After the first leg of my trip I was ready to write an excellent review. Going from Kamloops to YVR, I left my suitcase on the bus. I emailed, had quick replies and my problem was solved by meeting the bus before it left in the morning and I was very appreciative of the customer service. Then came the return trip. We had a replacement bus to start off because the transmission was having problems on the actual bus. After a couple of stops, they transferred us to the bus that they knew had a faulty transmission and sent us over the Coquihalla. The bus driver had to stop the bus to get out and do something to do a reset and then we'd go again until it failed again. By the time we arrived in Merritt the reset didn't work anymore and we had to sit in the bus while the driver, who I assume is not a mechanic, changed a module or part to get it running again. From my seat I could see the dashlight warning of transmission problems. We made it to Kamloops eventually, but that bus was supposed to go all the way to Calgary. I don't know what happened after I got off the bus, but the drivers were not very happy with their situation. Stuff happens and sometimes you just have to do the best you can, but the bus company knowingly put us on the bus that had a malfunctioning transmission. It didn't just happen by accident along the way. If this is a safety first company, I don't think that would be acceptable. There was also an incident at the Vancouver station where a male passenger was yelling insulting profanities, quite violently and the woman in the seat behind me was crying and saying "I don't want to get stabbed, I was in a bus where someone got stabbed," which made me very uncomfortable and I'm sure others as well...especially the lady behind me. The driver just yelled at the guy to shut up or he'll call the cops, but let him stay on the bus. I was a bit freaked out by that as there were some scary words coming out of that guy. I guess it worked because I didn't hear anything else from him for the trip, but it would seem reasonable to just kick him off. Long story...strange trip home, but the trip from Kamloops to YVR was fine. read more

Whoever drove bus 18 in Edmonton on 12/19 at around 3:00... needs to be fired. I grew up with reckless country kids with access to shitty trucks and empty fields and i've never seen driving this reckless. Starts off with him absolutely cutting off a car infront of me in a 60, while only signaling once his nose is in the lane. Obviously, the car had no time to react, so he didn't let the bus in. the bus pulled back out and slammed on the horn for minimum 5 seconds. Like you're the one in the wrong but ok. Anyways I let him in cus he probably would've rear ended me otherwise. Next, he starts going in between lanes DURING RUSH HOUR, just sitting in the middle for no reason. cars are swerving to miss him, etc. Finally, I run through a yellow since I didn't have time to stop with the snow. I look behind me, he's far from the intersection, probably a 4-5 car gap. the car across from him starts turning left since they were in the intersection, and as they were halfway through, this idiot floors it to 80 or something to get through. Not only does he almost hit a car turning, but he almost slams into a pedestrian that started to cross. Because why the fuck would he not stop? the light was beyond red, people were already starting to move for their green on the other end, and pedestrians had a light. Fire this dude. read more

On Dec 28th Rider express from Edmonton to Calgary left three young adult passengers stranded at 2am at a closed mall in Calgary. The bathrooms and charging stations did not work on the bus. They were left in winter conditions, with no cell service and no assistance. Unbelievabe! read more

Bus departured Calgary at 8:30 am. Two tires exploded at 9:40 am. Waited on the highway for over three hours for a service truck to arrive. Bus then broke down a SECOND time as we were leaving Surrey at 11:30 pm BC time. Initial problem was something to do with air pressure, but the drier announced that the electric locks on he luggage doors wouldn't open either so we couldn't even take an Uber to our destinations. I feel so bad for the people who are headed to the airport because several of them are unable to access their passports. Manager arrived and offered passengers vouchers for a future trip. I didn't accept. I will never ride with Rider Express again and I will make sure none of my friends or loved ones do either. Thankfully none of these catastrophes happened on one of the twisty mountain roads we drove through. Absolutely appalling to that Rider Express would compromise passenger safety by neglecting preventative maintenance read more

