Hi, I was looking at transport options between Rome and Siena and came upon Flexibus. It has several buses from Rome to Siena in a day but fares have got me stumped. A bus that leaves at 7 am has fare of 16 euros while a bus that leaves 45mins later at 7:45 has fare of 2 euros. What am I missing here? 2 euros sounds way too good to be true! Please advice.
Posted by
Miami
338 posts
In October and early November I used FlixBus a few times traveling in the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary and they were very reliable.
Posted by
OP
Usa
51 posts
I am flummoxed by the fare difference between the buses departing just 30 mins apart!
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6552 posts
I have no clue about the fare difference, but we have used Flixbus twice in Italy, and had good experiences.
I do think I remember getting different schedules on their app as opposed to their website, though.
Posted by
near San Francisco
5471 posts
I've always seen FlixBus having "early bird" fares that are significantly lower. As seats book, the prices go up. On ocassion, I've seen that only 1 or 2 seats may be offered at that "early bird" price, before fares jump. So to get that best fare, you certainly need to book early, and may need to be among the first to book.
Years ago, I researched and learned that booking in the "local currency" (or, really, any currency besides $$) gave the best price. So do a comparison before deciding which currency to book, especially any extras. I recall that luggage was quite a bit more in $$ than in other currencies. My recollection is $9.99 vs €2.99, but that was 5 years ago and may vary by route.
Posted by
near San Francisco
5471 posts
Oh, and the FlixBus routes that I have taken have been on time, clean and comfortable. I paid a few euros extra for the front row "Panoramic View" seats and enjoyed the view. Since they're front row, you won't have storage under the seat in front of you, but there were overhead racks and plenty of room around the seat area.
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
FLIXBUS prices a certain number of seats as "loss leaders" on every itinerary, which are made up by other fares. It doesn't have anything to do with time or itinerary. They can still make a profit even if some fares are priced below the cost of providing the service (just like air fares).
Posted by
Glostrup, Denmark
1394 posts
Just a thought: would the 7am departure allow commuters to reach their destination in time for their job? and the 7:45 am would not ???
Posted by
1105 posts
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Take the €2 fare and see how it goes. I don’t see a problem here, unless you need that certain time frame of departure.