However, IChooseBirmingham has teamed up with Snap to offer a return trip to London (and other destinations) for free so the other day I gave it a go...
Booking is simple: you choose Birmingham and London, the number of seats, and time that you want to travel and the system comes back with what is on offer. The default pick-up point I was offered was Selly Oak and the default drop-off point was Covent Garden, both of which appeared to fit in with my travel plans so I went ahead with a booking on the 10.26 service. In fact there is a series of stops in both Birmingham and London so it is worth checking the list to ensure your journey plan is optimal (see below).
Naturally you have to verify your mobile phone as you book as this is the preferred method of contact. Having booked you get a confirmation text...
On the day, I arrived at the Selly Oak stop in good time, grateful that the day was fine as there is no shelter... Fortunately there is a Starbucks with a toilet opposite the stop, so, as you can track the coach from your phone, you can wait in there (make sure you leave in time to cross the light controlled crossing). Snap texted to tell me that Simon from Prospect Coaches was on his way...
Due to the horrendous traffic issues around Selly Oak, the coach - a Plaxton Panther with a 17 plate - arrived 15 mins late. Snap uses Google maps to estimate journey times when you book and gave an expected arrival time into Covent Garden (actually Kingsway) of 1244. Clearly not going to happen...
Boarding is simplicity itself - Simon asks for your name and checks it off and that's it. Very quiet on the coach so no problem choosing a seat. Bottle of water handed out and off we went. The coach had WiFi, a USB charger, and a clean toilet. Smooth Radio accompanied the journey south but wasn't particularly distracting. The seats recline but are perhaps rather close together. There isn't a dividing arm rest between the window and aisle seat, but there are seat belts. A drop down tray with cup holder is provided.
The route is the M40 / A40 into West London which means a good run on the motorway - excellent driving by Simon - but an increasingly slow approach to Central London. By Paddington we were down to a crawl..The first stop was Baker Street at the expected arrival time for Covent Garden (1244). In hindsight, that is the point to get off as it took a further 40 minutes to reach Covent Garden...
Shortly after arrival, a text from Snap asked me to rate the trip from 5 (great) to 1 (awful) stating that the ratings help to choose future operators. Naturally I gave Simon a 5 as there was nothing he could have done to improve the timings and his coach and driving were fine...
Snap are currently offering one-way trips for £5 though the range of times seems to be limited. If you are flexible in your timings (and don't mind coach travel) it is probably worth giving it a go. Not sure that those with accessibility issues will be too impressed - there appears to be nothing on the site FAQs about wheelchair provision or help for passengers who need additional assistance. Clearly the toilet is NOT easily accessible (down the flight of stairs leading to the emergency exit...) and my coach had steps to get aboard.
Overall, a service which is still a work in progress?
Snap have provided the following information about accessibility on the coaches they use:
We can look for Operators with Wheelchair access on the day
you wish to travel.
There is a box before the check out asking if you or someone
travelling with you need to access the coach with a wheelchair.
If that's the case will do our best to accommodate your
request.
If you or the person travelling with you can board the coach
without the need of a wheelchair but still need one to go around, in that case
you can book without clicking the box and we'll store the wheelchair in the
luggage area downstairs.
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