Service is bad. We waited over an hour at one of the stops and no bus ever showed up. The tours we were able to get on were not that great: the audio is not in sync with actual location. Salesman was aggressive. There are better hop-on hop-off bus tours in NYC read more

I sent the below on 29 Mar 2026 and I have gotten no response. I reached out again on 2 May and was told my email would be forward to "management" And still no response. I emailed again yesterday and today and radio silence. Do NOT use this company for ANYTHING: This was a completely miserable experience. First the bus was an hour late. Communication on lateness was poorly communicated and there was no offer of any compensation. There was very little tour info provided on the landmarks. The tea was served with no sugar or milk. Some of us hate tea without either so it was a miserable experience because none of the tea tasted good. I can't stand tea without sugar so I might as well have been given plain hot water. We were given no cutlery at all for our food. Which came with items were cutlery was obviously needed. The server seemed confused about being asked to provide cutlery and demanded to know what specifically I needed as if it wasn't super obvious everyone on the bus would need at least a knife to butter their scones. For how much this experience cost, I'm completely floored at the subpar service, the lateness, lack of basic necessities for tea or even to eat the food presented. I think my friend and I deserve a full refund on what was a completely awful experience that was NOT as advertised. read more

04/27/2026 - 04/29/2026 NYC 1. Aggressive/deceptive sales tactics. There can be as many as half a dozen "ticket sellers" on each corner in the Times Square area. They talk fast, go over the pricing very very quickly and are quick to sell you on multi-day "premium" packages. 2. High prices. My "Hop On Hop Off Premium Pass 48 hours" cost $140.63. The "ticket seller" showed us the 48 hour pass price of $89. He sold us the 48 hour "Premium" pass which included the following "extras": NYC Skyline Night Tour with Audio Narration; Brooklyn Tour; Statue of Liberty Cruise; 2 extra hours bike rental; Museum of the City of New York; Harry Potter Store; Skyscraper Museum. We took the night tour (which is not hop on/hop off), but none of the others. 3. Low availability. Buses run on a schedule which is difficult to find on their app. Even though they imply busses run "every hour", in fact they start their routes at set times. We waited over an hour at one stop before walking. 4. Audio guides are not synched with the route. The audio guide (earbuds provided) has some interesting information. But often you're told to "look at the brick building on the left", and you have no idea which building to look at because it's not specific enough or you've already passed the site. Not all the plugs fore the earbuds work. 5. Uncomfortable. The plastic seats are not comfortable for 2 people sitting side-by-side. The first 2 rows on the top deck are shielded from the wind, but the rest is wide open. If it's cold, windy, or rainy, you're miserable. The lower deck has no windows. This is a waste of money and a very expensive, unenjoyable way to waste a couple of hours. I've used Hop on/Hop off buses in other cities and those were actually useful. This is not. read more

Wish I had seen this review before we purchased! 1) We purchased tickets and then 3 days later, they were $40 cheaper per ticket. I contacted Top view immediately, no response. I contacted them again and they responded saying they needed an order number. I responded with that and no response. Sent two follow ups, and nothing. 2) We arrived when we were told 15 minutes before 6pm. They have a line there, no bus. At 6:30pm, I walk up to the bus to find out what's going on. The driver is chowing down on a sandwich and shrugs his shoulders. Then a lady walks over and keeps saying "we are waiting for Santa and his elves." WTH does that mean? She laughs and shrugs her shoulders. I'm like you all are 30 minutes late. 3) We finally board right after 6:30pm. The bus is supposed to go until 7:15 but since we are now 30 minutes late, we get a shorter bus route. We never even passed Rockefeller center. 4) The conductor and the elf were too busy entertaining that a) it would have been nice to have a decent speaker and mic for the holiday music to start ON TIME, and b) to actually say what we were passing. They only did this for Saks. 5) then they actually wanted a tip. Get out of here. And invest in heat lamps. Your paper hats and blankets did not do anything. read more

TopView has added a stop at Houston & West Street. Which is 4 blocks away from the subway. The nearest attraction is Soho, the Whitney Museum, Meat packing district, Little island which are all a hike from the drop off stop. This hop on hop off tour bus is a money grab for unsuspecting tourists. Not a fan of the men harassing you to buy a tour package. In my opinion tourists can take NYC MTA bus for much less, hop on or hop off without any hassles. If you want a more upscale experience hire a luxury car service to drive you around to all the tourist attractions while you relax. Otherwise walking is a great way to explore the NYC attractions. Take a ferry ride to Staten Island to enjoy the views of the NYC skyline and statue of liberty and not deal with feeling like you are being hustled. Read the reviews before booking the tour. read more

