£5–10 advance Megabus fares beat almost any rail option
Megabus runs low-cost coaches from London Gatwick’s North and South Terminals to central London and selected regional cities, with advertised advance fares from about £5–10 one-way in light-demand windows. Journey times on the main London corridor sit in the 80–100 minute range in normal M23/M25 traffic, roughly in line with other coach operators but slower door-to-door than the Gatwick Express or Thameslink into London Bridge or Victoria.
Services are sparse compared with National Express, often just a few departures per day per route rather than anything close to 24/7, so you can’t assume there will be a Megabus waiting if your 22:30 arrival into the South Terminal runs late. Some routes are seasonal or adjusted by day of week, which means the 09:00 departure might exist on a Tuesday but vanish on a Saturday in November. If your flight time drifts even 60–90 minutes, you may end up with a long wait or needing to switch to rail at short notice.
Tickets are usually tied to a specific departure time, and changing to another coach can mean extra cost or simply not being allowed if that run is sold out, unlike some flexible rail fares out of Gatwick Airport station. Online booking through Megabus is the norm, and prices rise dynamically as departure time approaches, so the £5–10 deals tend to show only when you look days or weeks in advance. Regulars report that buying at the last minute can push a seat closer to £20–25, which erases most of the saving versus other coaches.
Onboard, think basic: several reviews mention cramped seats and limited legroom, especially on older Stagecoach-operated vehicles that carry Megabus tickets but lack the bright blue Megabus exterior branding. Luggage goes in the underfloor hold like any other coach, with hand baggage up top, and the ride time to Victoria Coach Station can easily creep past 100 minutes if the M25 hits one of its notorious weekday snarl-ups. Travellers coming off 10–12 hour long-haul flights into Gatwick often find the tight seating harder to tolerate than those hopping down from Glasgow or Manchester.
What regulars do: budget flyers book their Megabus seat as soon as the flight is confirmed, often 2–4 weeks ahead, to lock in the bottom-tier price band rather than gambling on walk-up availability. They also avoid peak Friday evening and Sunday afternoon departures, when UK leisure traffic and student moves make both the motorway and the coach busier and slower. Some frequent users even stitch Megabus into longer ultra-cheap itineraries, pairing it with railcard-discounted trains from London Victoria or London Bridge to other UK cities to keep the overall trip under £30–40.
Watch out for services that show as joint Stagecoach/Megabus operations on your booking confirmation, since the actual coach parked at the airport stand may wear standard Stagecoach livery rather than the familiar Megabus branding, which has confused more than one passenger at the North Terminal. Also factor in that Megabus is known for stricter refund and change policies than rail or premium coach operators, so missing a 14:00 departure out of Gatwick because immigration took 70 minutes can genuinely mean buying a brand-new ticket. Build at least a 90-minute buffer from scheduled landing to coach departure if you’re landing in the South Terminal and checking a bag.
- Step 1: Check your arrival terminal (North or South) and flight time, then look up Megabus schedules for that exact day; aim for a departure at least 90–120 minutes after landing.
- Step 2: Book online in advance through the Megabus site or app to target the £5–10 promotional fares, watching that the ticket clearly lists “Gatwick Airport” and the correct terminal.
- Step 3: On arrival, clear immigration and baggage claim, then follow signs for “Buses & Coaches” from your terminal; factor 10–15 minutes to walk and orient yourself at the stands.
- Step 4: Find the stand number printed on your booking (for example, specific bays outside the South Terminal coach station area) and double-check the destination and time on the front of the coach, even if the livery is Stagecoach-branded.
- Step 5: Show your digital or printed ticket to the driver, stash larger bags in the hold, and keep essentials like passport and phone in a small backpack for the 80–100 minute ride into London or beyond.
Practical tip: If your inbound flight into Gatwick is prone to delay, book a slightly later Megabus and spend an extra 30–45 minutes landside rather than risking a strict no-refund missed departure at the coach bay.