A TEACHER has told of her frustration at National Express after disruption to its coach service.

Stephanie Lam, from Seven Dials, Brighton, thought she had escaped the Southern trains fiasco when she started using coaches to get to work at Gatwick Airport

But she said coaches on the Brighton to Heathrow via Gatwick route are often late or do not turn up at all since the company changed its timetables this week.

Ms Lam, a teacher at a detention centre near Gatwick, said: “Without prior notice National Express have changed the times of their scheduled coaches.

“This is very difficult for airport staff who have arranged working patterns around coach timetables.

“Even worse, the new franchise that’s been contracted by National Express to run the Brighton to Heathrow route is in chaos.

“The coaches are just not turning up, even according to their own timetable.

“When they do come they are extremely old and tatty and the drivers don’t appear to know what they’re doing – the driver of the coach I planned to get left Gatwick before his scheduled time yesterday and so I missed it.”

When The Argus visited the coach stop at Preston Circus, the 747 service to the Heathrow Airport was five minutes late and was provided by another coach company contracted on behalf of National Express.

Another airport worker at the bus stop shared her frustration at the punctuality of the coaches lately.

Ms Lam said: “Many airport staff have been left stranded at coach stops in Brighton after scheduled coaches didn’t turn up

“One of my colleagues was taken pity on by a passer-by who drove her to the airport so she could get to work. She had to call her partner to pick her up so she could get home again.

“I would have thought that with the continuing Southern Rail train disruption, National Express could have positioned itself as the reliable alternative to the train. Instead, we’re all having to choose the least-worst option.

“In my opinion, Brighton commuters are being treated like second-class citizens. We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place – cancelled trains or cancelled coaches. We deserve much better than this.”

National Express runs 28 coaches on its 747/748 services from Brighton to Heathrow.

A National Express spokesman said: "We introduced a new direct shuttle (748) service between Brighton and Gatwick Airport, with a new timetable, this week.

"These services replaced a much longer distance route. Since the new services began on Monday the vast majority have left as scheduled however we apologise for any delays to passengers that have occurred.”