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National Express bus tickets—Search & book deals

Find and compare the best ground travel options in one place.

Wanderu is an official partner of National Express

Wanderu is the simplest way to book bus and train travel in North America and Europe. We partner with more than 300 bus & train companies around the world to help you search, compare, and find the best travel deals all in one place.

  • Lowest Prices
  • Best Travel Options
  • Quick & Easy Booking
  • Fast Customer Support

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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 7,609 routes daily. National Express connects to 245 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!

Contact National Express

Phone number:
+44 (0)871 781 8181
Online support:
National Express website

National Express Amenities

  • Air conditioning
  • Toilet
  • Power outlets
  • Wifi

Quickview

National Express bus coverage

Daily Trips
11,270
stations
317
cities
245
countries
1
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland

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.”
    86%

Onboard Experience

  • “The WiFi actually worked for the entire trip”
    62%
  • “I’ll travel with them again just for the staff!”
    91%
  • “Really cheap tickets and really good service.”
    93%
  • “The bus got there on time.”
    98%
  • “Seats were really comfy and spacious”
    94%
  • “The bus was almost suspiciously clean”
    98%

National Express reviews from Wanderu customers

Overall review score for National Express Based on 109 reviews

4.8

Ratings (Out of 5)

Comfort
Timeliness
Staff
Value

National Express passenger reviews

  • LindiweSeptember 25, 2026Sheffield – Manchester

    Pros Therebwas a guy at Leeds coachnstation, an Asian guy at the information desk , very rude & not helpful, asked him, which gates fot Manchester, he was on the fone ignkred & later ssid check on the boards??

  • LjcanadyJune 17, 2026London – Mildenhall

    Pros My trip was great Cons Make sure the transfers work I was left at the bus stop in my own as my transfer had left without me due to my coach not being on time ! Tips Make sure you have enough time to get your transfer !!!!!!

  • NyaraiOctober 31, 2025London – Birmingham

    Pros Time keeping Cons Reservations of seats the coach was overbooked and the driver didn’t have his break before departing. We had to stop on the way for 30 minutes so as to accommodate his break most people were not happy as the we’re connecting or had appointments in London Tips Just travel with expectations of delays

  • BolaJuly 20, 2025Liverpool – London

    Pros good driving , comfortable & on time . Cons nothing specifically, just keep up the good work. cheers. Tips nothing really, just be a good/considerate & respectful traveler.

  • MSJune 7, 2025Newtown – Guildford

    Pros The driver Cons Would have been nice to have soap in the toilet room Tips Take soap or anti bac gel as there is hardly ever soap

National Express Routes & Network

National Express’s bus network features 7,609 bus routes that connect 245 cities serving 317 stations. On average, National Express performs about 11,270 bus trips every day. The top cities to which National Express offers the highest number of daily bus service include London and Manchester.

Top Cities Served by National Express
CityDaily TripsEarliest busLatest bus
London2,42312:01 AM11:59 PM
Manchester37412:05 AM11:59 PM
Birmingham54112:05 AM11:59 PM
Liverpool56212:05 AM11:59 PM
Luton75112:05 AM11:59 PM
Leeds36412:05 AM11:55 PM
Edinburgh2612:15 AM11:25 PM
Bristol39312:01 AM11:59 PM
Glasgow9212:35 AM11:55 PM

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 bringing a power bank to charge your phone for all trips over 2 hours, just in case.

On a typical day, National Express has 11,270 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 11,270 trips per day on National Express, there are a lot of great deals to uncover for the bargain hunter, and National Express tickets start at just SEK 49.65. 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.

More transportation options

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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 bus and train deals out there.