National Express Reviews

Name: National Express
Address: National Express House, Birmingham Coach Station, Mill Lane, Digbeth, Birmingham
Rating: 1.60

1.6 Rating 350 Reviews

13 %

of reviewers recommend National Express

1.6

Based on 350 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Own Driver
On-time Delivery	Greater than 15%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Over A Week
Customer Service	1.7 out of 5
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process	Difficult

About National Express:

National Express coach & bus tickets for travel to over 900 destinations throughout the UK including London airports Heathrow, Gatwick & Stansted. National Express offer Britain’s only scheduled coach network reaching around 1000 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales.

Phone:

08717 818178

Location:

National Express House, Birmingham Coach Station, Mill Lane, Digbeth
Birmingham
B5 6DD7

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Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Our journey home was the worse experience at Victoria. As pensioners we waited 1 1/2 hour for our coach. For such a major hub I can only describe it as a cattle station where the staff are arrogant and unhelpful. The place was dirty . The toilets were closed for a long period. They said for cleaning. We’ve traveled with National express over the years and it has deteriorated enormously. The journeys from airport to airport are fine and the drivers are great but we never want to go to Victoria ever again.. We live near Stansted and it would be so good to get a coach straight to the airport. There are so many stops in London as well. Guess it’s a money making deal .”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 days ago

“Extremely poor service. My suitcase got exchanged with another customer’s and the type of treatment I received to reclaim it was pathetic. They were unhelpful and unnecessarily rude. They directed me to reclaim the wrong suitcase in spite of me having given them clear instructions. I will never get onto national express’s coaches again and I highly urge others not to as well. The company does not deserve to run with such poor service. Absolutely the worst experience”

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Posted 2 weeks ago

“A company that has a terrible customer service department. I cannot understand why large companies do not care for refunds given a scenario they highlighted. It is basic entrapment.”

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Posted 2 weeks ago

“Do NOT buy flexible ticket if your journey is on the same day, they offer no flexibility unless they cancel their service, basicially they sell something they do not offer (you have to refund/change at least 24h in advance!!!.Instead I recommend not to pre book and just buy it onboard it will give you most flexibility.”

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Posted 1 month ago

“Amazing service from Stefano at Stansted airport yesterday helped me get to my destination and found tge best route to get me home thankyou so much having amazing people like this is a major part of customer service and satisfaction thanks again Stefano”

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Posted 2 months ago

“I will like to make a complaint about Kitt that drove the couch to Heathrow Terminal 2 and 3 today @ 15: 00 hour today. I will call him a wicked old man have ever came across in my entire life. Have been talking couches from the couch stations for the past 20 years but today I met a devil that I rebook to meet again. He tried to make me miss my flight but I thank God that failed his plan . I have a coffee machine duffle bag this guy insisted at the last minute that I have to go and pay for extra luggage £15 with all the begging, crying and my explanation he insisted I have to go to the customer service and make a payment as that is not enough. After making a payment he insisted searching my bag if I have food in it like he’s a custom officer . I was begging him after making the payment he insisted looking inside my bag if I don’t have food there. If you don’t talk to him to take it cool with your Passanger he will make you lose a lot of customers and you won’t know why you are losing customers. He frustrated my life today and spoilt my day. I was begging him pleading that am going to missed my flight he insisted I have to go to customer service to pay for an extra luggage I never have extra luggage all because of the coffee machine box made the duff bag big. Because you Kit made me cry and made me bitter you will always experience bitterness all the days of his life . None of my family and friends will never ever travel with Nation Express again. I was shaking I nearly collapsed at Victoria Couch station in Oder not to miss my flight the couch is about to depart. Is a better experience that nobody will like to go through. Kitt my God will never forgive you for the stress you put me through today .😢”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“NEVER AGAIN! We booked our tickets when checking in the Ryanair website from to the bus from Stansted to London Victoria and vice versa. We arrived 4 AND A HALF HOURS (arrived at 14:00 to 18:40 flight) before our flight to catch the bus. However, after being refused to enter in the bus, the staff told us we needed to exchange our tickets to guarantee our seat in the next bus. At the information counter, the man told us there was nothing to be done, so, to make sure we didn’t miss our flight, we were forced to buy another pair of tickets. So basically we were robbed. The man even had the nerve to say that’s how Ryanair and National Express make money. No shame. Just thieves. For the emotional and financial distress, just take the train.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Major problem with the U.K. is this coach company that monopolises the market and there’s no viable competitor. Very uncomfortable seats on all the fleet. Always smelly on board. Very boring to travel with them.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“Arrived at bus stops at Stansted on 12-12-2024 to be told no bus for 80 mins. Staff accepted this as the norm for A6 route. Sort of tried to be helpful by offering transport to completely different places on other buses and then stories about cancelled buses, no buses or drivers. This later changed to bus and drivers done their time and bus engine will not start for another 45 mins. Eventually left Stansted 100 mins late. This is the 3rd time I have had over an hours delay at Stansted in a year. Should not be publishing a 30 min timetable and taking bookings if they have not got buses & drivers? Complained to National upon return but not expecting a response. Next trip already booked, using train.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“The 540 London to Manchester driver was so rude and when we ask if can I go for buying a drink and his tone of voice was not ride then he talked to an English woman with different tone of voice to me is discrimination”

