This was my first time taking Flixbus in the States and I think it will be the last.
It started off fine. I'd read enough reviews to know that the pick-up point at 6th and New York Ave was a parking lot with no benches or anything, so I knew what to expect. I got to the DC location on Friday to take the 8am bus. The bus was there, the driver was there, checked off people's names, and we took off. I was assigned a seat in the front, which I was happy with. The driver, an older Asian man who smoked, was the type to honk at cars and curse when they moved too slowly for his liking. But I was okay with that--I mean who doesn't curse at slow drivers every now and then? The downside was that the air didn't seem to be on consistently, so it got a little warm sometimes. We stopped at a rest stop for about ten minutes which was nice. We made good time and I got off in New York at the Chinatown stop.
But oh boy, the return trip...
On Sunday, I got to the midtown Manhattan location (again, no shelter, no benches, no nothing) at 11:30am for a bus that was supposed to leave at 12:05pm. I asked the first person I saw where the DC bus was, and he motioned that it was on the other side. So I went to stand near the wall. There was a slight drizzle, but I had my umbrella, so I was okay. Then a man came and told me and another guy who was standing there that we couldn't stand there and to move across the parking lot to an awning (one of those scaffolds builders use). This put us near the street with a bunch of other people also waiting for the bus...And in the direct path of the many unfortunate souls who suffer from substance abuse or mental illness or both. We witnessed one man raging at the top of his voice about something as he stumbled past us on a sidewalk filled with people and luggage. I was just glad that that didn't set him off even more.
At 11:45, I start looking at my watch and craning my neck to see if the bus had arrived. Three buses showed up, so I'm thinking, any moment now. 11:50, 12, 12:10, nothing.
Then, I hear someone say the bus has been cancelled. I wait a few more minutes to see if the guy who seemed to be in charge was going to come and tell us anything. Nope.
So I went to find him and asked him if the bus was cancelled.
The first thing he said was, "Yes, but don't be mad at me, I'm just the messenger." Then he said, "You'll get an email and a refund and they will reschedule you." That's when I realized that there are no actual Flixbus officials onsite and that they basically contract everything out. I'd suspected as much because honestly, the drivers I saw all looked just a smidge sketchy...older, didn't seem to speak English well, if at all (which I normally wouldn't care about, but it seems like that might be important for an interstate driver??), not many teeth (but to be fair, I have issues about teeth), that kind of thing.
So I waited for the email (didn't come till much later). I decided to reschedule myself and saw a 1:10 bus. I quickly scheduled it and breathed a sigh of relief...until something told me to look at it again. I did and realized it was a bus for 1:10am THE NEXT MORNING. I cancelled that and tried to find a same day bus. They were all for much later and I was not about to get dropped off in a rat-infested DC parking lot at night. I can handle a parking lot in the daytime, but night is a whole 'nother story.
I looked over my options and found another bus company (Washington Deluxe) that had a 3pm bus that day. I'd never heard of them before and was hesitant to book. But since I was not about to pay $250 for Amtrak, I decided to take my chances.
SO GLAD I DID. Their pick-up was W. 36th at the Pig & Whistle and the men there were much more professional looking. One guy checked off names and another guy was the driver. The cost was comparable, about $42. They didn't have assigned seating, but since I was early, I settled into a seat at the front. There was a bathroom on board, so no stops along the way. I'd have liked a stop just to stretch my legs, but at least the air was on and consistent, so I was okay. The drop off is at the DC Union Station bus bay (NOT out in the elements), so it was a quick walk to the metro and then home.
Okay, back to Flixbus. So not only did they cancel, not reschedule same-day service, while they did issue a refund (I need to check that) they had the gall to issue me a 25% off voucher on my next trip. A voucher that's only good for a month. Are you f*cking kidding me??!! At the very least, people should get a free trip on them that's good for a year--in addition to a refund.
Flixbus, you're great in Europe, but you totally suck here in the US.
My advice, go with Washington Deluxe, or literally any other bus company, but to echo another reviewer, "DO NOT USE THIS BUS SERVICE." read more