Bournemouth and Poole are both very well served by National Express, the multinational public transport provider offering coach, bus, train and tram services in the UK and around the world plus long-distance coach services across Europe. It was founded back in 1972 when the state-owned National Bus Company brought all of its brands under the one name. A management buy-out in 1988 saw it become the private business it remains today.
Buses in Bournemouth
A variety of National Express coaches and touring services operate from Bournemouth’s central bus station on Holdenhurst Road, next to Bournemouth train station at Travel Interchange.
One of the most popular services, the 035, sees coaches travel between Weymouth and London, making several stops locally including at the station, the pier, Bournemouth University and Westbourne.
Airport transfers
205 and 206 are the National Express airport coaches, running to Heathrow and Gatwick respectively. Both services call at a number of key destinations along the route. The 205 calls in at Ringwood, Southampton and Winchester and the 206 at Ringwood, Southampton, Fareham and Chichester.
Country-wide service
The company’s other Bournemouth routes are the 304 North West via the Midlands (taking in Southampton, Oxford, Birmingham, Chester and others before terminating in Liverpool). The 315 which serves the South Coast, Devon and Cornwall with stops running between Eastbourne and Helston (Cornwall) including Brighton, Worthing, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Exeter, Plymouth, Saltash, Liskeard, St Austell and Truro.
And if that journey wasn’t epic enough, spare a thought for the 324 service, running between Cornwall and Scotland (Brixham to Humberside) taking in Plymouth, the Midlands and the North of England with key destinations including Torbay, Exeter, Weston-Super-Mare, Bristol, Worcester, Birmingham, Derby, Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford and Halifax.
Poole coach services
In Poole, the bus station at which the National Express business is based is part of the Dolphin Centre shopping complex in the heart of town. Poole, like Bournemouth, is linked to a diverse blend of destinations including, of course, the popular Heathrow and Gatwick airport services.
If you’re planning a trip to the north, the 310 stops in Poole and destinations all the way up to Bradford, taking in key cities including Winchester, Oxford, Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham and Leeds along the way.
National network
Bournemouth and Poole are well-linked destinations in the heart of the south coast of England. If you need to travel anywhere between Brighton and Helston or on the way up to Huddersfield, you can always consider National Express when making your travel plans.