Megabus

Has anyone travelled with this firm before?

I've just booked tickets for our away game v H&Y at Woking on 20th March. I'm staying over at my brothers who lives nearby. I've got a single train ticket there for £13 but couldn't find any cheap trains back on the Wednesday.

A mate suggested to try Megabus and I have booked a coach with them from London to Sheffield Meadowhall and then a single on the train from Meadowhall back to Grimsby. (£5)

The coach is unbelievably only £3 so I'm just wondering if anyone has used Megabus before either for away travel or just going on holiday. My mate who lives in York has also booked a seat from York to London (Coach to East Midlands Parkway and then a train to London St.Pancras) all for the princely sum of £1.

I'm just wondering how the hell they can do these tickets so bloody cheap. Is there something I should know?

Fairly sure my niece, who's a student, uses them quite a bit and haven't heard her complain. Think it'll be no frills but at that price you wouldn't really expect any I guess.

No, it does what it says on the tin. . . My mate came down to London from Hull (spit!) it only cost him a quid plus the booking fee, a lot of the trip was on the train as well!  If you book well in advance it is bargain-tastic!

Do you remember The Flintstones method of transport Les?  

Quoted from 1054

No, it does what it says on the tin. . . My mate came down to London from Hull (spit!) it only cost him a quid plus the booking fee, a lot of the trip was on the train as well!  If you book well in advance it is bargain-tastic!

Yeah, my mate who is coming down from York gets a coach to East Midlands Parkway and then a train into St Pancras. It's £1 there and his ticket for the same journey back is a fiver. (£6 return York to London)

I've booked the coach from London Victoria to Meadowhall and it's a direct service. First stop is Meadowhall. Not sure where it carrys onto after that though.

The booking fee is a very reasonable 50p too and there no charge for paying by card either.

They also do trains from Sheffield into St.Pancras so I may look into using them in the future for away games.

Used it a couple of times (London to Leeds for £1 each way) and my only real complaint was that it took a lot longer than the train. Riding on a coach is certainly not as nice as being on train as well.

Edit - oh yeah and no booze allowed on board coaches.

I've used them to return to GY when delivering cars - very cheap, very clean and a toilet on board.

I've used them a few times. They've got me from A to B with no problems in return for a couple of quid so they get my seal of approval.

How the hell do they manage to run these coaches and trains at such a cheap price.

Yeah picks up at scunny tesco go either to London or east midlands parkway

Quoted from Les Brechin

How the hell do they manage to run these coaches and trains at such a cheap price.

You read the small print didn't you? The bit where it mentions that during the journey time you are legally owned by Megabus and can be rented out to sexually frustrated HGV Drivers at Welcome Break Service Stations?

Quoted from Les Brechin

How the hell do they manage to run these coaches and trains at such a cheap price.

I think the later you book, the more you pay. Still seems ridiculous though when you consider the fuel and the driver's wages.

Gift Horse, Gob springs to mind!

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

You read the small print didn't you? The bit where it mentions that during the journey time you are legally owned by Megabus and can be rented out to sexually frustrated HGV Drivers at Welcome Break Service Stations?

Hope you don't need to use the loo, it's £35! plus £5 per flush.

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

You read the small print didn't you? The bit where it mentions that during the journey time you are legally owned by Megabus and can be rented out to sexually frustrated HGV Drivers at Welcome Break Service Stations?

Hello

Quoted from Les Brechin

How the hell do they manage to run these coaches and trains at such a cheap price.

The 'megatrain' services are run by East Midlands Trains. Megabus and East Midlands Trains are both owned by Stagecoach. This means East Midlands Trains can fill up empty off-peak services by selling cheap tickets through Megabus. You'll never find cheap train tickets through megabus for any peak services.

The coaches are only dirt cheap for the first few passengers booking a seat. For example the first handful of passengers will pay £1, then the next few will pay £3, the next few £5, the next few £10 and so on. Since you'll usually get 40+ passengers on a coach this all adds up and means that after they take out the costs (fuel, drivers wages, other misc costs) they'll still make a reasonable amount of profit on each service.

Must be working as they are expanding in to the US:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16881957

Quoted from psgmariner

Must be working as they are expanding in to the US:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16881957

They also have services in Canada as well as the US too.

When you first visit their site you have to choose either UK, US or Canada.

When i was poor I used to use the London to Sheffield service every few weeks. It's not bad, it just takes between 3 and a half and 4 hours depending on the traffic getting out of London. It gets a bit uncomfortable after a while, obviously not as nice as using the train but great for what it is.
Goes straight to Meadowhall from Victoria, and then on to Leeds. Sometimes they stop at Watford gap to change drivers which can bump up the journey time. I don't really do it any quicker in the car now, and return that costs like £60 in petrol.