TopView - Stop at Houston & West Street, NYC - Bus Tours Near Me - New York, New York

Pushy salespeople everywhere you turn in Times Square. They are relentless. It's so unpleasant. We were suckers and bought a 4-day pass "for the price of a one day pass," supposedly. But you know what? Four times nothin is still nothin! Ask questions before you buy. Youll find out that these hop on hop off buses only run every 90 minutes. That's not convenient. Also, the sound system on TopView doesn't work. No narration. We had no idea what we looking at, which isn't in keeping with a guided tour!! Save your money. You'd do better with a pass for the city buses. read more

Website gives incorrect info. Not available 24*7, buses don't stop at every stop listed, customer service doesn't answer and doesn't call back when leave a message, reps on the street only want to sell tickets and gives incorrect info, buses drive by stops and didn't stop read more

The service was very poor. While giving drinks they were very stingy and barely came around to refill. Food was nothing like they showed in the pictures. Being Mother's Day had no entertainment. A real rip off. read more

Horrible!! The people out on the street hawking this horrible tour were rude & not knowledgeable!! The bus was hot as hell, no air. The audio did not work. The bus driver was rude. Stay away!! read more

Don't waste your money I purchased a 3-day pass with TopView Sightseeing in New York and unfortunately had a very poor experience. The buses frequently drove past stops without picking up passengers -- even when they were not full. I found myself waiting in multiple lines with other ticket holders, none of whom were able to board. On day two of my three-day pass, I gave up entirely. Other travellers I spoke to mentioned they had only managed to get on one bus during their entire 2-day pass, which says a lot about how unreliable the service is. There were plenty of staff on the streets selling tickets, but once you've purchased, the support ends there. We were repeatedly told where to stand, only to watch buses drive past while being told "maybe the next one will stop." I also reached out via email to request a refund for a pass that was effectively never used, and have received no response after more than two weeks. Overall, this felt like a very frustrating and disappointing experience. I would strongly recommend looking at alternative options when visiting New York. read more

Terrible scheduling service and terrible customer service all around. Waited almost an hour for a bus on Saturday and Sunday. Then they lie to you and say "traffic". While 3 Big Bus" company passed by. Use Big Bus instead. Will never use Top View again read more

Buses are few and far between, we were stranded midday for over an hour and finally had to spend 51.00 on an Uber to get back to our hotel. read more

TopView - How long till next bus I received this message multiple times as I refreshed from 1:50 till 3 - Bus Tours Near Me - New York, New York

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Misleading and stressful experience - beware I was traveling with my two kids and had only about three hours before heading to the Natural History Museum. A street seller stopped me and insisted that if I bought this ticket, we could "see everything" and that it was a better deal. I told him clearly that I didn't have time. He said it was fine and pushed me to buy. I bought 3 tickets at 3:18 PM -- only to find out the bus would not even leave until after 4 PM. That was never mentioned before the sale. When I asked for a refund, I was sent in circles: call customer service, email a request, wait 48 hours. After waiting, they suddenly said refunds were not allowed. This felt dishonest and extremely frustrating, especially while traveling with children. If the salesperson had told the truth, I would never have purchased. Be very careful with street sales -- ask exact departure times before buying. read more

TopView - Bus Tours Near Me - New York, New York

We purchased our tickets and boarded the first bus, only to discover there is no air-conditioning on any of your buses. In the middle of summer, with hot and humid weather, this is unacceptable. We request a full refund, as the ride was extremely uncomfortable and the driver showed no concern for passenger well-being. There are air conditioning vents that clearly are not working or being kept up... Another passenger asked the driver to open the windows, and he responded that they do not open. To make matters worse, another passenger hit their head on an uneven section while trying to sit down, and the driver remained indifferent. With no ventilation and no safety consideration, this is not only poor customer service but also a serious safety issue. read more

TopView - Air conditioning vents not working - Bus Tours Near Me - New York, New York

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Very disappointing experience. Our guide, David, made a point of telling the entire group what a "prestigious" Bank of America customer he is and referenced his high account balance & then proceeded to ask for tips. He also complained about guests sitting on the upper deck because his back hurt. Overall, David could really use a lesson in customer service. I wouldn't recommend this tour unless you already know to sit on the top deck. The bottom deck had bright lights and you couldn't see anything. read more

