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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 probably the UK's best-known coach company offering intercity services. Nationwide in scope, it has over 600 coaches covering 17953 routes daily. National Express connects to 264 different cities, from small roadside stops to the country's biggest towns and cities. These include London, Manchester, Southampton, and Edinburgh, as well as airports such as Heathrow and Stansted, both serving London.

Founded in 1972, National Express is headquartered in Birmingham, the UK's second city. Its sleek, modern vehicles mainly consist of single-decker vehicles of approximately 50 seats, although the bus company uses double-decker buses on the busiest routes.

Both single and double-decker vehicles offer passengers a good amount of legroom – roomier than airlines have in coach class – alongside onboard WiFi, restrooms, and air conditioning. Although there is no food for purchase, passengers can bring their own snacks and drinks.

Wanderu makes it exceptionally easy to check the routes, prices, and schedules for National Express. Compare prices, book your trip, and save money on Wanderu!

National Express Amenities

Air conditioningAir conditioning
RestroomRestroom
Power outletPower outlet
WiFiWiFi

Quickview

National Express bus coverage

Daily Trips11,053
stations379
cities264
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 72 reviews

Onboard Experience

“The WiFi actually worked for the entire trip”
based on 54 reviews
“I’ll travel with them again just for the staff!”
based on 89 reviews
“Really cheap tickets and really good service.”
based on 93 reviews
“The bus got there on time.”
based on 99 reviews
“Seats were really comfy and spacious”
based on 95 reviews
“The bus was almost suspiciously clean”
based on 98 reviews

National Express reviews from Wanderu customers

Overall review score for National Express

(Based on 106 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

Jordan

December 31, 2024- Visiting friends

London to Glasgow

Pros: Bus Drivers were super friendly. Tips: Book ahead.

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.

National Express Routes & Network

National Express’s bus network features 17953 bus routes that connect 264 cities serving 379 stations. On average, National Express performs about 11053 bus trips every day. The top cities to which National Express offers the highest number of daily bus service include London and Liverpool.

Top Cities Served by National Express

CityRouteEarliest busLatest bus
London612:01 am11:59 pm
Manchester512:05 am11:59 pm
Birmingham612:05 am11:55 pm
Liverpool612:05 am11:55 pm
Luton512:01 am11:55 pm
Edinburgh712:17 am11:59 pm
Leeds512:05 am11:55 pm
Glasgow712:15 am11:55 pm
Bristol512:05 am11:55 pm

Most popular National Express routes

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

Top National Express routes

RouteDaily TripsDurationPrice
London to Liverpool607h 13m€9
London to Manchester416h 20m€9
London to Edinburgh2112h 30m€18
London to Southampton724h 5m€8
London to Birmingham474h 40m€8
London to Nottingham484h 52m€8
London to Bath644h 21m€7
Coventry to London724h 17m€9
Glasgow to Edinburgh41h 11m€4

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 11053 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 11,053 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 €1.15. 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.