Thanks for this thread, I always use national express for my other half to go back and forth to Devon, which apart from last year usually costs me around £35 (last year it was £9 one way deals)

Never been on one, im not brave enough! It will be an experience im sure!! Lets hope we win to make the trip back a little easier

Quoted from nightrider

Never been on one, im not brave enough! It will be an experience im sure!! Lets hope we win to make the trip back a little easier

I just hope this isn't one of their buses.  

[img]http://cl.jroo.me/z3/L/R/l/b/a.aaa.jpg[/img]

Quoted from Les Brechin

I just hope this isn't one of their buses.  

[img]http://cl.jroo.me/z3/L/R/l/b/a.aaa.jpg[/img]

Obviously not our battlebus  

Quoted from Les Brechin

Has anyone travelled with this firm before?

I've just booked tickets for our away game v H&Y at Woking on 20th March. I'm staying over at my brothers who lives nearby. I've got a single train ticket there for £13 but couldn't find any cheap trains back on the Wednesday.

A mate suggested to try Megabus and I have booked a coach with them from London to Sheffield Meadowhall and then a single on the train from Meadowhall back to Grimsby. (£5)

The coach is unbelievably only £3 so I'm just wondering if anyone has used Megabus before either for away travel or just going on holiday. My mate who lives in York has also booked a seat from York to London (Coach to East Midlands Parkway and then a train to London St.Pancras) all for the princely sum of £1.

I'm just wondering how the hell they can do these tickets so bloody cheap. Is there something I should know?

I've used it from Sheffield to London. We had to change buses somewhere on the way down (routine) but I can't remember if you do on the way back. Be sure to be on time - they do not hang about at all.

Quoted from Les Brechin

I just hope this isn't one of their buses.  

[img]http://cl.jroo.me/z3/L/R/l/b/a.aaa.jpg[/img]

Haha All aboard the promotion bus!

It is not just students who use it. My wife and went from York to St Pancreas and return for £4.  A very good service.

The bus from York goes to a brand new rail station at Nottingham Parkway, just off the motorway.  The bus was fine, the train was ok.  Coming back was quicker.  You have to fit in around 2 trains/buses per day.

The only downside Les is that if the bus breaksdown, you have to get out and push.  

used them a few time from gloucester to london. they are basically old style national express coached. not the most comfy, vut they do the job!! as has been stated before, takes a little longer and nowhere near as nice as being on a train, but, certainly cant grumble! when town played bournemouth, i took the megabus for a quid to london, then got a connecting bus to bournemouth for a quid! yeah, it took the best part of 5 hours, but for a couple of quid you cant go wrong!!

oh, and will see you there les me old mucker

Quoted from pseudonym

Obviously not our battlebus  

This is more like the battlebus Terry.  

[img]http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Screen-Shot-2011-11-16-at-6.44.00-PM.png[/img]

Quoted from Les Brechin

This is more like the battlebus Terry.  

[img]http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Screen-Shot-2011-11-16-at-6.44.00-PM.png[/img]

thats the team that woods inherited!

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

thats the team that woods inherited!

Is that Newell driving?

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

It is not just students who use it. My wife and went from York to St Pancreas and return for £4.  A very good service.

The bus from York goes to a brand new rail station at Nottingham Parkway, just off the motorway.  The bus was fine, the train was ok.  Coming back was quicker.  You have to fit in around 2 trains/buses per day.

The only downside Les is that if the bus breaksdown, you have to get out and push.  

Yes, that's the route I'm taking going down to London on Tues for the Hayes game & back on Wed for £6-50, like Les says how the hell can they do it, but that will do for me !
By the way I ain't pushing no bus, women & children first  

Have picked Eastendmariner and co up from scunt tesco for Town at home. It cost them 20 shillings each, TWENTY SHILLINGS, from London. Cost me more in petrol keeping the motor ticking over waiting to pick 'em up. Very good service Les, and genuine.

Quoted from York Mariner

Yes, that's the route I'm taking going down to London on Tues for the Hayes game & back on Wed for £6-50, like Les says how the hell can they do it, but that will do for me !

Quoted from Chrisblor

The 'megatrain' services are run by East Midlands Trains. Megabus and East Midlands Trains are both owned by Stagecoach. This means East Midlands Trains can fill up empty off-peak services by selling cheap tickets through Megabus. You'll never find cheap train tickets through megabus for any peak services.

The coaches are only dirt cheap for the first few passengers booking a seat. For example the first handful of passengers will pay £1, then the next few will pay £3, the next few £5, the next few £10 and so on. Since you'll usually get 40+ passengers on a coach this all adds up and means that after they take out the costs (fuel, drivers wages, other misc costs) they'll still make a reasonable amount of profit on each service.

Or just read this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yield_management

Quoted from Grantham_Mariner

Hope you don't need to use the loo, it's £35! plus £5 per flush.

Got an idea how to save a fiver.......

Quoted from Chrisblor

Or just read this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yield_management

Interesting stuff, I read it word for word whilst snoozing for the first 85mins of the England game, yeh right  . To quote ' every day is a learning day '