Home / London /Heathrow / N9 night bus vs National Express 032 coach to Southampton

LHR → London · head to head

N9 night busorNational Express 032 coach to Southampton?

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 032 coach to Southampton does not. This goes to Southampton, not London: it stops at the coach station in the city centre, about a mile from the nearest cruise terminals.

The N9 night bus is quicker: 1 h 22 against 1 h 40. The National Express 032 coach to Southampton varies between 85 and 120 minutes.

N9 night bus: 23:43–04:45. National Express 032 coach to Southampton: 09:00–00:20.

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 032 coach to SouthamptonDifference
1£1.75from £17.40up to £15.65
2£3.50from £34.80up to £31.30
3£5.25from £52.20up to £46.95
4£7from £69.60up to £62.60
5£8.75from £87up to £78.25
6£10.50from £104.40up to £93.90
7£12.25from £121.80up to £109.55
8£14from £139.20up to £125.20

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
032 · National ExpressNational Express 032 coach to Southampton
From
Heathrow Central Bus Station for Terminals 2 and 3, or outside Terminal 5 (stops 11 to 15)
To
Southampton Coach Station, Harbour Parade, in the city centre
Luggage
One large suitcase (or two medium) and one soft bag per person.
Runs
09:00–00:20
Journey
85–120 min

Fast from Terminal 5 (about 1 hour 25) and slower from Central Bus Station (up to 1 hour 50): the coach calls at Central first.

The coach station is not at the docks. National Express says a free bus runs from it to Southampton Central every 15 minutes.

National Express 032 coach to Southampton: price for every party size

Check times and fares with National Express

This compares two of 12 options. See all of them ranked for your party size

The other comparisons at Heathrow