Rider Express - Bus broken down for the second time this trip. Driver unable to open luggage bay doors so we can't even take an uber - Buses Near Me - Vancouver, Alberta

After emailing back and forth about canceling a trip that is two weeks way, 28 hrs afte I booked ticket, i have been informed that tickets bought online are always promotional thus excempt from any refund policy. There is nothing saying the fare is promotional when purchased. They will not try to help. Only repeat their refusal every email. Be aware of the customer unfriendly policies and service. Do not book online unless it's right before trip. They will not help you. read more

if i could give negative stars i would, here, take this 1 star for the nice drivers. whoevers running these routes is a fool, or just playing people for their money. obviously "take hwy delays into consideration" has been considered here. BUT there was a planned hwy closure this morning, announced days prior; a 2 hour closure, that the bus company messaged me about 1 minute before they were supposed to arrive, so i was left standing on the side of the highway in revelstoke from 2-5am, thanks for that. it shouldnt be up to your customers to look into road closures down an entire rout before booking, you guys should have some alerts set up. Cause it only gets better, we switch drivers in merritt, guy turns around and goes "hwys closed we're going to have to detour another 2-3hours" this was also, another hwy closure that was announced yesterday morning before this bus even departed. A little heads up would go a long way, you wouldnt screw over a bus load of people, and people would be able to make arraingments accordingly, you obviously know that though and just dont want people cancelling their rides. Please for the love of your sanity, just ride share or get a plane ticket. To be delayed well over 4 hours is absurd. and to continue taking rest stops when you have a bus full of late passangers is equally ubsured. figure it out. read more

Note to the editor: If there is anything in my article that you feel is not acceptable, please delete it. Margaret Fester As a senior, I am submitting this article to advise anyone who travels with Rider Express Transportation Corp. I want to make sure they are aware of where their checked luggage is at all times. I purchased a ticket to travel from Lloydminster to Edmonton on December 16, 2022 with Rider Express. I had planned to have an early Christmas in Edmonton, so I had a large, new suitcase that for was a gift for me. My suitcase was packed with Christmas gifts for nine people. When I went to claim my suitcase in Edmonton, with my claim ticket, my suitcase was no longer on the bus. I learned that the bus driver set my suitcase on the sidewalk at the previous stop, and left it unattended. A witness on the bus saw another passenger take my suitcase and walk away with it. A police report was filed with the Edmonton City Police, the Vegreville RCMP and the Lloydminster RCMP. The only response I received from Rider Express was "to you it was stolen, to us it was lost". They claimed that I agreed to $100.00 for lost luggage, which is untrue. Nine people did not get Christmas gifts from me that year. Some gifts were irreplaceable. There were also gift cards in my suitcase. I phoned to cancel the gift cards, as I had the card numbers. I was told it would take 7-10 days to cancel them. They were very likely used before they were able to be cancelled. I filed a civil suit with the King's Court. All the documents were sent to Rider Express by registered mail, and they were returned unopened, and unclaimed. I hired a Sheriff in Regina to serve the manager at the depot for Rider Express in Regina, with a certified Writ of Enforcement and a Default Judgement, and there was no response or action taken by Rider Express. A collection agent was also unsuccessful with any response from Rider Express. The court system says that they can not help me anymore. I have contacted my MLA, MP, Ombudsman, Receiver General for Canada, Service Alberta and issued five Garnishee Summons. None of these were able to help me with my case. I also contacted the Better Business Bureau, but since this happened more than a year ago, they were unable to provide any assistance. I did learn that Rider Express has an "F" rating. In all this time trying to contact Rider Express Transportation Corp, not once have they acknowledged any responsibility in the theft of my suitcase, that they were responsible for. If anyone has to travel with Rider Express, all I can say is "traveler beware." read more

I had to use Rider Express for 10 weeks, traveling Golden-Kamloops. Always had a good service, good patient drivers. Clean bus, wifi and plug ins. Always made it safe to destination even if the highway is closed for accidents. Thank you Rider read more

