Bikes on national express & megabus's

Anybody had any experience with national express and bikes?
their web blurb mentions a £10 single £15 return cost for outsize luggage (anything over 1m and/or 23kg).

But the route I'm taking (lakedistrict > london) is often almost empty (10peeps on a 60seater), tried ringing them and their response was it was upto the driver on the day.
Problem is, really can't stretch the extra £15. the whole point in me taking a bike to london is to avoid having to pay TFL anything atall over the 3days, but 3days minimum usage = £15 making the bike pointless, and me sweaty and irratable :p

Anybody had recent experience with whats acceptable?
I'm thinking roll up at bus stop, pillage some cardboard from a nearby bin, tape cardboard and wheels either side of the frame and claim is as luggage?

try putting it in a bike bag then they can't complain. Get a folding one if you need t ocarry it on the bike.

yurp. MY other plan was taking a sportsbag instead of a backpack, and just taping the bike to the bag (with wheels off) and calling it luggage.

I'm pretty confident that heading southbound ther won't be a problem inserting entire bike into cavenous bus hold, its a small town and the bus just stops at the side of the road. Heading north out of victoria though, the legisation nazi's will probably get involved :/

Ive had a bike on National Express before, just threw it in the luggage cabin at the bottom of the coach.

I think its totally at the discretion of the driver. But I cant see many not allowing you if there is ample space in there.

Dredging this as it's the only megabus related thread on here.

Anyone gone Glasgow-London or vice versa with a Brommy in a megabus?

Thinking that in a Dimpa it should be fine right? Maybe be an idea to try and disguise what it is? Black bag inside the dimpa?

Is a Brompton classified as luggage mostly, so no problem? Last Megabus I got was a third party coach going Midlands to London. Friendly driver, it was a better service than National Express give. Big suitcases and bags went on there.

That’s the thing, do I just pretend like it’s luggage and there’s nothing to see here or am I best declaring/making it obvious what it is?

On the train I’m sure it’d be fine as you’d just walk on with it but megabus is probably a tenth of the cost of the train/gets in at arguable a better time too.

The more you can make it look like random luggage the better probably. Like square, generic object. Yeah I like coach vs train if you can afford the extra time and it goes relatively smoothly.

I have zero experience of taking a Brompton on a coach, but work with 3 ex-bus/coach drivers and have a Brompton. So I asked them what they thought. And they all said don’t disguise it and either stick it in one those clear washing type bags or just fold it and be done. They claimed that they would then put it in the buggy bit of the compartment so that it didn’t get damaged. They said the issue with bikes on coaches is that suite cases etc get thrown in and slide about damaging stuff and bikes cost a lot if there’s a claim, for which they are reprimanded. They still wouldn’t take a nonfolder mind, but