1€ Bus tickets from Spain to Portugal & France available now!

M

Mima1965

Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Norte/Primitivo/Frances (2021)

• Jan 3, 2020

• #1

The company Flixbus is offering
10, 000 bus tickets to travel this month between 7-31 January for 1€.
Destinations:
Galicia to Portugal (Lisboa, Oporto, Braga)
From 19 other Spanish cities to France (Bayona, Biarritz, Toulouse)
Bookings/information available at:
www.flixbus.es
Cheers.

 

Jan_D

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

2021

• Jan 3, 2020

• #2

Just be careful with Flixbus, especially for long-distance journeys (I think they're better for shorter trips). They have a reputation for lateness and poor customer service. I've travelled with them a few times, and two of those journeys were appalling (the first time, travelling from France to Spain, we arrived 3 hours late, and the second time, the driver seemed like he was on something, his behaviour was very erratic and he was driving very dangerously). They have been involved in a couple of major accidents, e.g. in Germany and France last year. Some reviews on Tripadvisor. I know a €1 journey can seem too good to turn down, but caveat emptor!

 

M

Mima1965

Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Norte/Primitivo/Frances (2021)

• Jan 3, 2020

• #3

Jan_D said:

Just be careful with Flixbus, especially for long-distance journeys (I think they're better for shorter trips). They have a reputation for lateness and poor customer service. I've travelled with them a few times, and two of those journeys were appalling (the first time, travelling from France to Spain, we arrived 3 hours late, and the second time, the driver seemed like he was on something, his behaviour was very erratic and he was driving very dangerously). They have been involved in a couple of major accidents, e.g. in Germany and France last year. Some reviews on Tripadvisor. I know a €1 journey can seem too good to turn down, but caveat emptor!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback Jan. I found out about this deal after reading online articles in the newspapers La Voz de Galicia and ABC. They seem to be a huge company travelling right through Europe but I'm in New Zealand and don't keep up with Spanish news.
We sometimes get deals like that here and people travel without problems so much appreciated your imput.
Saludos

 

Jan_D

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

2021

• Jan 3, 2020

• #4

Mima1965 said:

They seem to be a huge company travelling right through Europe...

Click to expand...

In case anyone is interested: Flixbus are actually a tech platform rather than a bus company. It was started by some IT guys in Germany. A bit like platforms like Uber, they don't categorise their drivers as "employees". What happens is that they approach small local/regional operators, and "ask" them to "partner" with Flixbus (I say "ask", because once Flixbus is in the region, the local companies know they can't compete with €1 fares). Over the space of 5 years, they have completely taken over the EU bus market. As far as I understand, the drivers continue to be paid their local salaries, even if these drivers are now required to drive all over Europe (hence why Flixbus seems to enjoy recruiting "partners" from EU countries that have lower minimum wages). Like with Uber, because drivers aren't Flixbus "employees", their rights fall into a grey zone. Here's a 2018 report on driver conditions.

it's no wonder I've had a couple of bad experiences with drivers! Knowing what I know now, I think I'll avoid them in future...

 

trecile

Moderator

Staff member

Donating Member

Time of past OR future Camino

Francés, Norte, Salvador, Primitivo, Portuguese

• Jan 3, 2020

• #5

Mima1965 said:

They seem to be a huge company travelling right through Europe

Click to expand...

Not just in Europe - I saw Flixbus in Los Angeles, California.

Jan_D said:

In case anyone is interested: Flixbus are actually a tech platform rather than a bus company. It was started by some IT guys in Germany.

Click to expand...

Very interesting

 

Vacajoe

Traded in my work boots for hiking ones

Time of past OR future Camino

Frances, Portuguese, Aragon, Norte, SJWayUK, Nive

• Jan 3, 2020

• #6

FlixBus has been in California for over a year now and I’ve had nothing but great experiences with them on multiple rides. Clean buses, professional drivers, on-time arrivals. Certainly it can vary by market, but I’d certainly recommend them at least in our market.

 

Jan_D

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

2021

• Jan 3, 2020

• #7

Vacajoe said:

FlixBus has been in California for over a year now and I’ve had nothing but great experiences with them on multiple rides. Clean buses, professional drivers, on-time arrivals. Certainly it can vary by market, but I’d certainly recommend them at least in our market.

Click to expand...

I think it very much depends on the regional operators/bus companies. If you look at the reviews, passengers seem to have better experiences in certain parts of Europe as opposed to others. I think the problem with Flixbus in Europe is the sheer number of operators and countries involved. According to Flixbus's own website, their EU network involves "350,000 daily connections to over 2,000 destinations in 28 European countries." How can a Munich-based tech firm possibly ensure service quality, across multiple bus companies, in 28 different countries? It boggles the mind

So... in a nutshell, it's very much a hit or a miss experience in Europe! [p.s. I didn't mean to be a party pooper - thanks to Mima1965 for the helpful tip! It really is an incredible price]

 

D

Deleted member 73892

Guest

• Jan 4, 2020

• #8

I've used Flix Bus a lot for a long time and never had any problems, although never in Spain or Portugal...
They're always good value when you book well in advance.

 

Simon Shum

Active Member

Time of past OR future Camino

2019

• Jan 4, 2020

• #9

I used Flixbus couple times, and the last time I used it to go from Bayonne to Bordeaux was nerve wrecking! Couple hours before departure time I received a message saying “delay with unknown new arrival time, please just wait at the departure location”. I waited three for three hours and ready to give up, then an unmarked bus came, I was glad I asked the driver and this was the replacement bus! Next time I would plan for alternative and even pay higher price to get more reliable service! But Flixbus prices are indeed very low!