Megabus

terryw

I have used the Megabus about quite a few times for the journey from Newcastle to London. I have always booked well in advance to take advantage of the £2 return fare (a driver told me that there were only 4 such fares on the coach just to comply with the adverts but if you book really early it is quite possible to get these fares!). Usually the coach has been quite empty and I have ended up with a double seat, but even with a single seat , there is plenty of room.

The journey is about seven hours and it is really important to have the right frame of mind. Don't think, "Seven bl**dy hours on a coach" but rather "Great, I have seven hours to chill out, read a couple of good books and magazines and not be bothered by anyone, doze a little bit and munch the super sarnies that I have pre-prepared". Believe me, the frame of mind is important.

The unofficial stops when the driver is ahead of scedule are a real bonus for smokers like me, and it enables me to have a chat with the other passengers who are having a cigarette or stretching their legs. On my last trip, I chatted to a few others and we earned boodles of karma points by assisting a Polish chap who wished to get to Harlow from Victoria. , and at the terminus we managed to put him on the correct bus for onward travel.

I have not used the service in the last year as I am now eligible for a senior Railcard, and so by pre-booking I can take the train (three hours) for only £16 after deducting the discount. Really, with coaches, trains and budget airlines the whole trick for super-cheap fares is simply to book really really early.

terryw

inspector_monkfish

be careful though - its not really a MEGABUS.

i was expecting to see some kind of giant 42 wheeled 100ft tall, 500ft long massive people carrying monster of a vehicle.

its not even a Bus
its just a coach.
quite disappointing really.

bathgatebuyer

I used to commute daily using the Megabus between Edinburgh and Glasgow - £2 a day with Megabus or £17 with Scotrail?! It was a bit of a no-brainer for me pricewise. The ironic thing was that I actually worked for the railways at the time, and still opted for the bus on account of the cost.

I always found it ok, but there's no way I could do a longer journey as I have the attention span of a sardine and get bored after 3 mins.

ocker107

Has anyone ever tried to take a bicycle on a megabus?

RichyRich

ocker107 wrote: »

Has anyone ever tried to take a bicycle on a megabus?

12. Passengers are advised that megabus.com will accept up to one piece of luggage per passenger. For guidance this should be no more than the size of a standard suitcase. Passengers can also take on board one piece of hand luggage up to the size of a small to medium sized hold-all.

clareyocs

I HATE MEGABUS
i used to use them ALL the time _ Manchester to london or Manchester to glasgow returns but the last 4 time i have used them they have broke down!!! one time the coach was a BUS!!! an old double decker... all cases on the back seat! NEVER will i use them again!

rich_shot2003

I love them the Drivers are so much better then National Express Megabus Drivers take pride in there work more then i can say for National Express they just dont give a dam about there passengers.

nikkipikki-savvysaver

annie_d wrote: »

They are marvellous. My ( adult) children use them all the time from Manchester to London and back with never a problem.

Does the bus from manc to london stop alot? Cos im thinking of taking my mum to london for her birthday.. wanna make sure that we not stuck on bus for hours on end (for mum sake) but dont wanna be stopping every half hour! (for my sake!! ) lol

Thanks.. ps ive managed to book 2 return tickets from preston to london.. £4.50 (inc booking charge, for two people!!) :T

nikkipikki-savvysaver

clareyocs wrote: »

I HATE MEGABUS
i used to use them ALL the time _ Manchester to london or Manchester to glasgow returns but the last 4 time i have used them they have broke down!!! one time the coach was a BUS!!! an old double decker... all cases on the back seat! NEVER will i use them again!

oh no... now im thinking it might not be a good idea to use it....

RichyRich

Don't be too discouraged, nikkipikki-savvysaver.

I have used the Megabus many times and have never experienced it being used with a normal bus. I've had coaches of varying standards, though, from a superb modern Neoplan Skyliner to a mid-life-but-comfortable Volvo B10M to a standard Yorkshire Traction coach - which must have been a substitute due to a breakdown but was comfy nonetheless. I am sure that instances of substitution must be rare.

I have had nothing but good experiences with Megabus (and Megatrain) and so would seriously recommend you try them out, especially with the new routes added recently giving the possibility of many more journey options.