I heard many different stories about Flixbus in the USA. I have traveled several times with Flixbus in Europe so it did not even occur to me that Flixbus could be any different in the USA. Therefore, I quickly bought the ticket once it was available online. When I was booking the whole USA trip, I tried to buy everything as cheap as possible, so I found taking the bus from LA to Reno to be a better option than flying. Not only was the ticket cheaper but it would also save me a night in a hotel or Airbnb. I chose the overnight bus which takes 12 hours. However, after reading the reviews on the internet, I became worried, because the reviews were very negative. For example, according to some reviews, the drivers are rude, the busses are dirty and the busses are always delayed or cancelled last minute without notice. I was mostly nervous about the last part. What would I do if the bus would get cancelled last minute? It would have put me in a difficult situation. Not only would the hotel prices be super high, but finding a room last minute could have been hard in general. In addition, I would prefer not to walk around Downtown LA in the middle of the night looking for accommodation. I asked everyone I met about their opinion of Flixbus, but no one had even heard of it. However, they all looked at me with an extremely surprised face when I told them I was going to take the bus in the first place. Suddenly, my mom also started panicking about the whole Flixbus idea, because she had just heard that a girl was never found after entering a Flixbus. She tried really hard to convince me to buy a flight ticket instead, but I did not and in the end I am very happy that I stuck to the plan.
I must honestly say, that the reviews were completely wrong! The Flixbus was extremely punctual, and the busses looked exactly the same as in Europe, if not better! Certainly, the bus was much cleaner. Both drivers were females and they ensured that the busses were very clean. The first driver made it clear what would happen if the men on the bus would “pee standing up” and what the consequences for them would be (LOL!). Maybe that is what some people meant with the drivers being rude? Well, I found it funny and maybe even necessary.
Regarding the other passengers, most of them were also foreign travellers. The ride was quite comfortable. I had 2 seats all the way in the front just for myself. I paid a small fee for the front seat, but it was totally worth it. In addition, there was internet on the bus; USB charging ports; and the seats were very comfortable. In fact, I slept the whole 12 hour ride. I only woke up when we stopped in San Francisco and San Jose for a bit just to see a bit of the cities. The best thing of all was that the bus stop in Reno was right in front of my hotel: Silver Legacy. It could not be better! So please, do not be afraid of taking this bus. I know there is some kind of prejudice against taking the bus in many parts of the USA, but for 30 dollars, it was definitely worth it and it felt completely safe!
#Bus #Flixbus #FlixbusUSA #Travel #Traveler #Travelonabudget
Anyah Mroz 