firstbus.co.uk Reviews 

If zero stars was an option, I’d leave that. Shocking service in the potteries. Don’t believe I’ve ever caught a bus that’s run on time, and that’s when they show up at all.
Rude drivers with substandard driving skills too.
The only thing I will say, is they are consistently bad as their service has always been dire.
I wrote this as I wait in the cold as yet another bus hasn’t showed up

Disgraceful service by your drivers there attitude is terabile. I took I RA3 from Heathrow T2 to Watford Junction and both drivers where disgraceful on who the speak to the public they should be let go. Common respect is not what first bus is about. It's a hard truth get mananagement to undertake a audit they will see the problem.

I only have Worst Bus so when I use a bus (not often) its them. Every time I use them they cancel buses but offer no information - bus due in 2 mins for ever, then 'Delayed'. Then nothing, bus never shows. Why would anybody let these incompetent idiots provide a community service?

YN07 MKL on 24/09/26 in Fishponds at 17:20 has absolutely no idea how to drive, let alone be in charge of a bus. Forcing her way through single track roads with the worst judgement I’ve seen in my life, and then proceeding to drive in the middle of the road and not stopping for crossings or anyone else.

Many times I have been charged double on tap on . I made an official complaint, nothing happened , they don’t accept any.. it’s a organised scam!

This is the third time (3 nights in a row) the bus has not stopped at my bus stop (Hadfield Road stop). The drivers are in the wrong lane in the middle of the road and do not enter the lane where the bus stop is. You buy a return ticket and it is a waste of money. The government wonder why people don't use public transport.

Last week I got the 351 bus from Brentwood to Basildon Hospital. I paid for an adult single ticket.

3 stops in to the journey (still in Brentwood) the driver told us he could no longer continue the journey as he does not know the route and someone was meant to meet him at this stop to guide him but they haven’t shown up and he cant get hold of anyone.

He called management (he had them on loud speaker) and explained the situation to them and that he had requested a guide last week, the night before and the morning of and was assured someone would be available. He was told no one was coming and told to ask one of the customers if they know the route to guide him. This is appalling to expect customers to do the job of your company. No one onboard could help, so the manager advised him to tell us all to get off the bus and wait for the next one in an hours time.

I was told a refund for my ticket couldn’t be done on the bus and to contact the company direct and the driver gave me all the detailed needed. I had to then get an expensive Uber journey as I had a hospital appointment to attend so could not wait an hour for the next bus. Other customers also had to get Ubers.

I contacted First Buses who have refused to refund me for this service and will be pulling in their driver. This is disgusting customer service after an already terrible service. The driver is also not at fault, but this is another example of a big company showing no care to its staff, management was the issue! I feel for this driver and all the customers on this bus that First Buses cares so little about any of them!

Shocking service.

But it’s ok right because they gave me a free ticket to use on their service like I want to again after this!

Boarded a bus the number 90, on Byres Road at 1530 on Saturady the 5th of September with my Westie and was informed by the bus driver that there was another dog onboard (I have no knowledge of there ever being a rule 1 dog 1 bus) but I guess there must be one?
I expalined that my dog is well behaved and does not interact with other dogs and if necessary would lift her up as requested (I could not do this straight away as I was showing my bus pass)
Because I had the cheek to question him he demanded that I get off the bus because I "had a go". He was on a power trip and enjoyed putting us both of the bus (I have his picture to show it) He clearly does not like dogs.
I have NEVER in my entire life been put off a bus spoken to, or treated like this by anyone who works for a company.
So much for going green I will be taking my car from now on to avoid any more interactions with First bus who should all be sent on customer relations training.

The worst public transport provider. Shocking they've just got a contract to operate buses on the weaver network. I genuinely refuse to travel by bus because of these guys. The board says a bus is due, it never comes - if it does its always late. The drivers are absolutely miserable and look for reasons to scold you. Walk, run, cycle do anything else but get on a first bus.

While the actual service is OK, I'm afraid the app is awful. Doesn't load at all on Android, just a blank screen. Therefore no need for it to take up space on my phone. App deleted.

