Latest news with #Megabus
UPI
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Items left on British buses include bales of hay, a frozen turkey
June 20 (UPI) -- British transport company Megabus is sharing some of the most unusual pieces of lost property left behind on its buses, including hay bales, a frozen turkey, a cooking wok and false teeth. The bus operator said items found left behind on buses in May included a Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy, a jar of honey, a guitar, a Radiohead vinyl record, insulin, an electric razor, a Neil Diamond CD, a single shoe and a collection of historic coins and stamps. The company said some of the more unusual items left on buses in years past included three bales of hay, family tree documents, a frozen turkey, false teeth, a cooking wok and multiple lone shoes and socks. Megabus said about 95% of lost and found items are eventually returned to their owners, and those that go unclaimed after 28 days are usually donated to charity. Anyone who loses an item on a Megabus vehicle is encouraged to report their lost property on the company's website.
STV News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- STV News
Hay bales, frozen turkey and false teeth among 'surprising' items lost on coaches
Hay bales, a frozen turkey and false teeth are among the 'surprising' lost property items found on Megabus coaches. The coach operator revealed some of the items left on its vehicles over the years after the lost property office in Glasgow was contacted about 469 lost items. The items found in May included a guitar, Lego sets, a Winnie the Pooh, a jar of honey, insulin, an electric shaver, a historic coins and stamps collection, a Radiohead vinyl, a Neil Diamond CD and a lone trainer. However, the bus operator said those aren't the most 'surprising' items left on their coaches over the years. The lost property team have dealt with many 'weird and wonderful' items with one of the strangest being three bales of hay. Other highlights have included a cooking wok, false teeth, family tree documents, lone shoes and socks, and even a whole frozen turkey. Megabus said 95% of the items reported were reunited with their owners, and those not claimed are kept for 28 days and often donated to charity. Megabus receptionist Angela said: 'Over many years of dealing with an eclectic mix of lost property items, our lost property team have almost become immune to weird and wonderful finds, but we still get something handed in that surprises us every now and again. She added: 'The most important thing, of course, is to try and make sure we can reunite as many of the items as possible with their owners, and we work hard to do that as we know how frustrating and upsetting it can be to lose something while travelling.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Courier
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
Enchanted Forest: All we know about Perthshire light show as 2025 theme revealed
The Enchanted Forest is one of Perthshire's most popular events – and returns once again this autumn. The event near Pitlochry attracts thousands of people every year. As details of this year's theme and ticket plans are revealed, we look at all we know so far about the 2025 event. The Enchanted Forest runs daily from October 2 to November 2. The Enchanted Forest is held at Faskally Wood, near Pitlochry. This year's theme is Luminara, which organisers describe as a 'celebration of the unseen connections between nature and technology'. Visitors are promised an immersive experience on their journey through the forest, with light, music and storytelling. Creative director Karen Falconer said: 'This is by far the most technologically complex and wide-ranging immersive experience we have ever tried to create. 'It will bring together all installations throughout the site, fused together with sound and light, to create a moment in time that is shared by all. 'In the natural setting of a forest the size of Faskally Wood, this is no small feat, but we're up for the challenge of showing how nature and technology can combine to create wonder and amazement. 'Our sound and lighting teams are extremely excited about bringing this moment to life in what will be a first for any show of this kind in Scotland.' Tickets for this year's Enchanted Forest go on sale from 10am on Friday June 20 via the event's website. No parking is available on site at Faskally Wood, so shuttle travel is included in the ticket price. Those travelling to Pitlochry by car are advised to leave extra time to find parking in town. There are many signposted public car parks in Pitlochry, and parking on the street is free in the evening. Due to limited space, disabled parking on site is reserved for wheelchair users only. Shuttle buses run from Fisher's Hotel on Atholl Road, not far from the railway station. Several bus firms, including Stagecoach, Megabus, Citylink and Flixbus, run services to Pitlochry. A range of stalls will be on offer at the event. However, details of this year's food and drink offering are yet to be revealed.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Bombshell study reveals the travel companies still ignoring new rules on dodgy add-on costs - and how they could be breaking the law
