On Trains & Buses

Helping others to use public transport with more confidence and understanding

Sample British Bus & Coach Fares

Reading time: 7 minutes.

UK bus fares can be difficult to find in advance, though this has improved in some areas with better online journey planners and real-time fare information. These sample fares provide real-world costs from actual journeys to help with travel planning and budgeting.

High Peak Buses' Optare Solo at Knutsford Bus Station, Cheshire, England

The introduction of the £3 bus fare cap across England has brought some consistency to shorter journeys, replacing the previous £2 cap. This cap has been extended until March 2027. However, regional variations persist: Greater Manchester maintains a £2 scheme (frozen throughout 2026), Liverpool City Region extended its £2 cap into 2026, whilst London operates independently with a £1.75 single fare (frozen until July 2026). These capped fares provide welcome relief for many travellers, though they do not apply universally and longer journeys may still exceed these limits.

All fares listed are for adult passengers and include the date they were last verified, allowing you to assess how current the information is. Whilst this collection cannot replace operator websites or journey planners, it offers practical examples to help you estimate costs and budget for bus travel across the UK. The fares are gathered from actual journeys and checked periodically, though updates may not occur frequently. Please use this information as a guide rather than a definitive source.

Saver Tickets

Arriva Saver Tickets

Greater Manchester Adult Day Saver: £5.20 (2022-09-04)

Greater Manchester Adult Weekly Saver: £19.00 (2022-09-04)

North West Adult 4 Weekly Ticket: £70:00 (2022-09-04)

North West Child 4 Weekly Ticket: £46:00 (2022-09-04)

North West Adult Weekly Ticket: £21:00 (2022-09-04)

North West Child Weekly Ticket: £14:00 (2022-09-04)

North West Adult Day Ticket: £6.00 (2022-09-04)

North West Child Day Ticket: £3.90 (2022-09-04)

North-West Family Day Ticket: £12.00 (2022-09-04)

Rothbury & Morpeth Routesaver Adult Day Ticket: £7.60 (2022-09-04)

First Day Tickets

Swansea Bay Area: £4.70 (2022-09-04)

South East and Central Scotland (One Zone) £5.35 (2022-08-31)

South East and Central Scotland (Two Zones) £6.60 (2022-08-31)

High Peak Buses

PeakPlus Xtra Adult Day Ticket: £12.50 (2022-09-04)

PeakPlus Xtra Child Day Ticket: £8.00 (2022-09-04)

PeakPlus Xtra Family Day Ticket: £23.00 (2022-09-04)

PeakPlus Adult Day Ticket: £8.25 (2022-09-04)

PeakPlus Child Day Ticket: £5.50 (2022-09-04)

PeakPlus Family Day Ticket: £18.25 (2022-09-04)

Lothian Buses

Lothian now operates a flat fare single fare across all of Edinburgh regardless of where you get on and how far you are going. Craftily, the price of the day ticket is more than double the price of two single fares, a reminder of when I lived in the city and found the same situation for the journeys that I was undertaking at the time.

Adult Single Ticket: £1.80 (2022-09-04)

Adult Day Ticket: £4.50 (2022-09-04)

1bws

This is a multi-operator day ticket that is valid across Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd and Wrexham in Wales with the only exceptions being tourist services and Townlynx service between Mold and Flint. Snowdon Sherpa bus services are covered by the ticket too. Connections with Chester, Ellesmere Port and Whitchurch get included too.

Adult Day Ticket: £6.50 (2023-09-09)

Child Day Ticket: £4.50 (2023-09-03)

Richards Bros (Pembrokeshire)

Adult Explorer Day Ticket: £6.70 (2022-09-04)

Child Explorer Day Ticket: £4.60 (2022-09-04)

Family Explorer Day Ticket (2 Adults & 2 Children or 1 Adult & 3 Children): £15.50 (2022-09-04)

Adult Explorer Weekly Ticket: £18.90 (2022-09-04)

Child Explorer Weekly Ticket: £12.80 (2022-09-04)

Stagecoach

Route 727 Day Ticket: £3.70 (2022-09-04)

Northwest Explorer: £10.50 (2014-07-06)

Merseyside Plus Dayrider: £4.70 (2022-09-04)

Manchester Dayrider: £5.60 (2022-09-04)

Tyne & Wear Plus 7 Day Megarider: £19.00 (2022-09-04)

Single & Return Tickets

Aberdeen to Inverness

Single Fare: £13.30 (2023-12-28)