I booked a "polar express" bus tour for their Dallas location. They tell you to show up 15min early and they showed up (if you can even call what showed up "showing up") more than an hour late! The point where they asked us to meet them was a high traffic parking lot that was very dangerous to be standing around with little kids. When they finally showed up it was not the Polar Express bus that was promised. It was a flower bus nothing to do with Christmas theme and the bus was not big enough for all the people that had purchased tickets so we couldn't even fit in the bus and we didn't take the ride. When I tried to complain to customer service, I got an automated reply that they would contact me but never did! Very crappy company, non responsive and they don't deliver what they promise!! read more

Employee was extremely rude, I went to ask a question about what to do if we purchased tickets online. The employee got extremely angry and told us to get in the back of the line. When trying to explain we've never been here before he continued to express his frustration calling us names and arguing with my family. Later after standing in line we saw the same employee get physical with an older gentleman and another separate family. I don't believe this individual should be in customer service if he lacks the decency of simply answering a question. The way he was pushing elders around and picking fights with customers is not a way we wanted to support the business. We have reached out to customer service several times but with no response. I would not recommend taking any of your loved ones to this unacceptable and unprofessional service. Take your money to another bus charter. read more

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They sold our group 150 tickets and we've been waiting 45 minutes. The first bus that came by only let 12 on Do not use this for groups read more

I bought tickets for my friend for her birthday. She came down with the flu the night before. I called TopView to reschedule our tea and their voice mail says to email them. I emailed them multiple times and they never responded. Just kept my money and said nothing. I will never book anything with them in any city ever again. Poor customer service! read more

Best way to see New York City in 1 day is by booking a Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour. The bus drops you off at different landmarks. Avoid Uber or paying expensive taxis to get around. You'll see many of the vendors at Time Square trying to offer package deals. Don't pay the first price they offer you. You'll get a map where the bus stops at different locations every 15 minutes. I definitely recommend booking one when in the area. Happy Yelping :) read more

Terrible service the app doesn't work most of the time they move stops without you knowing bus sits at stops for extended amount of time I took big bus tours the last couple times I've been here and trust me there service is a lot better read more

Total scam. Scam. Buses were not running on time like they said they would. It was a total nightmare. I would never ever do this again.

We booked this through Groupon or viator, and it was a pretty good deal. We got there early to line up so we were guaranteed a good spot up top. The tour was pretty fun. We went through A lot of places. We did the night tour so it was hard to see a few things but we did pass through Times Square, the library, little Italy and Chinatown, Bryant park and we even went into Brooklyn. Overall, for a first timer in NY I was satisfied. read more

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View of New York made easy! We were approached by Team members of TopView Sightseeing Tour Bus. At first we thought we were being scammed, but thought...hey it would be easier than walking or trying to take a cab to see New York. After buying tickets for 4 for 7pm tour, the guy told us to walk from 42nd St turn right on 47th St and walk another block...which seemed like another 5 blocks and definitely wondering if we had been scammed, we found the Tour bus with others waiting in line. Actually we passed a lot of fine attractions and events going on along the way which made New York look like New York. Sitting on top of a double decker bus viewing the city was an amazing experience and less stressful. You are able to hop-off and hop-on on some TopView buses. Our bus was ride the city with an audio tour guide. A definite recommendation. read more

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DO NOT use this company! Use Big Bus! ​The experience with Top View was atrocious and significantly wasted our limited time in Manhattan. ​Our issues began at Downtown Tour Stop 2, where we waited for at least 45 minutes and only barely managed to board the bus. Many other passengers were turned away. We later disembarked at Stop 5 and returned to our original pick-up point, where we endured another wait of nearly 50 minutes with no Top View bus in sight. ​During this time, we observed the competing Big Bus tour pass by four to five times, highlighting the unacceptable lack of frequency for your service. Given we only had two nights in Manhattan, we could not afford to waste any more time waiting and were forced to take the subway for the remainder of our planned days. This was a widespread issue, as numerous other tourists we spoke with were having the same negative experience, and we witnessed many people being turned away from boarding due to overcrowding. ​To say we were frustrated and disappointed is a gross understatement. The service received was not the service we paid for. Your offer to provide us tickets for a later date was an unsatisfactory resolution. We will be sure to let as many people as possible know about this horrible experience. read more

