By Chris Bradley
Stagecoach has recently launched a new selection of night buses. Normally a night bus is just a coach which drives through the night. However, there is now the opportunity to ride on a bus which has bunk beds in it.
The bendy bus is 60 foot long and has 24 beds on it which are in stacks of three as well as 24 seats. It means that you have the choice of sitting on the bus or sleeping in the bed. The service has been being trialled for the last few months. The company had a few problems initially with air conditioning but now everything is fixed. The passengers reported that they would be prepared to pay extra if they had a bed on board a night bus and so they have now put three of the buses in to service.
It will be a budget service though and so it is not massively luxurious. However, there are free drinks and biscuits and each bunk has a free pouch with eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste. There is also a sheet, pillow and duvet for them to use and there is a curtain they can pull across to give them privacy. They also have a night light and a recharging socket for phones and laptops. The beds are very long but with very little head room. Most passengers were comfortable and felt it was good value for money compared to a sleeper train and a night bus, as booking well in advance can offer significant reductions in price. The buses currently run on the Glasgow to London route and will add it on to other routes if it proves to be popular.
