Friday 26 July 2024 (1356) –Prospect Coaches of Lye near Stourbridge operates the Megabus Liverpool-Manchester-Birmingham-Coventry-Cambridge-Norwich Megabus service M87.

151 (PR19 STU), an Irizar i6 integral new in June 2019, was seen in Norwich bus station having worked the 0830 Birmingham-Norwich service (due to arrive at 1235) and would then work the 1405 Norwich-Liverpool service.

I rode on this coach from Cambridge to Norwich and back on 9 February 2024.

I took the photo from my seat on board Ambassador Travel 219 (BV19 XOY), a Caetano Levante bodied Scania K360EB4 new in March 2019 to National Express owned West Midlands Travel, which was working National Express service 728 to Heathrow Airport. My trip though was the 65 minute run to Mildenhall.

Both coaches run down the A11 to Cambridge before heading in different directions. The National Express service starts from UEA (University of East Anglia) at 1330 and then departs Norwich (Bus Station) at 1355 calling at Thetford (1440), Mildenhall (1500) and Newmarket (1520) arriving in Cambridge (Parkside) at 1550.

The Megabus service departs Norwich (Bus Station) at 1405 travelling via UEA (1415) then running non-stop to arrive Cambridge (Victoria Avenue) at 1545.

In the background is National Express 343 (BV72 XGA) which had been on hire to Ambassador Travel for some months. It is a Caetano Levante III bodied Scania K410 which was working the 1000 London (Victoria Coach Station) to Great Yarmouth National Express service 491.

According to the tracker on the Bus Times website it was shown as having departed on time and only a few minutes late at Stratford (the only other pick-up point on this trip due there at 1055 actual time 1101). It reached the A406 at Redbridge at 1114 but did not pass Fiveways, Barton Mills until 1254. With a clear run it would normally pass about 1225 and then a further 45 minutes later arrive in Norwich at 1310. It arrived approx. 1350. The tracker stopped recording just outside Norwich so didn’t show the arrival time at Great Yarmouth which was supposed to be 1350 but still at least 35 minutes away traffic permitting.