First Bus Reviews 3,138

The buses keep getting cancelled and sometimes completely ignore me because when im standing at the bus stop. They drive past even when you try stick your hand out to indicate you want to get on the bus. I’m then stuck in the cold and late for work or college. I’m always on time getting up earlier for the earliest bus there is and what for if they skip you.

Driver decided to reverse out of bay at Bristol Bus Station 1 minute early today, ignoring me while I stood outside the door having been knocking. Driver actually looked like he was grinning. What a nice guy.

He had seen me running towards bus too and there was no need to pull away early.

This on a service that is regularly late or cancelled.

Nowhere to complain to at Bristol Bus Station as office only open between 9 and 5, exactly when most people they 'serve' are at work.

Top work First! Have submitted a complaint online for them to ignore.

3 days running my buses to work have been cancelled, with no reason or warning.i am now facing a warning for not being able to get to work in time.its the X1 service from Weston to Bristol.

I was on the phone to head office telephone the staff are rude she put the phone call down in middle of a conversation the driver was rude and wheelchair was in the middle of the bus causing a accident to happen

The government should take care of first bus companies..how is possible that first bus increased the prices every year ,they not arrive on time ,they taking a piss ..the government should decrease the price on first bus..and give to them a big fine ..and they should put more pressure on the first company . They should give money back to people for all the time when they late ,.and if the bus not arrive a fine 1000 £ per pus per late..

Highly disappointed with the way it run, you can't plan your journey based on their time table, the journey may get canceled at anytime without any prior notice, I've been wasting my subscription every month because
Most time I ended up traveled with train and cost me additional money. Bus 74 and 76 to Clacton-on-Sea and Colchester, I'm highly dissatisfied.

First Bus are shocking
I wonder why First Bus bother operating. They don't appear to want to run a bus service. They should just give up and let another operator take it on. First Bus owe me HOURS and HOURS of wasted TIME and MONEY..

Getting to/from work
I've been late for work when a bus blobbs. I now set off early to cover for this. I'm often at work nearly an hour early to make sure I get there..waste of time.
I work in the city centre, mainly evenings. I and other evening workers (we talk to each other while we wait) are let down often just trying to get home from work. Stranded. Tired. Fed up. We cannot walk home (it's not safe in the areas near city centre + it's too far to walk).

Taxi only option
Then, a taxi is my only option. £8-£10. A big loss on my earnings for that shift.
BUT
Extra work for taxi drivers using electric/hybrid powered taxis and still charging old petrol/diesel prices!

What's going on buses and taxis??

My views regarding First Buses ::
*Totally unreliable and without any value,
*Don't run to the timetable, just turn up late or even EARLY.
*Buses don't turn up at all
*Often the bus goes past a queue of passengers with 'Not in Service"sign on the front
* Makes travellers miss their connection bus or train on a long journey
*The last bus at night is 9.55pm doesn't always turn up. Leaving passengers stranded, tired, fed up after work.
*The last bus at night is too early. It lets down cinema/theatre goers and people who socialise in town. Who want to go home at 10pm?
First Bus should
JUST GIVE UP. Let a better operator do the job. You owe me HOURS and HOURS of wasted TIME and MONEY.

Alan .....perfect timing, perfect service always on time 18A glasgow to ek 12.35 a credit to 1st bus

Genuinely the most incompetent bus service provider ive ever experienced, very reliable when it comes to being confusing, severely delayed or cancelled.

First and foremost the most of the buses are never on time or they just get cancelled without any explanation. Then thier ticket system is a ripoffs. For example a weekly ticket isn't actually valid for a full week but for 6 days 10 hours and thirty minutes. That's not a full week. I don't know which calender they are using but I thought a full week is 7 days. Then if you buy a day ticket at anytime closer to midnight or a few minutes past midnight it expires at 4am that morning. Ridiculous

First bus will randomly decline/block your card because their systems can't take a same day payment, their customer service agents, after waiting 30mins minimum to speak to them, will gaslight you and refuse to escalate your valid complaint of them and the company. If you forget to "tap off" you can be charged £8+ for the ride. Bus drivers take up priority seating with there bags or stand uncomfortably close to customers as they leave the bus to chat woth there driver pal.

Absolute dog sh*t

Canceled bus, notification after it was suposed to be there. How can you plan with this level of service?

Imagine this. It’s sunday. Buses are on sunday times, obviously. Which means limited times. I have a movie to see at 6:30 and food plans before that, and it’s almost 5pm and we’ve only reached 3 stops. The bus driver decides to stop at EVERY stop and go on his phone

Bus route Berkshire is shocking. Buses just disappear off the screen for next bus and have to wait for the next bus. Not reliable when you have to attend appointments and work. We pay for a service so at least have better communications with your service users

Twice recently (including this evening) the driver has ignored the bus route, cutting off a large section (including my stop) and simply carrying straight on. He only turned around and resumed his route when challenged by passengers. Either the drivers need further training on bus routes, or they are willfully ignoring them to save time.
First Bus now has an error on their complaints website making it impossible to complain - no doubt because they'd be inundated. An incredibly poor bus service, considering the bus fares keep rising!

Terrible service and overpriced tickets:
First bus 25 to Keele often drive straight past you, even if they're labelled as 'in service' and there are multiple people waiting. Buses also tend to dangerously overcrowd people on, to the point that they get hit by the doors when they open to let even more people on. Windows are never open (and yes I understand that they don't want branches to hit people through the windows, but that's an issue for Newcastle council to fix) meaning all the windows are always steamed, this makes it unhygienic and claustrophobic for people, especially for those who have asthma like myself. Majority of bus drivers are quite rude and get annoyed at customers when they ask them simple questions, and tickets are way too overpriced, especially for students. Even if you're under 19, they still want you to pay £3. The question is, are the first bus service and Newcastle council going to do anything about it before they lose all their customers?

The absolute worst service in Norwich. Buses are cut with no warning and drivers drive past you late at night without stopping. It's been like this for as long as I can remember.

I was half an hour late for work. The bus driver stopped and parked for about ten to fifteen minutes, I was upstairs thinking the driver was having a break, went downstairs and he wasn't there. I had to pay for a taxi to get to work the rest of the way.

Useless company.

Another no show 14 bus today. Approximately 20% are no shows, very late/ cancelled without notice. The app is hopeless here as it only shows some routes, some of the time, but Not the ones I use. Even the notice boards in Swansea bus station are so often incorrect, missing buses, wrong platforms. Buses rarely have (working) stop information on board, to update passengers on where they are on their trip. How hard is it to roll out an actual working live system that is available in so many UK places and so many other countries??

Yet again 2 buses did not show up, one in the after & 17.49 which showed up after I was leaving the bus stop (5 mins late) so missed it

Waiting in the cold & rain wasting my time. Not good enough either late or no shows