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
Pat MacDonald
Hi Looking to travel with six others in Oct, to London. Deal is great but when I click on view deal it transfers me to National Express web site and have to go through whole details again and price comes through more expensive. ??
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Pat,
Thank you for your message. We apologise for any confusion regarding the booking process. Kindly let us know exactly which route you were searching for as well as the date, and we will gladly investigate this issue further.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
John warren
I have booked a mega bus from Victoria coach station to Sheffield on the 9th Oct, return on the 10th.
Where do list pick the bus up from at Victoria?
What number would it have?
Time from Victoria main line station to coach station?
I have half hour from train arrival to bus departure, and want to ensure it’s enough time.
Many thanks for any help you can give.
John
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear John,
Thank you for your message. When you book your ticket, the specific platform number that you will be picked up at should be displayed on your ticket. It is about a seven-minute walk from Vitoria Rail Station to Victoria Coach Station. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us again.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
evelyn caven
I wanted to ask about availability on a return trip of 27th September as your site has a x in the box does this mean there is no available seats on the bus on that date.
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Evelyn,
Thank you for your message. Kindly let us know which trip you would like to book a return trip for on 27 September and we will gladly look into what could’ve happened with the booking. Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity bus price comparison portal, and that once you click “view deal,” you are then redirected to the bus company’s webpage to make the booking and payment.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Frank Long
I wish to purchase return tickets for 8 Seniors – Copenhagen to Malmo and return Malmo to Copenhagen Airport How do I do this please ?
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Frank,
Thank you for your message. You can book for up to seven people through the CheckMyBus search engine, so the eight ticket will need to be booked separately, however you can easily find outbound and return trips from Copenhagen to Malmö with companies like FlixBus and nettbuss. Enter both your outbound and return dates in the fields about and you’ll find all available coaches for both days. Then, you select which bus you would like to travel with by clicking on “select” and then do the same for your return trip. Once you’ve picked trips for both dates, you then select “view deal” for both to be redirected to the bus companies’ webpages to make the final booking and payment. As seniors, once you are on this page, you can typically edit your order to include discounts or even further edit the number of passengers to include all eight at once. With CheckMyBus you can find all available coaches for a route on a given date so that you can find the best deal. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us again.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
P. G. Metcalf
I was unable to complete my booking yesterday and your email yesterday appears to have implied it awaiting completion.
Please can you help locate my booking since I have been unable to access it today to purchase the tickets for Tuesday 4th Sept – neither have I been able to access a new booking form.
Your early attention would be appreciated, please. P. G. Metcalf
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Metcalf,
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 receive your booking, you must directly contact the bus company you booked your trip with.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
helena ben yona
I am arriving to Heathrow on the 5th September around 22:00 in the evening and want to take a coach to Reading. I shall be returning to Heathrow from Reading on the 12th September and also want to take a coach to the airport.
My question is : can I book a 2 way ticket with out specifying exact times? I am due to arrive in at 22:00 but if there is a delay or I arrive late for some reason, I prefer to have a coach ticket that I can use for a later time coach if necessary.
For the return journey I can book for a specific time as I should not have any unexpected delays to arrive at Reading.
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Helena,
Thank you for your message. When booking a ticket, you must select a specific time, however you can opt for a flexible ticket with companies, like National Express, so that you can travel within 12 hours of your original coach departure time for an added £5. You can book both tickets separately, and book your return trip with a regular ticket and your outbound trip with the flexible cost. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us again.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Mrs V Harris
Would like to contact you by phone for journey Newport s wales. To exeter devon
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Mrs. Harris,
Thank you for your message. Please note that CheckMyBus is an intercity coach price comparison portal and doesn’t offer telephone support at this time. While there are no direct coach routes from Newport, Wales to Exeter, you can travel from Newport to Bristol, and then from Bristol, you can travel directly to Exeter. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us again.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Caryl Klokow
Hi am trying to book a bus ticket from Bradford to Heathrow leaving at 7.05 am it will not allow me to pay?
Please help
Regards
Caryl Klokow
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Caryl,
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” for a route in our search engine, you are then redirected to the bus company’s webpage to make the booking and payment. In order to figure out how to purchase your ticket, you must directly contact the bus company you are trying to book your trip with.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Jenny Messias
Can my friend arriving from Australia pay on the bus at heathrow to Royston on 29/8/18
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Jenny,
Thank you for your message. Your friend should be able to purchase coach tickets at Heathrow Airport for the route, however they won’t be certain they’ll be able to secure a seat for the time they’d like to travel on by doing this. When booking online, not only do you secure your seat, but prices also tend to be cheaper as well, and with National Express, you can purchase a flexible pass in case the plane is delayed, so you can take the next bus if you miss it. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us again.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support
Esther Royer
Do i pay for a baby ? He is to young to sit alone only 10 months.
CheckMyBus-Support
Dear Esther,
Many coach companies, including National Express, allow you to travel with babies free of charge provided they sit in their parent’s lap. However, it’s worth noting that different coach companies have different policies regarding child fees, so it’s definitely worth checking with the company you plan to travel with beforehand to make sure.
Best regards,
Your CheckMyBus Support