London appointment on 3rd Jan - no trains. No way round it?

[MulledWineAndMingePies]

We have been waiting for this appointment for about 6 years.
It's a huge huge, life changing, potentially life saving appointment and I've just seen there is train strikes on that day.

Im trying to figure out coaches or buses but and I'm searching and Googling but getting no answers.

Can anyone help? It's Brighton to London waterloo, or specifically St Thomas hospital.

Are there coach replacements or is that not ok because that's usually provided by the rail isn't it?
I can't believe our bloody luck

National express have a coach with seats getting into London hourly. Alternatively drive, book parking

Check whether the appointment will go ahead or is likely to be moved before you start spending money on coaches etc.

@MulledWineAndMingePies

What on earth is it, that would take 6 years to wait for an appointment for?

...........misses point of thread.......... 😬

I do agree that you need to hire a car, (seeing as your car is out of sorts now apparently won't be fixed/sorted by 3rd January!)

As a few people have said @MulledWineAndMingePies you posted about your issues, dozens of people have given helpful and good responses, and yet you have dismissed them all, and left the thread.

What did you want from this thread?

This train strike has been planned for at least 6 weeks. I am surprised :
a) That this news to you and
b) That you can't rebook the appointment.

Has the appointment date literally just come through ?

I have dyslexia too BTW which is why I try to organise things well in advance.

It’s pool valley , at the ti of the screenshot . That’s the station behind the old steine . It’s been there years.

That is the main coach stop in Brighton.

If you waited SIX YEARS for an appt, would you honestly just rebook it and wait potentially years more? I'm assuming its private with someone very hard to get into

To be fair @babyyodaxmas the OP may only have found out today. My DH had a letter through on 19th December for an appointment at a specialist hospital (that he has been waiting for for 6 months,) for 30th December.

Still, there's nothing to stop the OP hiring a car for the day. As I say, lots of good suggestions have been made, and the OP has ignored them all, or poo-pooed them, and thrown her toys out of the pram and left.

How absolutely amazing of you just to pop along to have a go at OP who was clearly struggling

Yeah, this. Obviously it's now been resolved and an alternative method of public transport seems to be available, but if that hadn't been the case and OPs initial thought that the coach wasn't an option was correct then... what else can anyone do really? The options are to either throw money at the problem or, if you don't have any, miss the appointment.

Don't be so utterly ludicrous. Of COURSE she wouldn't wait 6 more years! She is at the top of the list now (clearly) and could just ring up and ask for a different appointment. Probably wait another few weeks extra!

@PurpleButterflyWings

I'm not sure that's the case tbh. We waited 2 years for an appointment for my nanna and she couldn't make it so I called only to be told she would be put to the bottom of the list if she didn't attend.

I agree that you have sensible options with going the night before and staying at the Premier inn or get ng the coach to Victoria station. There will be other transport options across London (from TFL site):

Most TfL services, including most of the Tube, will continue to run. However, there will be some disruption on London Overground, the Elizabeth line, the Circle line and parts of the District and Bakerloo lines. Strikes are planned on these days: Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 January 2023.

Alternatively its only a 35 minute walk from Victoria Coach Station to St Thomas's and not an unpleasant one if you're in trainers as you can walk close to the river Thames before crossing over to the south side.

It's just the learned helplessness I find difficult TBH. Also slightly intrigued as to how you find yourself in this position a week before the appointment. I suppose if it had a purpose my post was to perhaps point out the OP's dilemma was to some extent avoidable.

Exactly @EmmaAgain22 the OP has been quite rude and discourteous to a few people. You reap what you sow. 😬

I find that very unusual. It's a forgone conclusion that some people may not be able to make an appointment given to them. To say 'you must wait another 2, 3, 4, or 6 years just wouldn't happen IMO.

Everyone I know, including myself and DH, have altered appointments given to us to a later date, as we couldn't make it (couldn't get time off work/away on holiday etc,) and they give you another appointment. Usually within a few weeks after. Saying 'you need to wait another 2 years - or more' is not something that would happen in the vast VAST majority of cases... Indeed I have NEVER known this to be the case.

Any chance you could hire a car for the day?

@PurpleButterflyWings

It happened. As unusual as you find it and as the VAST majority you know of are different it still happened. Let's not pretend you know it all.

Was going to suggest this too,even a couple of days before if that works.

No idea of the price, but you could try the patient transport service relianceambulance.co.uk/patient-transport-2/?gclid=CjwKCAiAzKqdBhAnEiwAePEjks4n31k4OZ8YUq5kEzsxZ6pwgcC4uSkR21fiUSXaDtnxGj4J8W1X7RoCzIwQAvD_BwE

thanks for making me feel like a cunt.

Jesus Christ, people are just trying to help you. Learn some manners.

Watch out how long the coaches take form Brighton to Londan that you’re not going via Gatwick and Heathrow!

On most strike days there have been services between Brighton and London. Seems there may be on 3 January.

www.southernrailway.com/industrialaction

Plenty of us (including me) had already posted showing that you needed Victoria Coach Station.