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.
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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.
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
Michael Edwards
Good evening. Do you do a open return ticket?
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Michael,
Thank you for your message. Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity bus price comparison portal and doesn’t sell tickets. When you click “view deal” on a route in our search engine, you are then redirected to the bus company’s webpage to make the booking and payment. To see if you can receive an open return ticket, you must directly contact the company you booked your trip with.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Helen Sweeting
Evening, If we book a bus ticket from Gatwick early morning to Oxford and we are delayed at the Airport can we get a later bus?
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Helen,
Thank you for your message. Generally, when you miss a booked bus, you must purchase a new ticket, however some companies offer a “flex plan,” like National Express, which allows you to get on any available coach 12 hours before or 12 hours after your original coach departure time in case your flight is delayed. This usually costs about £5 extra for each way you travel. This can be added during the booking process. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us again.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Chris Cilia
I will be travelling by bus from Bratislava to Vienna with my 3 sons aged 15, 11 and 11 (twins). When I go on-line to buy the tickets do I say 1 adult and 3 children ? Do they all qualify as children or no ?
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Chris,
Thank you for your message. Yes, you can search for one adult and three children. However, whether or not all of your sons qualify as children depends on which bus company you plan to travel with. For example, with FlixBus, children under the age of 15 can travel at discounted rate. On RegioJet, children aged 6 to 15 receive a 50% discount (only valid while the child is 14). To know for your if all of your children are eligible for the discount, you must check with whichever company you plan to book with.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Mrs Valerie Marianni
I have just booked 2 tickets from Palermo to Siracusa in Sicily on your site paying through paypal with my Mastercard as a guest. I have not received any notification or receipt from either the bus company paypal or yourselves and no information regarding the payment or if the tickets are even booked. Will I receive a email from you with confirmation or do I just turn up at the bus stop & hope we are booked!
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Valerie,
Thank you for your message. Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity coach price comparison portal. When you click “view deal” on a route, you are then redirected to the bus company’s webpage to make the booking and payment for the ticket. To receive confirmation about your ticket, you must directly contact the company you booked your trip with.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Cecil Rodney
Dis Booking Code LJ8KEX
Hi, I booked a return ticket from Oxford to Gatwick departing Tues 5th June (Tomorrow) at 4am and returning on 16th June 11:15am. I have only been sent the return ticket – I have called and visited The Oxford Bus Company and they cant help as it was booked through you?
My Mum died suddenly, I need to fly home to arrange the funeral – your immediate assistance would be appreciated so I can get to the airport.
Many thanks
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Cecil,
Thank you for your message. We apologise for the delayed response and for the circumstances. Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity bus search engine and doesn’t sell tickets. When you click “view deal” on a company in our search engine, you are then redirected to a company’s webpage to make the booking and complete the payment. We have contacted Distribusion, which handles the booking process for The Oxford Bus Company, and the company only received the booking for the return trip, but not the outbound trip for 05.06.2018, which must be booked as a separate ticket.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
lene outzen
I borught two tickets today for the bus from Madrif Airport til Astorga, but i have not received them?
Lene Outzen , denmark
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Lene,
Thank you for your message. Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity bus search engine and doesn’t sell tickets. When you click “view deal” on a searched route, you are then redirected to the provider’s webpage to complete the payment and book the tickets. Please contact the provider you booked your trip with directly to either receive your tickets or a refund.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
PETER BROWNE
Ther is no mention of senior coach card discount after picking a route and price. At what point is the senior card taken into account during the booking and payment process ?.
Regards
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Peter,
Thank you for your message. Each bus provider has a different policy regarding senior coach cards, which tend to be relevant only for that company (for instance the National Express Senior Coach Card only works for a select number of National Express routes). For some companies, you may actually need to purchase the tickets in person at the bus station to be able to use the discount. We suggest directly contacting whichever bus provider you plan to travel with directly to see how exactly you can use this discount when booking your ticket.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Caroline Brooks
Hi
Can you tell us if we need to buy tickets prior to catching Interbus from Catania to Syracusa – 2 of us travelling?
Thanks in advance
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Caroline,
Thank you for your message. We always recommend buying tickets prior to catching the bus, because not only will you typically pay lower fares, but you are also more likely to guarantee a seat. When booking online via CheckMyBus, only buses with seats available are shown, however when buying tickets at the station prior to boarding, you may not be able to do so if the bus is already full. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us again.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
ANDREW liptrot
trying to pay for three tickets total £72.50 for outbound preston to london sat 26/5/18 returning sun 27/5/18 , for some reason payment wont go through is there a phone line i can pay over phone, im loathe to try again online as two payments will prob be taken
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Andrew,
Thank you for your message. Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity coach price comparison portal, and doesn’t sell tickets. When you click “view deal” on a bus route in our search engine, you are then redirected to the company’s webpage to complete the payment. To check up on the status of your payment and receive either your tickets or a refund, you must directly contact the bus company you booked your trip with.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Roger Chllens
am still trying unsuccessfully to book 29.4.18 Tideford Cornwall to Heathrow 3 for £10
Have already messaged you and your reply found no problem However I have tried many times more with no success
Even your offer for me to reply leads me to leave this message under the above un related message??
Please prove your offer is real?
Can you provide a faultless link/procedure for me to book please?
hoping to hear
RogerC
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Roger,
Thank you for your response. We’re sorry to hear you’re still experiencing this issue. Which browser have you been using when searching for the connection? We were able to successfully access the link with google chrome, but perhaps using another browser will help. If you continue to experience technical difficulties, then we suggest directly contacting National Express to book your ticket sooner.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support