Search & Book Cheap Bus Tickets Online

What is an intercity coach?

A coach is any large motor vehicle that transports passengers along a route. Intercity coaches, also known as long-distance coaches, specifically transport passengers from one city to another, as opposed to public buses that transport passengers within the same city or town. Greyhound, OurBus, FlixBus, and Peter Pan are examples of popular coach companies with intercity service. Passengers can book a one-way coach trip or a round trip. One-way coach trips provide just the journey to the destination, while a round trip coach itinerary includes a journey to the destination plus a journey back to the original departure point.

Why take the coach instead of flying or driving?

According to the Department of Transportation, roughly 40 million people ride intercity coaches each year. Travelling by coach is one of the most efficient, inexpensive, and eco-friendly ways to get around. It takes roughly the same amount of time as driving yourself, but allows you to relax and enjoy the road trip instead of focusing on the road. Plus, taking a coach means you save the hassle of having to find parking in your destination city or hiring a car if you don’t have your own.

Coach travel is generally a much simpler ordeal than flying—there’s no need to get to the airport hours ahead of time, no TSA, and no complicated boarding process. Subjectively, a coach ride is more enjoyable than flying for travellers who prefer to be on the ground rather than in the air.

Coaches are way more affordable than flights; a coach ticket often costs a small fraction of the price of a flight on the same route. Of course, the main downside is that it usually takes longer to get there.

How much does a coach ticket cost?

Coach ticket prices vary by route and carrier, but the average price of a coach ticket on popular routes tends to be between $20 and $50. Of course, tickets can be much cheaper or much more expensive in certain cases.

Are there discounts on coach tickets?

Yes, many coach companies offer discounts for different fare classes. The most common discounts apply to seniors, children, students, and military veterans. Some carriers also have their own rewards programmes.

Each coach company has its own discount policies. For example, Greyhound offers discounts on its tickets for children (20%), seniors (5%), students (10%), and military veterans (10%).

Where can you book coach tickets?

You have a few options when it comes to purchasing coach tickets. Some traditional coach companies, such as New York Trailways and Peter Pan Bus Lines, sell tickets at coach stations. Others, like GoBuses, almost exclusively sell tickets online.

The best way to buy coach tickets is by booking them online with a search comparison site like Wanderu. The advantage of doing so is that you can see all fares from different coach companies at once, making it easy to compare the available options side-by-side.

This streamlines the purchasing process and saves time from parsing through individual coach websites one by one. It also makes it easy to find the highest-rated, fastest, and cheapest coach tickets.

Booking tickets online

If you’re still not sure how to find the best fare, we’ve got you covered. Here are the top 5 tips for finding cheap coach tickets online:

1. Book Early — It’s never too early to book your coach tickets online. By purchasing in advance, you’ll be able to secure the best price on a seat with your favourite coach company. We recommend booking five to six weeks in advance in order to lock down the lowest price on coach tickets from all major carriers.

2. Travel During Off-Peak Times — Planning your itinerary so that you’re travelling at off-peak times is a great way to reduce your transport costs. Because weekends are so popular for coach travel, Sunday afternoon tickets tend to be the most expensive. To save, consider departing in the mid-morning on Sunday, or perhaps on a different day altogether. If your schedule is flexible then plan to travel mid-week, after the early morning commute. Mid-week tickets are frequently a cheaper option than riding on a Monday or Friday. Instead, start the weekend early with a Wednesday or Thursday departure.

3. Search for Nearby Coach Stations — If you’re travelling to a major city, you have different stations or local bus stops to choose from for your drop-off. Expand your coach ticket search to “include nearby locations” in order to find the lowest price. For example, if arriving in the most popular station is more expensive, look for an alternative bus stop near public transport or a comfortable walking distance from a taxi rank.

4. Search Multiple Coach Companies — Whether you prefer the affordability of Wanda Coach or the comfort of Vamoose Gold, everyone has a preferred coach company. Even so, expanding your search to multiple coach companies is a terrific way to land a deal on your next holiday. Wanderu allows you to compare fares from different carriers side-by-side in a single search, and even lets you book your return trip with a separate carrier to score a better price.

5. Follow for Special Deals — At Wanderu, we take pride in unearthing epic coach deals for travellers. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to hear about fantastic sales, promo codes and deals.