Flixbus Avis 

I am extremely disappointed with Flixbus. Today, my first bus (Booking: 3365209963) had a severe 2.5-hour delay, causing me to miss my connection bus (Booking: 3365216183).

Before arriving at the transfer station, I contacted their live chat support. After I explicitly explained that I had two separate booking numbers, the first agent promised me: "Do not worry... contact us after reaching the transfer point... We will provide you with a rebooking or another suitable resolution."

Based on this official promise, I continued my journey. However, once I arrived at the station and reconnected to the chat, the second agent completely went back on their word, refused to help, blamed me for making separate bookings, and then RUDELY closed the chat on me.

Because of Flixbus’s 2.5-hour delay and their customer service's misleading information, I lost the chance to cancel my tickets in time. I was completely stranded at the station and was forced to buy a very expensive last-minute ticket from another company just to leave.

Flixbus does not take responsibility for their own delays or the promises made by their own staff. Their misleading service directly caused me financial loss. I demand a full refund or a voucher for the missed journey and the extra costs. Avoid this company if you want a reliable trip!

While my initial trip from Canberra to Sydney was professional and comfortable, the return journey revealed a significant safety risk that all travelers should be aware of.

The bus used for the return leg was an older model where the seat-back trays had been removed. However, instead of a flush surface, several seats had two sharp metal spikes protruding from where the trays used to be. During the trip, the passenger in front of me reclined their seat, which pushed one of these metal prongs directly into my kneecap. The injury was severe enough to cause significant bleeding, which I fortunately had to treat myself using my own first aid kit.

The most disappointing aspect was the business's lack of accountability:

On-site Feedback: Upon arrival, I alerted the driver to the injury and the protruding spikes. The response was dismissive and showed no concern for the equipment's condition.

Customer Service: I lodged two formal complaints over the course of a month and received no reply.

Communication Issues: When I finally reached a representative via the online chat, I was told a reply had already been sent. When I requested a copy of that email or the date it was sent, they were unable to provide this. I then requested a copy of the actual email and the chat was immediately terminated without resolution.

I am writing this to warn other passengers about the potential for physical injury due to poorly maintained seating on certain buses. I was simply seeking an apology and an assurance that these hazardous spikes would be removed to protect others, but the lack of any meaningful response suggests a disregard for passenger safety. I will be using alternative transport options for this route in the future.

I bought seven tickets on the Sydney-Canberra route during a 'welcome sale' at $8 each. All seven bookings were recently "cancelled" by Flixbus, yet the same trips remain bookable on their website. Just at $40+ now. The service wasn't cancelled... my price was. This is deceptive conduct under Australian Consumer Law and has been reported to the ACCC.

Bonus features include a driver who didn't know the way out of Canberra (ignored detour sign and followed a Murrays bus down a dead end) and trip times being changed at short notice, or in my case, no notice at all.

FlixBus may seem cheaper than Murrays but you pay with your sanity. Avoid at all costs.