Intercape Bus Tickets from Johannesburg to East London

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Intercape offers bus tickets from Johannesburg to East London, with 1-way prices having ranged from R380 to R1,500 during 2026:

  • The current cheapest one-way Intercape bus ticket from Johannesburg to East London is R600 in Saver class; taking Mainliner PTA-BLM-EL scheduled to depart Johannesburg at 18:30 on Wed 22 Apr 2026 and scheduled to arrive in East London at 09:00 on Thu 23 Apr 2026 (duration of 14 hours 30 minutes).
    • For pensioners (60 and older), the current cheapest one-way ticket is R561 in Flexi class (with a 15% discount applied); taking Mainliner PTA-BLM-EL departing Johannesburg at 18:30 on Wed 22 Apr 2026 and arriving in East London at 09:00 on Thu 23 Apr 2026 (duration of 14 hours 30 minutes).
  • Average one-way ticket prices are Saver: R569, Flexi: R631, Full Flexi: R706. Lower Flexi and Full Flexi fares may be achieved if any discounts are applicable.
    • For pensioners the average 1-way prices are: Saver: R569, Flexi: R536, Full Flexi: R600.
  • Understand the differences between Saver, Flexi and Full Flexi tickets.
The journey takes on average 15 hours and 31 minutes.

Intercape Prices & Schedule from Johannesburg to East London

Prices last checked and verified on: 2026-04-17 08:31:06

All prices in South African Rand (ZAR).

RouteCoach TypeDepart (JOHANNESBURG - Intercape Office, C/O Rissik and Wolmarans Street (Johannesburg Station))Arrive (EAST LONDON - Intercape Office, Moore Street (Windmill Park))Full Flexi (ZAR)Flexi (ZAR)Saver (ZAR)
Mainliner PTA-QT-PEWed 22 Apr 2026 12:15pm ZAThu 23 Apr 2026 04:00am ZA780700640
Mainliner PTA-BLM-ELWed 22 Apr 2026 6:30pm ZAThu 23 Apr 2026 09:00am ZA740660600
Mainliner PTA-QT-PEThu 23 Apr 2026 12:15pm ZAFri 24 Apr 2026 04:00am ZA840760700
Big Sky Intercity Big Sky PTA-MTH-ELBig Sky IntercityThu 23 Apr 2026 5:00pm ZAFri 24 Apr 2026 09:15am ZA820740680
Mainliner PTA-MTH-ELThu 23 Apr 2026 6:00pm ZAFri 24 Apr 2026 10:50am ZA820740680
Mainliner PTA-BLM-ELThu 23 Apr 2026 6:30pm ZAFri 24 Apr 2026 09:00am ZA820740680
Mainliner PTA-QT-PEFri 24 Apr 2026 12:15pm ZASat 25 Apr 2026 04:00am ZA840760700
Big Sky Intercity Big Sky PTA-MTH-ELBig Sky IntercityFri 24 Apr 2026 5:00pm ZASat 25 Apr 2026 09:15am ZA820740680
Mainliner PTA-MTH-ELFri 24 Apr 2026 6:00pm ZASat 25 Apr 2026 10:50am ZA820740680
Mainliner PTA-BLM-ELFri 24 Apr 2026 6:30pm ZASat 25 Apr 2026 09:00am ZA820740680
Mainliner PTA-QT-PESat 25 Apr 2026 12:15pm ZASun 26 Apr 2026 04:00am ZA880800740
Big Sky Intercity Big Sky PTA-MTH-ELBig Sky IntercitySat 25 Apr 2026 5:00pm ZASun 26 Apr 2026 09:15am ZA820740700
Mainliner PTA-BLM-ELSat 25 Apr 2026 6:30pm ZASun 26 Apr 2026 09:00am ZA820740680

Price Statistics per Intercape pay class (Year 2026)

Ticket TypeLowest PriceHighest PriceAverage Price
Saver3801,500569
Flexi4201,500631
Full Flexi4801,500706

Intercape Routes from Johannesburg to East London

  • Mainliner PTA-QT-PE
  • Big Sky Intercity Big Sky PTA-MTH-EL
  • Mainliner PTA-GRH-PE
  • Mainliner PTA-MTH-EL
  • Budgetliner PTA-FORT-EL
  • Mainliner PTA-BLM-EL
  • Intercape Bus

Travel Time Scheduled (Year 2026)

The quickest bus takes 13h 45m, slowest 17h 45m, average 15h 31m.

Departures vary from 12:15pm to 6:30pm. Arrivals from 4:00am to 11:45am.

Travelling for a major life event?

If you are relocating to the Cape or travelling to manage family affairs, ensure your legal requirements are in order.

Bus Route Map

Intercape Bus Route Locations & Safety Ratings

From: Johannesburg

Address: Intercape Office at Johannesburg Park Station - Park City Transit Centre - on the corner of Wolmarans and Rissik St in the Johannesburg CBD

Province: Gauteng

Safety Rating: 2/10

Extremely busy transport hub. Very high risk of pickpocketing and scams outside the terminal. Do not walk outside alone, use e-hailing from inside the designated areas.

Contact: Phone Intercape at 021-3804400 or phone Big Sky Intercity at 087-8218218

Latitude: -26.19704997

Longitude: 28.04221218

Uber Availability: Available.

Need a safe ride from the station?

Get a ZAR 50 Discount Off Your First 5 Trips

Location: View Johannesburg on Google Maps

To: East London

Address: Intercape Office, Windmill Park, Moore Street Beach Front

Province: Eastern Cape

Safety Rating: 4/10

Generally safe with 24/7 staff, good lighting, and often CCTV. Standard travel precautions apply.

Contact: Phone Intercape at 021-3804400 or phone Big Sky Intercity at 087-8218218

Latitude: -33.01174328

Longitude: 27.91942768

Uber Availability: Available.

Need a safe ride from the station?

Get a ZAR 50 Discount Off Your First 5 Trips

Location: View East London on Google Maps

General Safety considerations

Please check the specific safety ratings for your departure and arrival stations above. Many bus stops have safety issues; it is better to arrive at bus stops while the sun is still shining (nighttime is always riskier), with weekdays generally being safer than weekends. Do not display valuables, keep them safe and out of sight. Plan in advance how you will get from your final Intercape bus stop to your destination so as to minimise time at the bus stop.

Why so slow?

You may be wondering why the journeys take so long. Part of the reason is that Intercape have a self-imposed speed limit of 95km/h on national roads and 40km/h on mountain passes - this is for safety reasons. Speed kills.

Intercape Bus Tickets from East London to Johannesburg

What about the return journey? View prices and departure times for Intercape buses travelling from East London to Johannesburg.

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