I purchased a FlixBus ticket to travel from Ukraine into Poland in order to catch an international flight to the United States following the death of my mother. I intentionally booked this itinerary with a six-hour buffer before my flight to account for potential delays at the border.
The bus departed approximately 1 hour and 49 minutes late. While inconvenient, this delay was within a range I could reasonably accommodate given my time buffer.
However, upon arrival at the Poland–Ukraine border, the situation escalated significantly. Despite there being only two buses ahead of us, our bus remained stationary for approximately four hours while other buses that arrived later were processed and allowed to proceed.
We were then informed that our driver was unable to continue into Poland. Whether due to licensing, legal authorization, or other regulatory issues, the driver assigned by FlixBus was not permitted to complete the international route. This required a replacement driver to be dispatched from Poland, resulting in a multi-hour delay.
After the replacement driver arrived, we then spent an additional 2.5 hours clearing border control, during a busier time. It would have been faster had we crossed the border when we first arrived. Following this, Polish authorities held the bus further due to discrepancies in documentation and timing irregularities, which appear to have stemmed from the earlier disruption.
As a direct result of these compounded delays—primarily caused by FlixBus assigning a driver unable to legally complete the route—I missed my international flight by approximately four hours. Due to the cost of last-minute rebooking, I was unable to continue my travel and was forced to return to Kyiv.
This caused me to miss my mother’s funeral.
While I understand that delays can occur due to factors outside a company’s control, assigning a driver who is not legally authorized to complete an international route constitutes a fundamental operational failure. This is not an unforeseeable circumstance, but a preventable error within FlixBus’s responsibility.
Claim your business profile now and gain access to all features and respond to customer reviews.
Travel through Europe with FlixBus on one of our green buses. With over 100,000 daily connections to around 800 destinations in over 18 European countries you really can explore Europe! FlixBus is a long distance bus operator connecting cities and towns throughout Europe. A strong partner network and an innovative ticketing system have made FlixBus a leading long distance bus company, with a fast growing, extensive European route network. FlixBus offers an alternative to traveling by car, plane or train and guarantees each customer a reliable, comfortable and safe means of transport.
Customer satisfaction has the highest priority at FlixBus. We at FlixBus continually strive for the satisfaction of our customers. We appreciate all the feedback and positive reviews that our passengers have given and would be delighted to welcome you on board on one of our green buses again.See more
