South African long distance Buses rated from WORST to BEST

 

 

I spent the last 7 years of my life living in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape which is almost 15 hours drive(Non-stop with a private car) away from my hometown but since I don't have the luxury of a private motor vehicle yet whenever I travel home I depend on airlines and buses. I fly whenever I feel its urgent or pressing, but other than that I have no qualms about doing an overnight bus trip from one city to another. Although not convenient time-wise, a good long distance bus trip helps me relax, think, read books and chill out for a while but this is often not the case as I've had many terrible trips due to the nature of services rendered. I've travelled with different bus coaches that I'm well rounded on what to expect from each specific bus company.
 I've laid several complaints to some bus services not because I'm always trying to be a difficult customer- sometimes the bus tickets are very affordable which is good news mostly for the poor who can't afford anything else, but even with that in mind it doesn't mean bus companies must get away with offering substandard service.

If you are thinking of doing a long-distance trip to any place around South Africa this review will help you choose a better service;


Rated from WORST to BEST
10. Eagle liner

I travelled with this bus a little less than

 2 months ago(December 2017) from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. They happened to be selling the cheapest tickets during the festive season therefore I had no choice, i'm a cheapskate!. I knew from the brochures and Posters that this wasn't going to be one of those comfy trips. The name even scared me a little bit but I wanted to get back to P.E by any means. The service exceeded my expectations, it was worse than I thought. From the lack of order in weighing the baggage to messy boarding procedures, I was sweating and thirsty by the time I sat down on my seat because I had to defeat other people physically(including the driver) in order to find a seat. It was anarchy!
When I found a seat I came to the sad realisation that they are rigid therefore they can't recline.
There was also no Lavatory to run to in case one is pressed and needed to relieve themselves during the trip this meant that one had to hold in whatever wanted to escape from their bowels.

The good side to Eagle liner coaches is that they have USB charging portals for when your phone battery is low, this is excellent it almost made me overlook all the cons.

 9. City to City

The last time I used city to city was in 2010 and since then I cut ties with this coaches. I remember vividly I stopped using it for 2 main reasons; 1. No lavatory-which means I couldn't drink as much water as I wanted for the fear that i'd want to use the loo, this bus doesn't favour that kind of diet.
2. It is unhygienic, DIRTY, DIRTY! I sat next to a woman with an infant, who during the trip changed her child's nappy right on my lap then proceeded to eat fried chicken and pap afterwards. I was traumatised from the experience that I never went back to City to City.

The good side is that its one of the most affordable bus services to travel with, especially on the route between Gauteng and Limpopo. Its also safer to use it instead of a taxi between these two provinces.

 8. DMJ

 Nothing new to comment on. Similar to City to City. A bit better because of the exterior. Nice going with the Yellow and Blue!
The good thing is that they are affordable.
The downside is that I don't trust them yet, i'll need to be with them for a while to succumb but it might not happen as they mostly travel the route between Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
7. Intercity Xpress

This is from the same family as Eagle liner. Intercity is the more attractive brother who gets more attention because of their good looks but doesn't offer anything different to their sibling. I hate to admit that when I first saw this bus moving around town in P.E after making a drop off it caught my eye quickly because of the colours and it looked petite but we all know how looks can be deceiving, its almost similar to eagle liner.

The good thing is people will see you coming out of a beautiful bus and not suspect what the deuce went on in there.

6. APM(African People Mover). Looks quite presentable on the outside. Affordable

I've already written a review on this bus service last year which garnered interesting responses. I guess I expected more from a bus company that has the word 'African' in it. You can read the review here
African People Mover; Please brothers, you need to do better, I believe in you guys!

5. Translux

For those of you who know me personally and have had conversations where I was defending Translux, I take most of what I said back. I was young and ignorant back then but having tasted what good quality coaches feel like, I almost never want to see the inside of Translux again.
My relationship with Translux began in 2010 in my first year at University, I got left by one of their buses then they offered me a seat in one of their other coaches headed in the same direction, same day. I fell in love with that kind of service.  The drivers were also kind to offer me a blanket to use during the trip-this is where I was hooked.
 For the next 4 years or so Translux would be a saint in my eyes, they could do no wrong in my eyes, "they do me no wrong", I claimed, despite the fact that most of their coaches were infested with cockroaches, they drove at an overwhelming high speed for such large vehicles and their entertainment was wanting.

Translux is not the worst but it is not the best either, their service is average. The coaches are often clean if the cockroaches are on holiday. One thing I do like is that their drivers are more friendly than say, all the buses I've used mentioned in this post. They have etiquette when it comes to customer service during the trip.

4. Citiliner

I used this one for the first time about a month ago travelling from Pretoria to Mpumalanga. I was excited for the journey because I'd heard wonderful things about it, it is Greyhound's little sister after all therefore I expected quality service. Quality is what I got!. The coach was clean inside, the atmosphere was well ventilated so no odors were smelt!
Although the Coach that was designated to take us was late for the boarding then had mechanical problems, they sent another bus later and the trip was still satisfactory.

What I appreciated the most is that unlike other bus companies, they do notify their customers whenever the bus is delayed which saves us the trouble of pestering the ticket sales people about what's happening. This to me communicated one thing; Citiliner people respect their customers.

3. Eldo Coaches

 

The first time I heard of Eldo was in 2016, they were still relatively new in the market but I didn't trust them one bit until I was desperate. I had to go on a trip from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town this past December and I was looking for the cheapest ticket I could find and voila! there is Eldo, the strange bus i'd been trying to avoid for more than a year.
Just like any other bus service in South Africa, Eldo was late for boarding....I mean who can blame them, they also use African time. I got into the bus and my fears evaporated;
Their service was impressive. The drivers were warm & friendly, the  coach was tidy, there were charging portals, there was good entertainment and the speed felt safe and we arrived at the promised time to our destination.

For a company that hasn't been around for too long they are doing very well and I hope they will keep up their excellent service because I plan on travelling with them again in the future. I highly recommend them!

2. Intercape

I always joke about how these guys are 'ruining their testimony' because for a company that is open about their faith you'd expect excellent service in every manner. They are well-known for mechanical breakdowns which affect the duration of the trips and for years this alone clouded my judgement on the quality of their service.
 I would be in heated debates with my friends about which is better between Translux and Intercape and i'd be contending for Translux but after using Intercape from 2 years ago, it has become my Translux. The interior of the coaches is excellent. The two doors to exit with and lavatories really make the trip comfortable- not forgetting their excellent choice in DVD's. What gets me the most when i'm travelling with Intercape is the pre-recorded greeting&prayer they play at the end of each trip.
You do get your money's worth!


AND THE BEST BUS COMPANY GOES TO...............................???????????*Drumroll*

1. Greyhound (dreamliner)

Greyhound lives up to their promises, quality, luxury, safety...you name it...if you are looking for a cheap bus by all means go via #10 but you will miss everything that could be better about your travel. Greyhound offers excellent service through and through. Consider all the good qualities of the above mentioned buses combined; behold! you have Greyhound!
I mean they have business class seating in Dreamliner...! Impressive!

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are based on MY OWN personal experience with each company, if you feel you have differing opinions please leave them down below, the comments section is where we can argue :)