flixbus.com

Bike travelers beware

I planned a bikepacking trip through Italy for months, carefully booking FlixBus tickets well in advance with bike transport included. I chose FlixBus over the train to save money and avoid multiple transfers. That decision completely derailed our plans.Our journey began in Prague and the first leg to Munich went smoothly—except one of our bikes had to be stored inside the luggage compartment because of an issue with the external bike rack. Still, no major complaints there.The real trouble started in Munich. We had a three-hour layover before our connecting bus to Florence. At midnight—just one hour before boarding—I saw that FlixBus had sent a message two hours earlier saying the next bus wouldn’t have a bike rack and that I should contact support. This was the first I’d heard of it.I tried to get help through the app but only got stuck with a chatbot that couldn’t help and kept redirecting me to a phone line. We decided to wait and explain the situation to the driver, assuming they could fit our bikes inside since we had paid for bike transport months in advance.The driver refused, stating we’d been “notified in advance.” What does that even mean—three hours before departure, when we were already halfway across Europe? What were we supposed to do—teleport home?We were left stranded in Munich at 1 a.m. with no transportation and three bikes. After a long wait on the support line, I eventually got through to a kind agent who promised me a refund for that portion of the trip—and to her credit, I did receive the refund for the Florence leg. I really appreciated her professionalism in an otherwise miserable situation.But that still left the return ticket from Pisa to Prague, which became completely useless because we never made it to Italy. I requested a refund, but it was declined—even though the reason we didn’t travel was entirely on FlixBus. I then tried to resolve it through the European Consumer Centre, but after weeks of emails and no clear resolution, I gave up. Honestly, I’m exhausted. I don’t have the energy to spend my evenings chasing down emails after work over €200. At this point, I’d even accept credit in the FlixBus app just to be done with it.To make things worse, on the return trip our bikes were once again shoved into the luggage compartment instead of being placed on the rack—resulting in bent handlebars and scratches. It’s obvious that staff aren’t trained or equipped to handle bikes properly.This entire experience not only cost me money, but it ruined a long-anticipated cycling trip. And as if that wasn’t enough, FlixBus deleted my original review, which I find frankly insulting; I will provide all the documents and evidence if neccessary, if this review is flagged again. Silencing your customers instead of fixing your service is not how you build trust.This review is my last attempt to receive a refund—or at least some compensation—before I consider the matter closed.FlixBus, please take bike transport seriously—or don’t offer it at all.

Date of experience: Jun 27, 2025