National Express has announced a 27% rise in passenger volume in or out of Manchester coach station for the first nine months of 2023 compared to the same period a year earlier.
The scheduled services operator marked the success by celebrating its one millionth customers of the year through the station. A surprise luxury hamper and two free coach tickets were presented to Rimsha Zamir and Salman Khan as they stepped off the 120 service from Birmingham to Manchester.
Kate Reynolds, Director of Corporate Affairs & Communications for National Express, says: “We are delighted to be celebrating this significant milestone with Rimsha and Salman and we really hope to welcome them onboard our services again soon.
“It’s great to see customers are switching to our coaches because they’re reliable, great value and you’re guaranteed a seat.
“With an increase in the number of people travelling with us we’re proud to have already welcomed our millionth customer through Manchester – and much earlier in the year compared to last year, too!
“Our significant investment in new and enhanced services means we are making it even easier for our customers to enjoy a relaxing, comfortable journey with us and we look forward to welcoming even more customers onboard.”
Meanwhile, patronage on Transpennine routes linking Leeds, Manchester, Manchester Airport and Liverpool was up 75% year on year for the first nine months of 2023. That comes on top of an increase nationwide on the operator’s services, up from 10 million in 2021 to 16 million in 2022.