What Are The Alternatives To FlixBus When Travelling In Europe?

Flixbus can be a great way of getting around Europe on a budget. Some people love it, others not so much. I’m in the first camp, however, I have also used other (probably better) coach services in Europe and want to give you an insight into some Flixbus alternatives.

Yow will see the huge iconic green busses all around Europe, and you will also meet a lot of travellers that use them. Like I say they are a cheap efficient way of getting around Europe which can be kind of disappointing in the customer service region. But overall for the price, a great way of getting from city to city. I have a full in-depth review on Flixbus you can read for some more information, but here I want to talk about some of the other great alternatives to using Flixbus when travelling around Europe.

So, What Are Some Of The Alternatives To Using Flixbus?

There are really only two alternatives to Flixbus that offer services around the whole of Europe. BlaBlaBus (formerly Ouibus) and RegioJet. Eurolines was the third competitor until around a week before this post was published when the company was liquidated. There are many other operators that offer domestic services, such as Megabus (UK.) National Express (UK.) Berlin Linien bus (Germany) PolskiBus (Poland) Swebus (Sweden) and Alsa (Spain) to name a few. Just to make you aware these domestic companies do also cross borders usually only from their base country to neighbouring capital cities. However they do not offer the same services as Flixbus, BlaBlaBus and Eurolines which operate over the whole continent.

However these companies can be worth checking out when you are in their respective base nations. Sometimes they work out cheaper and you may find they are more comfortable and the service is better.

This post however is aimed at real alternatives to Flixbus, coach companies that have a network of services across the entire continent. Which as I said above are Flixbus, BlaBlaBus and RegioJet. Let’s go into some detail about each one of these companies and how they compare to each other.

For the purpose of comparing the pricing of each company, I have researched how much a ticket from Amsterdam to Berlin will be at the time of writing for the 10th of September 2021.

FlixBus.

Flixbus is a German company founded in 2011 that runs budget intercity bus routes across mainland Europe. They offer over 2500 routes for you to ride on and currently operate in 35 countries. The business operates by recruiting local bus companies to operate its routes. Fun fact, the business actually only owns one bus! For more information, I have a full Flixbus review you can check out.

Pricing (Amsterdam to Berlin – €29.99) – One of the main reasons I love Flixbus so much is because of how cheap it is! They also have a really great package called InterFlix which allows you to pre-pay for 5 journeys on any route for €99. This is a really competitive offer, especially when travelling in western Europe where coach tickets can get expensive. You can pick and choose when to use your pre-paid InterFlix passes. So, for example, if the journey you was looking to take would be more expensive than €20 (€19.80 to be precise) then you can use one of your codes and save yourself some cash. The full terms and conditions can be found online, but as an overview, you can only use the vouchers on direct journeys, you have to use your vouchers within 3 months of purchase and vouchers are not transferable and once purchased you are not eligible for a refund.

I used InterFlix on my last solo backpacking trip through Europe and I would say I probably saved around €60 overall. Not mega money I know, but enough to pay for a few nights hostel accommodation! But anyway even without taking advantage of InterFlix, FlixBus is very reasonably priced, and you will save a lot compared to flying or travelling by train.

Baggage Policy – Flixbus has a very generous baggage policy. They allow you one piece of hand luggage (7kg, 30x18x42 cm) and two checked pieces of luggage (20kg, 50x30x80cm) which are included in your ticket price. You can check out the full terms and conditions, but overall I have found them to be very lenient on luggage, especially when compared with budget airlines! *cough* Ryanair *cough*.

Customer Service – Now I’m gonna be honest here, there’s not a lot to say because I don’t think Flixbus actually know what customer service is. This is probably the biggest downfall of Flixbus, customer service is literally non-existent. 90% of their drivers are seriously moody! They won’t wait for you if you are late from coming back from your pitstop and if you have any issues that you need resolving with the customer service team, good luck! When you do finally get through to an advisor they are probably not going to be any help. Believe me, I’ve been there.

Facilities – Some people moan about the facilities onboard Flixbuses. Personally, I don’t, purely because I don’t expect much when I’m paying €7.99 to go from one side of a country to the other. However, I don’t agree with the way that they market themselves as having Wifi on every bus. It’s simply not the case, and if the bus does have Wifi, prepare for connection speeds as fast as the dawn of the internet. Most (not all!) busses have toilet facilities, which I strongly recommend you don’t sit near! Comfortable seats with good amounts of legroom are pretty much guaranteed on any Flixbus. They also mostly all come equipped with air-conditioning.

BlaBlaBus.

BlaBlaBus was previously known as Ouibus a french bus company operating routes around Europe. It was bought by BlaBlaCar a popular carpooling platform in 2018. Although smaller than Flixbus, BlaBlaBus still offers a substantial amount of routes around Europe. Currently, they offer 300 destinations in 10 countries. The business model is pretty similar to that of Flixbus where they work with local partners to run their services while they take care of route planning, pricing, marketing and branding.

