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National Express bus tickets - Search & book deals

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4.8 Rating

5k Reviews

4.5 Rating

4.8k Reviews

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About National Express

National Express is the largest inter-city bus operator in the United Kingdom with bus routes throughout the UK. National Express operates over 600 buses, daily serving 140 routes with scheduled service to 900 destinations. On board a National Express bus you will find reclining leather seats, air conditioning and on board bathrooms. National Express has also invested in your comfort, you will find most buses equipped with WiFi and an on board entertainment system they call VUER, which streams content directly to your phone, tablet or laptop to keep you entertained along your trip.

National Express Amenities

Air conditioningAir conditioning
RestroomRestroom
Power outletPower outlet
WiFiWiFi

Quickview

National Express bus coverage

Daily Trips6,794
stations336
cities239
countries2

What travelers are saying about National Express

Here’s what Wanderu users who have booked trips with National Express had to say about their travel experience.

Traveling During COVID-19

“They took COVID safety precautions seriously.”
based on 70 reviews

Onboard Experience

“The WiFi actually worked for the entire trip”
based on 53 reviews
“I’ll travel with them again just for the staff!”
based on 86 reviews
“Really cheap tickets and really good service.”
based on 90 reviews
“The bus got there on time.”
based on 96 reviews
“Seats were really comfy and spacious”
based on 92 reviews
“The bus was almost suspiciously clean”
based on 95 reviews

National Express reviews from Wanderu customers

Overall review score for National Express

(Based on 102 reviews)

4.4
Ratings (Out of 5)
Comfort

4.2

Timeliness

4.7

Staff

4.5

Value

3.9

Condition

4.6

National Express passenger reviews

5.0

Sandra

December 24, 2024- Visiting family

London to Nottingham

Pros: Arrival and departure times on point. Would of been nice to be able to charge my mobile phone. Cons: Have ports to charge mobile phone. Tips: N/A.

1.0

Remilekun

December 10, 2024- Business

London to Nottingham

Pros: The driver is nice and friendly. Cons: I saw that the final destination is city centre before paying after payment it now shows broad mash bus station and the toilet need to be cleaned very well. Tips: Always get to the park earlier for your own convenience.

2.0

Jimmy

December 7, 2024- Visiting friends

Ringway to London

Pros: Nothing special. Cons: TThe buses should be newer and more comfortable. Tips: should try other operators.

5.0

Monika

April 11, 2024- Vacation

Wakefield to London

Pros: Comfortable. Cons: More space for leg. Tips: Choose National Express because I was returning from London by mega bus and it was a terrible trip. The bus smelled so bad from the toilet that the passengers sat with clothes on their faces the whole way. I was travelling with kids. The trip was delayed by 30 minutes, I had to arrange transport at night.

3.0

Martine

March 31, 2024- Visiting friends

Wakefield to London

The drivers have cold feeling I dont like

National Express Routes & Network

National Express’s bus network features 10238 bus routes that connect 239 cities serving 336 stations. On average, National Express performs about 6794 bus trips every day. The top cities to which National Express offers the highest number of daily bus service include Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Top Cities Served by National Express

CityRouteEarliest busLatest bus
London612:01 am11:55 pm
Manchester512:05 am11:50 pm
Birmingham512:05 am11:55 pm
Liverpool612:05 am11:11 pm
Luton512:01 am11:55 pm
Leeds512:05 am11:55 pm
Edinburgh612:17 am11:35 pm
Glasgow612:25 am11:50 pm
Bristol512:05 am11:55 pm

Most popular National Express routes

The bus from Glasgow to Edinburgh is National Express’s most popular route. Trips from London to Liverpool and London to Manchester are also highly popular.

Top National Express routes

RouteDaily TripsDurationPrice
Glasgow to Edinburgh41h 11m$6
London to Liverpool637h 12m$13
London to Manchester256h 17m$13
London to Edinburgh2212h 29m$27
London to Southampton734h 5m$12
London to Birmingham554h 32m$12
London to Nottingham604h 48m$12
London to Bath604h 19m$10
Coventry to London634h 16m$13

National Express Bus Guide & FAQs

Yes, National Express offers WiFi on their buses. Although most trips with National Express will have WiFi as advertised, some buses might not come equipped with WiFi and onboard WiFi can lose its connection in rural areas. We recommend you bring a book or download a movie just to play it safe. National Express WiFi is generally best used for surfing the web, checking emails and chatting with friends; you shouldn’t count on the WiFi to binge watch your favorite show.

Yes, there are power outlets onboard National Express buses. You can generally find one or two sockets per row of seats, so be a good traveller and check if your seat neighbor might want to charge up their devices as well. With the onboard power outlets, you can charge both a computer and USB devices with a USB power adapter that typically comes with most phones and tablets.

Since National Express might sometimes use replacement bus vehicles, not all trips are guaranteed to have power points. We recommend to bring a power bank to charge your phone for all trips over 2 hours, just in case.

On a typical day, National Express has 6794 scheduled bus trips in total. However, the exact departure and arrival times vary depending on the day and route. The best way to find the exact schedule for your trip is to use the search tool on this page.

No, National Express does not offer will call tickets. You should purchase your tickets online and make sure you have everything you need to board before you arrive at the station.

Yes, National Express requires you to present an ID to an agent to be allowed to board the bus. Make sure you have identification issued by a government agency that meets the carrier’s requirements. Alternative IDs, such as a college ID, won’t work.

Yes, there are bathrooms on National Express buses. The bathrooms are pretty basic and include a toilet, toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Most bathrooms don’t have running water. As you will be using a bathroom on a moving vehicle, please use caution and hold on to a rail at all times.

National Express does not offer meals or beverages onboard. We recommend you bring a drink and some snacks for your trip. We also suggest packing a reusable water bottle with you to reduce your impact on the environment. However, note that most buses do not allow you to bring your own alcoholic drinks.

Yes, National Express requires that all passengers have printed tickets to board the bus. When you book with Wanderu and activate your account, you will be able to easily find and download your tickets for most buses.

National Express focuses on delivering a great travel experience at a low price and currently does not offer premium features like extra legroom or onboard entertainment. But these days, between your laptop, tablet, smartphone and e-reader, you’re the master of your own entertainment even on longer journeys.

Cheap National Express tickets recently found on Wanderu

With 6,794 National Express trips per day, there are a lot of great deals to uncover for the bargain hunter and National Express tickets start at just $1.30. Check out some of the latest and greatest deals snatched up by Wanderu users.

How do I get the best deal on National Express tickets?

Wanderu is the best place to score cheap National Express tickets with the lowest available fares every day. Plus, you can compare National Express prices with trips offered by other bus companies to be sure you’re getting the best deal on your tickets!

Pro travelers know that booking your ticket well in advance is key to finding the lowest price. Ticket prices normally go up the closer you get to the travel date, so don’t miss out on a good deal when you see one. If you can be flexible with your travel date, you can also get cheap tickets by traveling on weekdays instead of weekends.

When you’re ready to book, type your departure city and destination city in the search bar above, select your travel date, and let Wanderu work its magic to show you all of the best bus and train ticket prices available for your trip. Pick the ticket that’s best for your budget, schedule, and preferences, and complete the booking right on Wanderu to secure your great deal.

Wanderu is the simplest way to book bus and train travel.

With just a quick search on Wanderu, you can compare bus and train schedules and prices from hundreds of travel companies in one convenient place to find the trip that works best for you. Wanderu’s simple checkout process makes it easy to book cheap bus and train tickets hassle-free. Most importantly, as Wanderu is an official partner of all leading bus and train companies, we always have the best deals out there.