Within-country I'd say you're right: f'rinstance the Oxford-London coaches got used by absolutely everybody, as they were a) much cheaper than the train, b) depending on where you were headed to and from, were also more convenient than the train, c) reasonably comfortable, and d) ran 24/7.
Between the three cities I mentioned, there was definitely an element of "only poor people use this service", as they were all also linked by a high-speed train network. I particularly noticed it on the Paris-London stretch: on the train you check in at the station and head straight through; on the coach, you have to get yourself and all your belongings off the bus & go through customs twice, with the occasional passenger being taken away by the police never to return.
Not having travelled by coach in the rest of Europe, I can't speak accurately for the whole continent, but - given the extensive train network which, along with plane travel, seems to be the main non-car way people get from country to country - I imagine it's much the same.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-05-26 03:01 am (UTC)Between the three cities I mentioned, there was definitely an element of "only poor people use this service", as they were all also linked by a high-speed train network. I particularly noticed it on the Paris-London stretch: on the train you check in at the station and head straight through; on the coach, you have to get yourself and all your belongings off the bus & go through customs twice, with the occasional passenger being taken away by the police never to return.
Not having travelled by coach in the rest of Europe, I can't speak accurately for the whole continent, but - given the extensive train network which, along with plane travel, seems to be the main non-car way people get from country to country - I imagine it's much the same.