Pricing (Amsterdam to Berlin – €25.99) – BlaBlaBus does come in slightly cheaper on this journey so its a good alternative to Flixbus , however, these prices will fluctuate with each different route so it’s best to check which company has the best available price. As with all the companies listed here, the prices vary on the location of the stop and the time of day they travel. Usually the closer to the city centre the stop is and the earlier in the day it arrives the more expensive it will be. This ticket I have found is from Sloterdijk (north-west of Amsterdam city centre 5.1km) to Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof Berlin (A major bus station west of the city centre in Berlin). Obviously, it’s more convenient to get tickets to and from the city centres, but you will have to pay a premium for this.

Baggage Policy – BlaBlaBus also offers three items of luggage included in the ticket price. However, they only allow one item of checked luggage and two items of carry on luggage. They do not specify the dimensions of the carry on luggage, they only specify that it has to be able to fit under the seat or in the overhead lockers. In regards to your checked bag, it can be a maximum of 23kg and the dimensions should not exceed 200cm (length + width + depth). One item of additional checked luggage can also be purchased before your trip for €3.99 for a one-way journey.

Customer Service – I’m afraid to say that again, customer service is very poor. There is a theme among budget bus companies that customer service is not high on the priority list. To be fair to them, the business model revolves around giving the customer the lowest price possible. Unfortunately, it seems that customer service takes a hit when this is the case. Online reviews are very low for BlaBlaBus, but to be frank, if you don’t set your expectations too high and accept that you’re paying an extremely low price to get from A to B and nothing more, then you’ll be able to look past the lack of customer service.

Facilities – I would say that the facilities on BlaBlaBus are overall better than Flixbus. The wifi has been working (although still slow). The interior is usually nicer, although not much different to Flixbus and they usually offer what they say they do. However I have been reading a lot of reviews saying that the power outlets are often not working on their busses, so bear that in mind. Basically, the facilities are the same as Flixbus but slightly better.

RegioJet.

RegioJet is a Czech bus and train operator that operates over the continent. However, they are more prominent around the Czech Republic and surrounding nations where you will see their bright yellow fleet of busses and trains often. Their bus routes offer journeys to over 90 cities in Europe in 16 countries, with their trains reaching more. Unlike the other companies, RegioJet operates and owns most of their buses themselves and doesn’t rely on local partners to run their services for them. In my opinion, this helps to make the service offered much better as they have full control of the business. Personally it’s why I would rather travel with RegioJet than any of the other operators.

Pricing (Amsterdam to Berlin – €37.90) – For the sake of this article I wanted to use a popular route such as Amsterdam to Berlin. RegioJet is considerably more expensive on this route than the other operators, but I just want you to know that there are a lot of competitively priced routes compared to the others. Usually, RegioJet does work out slightly more expensive, but the service is a lot better than the other providers in my opinion.

Baggage Policy – If travelling within the Czech Republic, Slovakia or Germany you will be allowed to have four items of luggage which are included in the ticket price. 2 items of hand luggage (15x25x35cm) and 2 items of checked luggage(30x60x80cm). Travel in any other nation is one item of hand luggage and one item of checked luggage of the dimensions above. The prices of extra luggage vary by country but you can find the full table here.

Customer Service – Time for a surprise! RegioJet actually does offer good customer service! Unlike the other companies, I was really impressed with the level of customer service RegioJet offers. Each bus has a steward/stewardess on board that will help with anything you need. They also have ticket offices with helpful employees, they supply you with free hot drinks and water onboard their buses and they are just generally more pleasant to travel with!

Facilities – RegioJet also win the amenities award. All of their busses come equipped with personal entertainment systems loaded with movies and T.V shows (they will also supply you with headphones if you ask). As I said before they supply free hot drinks on board and also a newspaper to read while your sipping on your free coffee. Wifi is not available on all routes but it is widely available and is of pretty decent quality. If you are looking for comfort and quality and don’t mind paying a little bit extra, I would recommend RegioJet in a heartbeat.

P.S – Their train services are really good too.

Quick Overview To Comapre Each Operator.

So What Provider Should You Use?

Well, to be honest, if you are travelling around Europe you will more than likely end up using all of these Flixbus alternatives. I did. But as you can probably tell, I would always opt for RegioJet where it made sense financially and was available. FlixBus and BlaBlaBus are pretty much on a par with each other, so I wouldn’t stress too much about which one is better. They are as bad or good as each other, depending on if you are a pessimist or an optimist!

The fact of the matter is, all three companies will transport you around Europe very cheaply, and if you can put up with some poor customer service and maybe not the most relaxing journey then I recommend all three to you. I travelled Europe almost solely using these companies and I would use them again. Maybe that speaks volumes that the companies aren’t that bad, or maybe it just shows I’m tight and I can just put up with it because I know ill be saving some cash. Really it depends on you, what I will say though, is to take online reviews with a pinch of salt. Let’s be honest how many happy customers jump online to give a great review. Not many would be my guess! Now how many unsatisfied customers that have had a bad experience will do the same, probably most of them.