I recently took the bus from Calgary to West Kelona and back. I won't be doing that again. On the bus trip there, the Wi-Fi was broken on the bus... So much for free Wi-Fi. But much worse, on the drive home, the air conditioning was broken on the bus. It was 30+ degrees outside, and it was hot and sweaty in the bus. Not great for a 10 hour ride. maybe sub in another bus at one of the stops when something like this happens? Last, but not least, I contacted Rider express before the trip to see if it was OK for me to leave my car parked at the mall pick up depot. They said yes it was OK. I asked if they've had any issues in the past with drivers leaving their cars there, and they said no - they did say it was at my own risk, which I understand, but still indicated that it was OK to do it. But when I got back from my trip, at midnight on a Friday night, my car had been towed and sitting in the City impound lot for several days. Grand total after the fees from the impound and the parking ticket I got, it cost me over $500 to get my car back. Plus a $70 cab ride to get home tonight I arrived. my round trip bus ticket cost about $280, and when you add in everything else that happened cost me close to 1000 bucks to take an uncomfortable bus trip to Kelowna! Definitely cheaper to fly next time. read more

Summary: don't book with them. There is no internet on the buses and they have no standards for safety or customer service. Impossible to get a refund even after our experience (see below). Our experience: Myself and my partner took the Rider Express from Regina to Edmonton on December 29th. The day ended up being incredibly inconvenient, and somewhat unsafe. We booked Rider Express as a way to get back to Edmonton because our flight was cancelled. My partner had to work remotely on the 29th so we picked the Rider Express because we were told there was wifi on the bus. We started the day with a 1.5 hour delay (standing in the crowded station for 1.5 hours with no seat) due to a maintenance issue with the bus. The staff then offered a ride in a 14 passenger van to Saskatoon, which we accepted because we were desperate (despite well known safety issues with 14 passenger vans and the fact that there was no internet in the van so my partner couldn't work). Around Lumsden, the van started to break down and was only travelling around 60km/h on the highway. Semi trucks (and all other vehicles) were passing us - it was dangerously slow for a highway and the icy conditions. We pulled over to the shoulder of the highway multiple times (also well established to be unsafe). Our drivers were also taking phone calls while driving us (not hands free). It didn't make me feel very safe that they were obviously distracted while driving. In addition, the heat turned off and stopped working in the van. The van got very cold and uncomfortable. We continued driving about 60km/h in a cold van all the way to Chamberlain, where we stopped at a gas station and were told a big bus would come pick us up in 30 minutes. We then stood in the gas station (nowhere to sit and wait, no internet still) for 90 minutes. When the bus finally came, we were relieved, got on, and took it to Edmonton (arriving in Edmonton 3.5 hours later than expected). The bus did not have internet, so my partner was unable to work all day, which resulted in loss of pay. I requested a partial refund of our tickets, not due to the delay (as we understand delays happen in travel), but due to the fact that we paid to take a bus with internet from Regina to Edmonton, but instead part of this journey was on a breaking down 14 passenger van with no heat or internet, the rest of the journey was on a bus with no internet, the journey felt unsafe at times (travelling too slow on a highway, stopping on the shoulder, distracted drivers) and we were forced to stand and wait a cumulative 3.5 hours that day. They have declined to give a refund and continually say they "carried out the service." They completely ignore the fact that it is illegal to talk on a cell phone and drive. Don't bother riding with them- do anything else. read more

I took my dad to the Vancouver train station to drop him off for his bus ride to Kamloops today. We walked into the station to get ready for his trip only to find out they are boarding out on the street. I found out they are not allowed in the train station ? We waited in the station and had a coffee anyway, we watched a man start yelling and shoved a lady working there, what a crazy place we thought. We went outside get on the bus only to find out that the guy causing the commotion inside was my dad's bus driver! This guy was so sour and grumpy it wasn't funny. I was so worried about my dad getting there safely with this guy driving a bus, he got there ok. Please hire people that are nice and friendly. read more

