Low Cost Shared-Ride Shuttle Introduced at London Airports Nov. 1

LONDON, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelers to London, where a taxi between airport and hotel can cost a heart-stopping $125, are about to get a break.

Beginning Nov. 1, National Express Group, the leading UK transportation company, will introduce dot2dot, a shared-ride airport transfer service running between Heathrow and Gatwick airports and central London hotels.

The new service, priced at 22 pounds ($44.66) per person, is the UK's first large-scale airport shuttle. With a maximum of four stops on any trip, it is designed to reduce the hassle as well as the expense of getting to and from the airport.

The UK company hopes to get a boost in the North American market through its affiliation with GO Airport Shuttle, a consortium of airport shuttle providers that service more than 100 airports throughout the United States and Canada.

The new dot2dot fleet of 64 custom-built vans will be operated by the National Express Group, and will be the UK's first large-scale airport shuttle service, an additional further 12 vehicles will be delivered by the end of the year. The majority of these shuttle vans can carry between 10 and 12 passengers and have been specially configured to provide extra space and legroom. In addition, all vehicles will have state-of-the-art satellite navigation equipment, congestion tracking systems, and fully trained and experienced drivers.

"So many people dread traveling to and from the airport. They struggle with luggage, have the stress of getting to a train station, queuing at a taxi stand or paying for a private car," said Paul Whitfield, dot2dot managing director. "At less than half the price of a taxi journey but with all the comfort and legroom of a personal limo, dot2dot fills a clear gap in the market and aims to make the airport transfer simple and cost effective."

While shared-ride shuttle services are popular in the United States, National Express took great pains to make sure it would be accepted in the UK market.

The company conducted extensive research on current attitudes about travel to and from London airports. Findings from more than 1,500 British and 500 U.S. business and leisure travelers showed that over half were concerned with the high cost of the trip while fewer than 10 percent were concerned about sharing rides with other people.

National Express is the largest scheduled coach service provider in Europe. In the UK, National Express provides transportation to 1000 destinations and carries over 16 million passengers a year. The company's Eurolines coaches additionally operate to over 500 destinations within Europe and Ireland. Dot2dot will replace the company's Hotelink service, which it purchased in April 2007.

Travelers can book a dot2dot shuttle at http://www.dot2.com or http://www.goairportshuttle.com through travel agents and hotel concierges in London, or purchase on arrival at the airport at one of our customer service desks in each terminal at Heathrow and Gatwick.

For further information or images please contact: Judi Schindler at Hodge Schindler Integrated Communications, 312-666-6662 or e-mail jschindler@hodgeschindler.com Deborah Tilley at National Express Group, Tel: 07719 342020 or e-mail: dtilley@natex.co.uk Notes to editors: The National Express Group is launching www.dot2.com on Nov. 1, 2007 and will be exhibiting at World Travel Market, at Excel London, Nov. 12-15, 2007. Editors Notes: Research findings from Kae marketing intelligence: * 53 percent of leisure travelers were concerned with the cost of the journey to the airport, 41 percent thought flight time was the most important factor, and 40 percent were concerned about reliability of journey time. * 38 percent of business travelers felt reliability of journey time was key to their airport journey, followed by time of flight at 33 percent, and cost 32 percent. * Privacy of journey was a very low consideration with only four percent of leisure travelers and eight percent of business travelers concerned about sharing the journey.

The Vehicles:

The fleet will initially have 64 vehicles -- 32 from the existing Hotelink service and 32 brand new shuttles -- and this will rise to 76 in January 2008 when 12 new vehicles will be added.

    Prices and Cost Comparisons:*

    Heathrow to Central London:

    Journey Type                One-Way                Roundtrip
    Single Price        22.00 pounds   $44.66   35.00 pounds     $71.05
    Pair Price          35.00 pounds   $71.05   66.00 pounds    $133.98
    Party of 3          50.00 pounds  $101.50   94.00 pounds    $190.82
    Group price
     (up to 5 people)   70.00 pounds  $142.10


    Gatwick to Central London:

    Journey Type                One-Way                Roundtrip
    Single Price        24.00 pounds   $48.72   40.00 pounds     $81.20
    Pair Price          40.00 pounds   $81.20   76.00 pounds    $154.28
    Party of 3          60.00 pounds  $121.80  114.00 pounds    $231.42
    Group price
     (up to 5 people)   80.00 pounds  $162.40

    *All U.S. pricing based on $2.03 per 1 pound as of 10/09/07.