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Posted 4 months ago

“Timing is poor. Drivers are morons. Post-journey customer service response non-existent. Never use them. Hope they go out of business.”

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Posted 5 months ago

“Dumped in a station before the end of the journey. No replacement available, customer services knew nothing. Resolution a credit voucher, don't even live in UK, no use to me, and will never use National Express Coaches again. International travellers TAKE THE TRAIN”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 months ago

“I bought a National Express ticket through their website for travel from Oxford to Stanstead Airport via London on Sept 11. Usually, I travel from the main bus station in Oxford but decided to see whether they ran a bus from the Thornhill Park and Ride on route just outside the city. Sure enough, they let me book it, took my money, and emailed the ticket. I still have the ticket which clearly states the National Express service arrives at Thornhill 8 minutes after leaving the main station. I waited at 6am for the bus to take me to an expensive international flight, but it never showed up. Another passenger at Thornhill told me National Express buses don’t stop there and I should take an Oxford Tube bus to London instead, which I did. Luckily, I didn’t miss my flight but it caused me great stress and I had to pay for the journey to London that I had already paid National Express for. I filed a complaint and asked for a refund. The response I got from their customer service rep showed a complete lack of understanding of the nature of my complaint. He made it seem that I was complaining about the fact that they don’t service Thornhill. I wasn’t. I was complaining about the fact that they sold me a ticket from a station they don’t service and even deceived me further by giving me the exact time the bus would stop at Thornhill if it was going to stop there, which it wasn’t. Then this person said they sell tickets on behalf of Oxford Tube and told me I should contact Oxford Tube for any problems on their service. There was no problem on their service and this person did not say Nation Express sells tickets on Oxford Tube from Thornhill specifically. If they do, the drivers are not aware of it and there were no signs at the station and nothing on my ticket, which clearly shows it was a National Express service. These people are disgusting.”

National Express 1 star review on 1st October 2024

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Posted 6 months ago

“This just occurred minutes ago. After buying tickets for the bus on the 18th of September from Heathrow T5 to Southampon on the 2pm bus. The bus arrives T5 and it's full. The driver says he can't let us on. I don't understand, we have tickets! What kind of POS operation is this.”

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Posted 7 months ago

“Attempted to buy a ticket online in the evening at Heathrow, as no ticket machines or National Express office that was open. Website crashed but payment was still taken - and no ticket issued! Tried again but the service no longer appeared on the website. This all happened just minutes before the coach was due, inducing a great deal of stress as the next service was two hours later. Not ideal after 24 hours on a plane and a family in tow. Absolutely no one from National Express around to help. This is Heathrow, not a village bus stop! Managed to buy a ticket through a third party at the very last minute but had to pay a £5 fee on top - outrageous! Original money was put back into my account, but National Express will not refund the extra fee that I had to pay, which would have been the right thing to do, if only to show a decent level of customer service. Way too stressful - I will take the train instead next time. A shame as it could all have been so easy...”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 months ago

