Travel company First Group is to introduce a fleet of the iconic US Greyhound coaches as part of a new passenger service between Southampton, Portsmouth and London from 14 September.

The services, which will cost as less as £1 per journey plus a booking fee, will operate every hour between the capital's Victoria Station and the south coast and have been scheduled to integrate with ferry crossings to the Isle of Wight. It is hoped that additional destinations will be introduced from 2010 as part of First Group's plans to roll out the Greyhound UK service, which boast coaches equipped with free wi-fi internet connection, leather seating and complimentary newspapers.

Sir Moir Lockhead, First Group chief executive, said: "For 95 years Greyhound has been an icon of American life carrying millions of people across the USA and Canada. Since First Group took over Greyhound in 2007, we have hoped to bring this famous brand across the Atlantic. "By providing these services at an unbeatable price, and doing so with the carbon footprint around 23 per cent of journeys by private car, we think we will really make an impact on how people will travel in the future."