Abergavenny to Brecon

Single Fare: £3.60 (2017-12-18)

Aberystwyth to Eisteddfa Gurig

Return Fare: £7.50 (2023-09-16)

Alderley Edge to Macclesfield

Single Fare: £3.50 (2016-02-08)

Altrincham to Stockport

Single Fare: £3.50 (2020-02-12)

Ambleside to Old Dungeon Ghyll

Single Fare: £8.10 (2022-05-14)

Ashbourne (Derbyshire) to Thorpe

Single Fare: £1.80 (2012-09-08)

Ashbourne (Derbyshire) to Uttoxeter

Single Fare: £3.90 (2017-10-14)

Aviemore to Glenmore

Single Fare: £2.60 (2023-05-28)

Day Return Fare: £3.80 (2023-05-27)

Aviemore to Inverness

Single Fare: £13.10 (2024-02-02)

Aviemore to Nethy Bridge

Single Fare: £3.40 (2023-05-29)

Bakewell to Buxton

Single Fare (High Peak, TransPeak): £4.80 (2015-08-08)

Bakewell to Macclesfield

Single Fare (High Peak, Sunday Service 58): £5.10 (2021-05-31)

Bakewell to Sheffield

Single Fare: £3.50 (2013-04-20)

Bangor to Bethesda

Single Fare: £2.00 (2023-08-19)

Bangor to Caernarfon

Single Fare: £4.20 (2023-08-19)

Bangor to Ogwen Valley

Single Fare: £2.70 (2022-07-09)

Barmouth to Wrexham

Single Fare: £6.30 (2014-11-23)

Bilton to Harrogate

Single Fare: £2.30 (2014-06-29)

Blair Atholl to Pitlochry

Single Fare (Service 83): £1.60 (2012-06-04)

Single Fare (Scottish Citylink): £3.90 (2012-06-04)

Brecon to Swansea

Single Fare: £7.00 (2017-12-18)

Broughton to Peebles

Single Fare: £3.90 (2017-04-17)

Buxton to Chesterfield

Single Fare: £5.80 (2016-03-05)

Buxton to Hanley (Stoke-on-Trent)

Single Fare: £5.00 (2018-02-02)

Buxton to Hayfield

Single Fare: £3.30 (2015-09-27)

Buxton to Litton

Single Fare: £3.70 (2017-04-26)

Buxton to Miller’s Dale

Single Fare: £4.10 (2021-08-28)

Buxton to Macclesfield

Single Fare: £3.30 (2022-07-07)

Return Fare: £5.65 (2020-06-20)

Buxton to Manchester Airport

Single Fare: £5.30 (2016-02-20)

Buxton to Monyash

Single Fare: £2.50 (2015-08-08)

Buxton to Stockport

Single Fare: £5.10 (2020-08-30)

Buxton to Tideswell

Single Fare: £2.70 (2016-03-28)

Caernarfon to Penygroes

Return Fare: £3.90 (2023-09-10)

Castleton to Hope Train Station

Single Fare: £2.00 (2017-10-29)

Castleton to Sheffield

Single Fare: £3.50 (2021-08-28)

Chapel-en-le-Frith to Buxton

Single Fare: £3.60 (2020-09-26)

Chester to Wrexham

Single Fare: £4.20 (2023-09-08)

Crickhowell to Abergavenny

Single Fare: £2.00 (2017-12-18)

Disley to Stockport

Single Fare: £2.90 (2013-12-21)

Edinburgh to Peebles

Single Fare: £5.05 (2019-04-21)

Embleton to Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Haymarket Bus Station)

Single Fare: £6.00 (2012-02-18)

Fishguard to Strumble Head

Single Fare: £1.85 (2012-08-26)

Fort William to Glencoe

Adult Period Return Fare (valid for four weeks, bought on a Scottish Citylink coach): £13.30 (2013-07-20)

Glasgow to Fort William

Adult Single Fare: £22.80 (2013-07-20)

Adult Apex Return Fare: £27.20 (2013-07-16)

Adult Day Return Fare: £23.00 (2013-07-20)

Grasmere to Windermere

Single Fare: £6.30 (2014-07-20)

Great Ayton to Middlesbrough

Single Fare (Arriva Service 28A): £3.20 (2018-02-08)

Hampton Heath to Chester

Single Fare: £3.30 (2017-11-01)

Hanley (Stoke-on-Trent) to Leek

Single Fare: £5.50 (2020-08-30)