I paid 170 CAD for a bus ticket from Vancouver to Lake Louise. They recently called to inform me that the bus is no longer going to Lake Louise (its going to Jasper or Golden instead). I said I wanted a refund. They said they could only refund me 50% of the ticket or offer me a voucher. I've repeatedly emailed to explain that I should receive a full refund as I paid for a ticket to Lake Louise. This is a planned vacation and I've had to find an alternative route to get to Lake Louise on a certain date. They have stopped responding to me. read more

I took a Rider Express bus between Calgary and Edmonton one weekend. The drivers each time were friendly, responsible, and dependable. I felt safe with them, even though some of the passengers looked a little sus. The rule that if you smoke weed, you won't be let back on the bus, made me very happy as it smells like dead skunk. I did not use the washroom, but yes, there is a washroom at the back. I was so happy with the service, I would definitely use it again. Thanks for an affordable, safe, and efficient ride. read more

I found this bus service extremely outdated and judgemental. Non stop cannabis scolding but nowhere does it say no drinking alcohol...or no moving the cigarette smokers and smell from the doorway. instead threatening to not let a teenage girl back on because she smoked a joint during an hour break a block away from the coach. I hope none of these drivers ever enjoy a beer after work or on their days off. People of the world can fill their yeti's with booze and be obnoxious but a quiet smoker trying to make a 10 hour trip from Calgary to Saskatoon manageable and she's threatened to be left behind. ridiculous read more

This was the worst bus ride I've ever had. Before even stepping onto the bus, the bus driver was snapping at me to move faster and reply quicker. This is after the bus arrived 5 minutes before we were set to leave. This rush was shocking to me as I was waiting at least 30 minutes for the bus to come. Then, still not even on the bus yet, I was grabbed by the driver and chastised for apparently shaking my head. On the bus the driver made an announcement justifying his behavior that I can only extended to other patrons on the bus. I understand that is it Christmas and we are all stressed but I cannot understand why i or anyone else should be grabbed and yelled at by a stranger no matter how stressed they may be. It's unprofessional and if I had any other way to make it to my destination, I would have never stepped foot on this bus. read more

There is nothing express about Rider Express!! I recently took Rider Express from Banff to Calgary with my boyfriend. The person who booked our ticket asked us to be early for the bus by 15 to 20 minutes. The bus was supposed to arrive at 9:30pm. It did not come until 10pm. So in total we waited 50 minutes. It was summertime and the area we had to wait for the bus had no benches and no signs indicating a bus would stop there and it also had a massive amount of mosquitoes. We were getting eaten alive by mosquitoes while we waited. We got our faces, arms legs and feet were covered in about 40 bites each. It was impossible to not be in that area where the mosquitoes biting for fear of missing the bus. We did not receive any phone messages or email messages telling us the bus would be so late. Myself and my boyfriend and another couple that was standing there were panicking and totally stressed out thinking that the bus may not come. I contacted them via email afterwards to let them know my experience. According to the email I received, it has to be an hour or more delay before they will notify you! I was not told this in my phone booking. Not good enough in my opinion, This company should pick a later time such as 10pm and have the bus sit there if it comes early. All the other companies I have booked buses with are good at having their buses on time. I would try to book RBT or Brewsters next time, before choosing Rider Express. In fact, Brewsters was in back of this building and had actual bus bays and a person in their office and signage for their company. The actual ride itself was okay, but you do get dropped of on the outskirts of Calgary and will have to cab (about $20 more) or bus after drop off to get back into the downtown area. read more

Buyer beware! Very unethical company, takes your money and runs. Despite booking two return tickets and cancelling within 24 hours, this company refused to refund even the return portion which was four days later, despite their agent saying otherwise. They have not responded to my emails nor to the Better Business Bureau. Chose another more reputable company. read more