County Durham coaches

County advice overview

Local and national coach operators, such as National Express, provide travel from Durham Bus Station in the city centre.

Please note, Durham Bus Station is currently being improved which should be finished by Spring 2023. In the meantime, there may be temporary coach stops. It is recommended you confirm with your coach operator if your stop will be accessible in advance. 

National Express coaches are equipped with a wheelchair lift. However, it cannot be deployed at all stops. You can contact the National Express Assisted Travel Team for any accessibility information: 03717 818181.

Key tips

Always allow yourself plenty of time to plan your journey. It may be worth considering:

• If you will need help to access the coach and will you be travelling with mobility equipment. Consider whether it is easier to take equipment with you or hire it at your destination from an outlet such as ShopMobility.

• Booking assistance in advance. Before you contact the coach operator to arrange, consider all aspects of your journey so you can obtain all the information in one call. For example, if travelling by coach are you able to access the onboard toilets? Will your destination stop be accessible?

• When booking transport assistance, you should be able to provide the size of a wheelchair or mobility scooter, including the total weight with or without the user.

• What local transport do you need once you arrive at your destination? Will you need to pre-book an accessible taxi?

• Will you be making this journey more than once a year? If so, it may be worth researching concessionary travel schemes.

Remember that your local Hubs Mobility Advice Service can signpost you to the correct travel operator and mobility organisations.

Operators

Regional Operators

There are no coach operators running services exclusively within the County Durham areas. Day trips and personal travel can be found on an individual basis.

National Operators

National Express

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

Provides a coach service from County Durham and Middlesborough areas to London. 

To arrange assistance, contact the National Express Assisted Travel Team on 03717 818181.

Megabus

https://uk.megabus.com/

Provide an extensive service from Durham, Hartlepool, Middlesborough and Darlington, connecting with many other destinations countrywide. For wheelchair space reservations, call 0141 352 4444 (Monday – Friday, 10:00am – 16:00pm)

Help with cost

Check my Bus

https://www.checkmybus.co.uk/

Will help you find the cheapest fares for your coach journey.

National Express Senior Coachcard

If you are 60 or over, you can apply for a National Express Senior Coachcard. 

It offers a 1/3 saving on Standard and Fully Flexible fares to hundreds of towns, cities and airports across the UK. There are no restrictions on peak and off-peak travel times, so you can travel when it suits you and your plans. This includes public holidays, bank holidays and weekends. Benefits include:

• Save 1/3 on Standard and Fully Flexible fares, even at peak times.
• £15 day-return on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to anywhere in the UK (excluding airports), just book 3 days in advance of your travel.
• Free journey if your coach is delayed for over an hour

You can apply for a Senior Coachcard on the National Express website, by phoning 0871 781 8181 or at any National Express ticket outlet.

National Express Disabled Coachcard

A Disabled Coachcard offers a 1/3 saving on Standard and Fully Flexible fares to hundreds of UK towns, cities and airports. For more information, please use this link.

Special assistance

Journey Assistance Cards

National Express have created a selection of Journey Assistance Cards for passengers. 

These explain to staff and drivers any need for assistance or exemptions from requirements. For example, if you have a hearing impediment. 

Journey Assistance Cards can be downloaded via this link.

Travelling with mobility equipment

National Express and Megabus have a dedicated Assisted Travel Team who you can contact to talk through your needs. 

It is not a requirement to book your assistance in advance, but it recommended that you contact your coach operator at least 36 hours in advance to help the company provide your assistance.

Coaches are equipped with a wheelchair lift. However, lifts cannot be deployed at all stops, so it is best to check in advance if your stop is accessible.

Wheelchair users are advised to book travel in advance (36 hours in advance), although this is not essential. This will allow the coach operator to check:

• that the wheelchair is compatible with the space on the coach
• that the combined weight of the customer and the wheelchair do not exceed the maximum weight capacity of being lifted by the wheelchair lift
• that the locations at which the customer plans to board and alight the coach from are accessible stops and the wheelchair lift can be deployed
• that the specific coach on which the customer plans to travel is not already fully booked

If you book same-day travel, the coach operator will make all reasonable efforts to carry out checks on the day. 

Customers cannot travel in their mobility scooters; however, small lightweight mobility scooters that can be dismantled and safely stowed in the luggage hold of the coach are accepted. You should check if your scooter will be accepted, by giving details of the size, make and model to your coach operator in advance.

• The National Express Assisted Travel Team can be contacted on 03717 818181 (lines open 9.00am – 5.00pm, 7 days a week).

• Further passenger assistance information can be found on the National Express website.

• For Megabus wheelchair space reservations, contact: 0141 352 4444 (Mon-Fri 10:00am -16:00pm) or email: enquiries@megabus.com

• Further passenger assistance information can be found on the Megabus website.

Assistance Dogs

Are accepted on both Megabus and National Express services.

Routes and timetable links

Traveline

Traveline is a partnership of transport companies, local authorities and passenger groups which have come together to bring routes and times for all travel in Great Britain by bus, rail, coach and ferry. They can help you find the way that best suits you for making your journey, using the most up to date information. 

On the www.traveline.info, you can plan your journey door-to-door, see the different ways you can travel, view journey times and your route on a map.

If you need help to plan a journey, Traveline’s national call centre can be contacted on 0871 200 2233.