Greyhound buses taking to British roads

FirstGroup, Britain’s largest bus and train operator, and owner of the Greyhound coach brand in the US, said the buses would start running from London Victoria to Portsmouth and Southampton on September 14. Tickets will cost as little as a £1, with the average journey costing £7. It plans to roll out more routes next year.

The hourly bus services will take just under two hours non-stop to both cities and will offer free Wi-Fi, power sockets for each passenger, air conditioning, complimentary newspapers and leather seats. Each bus will be named after women from popular American songs including Peggy Sue, Billy Jean and Barbara Ann.



Sir Moir Lockhead, chief executive of FirstGroup, said: “For 95 years, Greyhound has been an icon of American life, carrying millions of people across the USA and Canada. Since First Group took over Greyhound in 2007, we have hoped to bring this famous brand across the Atlantic and I am absolutely delighted to reveal the first authentic Greyhound coaches in the UK.”

FirstGroup, which acquired Greyhound’s parent company Laidlaw two years ago in a £1.9bn deal, is hoping to compete with rivals by offering greater comfort and by keeping costs low. Each coach has 40 seats rather than the usual 50 and most bookings will be over the internet.