Booking a ticket for the coach

Bus Travel: Ticket Booking

How can I buy a ticket for a coach trip?

Are you looking for more info about buying and booking your coach ticket? Would you like to know if children can travel alone, how expensive a children’s ticket will be, or if there is a discount for seniors or people with disabilities?

Ticket Booking

CheckMyBus tells you how to book your ticket, how to pay for it and how to proceed in case of cancellation or modification.

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How do I book a coach ticket?

The long-distance bus market is expanding unprecedentedly throughout Italy. Thanks to competitive prices and the continuous growth in the offer of available rides, more and more travellers choose the coach to get around. CheckMyBus is the search engine, which helps you find the most convenient and suitable ride. All according to your needs, by purchasing the ticket conveniently online.

Booking bus tickets online

Online booking

Booking a ticket online is probably the easiest option. First, you select your trip with the help of the CheckMyBus search function. Then, you can click on “View Deal” to go to the respective bus company’s website, where you can complete the booking process. Moreover, most bus companies will send you your ticket as an e-ticket via e-mail. You can then print it at home or simply use your smartphone screen to show it to the bus driver. Some companies also allow you to pick your printed ticket up in person.

Some companies, such as National Express, offer special deals – so-called funfares. These are only available if you book online and can save you a lot of money. An added benefit of booking online is that there’s no way you can lose your ticket! The bus company sends you the confirmation once you book, and most accept e-tickets. Then, all you have to do is show your ticket on your phone to boad. Sorted!

When it comes to payment methods, then credit and debit cards are the most common option since most bus companies accept these.

Buying the Ticket at the Bus Stop:

Some companies allow you to purchase your ticket directly at the bus stop. For example, on larger bus terminals, such as in London, you will find specific selling points of companies. While this allows for spontaneous journeys, an extra fee might apply and the ticket could be more expensive than an online fare. Consequently, you may also miss out on deals, like funfares, which are only available online. What you should also keep in mind is that the bus of your choice might already be fully booked. Also pay attention to the fact that not every bus company sells tickets at bus stops: The low-cost provider megabus, for instance, only offers online tickets.

How Can I Pay for my Coach Ticket?

Paying for your coach ticket is basically as easy as shopping on amazon. The majority of bus providers accept credit card, the most common payment method. In addition to that and in order to give customers a greater variety of options, larger companies such as National Express, FlixBus and Terravision also accept PayPal.

How can I Cancel or Change a Booking?

When it comes to cancelling a trip or changing a booking, it is important that you know which kind of ticket you have purchased. The conditions for changing a reservation or cancelling a ticket differ from company to company. Here’s a detailed overview over the different policies, which helps you make the right choice: If you are not sure if you can actually use your ticket or whether you will take the bus at a specific time, then we suggest selecting a refundable option. Some bus companies, such as megabus, only offer non-refundable tickets. However, you can change your reservation for a small arrangement fee. In conclusion, the table below gives you more information on the specific cancellation policies of major bus providers.

Here are the cancellation policies of the most renowned bus companies:

National Express - Coach Connections and Customer Reviews
  • Passengers must cancel within 72 hours before departure.
  • Not every ticket type is refundable.
  • Changing dates requires £5. Plus, passengers must pay a price difference based on the current price.
  • Original ticket must be presented before boarding the coach with amendment reference quoted.
  • Flexible fare add-on entitles to a full refund 24 hours before departure.
  • For cancellation or amendment, passengers can resort to National Express 24/7 Customer Contact Centre online.
  • Please have your ticket number at hand when making any changes or asking for a cancellation.
  • In case of a flight delay, a later departure may be provided. Amendments of any kind are charged £5 plus ticket price difference.
megabus - Coach Connections and Customer Reviews
  • Changes must be made 24 hours prior to departure.
  • Changes can conveniently be made online.
  • Procedure fee is £1. Ticket difference based on current price.
  • Refund not available.
Terravision - Coach Connections and Customer Reviews
  • Modification of travelling date can be made at least 24 hours prior to departure.
  • Terravision tickets are non-refundable.
  • For further info, passengers can contact Terravision via e-mail

What Happens if I Lose My Bus Ticket?

If you lose your coach ticket, then unfortunately you need to book a new one. If you have only lost the printed version, then you can check your e-mails for the original ticket in order to print it out again. Should you lose your ticket on the way to the bus stop, then you can ask the bus driver or at a service point whether an electronic version of your ticket is ok for you to board or whether they can print out your actual ticket for you. Should you book a bus trip and you did not receive an e-mail, you should check your spam folder before contacting the bus company.

