On this day five years ago the first coach arrived at the new High Wycombe Coachway.

The coach station officially opened in the Handy Cross Hub as part of the then-Wycombe District Council’s (WDC) £150 million development on January 18, 2016.

Bucks Free Press:

The new coachway included a heated waiting area and real-time passenger information screens, with a coffee shop expected to follow later in 2016.

At the time, WDC’s cabinet member for economic development and regeneration, Cllr Roger Wilson, said: “We are delighted that National Express services will stop at the new High Wycombe Coachway – part of the council’s fantastic Handy Cross Hub project.

Bucks Free Press:

“Not only does it make it easier for our residents to travel to airports and enjoy days out in major cities, it will also mean people from all over the country will be coming the other way to visit our wonderful district.”

The Park and Ride service transferred from its Cressex site in February, but came under fire in 2018 after low passenger numbers forced the then-county council to turn it into a regular bus service.

Bucks Free Press:

It was blighted by problems in its first year of service, with passengers complaining about “unreliable” buses.

In 2017, the buses – which were supposed to provide a frequent and quick service between the coach way and the town centre – were effectively converted into normal bus routes after the number of passengers using the service “grew only slowly” in its first year.

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