We all know how frustrating shopping for flights and holidays online can sometimes be. You're reeled in by a very low price – and then end up with a much bigger figure by the time you get to the check-out, thanks to extra admin and booking fees. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act – a new law that came into force in April – was meant to stamp out those pesky add-on costs. But, in a new investigation, Which? has found that many well-known travel brands, including Megabus, Wowcher and loveholidays, are potentially breaking the law by ignoring or at least dragging their feet on the new rules. In the most extreme cases, travellers could find themselves paying hundreds of pounds more than the upfront price. When looking at booking a hotel resort using comparison sites Kayak and Trivago, Which? found a huge variation in prices between the cheapest and most expensive hotel deals, including at the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas. The experts at Which? found a week's stay in July was just £371 on loveholiday, while and both said the price is closer to £700. Loveholidays claimed its price 'includes hotel fees and local tourist tax'. When Which? contacted loveholidays, it admitted the price did not include the full hotel fees that and took into account. Instead, there was a staggering £257 extra to pay when you checked out. Excalibur, like most hotels in Las Vegas and many other hotels in the US and the Caribbean, has what it calls a 'resort fee' – a mandatory charge for services you may or may not use. This allows it to advertise a price that you pay in advance, and another hefty sum when you leave. This is legal - although heavily criticised even in the US - but websites aimed at the UK market are required to tell customers about these fees from the start, under the new DMCC Act. Which? claim that after the consumer champion contacted loveholidays in February, it tweaked the listing very slightly, removing the claim that its price includes hotel fees and adding the caveat 'depending on your hotel's policy, you may also be asked to pay additional hotel fees'. Which? also claims that loveholidays said it will ensure it is compliant with new laws before they come into effect but when the consumer champion checked in May, it claims this had not happened. It adds: 'Unlike many of its rivals, it still did not show the resort fee for the Excalibur.' Loveholidays' listing now says: 'Your hotel may charge additional fees, which must be paid there,' but does not reveal that these unavoidable fees could add hundreds of pounds to the cost of your stay. When Which? contacted loveholidays again, the holiday site apparently didn't give a statement but did suggest it was looking into showing resort fees in its prices. Until it does, Which? says it believes the company is breaking the law. Experts at Which? add: 'Some other less well-known sites are also failing to include resort fees but most of the big ones - including Expedia, and do include them.' Which? found a similar problem when it looked at holiday deals on discount website Wowcher. A week's summer holiday to Malta, which initially appeared to cost £1,278 had a £9.99 'administration fee' at the point of checkout. In February, Wowcher told Which? it was reviewing how its admin fees were implemented and would make sure it continued to comply with any applicable law. However, in May Wowcher was still applying the £9.99 admin fee, according to Which? Meanwhile, when Which? looked at budget coach company Megabus, it also found issues. The experts initially found a one-way ticket from London to Birmingham for a bargain £5.99 on the Megabus website, only to be hit with an extra £1.50 booking fee at checkout – putting the price up by 25 per cent to £7.49. Megabus told Which? in February that it would comply with any new regulation. However, when Which? checked again in May for a journey on the website,it claims a £1.50 booking fee still appeared just before payment. The experts at Which? add: 'The fee is not mentioned anywhere earlier in the purchasing process on the site. 'On the National Express website there is a disclaimer that headline prices exclude a £1.50 booking fee. This is clearer than Megabus.' Megabus told Which? that it's 'committed to offering transparent and affordable travel' and it would update its prices to ensure the booking fees are clearly shown at the start of the booking process by the end of May 2025. The DMCC Act means the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can issue fines of up to £300,000 or 10 per cent of worldwide turnover (whichever is higher) without having to go to court. Trading Standards can also enforce the rules. In the first 12 months of its enforcement the CMA has said that it will prioritise clear infringements of the law and practices that are particularly harmful to consumers. This includes 'fees that are hidden until late in the buying process,' among other issues. Which? believes that travel brands are still using these dodgy add-on fees to squeeze more money out of customers, which would be against the law. Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: 'Sneaky fees and add-ons can significantly change the final price people pay for holidays and the difference between the advertised price and the final total can reach hundreds of pounds in the worst cases. 'We've uncovered examples of brands ignoring new rules that are there to protect customers from being hit with unexpected fees and we believe they could be breaking the law.' In response to Which?'s study, Megabus said: 'We are committed to offering transparent and affordable travel for our customers. 'We are currently making updates to our website - due to be completed by the end of this month - to ensure that all fees, including our £1.50 booking fee, are clearly highlighted at the start of the booking process. 'We fully support efforts to improve transparency in pricing across the travel industry and will continue to ensure our practices align with the latest regulations.' Wowcher added: 'Wowcher has implemented various changes to its website to ensure compliance with the DMCC Act. 'This has included providing an estimate of its variable admin fee within its pricing 'splat' which appears clearly and prominently on our deal pages prior to the customer reaching checkout. 'Our intention is to ensure that our website is clear and transparent for customers, allowing them to make purchase decisions with confidence on the Wowcher platform.'
