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?
CheckMyBus tells you how to book your ticket, how to pay for it and how to proceed in case of cancellation or modification.
Write to us! – We’re at your service.
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.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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)
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.
411 Comments
Patricia McAllister
I am scheduled to arrive at Biarritz on 31/7/17 at 17.35 travelling to San Sebastian. Should I book in UK before travel and if so who should I book with. Also I wondered if my bus/coach would be valid if my flight is delayed.
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Patricia,
we kindly suggest booking your bus in advance, because otherwise you don’t have any guarantee to get on the bus. The tickets booked online in advance mostly are cheaper than the tickets you buy on the bus. If your flight is delayed, the bus won’t wait. In this case you have to cancel your ticket and buy a new one for the next bus. We recommend booking a bus, that leaves a bit later, so that you have enough time to collect your luggage and even a little extra time for some delay. What company you choose, is not that important, every company should offer you a good service. Choose the bus with the best time for your needs and a good price.
Should you require any further help, please feel free to contact us. We wish you a comfortable and punctual journey to Cardiff.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus-Support
Julian Pike
Can you tell me if the tickets are return. It does not say anywhere. Cheers Julian
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Julian,
in our search engine we only show one-way-tickets, you have to add your return trip in the booking process or book two separate tickets.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus-Support
Jo Andrews
Hiya
I’m trying to book a megabus from Victoria to plymouth rto
From fro 30 to mon
But I can’t find how to add more than one passenger as we’re a family of 2 adults and 2 kids
Also can u take bikes
Thanx so much
Ms Andrews
CheckMyBus-Support
Hello Jo,
Once you have found a good connection and click on “View Deal”, you will instantly be redirected to the respective company’s website – in your case megabus. This is where you can change your travel details, i. e. add more passengers, and complete the booking.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus-Support
Vinay Maheshwari
i have done a payment of GBP 18.10 using my credit card of ICICI BANK, India , (blanked out for privacy reasons) at National Express for travel on 28th June from Birmingham to Heathrow , 8.25 AM bus.
The payment has been debited from my card but i have not received any confirmation email from your site or any e-ticket.
Please pass this message to your technical team to sort the matter at the earliest.
I shall appreciate your quick reply.
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Vinay,
Please note that CheckMyBus is a search engine for intercity buses. Once you have found a good offer and click on “View Deal”, you are automatically redirected to the respective company’s website, in your case National Express, where the booking is completed. We at CheckMyBus have no access to any booking data. We therefore recommend getting in touch with the National Express support team directly to ask them to resend the booking confirmation. There’s a contact form to be found on their website or you can phone them: 0871 781 8181.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus-Support
Ioana Feodorov, Mrs.
Hi there,
I mistakenly bought a ticket for June 15 instead of July 15 on the Oxford to Heathrow Terminal 5 route with the Oxford Bus Company. Can I change the dates, please?
Thanks
Ioana
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Ioana,
In general, you can cancel your Oxford Bus Company trip up to 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure. In order to do so, you need to get in touch with the company directly. You can reach them at info(at)oxfordbus.co.uk. Unfortunately, according to their Terms and Conditions a minimum administration fee of £5 applies.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus-Support
Devan
If i were to miss my National Express bus from Heathrow to Cardiff due to flight delay, will I have to purchase a new ticket or incur a penalty if I want to take al later bus?
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Devan,
To ensure you get on the bus in time, we kindly suggest you book a trip leaving 90min after your estimated arrival for passport control and luggage collection etc. If your flight is delayed, you’ll need to contact National Express’ staff to amend the ticket, which normally causes an amendent fee, plus the excess fare for the new ticket and seat. In your case, if you know your flight will be most likely to be delayed, maybe you should book the one at 9:40 pm.
Should you require any further help, please feel free to contact us. We wish you a comfortable and punctual journey to Cardiff.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus-Support
stephen mclaughlin
2 X ADULTS
1 X 20KG BAG
Glasgow – Manchester airport
Flight – man – naples
06.00am flight
RETURN
08.07.17
10.50 am FLIGHT
Arrival 13.00pm
can you advise the best possible options for travel+ prices.
many thanks
CheckMyBus
Dear Stephen,
Thanks for your inquiry at CheckMyBus. We kindly ask you on which day your outbound travel will be?
For better results, we suggest you check out our search engine. Simply type in the destinations and dates you’d like to travel, and choose the deal that suits you best from the search results list and click “view deal”, you’ll be redirected to the payment page to finish the online booking.
Should you require any further help, please feel free to contact us.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus-Support
Samantha cordy
It would be very helpful if the booking would happen 6 hrs 2 days trying to book tickets it’s disgusting page error
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Samantha,
Which connection exactly are you trying to book? Please also note that CheckMyBus is a search engine with which you can compare the offers of numerous providers. After you click on “View Deal” you are automatically redirected to the respective company’s website. If the error appears there, we would recommend you get directly in touch with the bus company.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus-Support
Hannah
Hello,
I would like to book a return ticket from Munich international airport to Kaprun in Austria on your homepage. I have found it from Munich international airport to Kaprun, however it seems like it doesn’t exist the other way? Why is that? Is it not possible to book from Kaprun to the airport with you?
The dates are: ticket down 21/07 in the morning, ticket back home: 23/07 in the afternoon.
Thank you very much for your reply in advance!
Best regards,
Hannah
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Hannah,
Unfortunately, there is no bus connection from Munich Airport to Kaprun. If a user activates our search and there are no buses available we display alternative modes of transport, in your case train connections. Still, however, there is no direct one but you can take a train from Munich central station (which you can easily reach from the airport via public transport) to Saalfelden, which is only a few kilometres from Kaprun.
Once you have found a good train connection, all that’s left to do is to click on the “View Deal” button. You’ll then be redirected to the page of the provider where you can book your ticket. This is also where you can change your travel details, i. e. add more travellers or a return journey.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus-Support
Anne
How much is it for a senior citizens return fare from Glasgow United Kingdom to Carlisle United Kingdom
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Anne,
The connection from Glasgow to Carlisle is operated by National Express. You can use CheckMyBus to compare prices for the route of your choice. Once you have found a good connection, click on “View Deal”. Then you will instantly be redirected to the respective bus company’s website, where you will find a little button saying “Edit my journey”. Simply click there to add more passengers, kids or seniors. After you selected seniors, discounts will be shown to you. Please note that some routes and tariffs are excempt from reductions.
If you have further questions, please feel free to get in touch again.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus-Support