Coach operator National Express has been ordered to ensure accuracy in advertised journey times after promoting a 4 hour 35 minute trip between London and York.
The advertising watchdog ruled that a paid-for search result on Google for coach journeys from York to London seen in October was misleading.
National Express admitted to the Advertising Standards Authority that an incorrect journey time had been quoted as a result of human error.
The company supplied a copy of an amended advert showing the correct journey time.
Upholding a complaint against the company, the ASA said it “considered consumers were likely to interpret the ad to mean that a significant proportion of coach journeys from York to London would be completed in four hours and 35 minutes as quoted.
“We welcomed National Express’ acknowledgement of the error and the action they had taken to correct the ad.
“Nevertheless, because the journey time originally stated was incorrect, we concluded that the claim was misleading.”
The ASA added: “We welcomed National Express’ willingness to correct the claim. We told them to ensure journey times were quoted accurately in future.”