Bus Travel: Ticket Booking

How Can I Save More Money with Discounts?

In order to compete with each other, the various coach companies offer different forms of discount. It’s always worth checking them out in order to find out, which bus provider really offers the best overall deal. Finally, in the table below you can see, which bus company provides discount for which customer groups and how to save money with a few easy tricks. For more information about which coach companies offer discounts, check our bus deals and discounts page.

National Express:

  • Baby: 0-3 years old, free. Adult accompaniment is required
  • Child fares: 3-16 years old. Proof of age is required
  • Funfares: lowest priced tickets. Online only
  • Discounts for students who are members of national union of students (NUS or NUS extra): 25% off the standard ticket price
  • Young Person’s Coachcard (16 to 26 or full time student): 1/3 off the standard ticket price
  • Disabled Persons Coachcard: 1/3 off the standard ticket price
  • Senior Coachcard (over 60): 1/3 off the standard ticket price
  • Family Coachcard: Free bus travel for children, but adults and children must travel together.
  • Scottish Entitlement Card holder: free coach trip within Scotland
  • E-voucher

megabus:

  • Baby: 0-3 years old ride for free when with an Adult.
  • £1 trip offered frequently through online booking
  • Discounts for students who are members of national union of students (NUS or NUS extra)
  • Scottish Entitlement Card holder: free coach trip within Scotland

Terravision:

  • Cheap deals are frequently offered for online booking
  • No booking fee
  • E-voucher (6 months valid)
CheckMyBus: Search Engine

We remind you that CheckMyBus is a search engine that helps you find the most suitable coach for your trip, but that does not provide the transport service directly. For any questions regarding your ticket, for changes or cancellations, we always recommend that you contact the Customer Service of the specific operator.

409 Comments

  • Ria

    Hi,

    I booked 4 tickets for a Coastliner bus from your portal on Sept 16, 2022 from Whitby to Leeds at 5:45 pm. We were at the stop before time only to find out that the bus had left at 5pm (no intimation). We were stranded there for hours as there was no other bus on that route. It caused us grave inconvenience and as students, we lost out on our money for no fault.

    We are also unable to reach their helpline number. As students, we spent our hard earned money which got completely wasted. We would like to be issued a refund on our tickets. Please let us know the procedure.
    The booking number is XXXXX (edit by admn.).

    Thanks,
    Ria

    • CheckMyBus

      Dear Ria,

      Thank you for your message and we are very sorry that you had these problems.
      Please, note that CheckMyBus operates solely as search engine: it shows the available offers, but does not operate the lines or routes, and most importantly does not sell the tickets which are compared in the search. For all the requests related to acquisition, delivery and refund of the ticket, we invite all our customers to inquire with the company with which the purchased the ticket.

      Please, check which company you bought the ticket with (an email is sent when the booking is confirmed) and contact their support. They will certainly give you the necessary assistance.

      if you have any further questions, please feel free to get I touch with us again.

      Best regards,
      Your CheckMyBus Support Team

    • CheckMyBus

      Hi Brian,
      yes, that connection is managed by Translink, and on their website you should be able to select the “Concession” option when booking the ticket online.
      Best regards,
      Your CheckMyBus Support

  • Sami

    Hii sir/madam good afternoon its rahel I nooking my brother from Middlesbrough to Birmingham coach station so he haven’t any email why I dont know please can you check it my brother email please help me

    • CheckMyBus

      Dear Rahel,

      Thank you for your message and we are very sorry that you had these problems.
      Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity bus price comparison portal and doesn’t sell tickets or operate buses.
      Normally the ticket is sent by email. Please, check all your email folders, including junk and spam (many emails from Microsoft, such as Hotmail and Outlook, go to this location), and if you haven’t received anything, we suggest you get in touch with the bus company. All the details, can be taken from your booking confirmation (along with the online tickets).

      Please, let us know in case of any other doubt.

      I hope this helps you.

      CheckMyBus – Customer Service

  • Masha

    We booked tickets from Vilnius Central Bus Station to Minsk Bus Station Date on Aug 02 at 12:30, however, we can not travel anymore. How, can we get a refund, please? the bus company is TOKS, I’ve contacted them directly however they said that I should contact the company where I bought the tickets, i.e. checkmybus. Please can you help?

    • CheckMyBus

      Dear Masha,

      Please, note that CheckMyBus is a search engine which offers a price comparison service and we therefore have no access to any specific bookings.