Harrogate to Pateley Bridge

Return Fare: £7.00 (2014-06-29)

Hartington to Buxton

Single Fare: £3.50 (2012-09-08)

Hatfield Business Park to Hatfield Train Station

Single Fare: £1.50 (2013-02-18)

Haverfordwest to Fishguard

Single Fare: £3.20 (2012-08-26)

Return Fare: £5.75 (2012-08-26)

Hereford to Monmouth

Single Fare: £3.70 (2018-01-19)

Jennyfield to Harrogate

Single Fare: £2.30 (2014-06-29)

Keswick to Buttermere

Single Fare: £5.40 (2014-07-05)

Keswick to Penrith

Single Fare: £8.20 (2022-08-27)

Llangollen to Barmouth

Single Fare: £5.80 (2014-11-23)

Lochend to Inverness

Single Fare: £3.50 (2024-01-02)

London Heathrow to Reading

Single Fare: £26.00 (2025-01-18)

Macclesfield to Cat & Fiddle Inn

Single Fare: £2.30 (2015-05-16)

Macclesfield to Hayfield

Single Fare: £3.80 (2022-01-04)

Macclesfield to Knutsford

Single Fare: £4.00 (2019-07-06)

Return Fare: £5.50 (2021-12-21)

Macclesfield to Leek

Single Fare: £4.20 (2020-09-12)

Macclesfield to Monyash

Single Fare (High Peak, Sunday Service 58): £4.30 (2021-05-31)

Macclesfield to Poynton

Single Fare: £4.00 (2022-07-08)

Macclesfield to Stockport

Single Fare: £4.00 (2018-12-15)

Macclesfield to Walker Barn

Single Fare: £1.70 (2015-04-06)

Macclesfield to Wilmslow

Single Fare: £3.60 (2016-08-11)

Manchester to Skipton

Return Fare: £10.00 (2018-11-10)

Manchester Airport to Stockport

Single Fare (High Peak, Service 199): £2.20 (2013-12-30)

Middlesbrough to Great Ayton

Single Fare (Abbot’s Coaches Service X80): £3.30 (2018-02-08)

Mold to Chester

Single Fare (Arriva): £3.90 (2018-02-15)

Monmouth to Chepstow

Single Fare: £3.80 (2018-01-19)

Nant Peris to Bangor

Single Fare: £3.60 (2023-05-20)

New Mills to Stockport

Single Fare: £3.50 (2021-09-05)

Oxenholme to Sedbergh

Return Fare: £3.30 (2012-07-21)

Pen-y-Pass to Bangor

Single Fare: £4.60 (2023-05-20)

Pitlochry to Dalwhinnie Road End

Single Fare (Scottish Citylink): £11.40 (2012-06-03)

Penrith to Glenridding

Single Fare: £6.20 (2022-08-27)

Porthmadog to Machynlleth

Single Fare: £6.50 (2023-09-10)

Pwllheli to Llithwaen

Single Fare: £2.50 (2018-08-04)

Rydal to Windermere

Single Fare: £6.50 (2022-05-14)

Sheffield to Buxton

Single Fare: £6.00 (2017-12-22)

Snailbeach to Shrewsbury

Single Fare: £3.65 (2018-02-17)

Stirling to Alloa

Single Fare: £5.00 (2023-11-12)

Stirling to Alva

Single Fare: £5.00 (2023-11-12)

Stirling to Callander

Return Fare: £11.30 (2022-08-29)

Stockport to Disley

Single Fare: £3.30 (2022-07-08)

Swansea to Morriston

Single Fare (Service 4A): £3.00 (2014-09-21)

Single Fare (Service 36): £3.70 (2014-09-20)

Swirls Car Park to Keswick

Single Fare: £6.70 (2022-08-27)

Tattenhall to Chester

Single Fare: £2.70 (2017-10-30)

Taynuilt to Oban

Single Fare: £4.10 (2014-08-30)

Tideswell to Sheffield

Single Fare: £5.60 (2016-03-28)

Whaley Bridge to Macclesfield

Single Fare: £2.70 (2020-08-03)

Whaley Bridge to Stockport

Single Fare: £4.10 (2021-08-29)

Whitby to York

Single Fare: £11.50 (2017-12-20)

Windermere to Ambleside

Single Fare: £5.30 (2022-07-16)

Windermere to Patterdale

Single Fare: £6.45 (2014-07-19)

Wrexham to Llangollen

Single Fare: £3.60 (2014-11-22)