Guide to Bus and Coach Travel in Britain

Browse our guide to coach and bus travel in the UK.

Coach Travel

One of the cheapest ways of getting around Britain is by low-cost, long distance coach. The major coach companies are National Express and the super-low-cost carrier Megabus, which offers fares from £1 each way. easyBus offers airport bus transfers between London and Gatwick, Stansted and Luton airports.

Now it is worth noting that coach travel isn’t the quickest way to get around the country, but in recent years many of the companies have implemented reclining seats, extra legroom and even WiFi internet on their coaches. Basically, if you’re after a low cost and relaxing way to get around the country, then look no further!

One final word; Megabus, the super cheap coach company, now offers low cost fares to Europe from many of Britain’s biggest cities. At the time of writing, these European destinations include Paris, Boulogne, Brussels, Gent and Amsterdam.

Be sure to check out their website for more information.

Local Buses

Local buses are usually run by private companies but are subsidised by local government. In larger cities such as London and Manchester there is an extensive bus service, however in the more rural areas the services tend to be infrequent and with limited coverage.

In London the extensive local bus system is integrated with the tube, trams and rail services within the city. This means that your travelcards and Oyster cards will work seemlessly with all of these transport options. For more information on London Transport be sure to check out our guide here.

For more information about local buses in England, Wales and Scotland, be sure to visit Traveline’s website. This site offers journey planning, bus timetables and service alerts.

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