Are there any real differences between the main coach firms, National Express, Megabus etc?

[AnguaResurgam]

DD needs to make a journey between two cities on a day which may well have a train strike. So looking at coach services - seem to be plenty to go for, but Megabus is fair a bit cheaper.

And I was wondering if there was a reason for that in terms of the actual service (comfy seats etc), reliability, likelihood of cancellation etc

It's been yonks since I've been on a coach! Do they have rules about how much / size of luggage? It's probably on their websites somewhere but I've not found it yet (and I was hoping someone who uses coaches more often might Just Know)

Travelled on mega bus a few times, coaches are generally very comfortable and clean, service is punctual (allowing for unexpected delays on route) and the drivers are generally helpful. I always look to book with them first as their prices are so good.

Thank you!

I had a search on MN as well and old threads seem to show that people are happy enough with megabus (how your journey actually is seems to depend more on traffic than any predictable differences between the operators), and I've now found the answer to the luggage question on the website

So much cheaper than the train!!

I use megabus as the facilities and service are the same as national express, but cheaper.

They're both fine, similar to each other. Check website for luggage limit but I've never had an issue. The coaches are usually cleaner and pleasanter than most of the trains these days. And soo much cheaper.

I just got a £5 London to Bristol coach ticket, the train was £80!