“I had a trip that used two coaches, the first coach was without issue so I won't mention it, the second coach was awful, before we were allowed to board, the driver had a half hour conversation with another driver, then when we were boarding he refused to let me on because he claimed my two medium suitcases were large, they were not. I told him that by every definition including national expresses classification, they were medium suitcases, he threw a tantrum and brought it over to the chart which indeed showed that they were medium sized suitcases, he got increasingly aggressive as I informed him that the chart showed that they were medium sized. He continued his tantrum and said "well I'm the one who actually works here so I know what it is" and I replied "well clearly you don't" he was reading the hand luggage as medium undercarriage, and medium undercarriage as large undercarriage, I explained to him that if that were the case, why would it be labeled as carry on, his hissy fit continued and he went to get the manager, now I technically did violate the rules as I had a backpack and a carrier bag to take as carry on, as my carrier bag held my assistive technology for my disability, i hadn't considered it as carryon because I need that technology similar to how a blind person and their guide dog. When the manager confirmed my suitcases were medium sized and I could board the coach, the driver continuing his temper tantrum pointed out that I had two carryons, and refused to let me board, the manager was obviously had to side with company policy, but she was approachable and friendly about it, when she told me I could pay an extra £15, I told her no as it would be cheaper to take the train, the driver was unaware of this conversation I had with the coach driver, and upon realising I wasn't boarding he looked at me with a mocking smile. It wasn't about the luggage as most the people in line were boarding with over the designated amount of hand luggage, it was because he knew he was wrong and wanted to cling on to anything. Frankly I believed he targeted me over everyone else as I was a teenage girl travelling alone, and he was already angry at something and saw me as an easy target to release his frustration at. It wasn't really about the not being let on, it was about his abhorrent attitude and glee upon believing he left a teenager abandoned in a city with no way out. Frankly I believe that anyone with that attitude towards people shouldn't be in an occupation with that contact. I made a complaint to national express, and although eventually they did respond that the driver could have been nicer, they reaffirmed what the driver originally said about national expresses policies that one large suitcase or two medium suitcases is the luggage allowance, which i was well aware of and wasn't the reason i wasn't allowed to board the coach as i was in the right in the arguement over suitcase size, as confirmed by the manager. As my ticket was standard I was denied a refund for the coach I was never aid to board. I have began to use Megabus as an alternative, although not the greatest reliability wise, I am yet to have a driver as incredibly rude as this one from national express.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 months ago

“Very rude driver....”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 months ago

“They used to be my go to choice of travel but not anymore. I used to enjoy a relaxing journey to London. The price was also very good. Now the price is double the cost of the train. Everything has changed. No direct coaches into London from Northampton. Have to change coaches and wait 1 hour for the next one. Journey takes 4 hours and is expensive. Thank god for the trains.”

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Posted 8 months ago

“Trains operated in Germany cancelled without any information on a regular basis.”

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Posted 8 months ago

“On July 3rd, while checking in for my London-Milan flight, I opted to include the National Express coach service from Paddington Station to Stansted Airport through the Ryanair website. An hour later, I received a ticket via email (attached), which showed the date as June 25th. This meant I received an expired ticket, making it impossible for me to use the coach service. Additionally, the ticket date corresponded to my arrival flight, which makes no sense since I purchased the ticket on the day of my return flight. I contacted National Express by phone, thinking this would be an easy issue to resolve, but was informed that the correct information should have been sent by Ryanair. Subsequently, I contacted Ryanair, who told me the date was correct, and then National Express again, and so on. Both companies kept passing the responsibility to each other. Additionally, I could not access or manage the ticket on the National Express website as the code was not recognized. Consequently, I was unable to take the bus and had to opt for an alternative route, resulting in an express train that cost me more than twice as much. After reaching out again via email, I received a clumsy response stating that I could not get a refund for expired tickets. It's disappointing and disrespectful (and non sense) that the company fails to acknowledge they sent me a ticket for a date 8 days prior.”

National Express 1 star review on 16th July 2024

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Posted 9 months ago

National Express is rated 1.6 based on 350 reviews