National Express has announced that it will suspend its entire national bus service network as of midnight on Sunday.
The company said Covid’s stricter restrictions and falling passenger numbers motivated the decision.
He added that he hopes to restart services in March.
All customers whose trip has been canceled will be contacted and offered a free change or full refund, the company said.
All trips before Monday, January 11, will be completed to ensure that all passengers on essential trips are not trapped.
Chris Hardy, managing director of National Express UK Coach, said: “We have been providing an important service for essential travel needs. However, with stricter restrictions and the number of passengers falling, it is no longer appropriate to do so.
He added that, as the vaccination program was implemented and the government’s guidelines changed, the company would regularly review when services could restart.
“We plan to get back on the road as soon as the time is right and set a provisional restart date for Monday, March 1,” he said.
National Express suspended bus services during the coronavirus crisis in April, then restarted in July.
The services have been operating at half capacity, with strict cleaning and Covid protocols. As the tier structure went into operation, the demand for services was reduced.
As in the previous suspension, employees will be dismissed.
Passenger companies, including buses, trains and aviation, came under intense pressure during the coronavirus crisis.
On Thursday, Ryanair announced it would make major cuts to its flight schedule starting January 21, with few or no flights to or from the UK or Ireland until “draconian travel restrictions are removed”.
Train services are expected to be reduced in blocking, with some in the industry predicting reductions of between 50% and 60% compared to normal service.
In the first national blockade in England, services were reduced by almost half.