How To Use Busbud To Purchase Bus Tickets

Last Updated on June 15, 2021 by Snezana Grcak

As a well-known travel website and an app, Busbud allows you to search, compare, and book intercity bus tickets. It’s one of the platforms with the largest coverage—you may use it to book a bus ticket in North America, South America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa! Wondering how to find and compare bus ticket prices? Don’t sweat it! Shuttle Fare will guide you through the Busbud booking process and inform you of all the relevant details. Discover Busbud’s partners, ticket information, and customer reviews!

Busbud Bus Partners

Busbud has partnered with countless bus companies across the world to provide you with a wide range of options! Based on your departure point and destination, the website will offer a list of all available bus operators in your region. Some of the most popular transportation companies available on Busbud are in the list below.

FlixbusTrailways
Peter Pan Bus LinesBarons Bus
Jefferson LinesOuiBus/BlaBlaBus
GreyhoundBoltBus
Transportes del NorteRedCoach

How Does Busbud Work?

Like other similar platforms—including GetByBus and Rome2Rio—Busbud has a simple reservation process. Its home page leads you straight to the form you need to fill out to see all your transfer options. Here’s how it looks like:

After you enter all the details—the origin, destination, date, and number of passengers—Busbud will provide you with a listing of all transportation providers available on that day. You will see which bus companies offer transfers, pick-up/drop-off locations, ticket prices, and other details. Go through the list to find the most suitable ride:

Some tickets can be reserved directly through Busbud, while other companies require booking on their websites. If you wish to book a Flixbus ticket, you have to do it on its official website, and Busbud will lead you to it. On the other hand, if you choose a bus operator like Peter Pan Bus or Greyhound, click on the Select button to get to the next step:

Enter your contact information and go through your trip details one more time to make sure all the details are accurate. If you have a Busbud discount code, don’t forget to use it! Then, pay for your ticket via PayPal, or tap Use Another Payment Method to get to the final step. Type in your billing information and upgrade your booking for an extra $3.17 if you wish to get a refundable ticket! Finally, click on Pay to confirm your reservation.

How To Find a Cheap Bus Ticket

To get the best deal and the lowest price, Busbud suggests doing the research and choosing your bus provider wisely! Here are a few tips that will help you minimize your travel costs:

  • Book a ticket as early as possible
  • Choose a departure during off-peak hours—Sunday afternoon departures tend to be the most expensive ones
  • Look for BoltBus or Greyhound Bus special deals—they often offer a few seats for as low as $1
  • Go through the entire list before you opt for the most suitable transfer

Busbud App

Unlike apps provided by some other bus companies like Terravision Bus, Busbud offers a functional phone app. Download it on Google Play or App Store. We did notice a significant difference in reviews on these stores—Android users seem to have had a much better experience with Busbud. The App Store has a much lower number of reviews, though. Anyway, the booking process is the same as on the website—follow the simple steps to reserve your ticket easily. 

Popular Routes and Fares

Wondering what will be the price of your ticket? We looked into the most popular Busbud routes and rates—check them out below to discover the average bus ticket prices:

Bus RouteAverage Bus Fare
Los Angeles to San Diego$21
Seattle to Portland$27
Orlando to Miami$28
Dallas to Houston$30
New York to Boston$36
Miami to Tampa$40
Los Angeles to Phoenix$60
New York to Buffalo$68

Busbud Reviews

After going through countless customer reviews, we detected a great number of both positive and negative comments. Travelers are satisfied with the efficient website, painless booking procedure, and a variety of options, but many passengers had issues with refunds or extra charges! The refund process doesn’t always depend on Busbud, and we have to cut them some slack for that, but they should definitely improve the Customer Support service. A number of travelers couldn’t reach out to the Busbud Customer Service or haven’t got a response in due time. However, based on the latest reviews, the app seems to have been improving.

Overall

Even though Busbud gives you an easy way of comparing and booking bus tickets, it sometimes fails to meet all customers’ expectations. Purchase a bus ticket via Busbud only when you’re sure that your plans won’t change because you probably won’t get a refund upon cancellation. Alternatively, use it to compare all the prices but then turn to the official bus provider’s website for booking. For any additional questions, don’t hesitate to send an email to Busbud at [email protected]. As another option, you may look into Wanderu, which offers similar services but has notably better reviews.

Feel free to check out Shuttle Fare’s other articles, such as our guides to TripperBus and Megabus services. We analyze transportation websites and companies to help you get the best experience and have a hassle-free trip!