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Inside Shearer's relationship with daughter's boyfriend after he called him out
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer appears to have a good relationship with both his daughters' partners, even if he publicly called one of them out for an embarrassing mistake Rugby star Micky Young appears to be in the good books of his daughter's famous father, Alan Shearer, despite being called out by the Newcastle legend. The 36-year-old, who now plays for Gloucester Rugby after more than a decade with Newcastle Falcons over two spells, has been dating Shearer's oldest daughter, Chloe, for some time. Young is embedded with the Shearers and features in numerous family pictures on social media. The Hartlepool-born scrum-half made the effort to travel to London to cheer on Shearer's son, Will, at the recent London Marathon, even if he took a scenic route to get there after an embarrassing train station blunder, having attended a Newcastle football match. Shearer couldn't help but regale the story on The Rest is Football podcast with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards. The Match of Day pundit and former England striker explained: "He was meant to get on the 5.59pm train from Newcastle to London to come and watch and support Will, as we all were down here. "He got there five minutes early, and then he got on the train. Then, [after] 15 minutes on the train, he heard the announcement, 'Welcome to everyone who's got on this train to Edinburgh.' And it was non-stop all the way to Edinburgh! He's had to go from Newcastle to Edinburgh, and that's the last train he could get on." To Young's credit, he didn't write off getting to London, catching an overnight bus from one capital city to another. Shearer added: 'He looked at different modes of transport, flight, car. 'He got on the f***ing Megabus, the 10pm Megabus, which costs him £30 from Edinburgh to London and he got in at 6.45am this morning into London. So I said to him, 'You are meant to be looking after my f****** daughter in the future!'" As Lineker and Richards praised Young for making such an effort, Shearer quipped: "He said he stopped at Dunbar, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield. I said, 'Oh, you idiot!'" While Young is unlikely to hear the end of the incident anytime soon, he has clearly formed a strong bond with his beau's dad. He is currently in the midst of his Newcastle Falcons testimonial year, which is supporting the Alan Shearer Foundation, which supports the lives of people with a wide range of complex needs, and the My Name's Doddie Foundation, an MND charity in the name of late Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir. A recent Pre-Lions Dinner, organised by Young's testimonial committee, raised funds for both charities. The Shearer Foundation expressed its thanks on social media, posting: 'Thank you Micky Young for choosing The Alan Shearer Foundation along with the My Name is Doddie Foundation as your chosen charities to support during your testimonial year!' Earlier this year, Young shared a picture from the Alan Shearer Foundation ball and wrote: 'We had a great night at the ASF ball on Saturday…we're proud to be supporting the Alan Shearer Foundation as one of our chosen charities throughout the testimonial year.' The picture featured Young, Chloe, Alan, his wife Lainya, Will and the Shearers' other daughter, Hollie, with her fiancé, Joe Marchant, who also happens to be a rugby player. Marchant, who has been with Hollie for more than three years, also seems to have the approval of her England legend dad, who once quipped on social media: 'I'm just glad he's not a footballer!'