Do not use this company! We endured long waits, were denied boarding the bus, even when there were empty seats. We had tickets on a Sunday and even though it wasn't very busy, buses were not dependably coming by stops every 20 minutes as we were told. Their app is crap and basically just provides the locations of the stops. read more

We took the downtown tour and it was a great value for your money. There are several busses circulating every 10-20 minutes so there's no set schedule or significant wait time. A few tips: -Buy passes ahead of time online to get the best deal (we actually found a great deal on Groupon) -Download the app and transfer your passes to the app before you get to the bus stop -Get a paper map from the bus driver to plan your stops better -Later in the day is busier; in the morning it was quick and easy to hop on and off, but after 2pm the stops took a lot longer and the busses were much fuller. We had dinner plans at 5pm and there was no way we were going to make it back to Times Square by then (it was 3:30pm and we were at the Statue of Liberty) so we hopped off and took a taxi back to Times Square. -Drop a pin when you get off at your stop so you can find your way back after sightseeing. The bus stops aren't always marked and some places started all looking the same! All in all, a great value for the money and a wonderful way to see the city and hit all the tourist spots without spending a ton on transportation or worrying about directions. I read all the complaints and most of them are from people who bought passes on the street. I think if you plan ahead, you'll have better expectations of the service and an overall better experience. read more

TopView - Downtown NYC - Bus Tours Near Me - New York, New York

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The customer service with TopView bus in New York time square was Horrible and I mean HORRIBLE and we couldn't see the beauty of New York with the panels so beat up and scratched up. We didn't get the earbuds. When I asked for them the rude employee just responded with "downstairs" and kept walking. We had no clue where they were driving by at night. We don't believe we got the full experience or see everything we were told. It was just dark streets and once in a while lights. I definitely DO NOT Recommend this company in Times Square New York. Do not waste your money on this For the night experience . Ñot worth your hard earned money waste not worth it read more

DO NOT PURCHASE from this company. Horrible experience. We paid $200 and were able to ride this bus 2x over two 24 hour periods. They have tons of people marketing their services; however you can't ever find a bus to ride. The 2 bus drivers we had were rude. There is no live guide, you get an automated audio that hardly tells you anything about the area while you are riding. I've never been so disappointed. We waited nearly 2 hours on our second day and finally gave up; we ended up using the subway. Don't waste your money. read more

the worse ever horrible do not use they don't know what they are doing can't find where they are cold bus and bus driver rude scolding people my gos ruined ed my holiday bought two tickets for downtown and uptown waste of money. Do Not use this company no covers upstairs no room downstairs crazy read more

They look like they have the NYC blue vests of the city workers. They are not city workers they are looking to funnel you to the paid tour. Which if all you're trying to do is go past the Statue of Liberty then you don't need to pay for anything. You can literally take the city ferry for free. read more

The hours were too short. The buses did not run often enough. We waited 20-45 minutes. We heard from others that waited 45 minutes in rain. The buses don't run enough to get you back to starting point after doing things like ferry or other. Know that hop on/hop off is not realistic if you want to go to more than one or two attractions. I had thought we could get on near hotel but to do so required an hour plus wait for first bus. The announcing on bus did not always match up with stops (got announcement as bus was leaving stop we needed, but wasn't aware because apparently our bus driver skipped a stop because there was no parking or place to stop? Would not recommend. That said, second day, we did the full circle of central park. We got off at Carnegie Hall & did a carriage ride, then walked to Times Square because next bus after our time in central park was going yo be a 40 minute wait. read more

Worst experience ever. The driver never once opened his mouth except at the end first loop to tell us if we wanted to continue the ride we had to get off his bus and pick up next bus. Which is fine but during our entire ride he never said a word, like telling us the bus is about to start moving (safety issue) or updating us on each stop maybe giving us a few facts about certain places and attractions so that we could make up our mind if we wanted to get off there. Save your money just get on city bus or metro instead. Because this experience was useless Wish I could give neg stars read more

I got the 48 hours pass for this touring company. The buses were clean although because on the stairs going to the top if you have bare legs. I felt like the majority of all people who work for top view were friendly and helpful figuring out the stops I enjoyed the night tours and also the Statue of Liberty boat ride that came with the pass read more

