increasing from 12 to 14 journeys a day with journeys as fast as 2 hours 35 minutes
In addition, National Express is boosting services between the South Coast and London airports:
- Poole to/from Heathrow: increasing from 15 to 20 journeys a day, with journeys up to an hour quicker at 2 hours 30 minutes
- Bournemouth to/from Heathrow: journeys will become faster with some as quick as 2 hours
- Southampton to/from Heathrow: faster journeys from 1 hour 40 minutes
- Portsmouth to/from Gatwick: introducing six journeys a day with journeys as quick as 1 hour 35 minutes
Bookings for journeys between Bournemouth and Heathrow are already up nearly 30 per cent** and bookings between Southampton and Heathrow up over 30 per cent***.
Ed added: “We’re making it easier than ever for savvy holidaymakers - whether they’re travelling to coastal destinations here in the UK - or heading to the airport for somewhere further afield, with our brilliant coach drivers taking them right to the terminal door.”
Customers can expect a safe and comfortable experience on board, with leather reclining seats, free Wi-Fi on selected services, USB charging points and a generous luggage allowance of up to 20kg.
Visit www.nationalexpress.com to plan your journey and book tickets.
*Limited availability. No booking fee when logged into My Account and purchasing on the National Express website or app, otherwise £1.50 booking fee applies. Fares correct 06.06.2025.
**Bookings for National Express journeys between Bournemouth and Heathrow are currently up 29.2% for July 2025, compared to July 2024.
***Bookings for National Express journeys between Southampton and Heathrow are currently up 32.6% for July 2025, compared to July 2024.
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