A WELL-KNOWN coach provider in the UK has announced a reduction in its network.

Megabus, which operates coaches to and from locations including Cheltenham, said in a release that it is to scale back its operations in England and Wales from December 4 due to low passenger demand.

It will continue to operate all its services within Scotland (under the Scottish Citylink and Megabus brands), all its cross-border services between Scotland and England and Wales and all its Falcon services in the southwest of England.

However, the coach provider said that all other Megabus services within England and Wales will cease to operate from December 4.

It added that customers affected by the service-changes will be contacted in the near future.

It also said that arrangements are being put in place to ensure that customers who have already booked tickets can find alternative transport or will be provided with a refund.

The company’s cross-border services will continue to provide a number of connections in England and Wales, including links between Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff.

Commenting on the network reduction, Megabus managing director Simone Walsh said: “This has been an extremely difficult decision.

“However, unfortunately, it is not sustainable for us to continue operating our current network as the customer demand is simply too low.

“We are making these changes to ensure that we have a more efficient network going forward.

“Megabus will continue to operate its longstanding cross-border services, which also provide connections within England and Wales, and our Falcon services between Plymouth and Bristol are continuing to run as normal, as well as all our services across Scotland.

“We want to thank the many passengers who travel with us every day and will ensure that we continue to operate an affordable and high-quality service on the parts of the network that are unaffected by these changes.

“We will work hard to ensure that customers who have booked services that are being discontinued are looked after and offered an alternative option.”