TopView - Bus Tours Near Me - New York, New York

What a scam. We were bounced around walking to a bus and then pointed to a dock to find our boat for a fast ride to the Statue of Liberty. $39.99 each turned into $110. Once we got to the boat we didn't see anyone with a red vest anymore and some guy scanned our ticket. A busted boat arrived and the crew came out to tell us it was an additional $20 a seat. A fight broke out between other customers and the crew got nasty. We walked away not feeling safe people were calling the cops. They told us good luck getting money back. Take a ferry. read more

TopView - Loud crappy boat - Bus Tours Near Me - New York, New York

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BEWARE. Their customer service is terrible. They are quick to take your money but completely unreliable when you need support. After a death in my family, I reached out to rebook 12 tickets. They answered and then ignored majority of my follow-up emails -- for days. While they ignored me, tickets were still being sold to the public, and because they never secured our rebooking, the date sold out. We had to cancel everything. If you book with them, just know: communication is almost nonexistent, and getting help when you actually need it is nearly impossible. read more

We went on the nighttour in NYC. We got there half an hour early, hoping to get a good seat. The stairs to the top were VERY steep, making it very difficult for my friend, who has a disability, to get up, and even harder to get down. The bus we were in pulled over after a few minutes, and we were told that the bus wasn't working properly, and we would have to get on another bus. The other bus came quickly, but, of course, it was hard for my friend to get down, and everyone pushed past us in line to get better seats. It didn't matter anyhow, as my friend could not get back up the steps and we had to stay downstairs. Which would have been FINE, had it not been for the first few seats taken out and cabinets put in (blocking those windows) and the big advertisements on the outside of the windows, making it look on the inside like one was looking out through a veil, unable to see much of anything. The automated tour was horrible. The music was bad (The Star-Spangled Banner, really?). The automated speaking voice was bland, and so none of the jokes were told correctly and were NOT funny. I never could tell where the guide was talking about (off to the south... WHICH SIDE IS SOUTH???). It was just basically us sitting in a bus riding around in traffic. NOT FUN. read more

The New York Hop On Hop Off was mostly a good way to see the city, but with a few hiccups. I love a good Hop On Hop Off adventure in a new city, allowing you to see the major sights (and pick a few you want to go back to when you have more time). We got to see a ton of the iconic buildings of New York and hop off in a few places that interested us. It was a convenient and easy way to get an introduction to the city. The only snag we ran into seems to be a common theme with these reviews. A bit of a bait and switch. We purchased the day tour and were upsold to add the night tour too. However, when we ended our enjoyable day tour and went back to the base office to check about the night tour, they told us that there was no night tour that day because they didn't sell enough tickets. We asked for a refund of that portion and they said the tickets were nonrefundable because we purchased it as a "package" with the day tour (because they sold it to us that way). So just be sure to ask all the questions beforehand when buying your tickets. The day tour was very enjoyable, but the night tour portion was a bit of a mess and bait-and-switch situation. read more

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I took top view NYC night tour bus twice, once last year and this past weekend. Both of the times I had the great experience. Bus took us through the NYC and it did stop three times from our stop no. 15 to pick up some more customers. The guys who were doing information commentary both of the times were awesome and kind. I purchased tickets last year from the street top view personnel and second time I got it from Groupon. For Groupon, I downloaded NYC top view app on my cell phone and added the Groupon using the order id that way it helped us prevent going to their office to redeem the Groupon. It all worked just fine. Overall great experience and I do recommend them. read more

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A man in red approached us as so many others before him but we listened to his spiel and decided ok in a split second. We had our hotel check out extended from noon to 1 pm. As all things happen it was 12:40 and we still were at stop 16. Oh no! I went down the stairs of the two decker bus and asked how do we get to stop one? He said next is 17 the last stop. I double checked: do we stay on this one to get to Number One? He said yes but... he called dispatch and said we'd have to cross the street and catch the one going in the other direction.once we got there the line was two deep- no ways we'd make it back to Times Square before 1 pm. Panic but brain still thinking, run and hail taxi fast. The first taxi said he was taken. He told me go to Westin on the other side of the street and ask them to get a taxi. Voila! The Bell man tagged one down for us in the middle of the street. So when you are told the downtown route on the Top View bus is only x minutes full circle without getting off... give yourself at least 15 minutes more. The belllman of the hotel was calling me if our suitcases were ready- he was on our floor/ yikes...everything turned out ok in the end. I was tipping $50 like no end in site today. read more

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