Home / London /Heathrow / N9 night bus vs National Express coach to Luton

LHR → London · head to head

N9 night busorNational Express coach to Luton?

The short answer

These do not go to the same place, so price is not the comparison. The N9 night bus reaches Paddington, and the whole of Zone 1 beyond it; the National Express coach to Luton does not. The other airport, not the city. For a connection between Heathrow and Luton; for central London take the Elizabeth line, the Piccadilly line or Heathrow Express.

The National Express coach to Luton is quicker: 1 h against 1 h 22. The N9 night bus varies between 79 and 89 minutes.

N9 night bus: 23:43–04:45. National Express coach to Luton: 00:30–23:00.

Priced against each other

Whole-party totals · adult fares
What each costs for the whole party, in GBP. The cheaper of the two is marked on every row.
TravelersN9 night busNational Express coach to LutonDifference
1£1.75from £15.50up to £13.75
2£3.50from £31up to £27.50
3£5.25from £46.50up to £41.25
4£7from £62up to £55
5£8.75from £77.50up to £68.75
6£10.50from £93up to £82.50
7£12.25from £108.50up to £96.25
8£14from £124up to £110

Side by side

Where each one leaves you
N9 · Transport for LondonN9 night bus
From
Terminal 5 and Heathrow Central Bus Station
To
Green Park in 79 minutes, Piccadilly Circus in 82, Charing Cross in 86
Luggage
A London bus. There is a luggage rack by the door and no guarantee of space on a full one.
Runs
23:43–04:45
Journey
79–89 min

It only exists at night. Between 04:45 and 23:43 there is no N9, and this is the only option here that runs in the small hours at all.

It is slow: 82 minutes to Piccadilly Circus against the Express's 15 to Paddington. You are trading an hour for £24.25.

It runs every night of the week, unlike the Night Tube, which runs on Friday and Saturday nights only.

N9 night bus: price for every party size

Check the N9 route and times with TfL
shuttle · National ExpressNational Express coach to Luton
From
Heathrow Central Bus Station for Terminals 2 and 3, outside Terminal 5 (stops 11 to 15) or outside Terminal 4 (stops 12 to 14)
To
Luton Airport bus station, stands N, P and Q, outside the terminal
Luggage
One large suitcase (or two medium) and one soft hand-luggage item per person.
Runs
00:30–23:00
Journey
40–80 min

The coach goes to the airport bus station, a short walk from the terminal, so you do not need the Luton DART shuttle.

The same coach from Luton to Heathrow starts at £20.50, not £15.50.

National Express advises being at the airport three hours before a flight, so do not plan a connection tighter than that by coach.

National Express coach to Luton: price for every party size

Check times and fares with National Express

This compares two of 19 options. See all of them ranked for your party size

The other comparisons at Heathrow