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My opinion about Flixbus for cheap coach travel

Flixbus was created in France in May 2015, in anticipation of the “Macron law” (named after the then Minister of Economy) which liberalized the coach transport sector a few months later.

Flixbus had been created two years earlier in 2013 in Germany, also taking advantage of deregulation in our neighbors.

Flixbus now serves 2500 cities in about 30 countries. All in Europe, except the United States which is also covered. All this at generally very interesting fares, much cheaper than the equivalent trip by train or plane. In addition, bus stations are often relatively central, making it easier and faster to reach the city center than arriving at an airport.

One of the particularities of Flixbus is that this coach company does not employ any driver and does not own any vehicle! Based on the Uber model, Flixbus contracts with local coach companies who will use their buses and drivers for the trips. Flixbus is in charge of finding passengers for them.

Being rarely in Europe, I am far from being a big Flixbus user but I have had the opportunity to use their services in different countries. I have made a total of 6 trips:

  • Prague –> Vienna in July 2017 for €25.90
  • Vienna –> Budapest in July 2017 for €25.90
  • Chamonix –> Turin in August 2018 for 12,99 €
  • Tours –> Paris in September 2018 for 11,99 €
  • Washington –> New York in July 2019 for 25 USD
  • Paris –> Tours in March 2020 for €14.99

The reservation

The first step in a customer experience is the reservation. No worries about that: the application and the website are very well done. It’s especially nice to be able to use a single company to travel all over Europe rather than having to multiply the sites on which to make reservations.

No need to print your ticket, the application displays a QR code that acts as an electronic ticket.

The basic ticket allows you to travel with a 7kg hand luggage and a 20kg suitcase in the hold, but I have never seen any control on the number or weight of the luggage.

For me, the reservation is a faultless experience, much more pleasant than buying a train ticket on the SNCF website or buying a plane ticket on most companies.

The only small reproach: the placement in the bus is free, so there is no guarantee that you will be next door if you travel in a group (it seems however that this is feasible for some trips).

Communication

This is certainly the aspect on which Flixbus is the worst. Flixbus is a low-cost company, that’s why the tickets are so cheap. On the other hand, the communication is zero.

By way of illustration, I will tell you about my last trip (Paris –> Tours in March 2020).

A few minutes before leaving for the Paris Bercy train station where my bus has to leave from, I check one last time the schedule on my application.

The screen that shows the route is this one: no problem.

Just out of curiosity: I click on “Where is my bus”. And it’s on the next screen that I learn that because of the Paris half-marathon, the start will not take place at the Paris Bercy train station but at the Gallieni bus station which is simply opposite Paris!

I learn this basic information completely by chance: I didn’t receive any e-mail or SMS!

Except that in the meantime, the half marathon has been cancelled because of the coronavirus. The question therefore arises: start at Bercy or at Gallieni? I decide to call Flixbus and I quickly manage to get someone to confirm a start at Gallieni but with a worrying hesitation.

Luckily, I had enough margin and I arrived at the station on time. The departure screen announces the bus on time but my application shows 15 minutes late. But I am reassured, the departure is here.

45 minutes later, still no news. I contact Flixbus again, via Twitter this time. I get a quick answer but I don’t get any relevant information.

In the end, the bus arrives one hour late (the driver was coming to Gallieni for the first time and got lost!). Additional problem: we are only about ten while the bus should be full, so we will lose 30 more minutes to finally go to Bercy and pick up the passengers who had not learned (logically…) the change of departure station…

Even if I have no personal experience on the subject: also be particularly vigilant during breaks in the journey. I’ve read several reports of passengers who found themselves alone on a highway rest area. The bus had left without them! It must depend on the drivers, but some of them seem to be very careful to make sure that everyone is present when they leave.

You should also know that you can have foreign drivers who do not speak French, even if you are leaving France. This does not favour communication either.

In short, don’t expect anything in terms of communication, especially since there are no Flixbus employees or offices at the stations. In case of problems, expect to have a hard time!

The quality of the buses

On its website, Flixbus evokes onboard service:

  • Free Wi-Fi (4G connection)
  • Leg room
  • Electrical outlet
  • Toilets

On these aspects, I can’t complain, it has always been respected and I have always travelled in good conditions.

However, some of the feedback I have read seems to indicate that the quality of the buses is very uneven and that these services aren’t systematic.

Punctuality

Unsurprisingly, a coach trip is less punctual than a trip by plane or train because of traffic hazards.

Of the 6 trips I made, 2 were more than an hour late and only 3 (half) were on time to within 15 minutes. This represents a very low punctuality rate.

The delay doesn’t bother me more than that, I know what to expect when I travel by bus. What is particularly frustrating is the total lack of communication. You never know if the bus will arrive in 5 minutes, 30 minutes or 3 hours!

There are no employees to ask for information on site. The telephone support or via Twitter is reactive but does not have the information.

The bus is supposed to be equipped with a GPS chip that allows to locate it on the Flixbus application but during my trips, it never worked

However, this would make it possible to know where the bus is and to be able to estimate its time of passage and thus to wait in a less unpleasant way.

A golden rule for me: only travel by bus when you aren’t in a hurry and even less if you have a train or plane connection behind you.

Safety and security

I have read some articles based on examples of serious accidents involving Flixbus buses. Some people suspect that drivers are under a lot of pressure and that they can chain several trips in the same day, increasing the risk of accidents with cumulative fatigue.

I searched a little bit but couldn’t find any statistics showing that Flixbus had a higher accident rate than other companies. If you have any elements, please share them as a comment

For my part, I have not had any bad experiences and I felt safer on my trips with Flixbus where the buses and roads are in good general condition than in South America for example

What is also certain is that Flixbus works with a multitude of local companies. Depending on which one you come across, there can be wide disparities in the attention paid to safety.

Small point that bothers me: the security of luggage. The access to the luggage compartment isn’t controlled, we deposit then we recover our suitcase in an autonomous way. Anyone can thus potentially recover our suitcase at the time of a stop, that it is by error or in a malicious way.

In South America, where I have had the opportunity to make many bus trips, it is usually an employee who takes care of our luggage and gives us a numbered tag. That we will have to show on arrival to get it back. Much more secure.

Conclusion

You will have understood it, my opinion on Flixbus is mixed.

I find it an excellent solution to travel at a lower cost all over Europe in rather comfortable conditions.

However, it should not be forgotten that this is a low cost service and that the communication is minimalist (and even less than that).

Delays are frequent and you may have to wait a long time for your bus without any information about its arrival time.

To be reserved during your trips where you do not have a schedule requirement.

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