      Your ticket for TOKS was booked via our partner Distribusion, which is some kind of booking platform for bus travel. In this case you will have to contact Distribusion in order to cancel or amend your booking. You can reach the company under info@distribusion.com or +49-30-3465507-50.

      Best regards,

      Your CheckMyBus Support

  • Dasha

    We booked tickets from Vilnius Central Bus Station to Minsk Bus Station Date on Aug 02 at 12:30, however, we can not travel anymore. How, can we get a refund, please? the bus company is TOKS, I’ve contacted them directly however they said that I should contact the company where I bought the tickets, i.e. checkmybus. Please can you help?

    • CheckMyBus

      Dear Dasha,

      Please, note that CheckMyBus is a search engine which offers a price comparison service and we therefore have no access to any specific bookings.

      Your ticket for TOKS was booked via our partner Distribusion, which is some kind of booking platform for bus travel. In this case you will have to contact Distribusion in order to cancel or amend your booking. You can reach the company under info@distribusion.com or +49-30-3465507-50.

      Best regards,

      Your CheckMyBus Support

  • Liam Ingram

    I haven’t recieved a confirmation for my ticket for a coach. the email is lxxxxxxxx@xxxx.com.

    the booking for; finchley road – ashby road 1st july. AxxxxCI

    second booking for; the rushes – marble arch return 1st july. Exxxx8

    • CheckMyBus

      Dear Liam,

      Thank you for your message and we are very sorry that you had these problems.
      Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity bus price comparison portal and doesn’t sell tickets or operate buses.
      Normally the ticket is sent by email. Please, check all your email folders, including junk and spam (many emails from Microsoft, such as Hotmail and Outlook, go to this location), and if you haven’t received anything, we suggest you get in touch with the bus company. All the details, can be taken from your booking confirmation (along with the online tickets).

      Please, let us know in case of any other doubt.

      I hope this helps you.

      CheckMyBus – Customer Service

  • Chris

    I am trying to purchase round trip from Bergamot Airport Milan to Central Station 30/3 return 2/4 but when I click it starts directing me to Terravision site and erro appears link is inactive can you please advise ?

    • CheckMyBus

      Dear Chris,
      Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We apologize for any inconvenience and are constantly working to improve our user experience. I have passed this issue to the responsible team to be checked and resolved.
      Best regards,
      CheckMyBus – Customer Service Team

    • CheckMyBus

      Dear Diana,
      thank you for your message. We kindly ask you to check the spam box in your emails. If you still cannot find any confirmation in this box, please contact the bus company directly.
      CheckMyBus only compares tickets and shows the cheapest price, but the purchase is made directly on the bus company’s page.
      If you still encounter difficulties, please contact us again.

      Best regards,
      CheckMyBus – Customer Service Team

  • Jordan Momani

    Hey,
    I just bought 2 return tickets from London to Stroud and the money has left my account and I havent received any receipt . Why is this happening? I feel like Im being scammed.
    Jordan

    • Avatar photo

      CheckMyBus-Support

      Dear Jordan,

      Thank you for your message. Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity bus price comparison portal and doesn’t sell tickets or operate buses. When you click “view deal” on a connection in our search engine, you are then redirected to the company’s webpage to make the booking and payment. For more support to either receive your e-mail confirmation or a refund, you must contact the bus company you booked with directly.

      Best regards,
      Your CheckMyBus Support Team

  • Mark Kirby

    I tried to purchase a return ticket from Northampton to Reading on the 22nd August it says my purchase was not successful so I tried again got the same answer but upon checking both purchases have been taken out of my bank account please can you help asap

    • Avatar photo

      CheckMyBus-Support

      Hello Mark,

      Thank you for your message. Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity bus price comparison portal and doesn’t sell coach tickets or operate buses. When you click “view deal” on a bus route in our search engine, you are then redirected to the company’s webpage to make the booking and payment. To receive a refund, you must directly contact the bus company you booked your trip with.

      Best regards,
      Your CheckMyBus Support Team

        • Avatar photo

          CheckMyBus-Support

          Dear Mark,

          With which bus company did you book your ticket with? As a price comparison portal, no bookings are made via our site. Once you click “view deal” on a connection in our search engine, you’re redirected right to the company page to make the booking and payment. You must directly contact the bus company you booked your trip with to receive either your booking confirmation or a refund for your ticket.

          Best regards,
          Your CheckMyBus Support Team

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