Traveling is a delight, but it can turn into a nightmare if you buy the wrong bus ticket, miss your schedule or even not be able to access your trip. Therefore, if you are going to travel for work or pleasure, you need to choose the platform you are going to use carefully.
O Technology Refugee already made an individual tutorial on the platforms ClickBus, Buser and Quero Passagem. Now, I'm going to break them down and help you choose which one is best for you.
Here's what we're evaluating:
- destinations served
- Payment methods
- Ease of Use
- Which one sells the cheapest bus ticket?
- Benefits
- Cancellation and refund
- Companies on Reclame Aqui
destinations served
In terms of destinations served, Quero Passagem offers the most options – around 6 in total. The platform covers not only municipalities but also smaller locations. Next, we have ClickBus, around 1,9 locations, and finally, Buser, around 900 destinations.
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Payment methods
In terms of payment methods, the three companies offer payment by Pix, which is currently the Spanish people's favorite option.
But if we look at the panorama, the one with the most variety is ClickBus. In total, there are five ways to pay for the ticket: Pix, bank transfer, credit card (six flags accepted), Mercado Pago and PayPal - these last two ways are only available via the website. Then comes Quero Passagem (four types) and Buser (three types).
For those who are fans of Mercado Pago, however, it is good to be aware of Quero Passagem. This is because the company presents conflicting information on the website – the option appears on the home page, but it is not available when buying a bus ticket.
Another relevant point is that if we are only considering credit cards, Buser is the one that offers the most options, 15 accepted brands.
Ease of Use
All three companies have an easy-to-use app and website. However, Buser manages to be the best among them. This is because it offers an immersive user experience in its mobile responsive PWA version. That is, you don't need to install the app to be able to use the service.
Another differential of Buser is the possibility of booking tickets via WhatsApp. In addition, this year the company started to make available the function to catch buses in real time. Thus, the passenger can know the exact time the vehicle will arrive at the departure location.
I will only make a few important reservations regarding boarding and disembarking. Because it works with conventional companies, boarding and disembarking on ClickBus and Quero Passagem are done at conventional bus stations and points. When it's time to stop, you'll know if you should pick up the ticket at the bus company's counter or if you can only board the ticket on your cell phone or printed.
On Buser, boarding is done at a specific point, which is usually not at a bus station. But, the disembarkation can be flexible (as long as the driver agrees to stop at the place). Be aware at the time of the stop to find out if you should pick up your ticket in advance or if you can only board a photo ID.
Which one sells the cheapest bus ticket?
Undoubtedly, Buser is the one that sells the cheapest bus ticket. In a simulation, the same origin and destination, same type of seat and at a similar time, the price is less than half of that offered by competitors – even if we add the service fee:
Interesting to note that I simulated the same journey on ClickBus and Quero Passagem. However, the total amount for the second company is 22% more expensive, including a higher service fee and mandatory additional insurance.
Benefits
regarding benefits, companies tie. ClickBus and Buser are best for those who need a discount for today, as they both offer their own selection of discounts on tickets. In addition, ClickBus has discount coupons within its own platform and Buser has a refer and earn program.
Quero Passagem, on the other hand, can be designed for those who travel a lot. The company is the only one of the three that has a loyalty program, Rodomilhas, in which you accumulate points and can exchange them for discounts on tickets. However, only purchases through the app are worth points.
Cancellation and refund
All three companies have a clear cancellation policy on their website. However, I will analyze the following variables: when will your trip be, where will you depart from (because each state in Brazil has autonomy to determine when the cancellation will be made), the cancellation request is made and if there is a full refund of the ticket value .
Analyzing these four aspects, Buser is the winner in this topic. The only variables that matter to this company are when your trip will be and whether it is operated by partners or bus companies – the limit is 1 hour for partner companies and 3 hours for others. You order through the website or app and receive the full amount of your ticket.
ClickBus and Quero Passagem are quite bureaucratic. Quero Passagem facilitates cancellation through self-service on the website, but informs several cases in which cancellation will not be made (see here). ClickBus, in addition to having a slower cancellation system (many buttons to click), also has the same restrictions – despite informing that in cases where the passenger does not respect the cancellation period, it will be up to the transport company to decide. Lastly, both companies do not refund the service fee.
As for refunds, Buser and Quero Passagem are transparent in their policies – see the information on the companies' websites in the help or service section. ClickBus, on the other hand, does not have clarification on this topic in the Frequently Asked Questions.
Companies on Reclame Aqui
Quero Passagem is the best company in terms of customer service. It is the only one of the three that received the RA 1000 seal, from Reclame Aqui, in 2020 and 2021. It is also the company with the least number of complaints among the three:
It is important to remember that we are measuring performance on the same platform and that a lower number of complaints can mean that the company works well. However, it would be necessary to know how many tickets each one sells annually to really know if those who sell more tickets have more or fewer complaints.
In second place is ClickBus customer service, a positive highlight in all indicators. Buser, on the other hand, has more complaints and, despite responding to all of them, it has a lower consumer score.
Conclusion
In my ranking, the winner is Buser by 1 point difference:
Now, if we are going to take my experience into account, I must say that of the three I only used Quero Passagem. Unfortunately, I tried to travel to Buser once, but I couldn't travel to the destination I wanted – despite the option appearing on the website.
Do you agree or disagree with the result? Leave your impressions and experience in the entries. Thus, you help to choose the best company to buy a bus ticket.
