Planning a trip entails booking transportation in advance to avoid last-minute hassles. When it comes to booking bus tickets, the advance purchase comes with several advantages that make your journey more comfortable, convenient, and budget-friendly. To book early is to get better options to choose from. Bus operators release seat inventory on routes months prior based on demand forecasts. Advance bookers get access to all buses on a route while last-minute purchasers may find limited options. Booking 2-3 months early allows you to review timings, and operators and pick seats on the best bus for your convenience. Last-minute buses may have odd timings or longer routes if direct buses are full.
Chance to grab front seats
Booking early gives you the chance to choose front seats which get filled fast. Senior citizens and pregnant women specifically prefer front seats near exits which get reserved first. By booking late, you risk getting stuck with only middle seats in the rear. Making reservations via online bus ticket portals displays real-time seat charts so you can secure convenient seats. Booking in advance gives the flexibility to check fares across multiple days and pick the best deal. bus from kl to genting highlands ticket prices vary widely across days and times. For instance, overnight journeys usually cost less compared to day buses. If your travel dates are flexible, you find significant savings by booking on a day with the lowest fares. Last-minute bookings eliminate the flexibility of choosing cheaper days.
Avail discounts and deals
The biggest perk of advance ticket purchase is getting early bird discounts. Most bus operators offer exclusive schemes like flat 20% discounts on bookings made 2-3 months in advance. These promotions give substantial savings compared to full-priced last-minute tickets. Sites also run additional deals offered for early bookers. The longer you wait, the higher the fares. Online ticket booking involves payment gateways. By booking in advance, you minimize risks associated with last-minute payment failures due to network issues, portal glitches, or payment downtimes. Imagine if servers crash unexpectedly close to your journey date. Booking allows enough buffer to retry payments and ensures your booking remains intact due to temporary tech glitches.
Avoid queues & waiting time
Instead of going to physical counters, make reservations online to avoid long queues. Last-minute bookings at bus stations often entail standing in long queues and waiting for availability. Doing the same online from home cuts out transit time to stations as well. After an online purchase, your ticket is delivered to your inbox instantly without having to stand in queues wasting precious time.
The worst feeling is reaching the station hoping to find a seat, only to realize buses are full. Such last-minute anxiety is avoided by confirming your seat well in advance. Planning also allows booking alternative buses if your preferred bus gets sold out. With high season demand, popular routes get filled months in advance.
Better chance of group bookings
If you are traveling with family, friends, or in a large group, you block adjacent seats together. Bus operators reserve bulk seats for advance purchasers. At the last minute, you’ll likely struggle to get seats together. By locking seats in advance, the entire group is assured of traveling together. Having confirmed your transport in advance lets you focus on other aspects – hotels, local travel, sightseeing, etc. Last-minute bus availability worries make it hard to plan the rest of your itinerary. Advance bus bookings provide peace of mind, so you happily chalk out places to visit, eateries to try, and local experiences. Spontaneous trips also require some amount of planning.