Has anyone taken the Flixbus from bath to Heathrow? If so, could you give me your experience?
Tickets are very inexpensive compared to the National Express and the train (leaving I. The morning on a weekday in October).
I’m curious if there’s big issues or significant delays that cause the prices to be so much cheaper. Of course, some delays on any public translation can be expected to an extent.
We just took it 8 days ago. We took the 11:45 departure. It was seamless, comfortable, and on time. Driver was very friendly.
kpete, we are planning on taking the FlixBux from Heathrow to Bristol this coming Thursday. I will report on this thread about our experience.
We have used Flix everywhere (Europe and US) multiple times. Most of the time, not a problem. But last spring our bus from Bristol was cancelled. While we were not flying, many on this bus were flying out of Luten. For them it was a problem. There was another bus in two hours and a National Express an hour later. We just waited for the next bus.
Even with 2 cancellations (Bristol and once in Antwerp), we still would not hesitate to take Flix. We have had many, many inexpensive and lovely rides but we always have a plan B. Know the alternatives; train schedule and the National Express schedule, download the National Express app (and Flix app) for easy payment. And give yourself plenty of time in case there are delays.
As a follow-up, we took the Flixbus from Heathrow to Bristol in mid-September. Apart from the fact that we had the misfortune of traveling during the middle of "freshers week" at the unis in Bristol, which meant that the bus was filled to capacity and our luggage barely made it on (even with a reservation), it was seamless and inexpensive. Note that the central bus terminal at Heathrow has a lot of construction at present, but that this should not affect anyone arriving by plane.
I have not taken this specific bus, but I have taken other buses to London airports. Just be aware that unlike the train, buses can get caught in terrible traffic depending on the time of day/day of the week you travel. We once were in traffic that was so bad we arrived at the airport only 35 minutes before our flight (we still made it, but barely). For that reason my preference is the train. Either way just leave extra time.
Update for anyone viewing:
We ended up taking the train from Bath to Chippenham (roughly $14 per person) and then taking the National Express to Heathrow from there (roughly $21 from there versus the $65 bus fare in Bath). So per person, it ended up being $35 each, and we booked about 10 days before travel.
We could have saved about $10-15 per person taking the flux bus, but I wanted something that seemed more reliable. Glad to hear everyone’s bus trip with Flix bus have gone well. I’m sure at some point we will use them in our travels.
Cheers,
Kellie
I guess I would need to know what the entire route was.
In Germany, the Flixbus was coming from Munich, stopping in Nuremberg, where we were, and then on to Pilsen, CZ, where we wanted to go (and the bus went on to Prague). Well, traffic, delays, the bus did show up, but about 3 hours late.
Similar experience in Brussels, bus started I don't know where, going to Utrecht, bus never showed up, eventually we ate the tickets and took the train.
In both cases, I found their information on status severely lacking on the app, they usually do not have staffed desks, or even bus stations, just a "stop" by the side of the road. So support in the event of a delay can be lacking.
Basically, I would feel better if the route was more direct (starting in Bath would be ideal) and I knew the traffic would likely be manageable. Even with National Express, I have had issues with traffic in London adding 30 minutes to a bus ride. At least you will not be going through London.
That said, yes, I have also had great experiences with Flixbus, and would consider them again.
From Bath both Flixbus and National Express start their journeys to London there-
Flixbus stop at Corsham (Two Pigs Inn), Chippenham (Sainsbury's) and Chippenham (Town Bridge) then Chippenham, Heathrow Central, Hammersmith or Earls Court and London Victoria
National Express use the same stops (not Hammersmith, all use Earls Court), also Grosvenor Balustrade in Bath, Box and Rudloe. The very early bus also serves Swindon.
The bigger issue to me with Flixbus is that neither company uses their own vehicles.
For National Express that isn't important as all their contract vehicles are very, very similar, but the Bath service is run by Edwards Coaches of South Wales.
Flixbus contractors vary a lot, especially in terms of seat pitch, seat quality etc. It's a bit hard to find out who runs each service, but I believe it is Newport Buses on the Bath route.
That is a different model to many of their US routes- where they are often resellers. For instance Seattle to Spokane on Flixbus is almost entirely run by North Western Stage Lines. In that case (at least) it is often cheaper or no more expensive to buy tickets direct from North Western Stage Lines rather than Flix Bus (same vehicle, same timings). There is one cheaper service where Flixbus have chartered a bus from EcoShuttle Charters and Tours of Portland, OR.
On some routes they even resell Greyhound Tickets.
For example today SEA to Spokane is £36.42 on Flixbus, or $46.99 on NWSL. Personally I would rather buy from NWSL.
