First Bus Reviews 3,138

The buses are sometimes late, sometimes too early; I'm really tired because they're not on schedule at all. Their app is also terrible.

Was waiting at the bus stop and 1A and 2 drove right by me and I was in the middle of the road with my hand out ! This is a bloody joke 28 weeks pregnant and they just drive right by you after looking right at you ! First bus needs to get a grip of their drivers as there is a diversion at Scoutson and I got the 2 to knights wood shopping centre and it stopped and other buses other than the 6 has stopped but these two drivers just ignored me ! This happens daily and it getting old and I’m fed up paying the price for the bus passes when the drivers don’t stop ! Especially being 28 weeks pregnant BLOODY joke and you never hear back from first bus

This morning, the bus taking me to work failed to stop at the bus stop. Having chased the bus the passengers told the driver to stop, managed to catch up with the bus. The driver just waved me away and drove off!!
What a terrible experience and service offered by this public transport company.

Charged for a ticket as the driver had the wrong destination on the front and didn't tell me, another driver then didn't stop when I tried to flag the next bus. The complaint form doesn't even work very time I press submit I receive an "403 Forbidden" error. When I mentioned it to 2 drivers just met with indifference and rudeness - aggressive and bad driving as well. I only used the bus as I was poorly and had a painful leg, don't think I'll bother in future.

I took the spirit bus and the driver (even though in by myself and asked for one ticket) charged me two. I didn’t realise at first as it takes only 10p from my account. When I did see it, I went online to request a partial refund which was denied a few days later. I called customer services and spoke to two very emotional males. One refused to hear me out or let me speak to a manager. The second when he realised I was recording the call (for my own security) said I didn’t have his consent … even though THEY record all calls as the machine says when you first ring the number… on the receipt it even says to contact customer services for refunds. They need to change that.

First Bus are ripping off customers with the tap on/tap-off system - I caught the Park and Ride bus a week ago from York centre to Clifton, the driver told me that he did not have enough tickets (not my problem) so it would be better if I paid by card. He said that it is now a tap on/tap off system with cards so I would need to tap the pay point again as I leave. I did this but when I checked my bank account later, I saw that I had been charged twice so instead of £3 for a single, I had paid £6. Consequently, I completed the complaint form online which gives the option of ‘double-charging’ as the complaint. Customer Services wrote back and said that I should have taken it up with the driver; however, how could I know that I had been double-charged when I paid with my card and not my phone. After several emails, Customer Services still refuses to do anything so I will take this action further. First Bus is ripping off customers and Customer Services are anything but Customer Services as they want nothing to do with the complaint despite having entered all the details requested for them to check.

When a bus actually stops to let you on the driver is 99% likely to be friendly and helpful. But too often they don’t stop. The excuse, running late, is not good enough. When a bus is mostly empty why should they not stop for you? And sometimes they don’t stop to let you off. This the number 2 bus in Portsmouth.

Bus driver closed the door as I got there. Paused to point at his watch, then drove off

The new information terminals are fantastic will use more often now I know the arrival times

-1 , councils tell us to use public transport and this is what we get provided with , non existent services that do not follow timetable, , all diversions checked and none in progress

So tired of waiting for 3s and 4s that just mysteriously disappear from the bus stop monitor. If you’re going to cancel a bus, tell us it’s cancelled. Don’t just leave us standing there waiting for half an hour for it to mysteriously disappear and announce the next bus that will not get us where we need to go in time and have to get an Uber anyway. If you’re going to cancel it, DON’T KEEP TELLING US IT’S COMING!!!!

I’m a 15 year old student trying to get to school and both Monday and today (Tuesday) 23rd and 24th February the bus drivers came across rude Monday they shouted at me for asking for a child single and charged me an adult and second day I showed my bus pass and he said thankyou but very quietly but shouted thank you to me the after. These bus drivers are VERY rude don’t recommend.. both buses on Monday and Tuesday at 7:52 each time.

They've been really bad since 2022 rubbish app that doesn't work, they refuse to refund tickets when you deserve compensation. They perma closed their help chat but pretend its open still, Buses late, delayed, don't show up all the time half the drivers atere rude as hell. But this year alone i've had at least 7 instances already of drivers sailing past the stop, bus is on time and not full up, just this morning i arrived at the bus entrance just as a man before me got on the bus, the driver of the 39 closed the doors so fast he almost caught the other man in the door, shook his head at me when i knocked on the door and drove off. I've had it up my eyeballs with this company, literally the worst i've used in the country and i grew up in a village. I feel we should club together and seek compensation.

This company deliberately makes it impossible to complain about their drivers conduct. I have spent the last 4 days trying to fill in their online complaint form. Every time I press submit I receive an "403 Forbidden" error. When I finally managed to speak to someone on their customer support number I was told there was a server problem. So the company has a server problem for days making sure no one can make complaints. How convenient for them.

Cowboy operators who cancel buses with no notice, then advise me to download and app that fails to download.

Majority of bus drivers attitudes are shocking and aggressive. Glasgow bus driver on the 19 was shouting, threatning and swearing at a parent and child on Friday 20th Feb (driving towards the fort). Handing over buses to absolute scumbags.

If I could give First Bus minus 100 stars I would. My 92 year old father fell on the number 16 bus at Bramley because the bus driver set off before my dad sat down. Other passengers had to help my 92 year old dad up from the floor and to a seat. The driver never left the cab. My dad suffered three broken bones in his arm and was in a cast for weeks causing loads of discomfort and problems. First bus from senior management down have been appalling! They do not care! No communication with my 92 year old father whatsoever!! Hang your heads in shame management of First Bus!! You are not fit to manage at all and certainly not fit to run a bus service!

Last bus at 8.10 pm within a conburbation of 500,000 people failed to arrive between Newcastle under Lyme and Chesterton. Last time I complained to head office the they said do not take the last bus, in other words it may not turn it up and we want to destroy existing service, you have succeeded, sod off from Stoke,

In the unlikely event that a bus driver will actually stop for you at a designated bus stop, you'll be greeted with rudeness, if they chose to acknowledge you at all. For those of you unsure how to catch one of these buses in Leeds, its simple. Just turn up to the bus stop any time you like and hope for the best. The timetable will do nothing for you.

In all seriousness, the staff and management clearly don't take pride in their work. And why would anything change if people still board and pay for this terrible service? Strongly advise people enjoy a long walk / bike ride to their destination. I've always thanked bus drivers my entire life when exiting the bus, but recently I feel this is just rewarding unprofessionalism.

Tried the First group complaints service online but, you guessed it, it doesnt work.

If I could give First Bus (or as I call it “no bus”) only half a star I would.
How they treat their customers is disgusting.
Today I waited for over FOUR HOURS for a bus home. Departure screens in the station all said there were buses running, however not one showed up. No information available to passengers at the station (brand new station I may add) I mean seriously! It’s 2026 and you can’t put “cancelled” up on the screens?
Three words spring to mind. “Crap, crap & crap!”
Yes first bus you are crap!