I would just like to let you know I had a great journey from Teddington to Kingston on Thursday 27 August.
The driver was so lovely - he did three kind deeds during my journey.
First, he waited for me as I was running for the bus at Princes Road stop.
Next: he allowed a passenger to quickly re-board bus to retrieve brolly at Teddington Lock.
Third good deed: driver asked passenger with walking frame how far he was going. I guess so he knew to lower the ramp at the time.

Agreed, these were quite simple acts of kindness, but rarely seen from bus drivers. I thanked him when I left the bus at Kingston Wood Street. A lady behind me said she was pleased I’d taken the time to do so. She agreed, and added that many passengers were nodding in agreement.
I don’t know driver’s name, but he deserves a big, huge THANK YOU and acknowledgement from your company. To help you identify him, the bus arrived Wood Street at 10.15am.

If there were a zero-star rating for First Bus, that is what I would give the service.
The public transport service across West Yorkshire, particularly in Leeds, has become extremely disappointing. Fares have increased, yet the service has not improved. Paying £6 for a day pass feels excessive when the service is so unreliable and, in some cases, the ticket may only be useful for a couple of journeys.
The evening service from around 6pm onwards is particularly poor, with long waiting times, delays, cancellations and buses failing to arrive when expected. It is frustrating to pay higher fares and still be left waiting at bus stops without reliable information or a dependable service.
I have also experienced poor customer service from some First Bus drivers, including rude and unhelpful behaviour. This seems particularly noticeable on routes 49, 50, 50A and 56, as well as some other services.
If bus fares are going to increase, passengers should at least be able to expect punctuality, reliability and respectful customer service in return. Increasing fares without providing a service that passengers can depend on is extremely frustrating.
In my experience, Leeds buses have become one of the most unreliable forms of public transport, with frequent cancellations, delays and poor punctuality. First Bus needs to seriously improve the service before asking passengers to pay even more. In the evenings the wait times should be improved for many buses to stop being hourly. It is frustrating to wait for a bus an hour. This is not an office job where bus drivers should decide to leave the office early. This is transport system i believe people travel all the time and need to flexibility.

Buses leave not when scheduled, but when drivers decide (scheduled to leave at 10pm? could leave at 9:55, or 10:05. Or on more then one occasion, never left at all and we had to wait for the next bus to arrive. we were at the station!)

Drivers often lack the ability to even pretend to care for their customers. Buses are TERRIBLY unclean! Almost always full of rubbish when I use them in the evenings. Most of the bell buttons don't work on the ones I regularly use, leading to many elderly people missing their stop entirely! And surprisingly often, the buses simply NEVER turn up!

When I attempted to make a proper complaint, their complaints process seems to be deliberately designed to either not have the correct option available, or not have a way to put in your own words the issue you had. And when finally I managed to get through their complaints system, SHOCKINGLY the website wouldn't progress to the submission section due to an 'ISSUE'...

Below is a copy of a letter to the CEO of first bus.
Sent 3 months ago, not even had an acknowledgment.
Don’t think it was unreasonable thing to ask.

21st May 2026
Dear Ms Bell,
I wish to complain regarding bus service 901, this is the school bus from the Notre Dame school in Norwich.
Each term I purchase a Student Explorer bus pass for my grandson. During half term he is able to use his pass on other services in Norfolk.
However during normal school holidays he is not able to do so. I think this is unfair for these young students.
I would be more than willing to purchase a yearly ticket in advance if you allowed usages all year round.
I have enquired at your office in Norwich, who informed me that they could not do it.
This to me seems quite unfair. So why can’t you allow our young kids to enjoy travel during normal school holidays,

Yours faithfully,

Ken Seager

Not often i complain but twice in a year i have been appalled but first solent drivers firstly one using the phone whilst in charge of the bus and most recently on Sunday 2nd of august leaving Fareham bus station at about 1pm on the sevice 9 the standard of driving falls way below the standard it should be firstly a female passenger rang the bell but the driver just sailed past the stop then he reversed about 100 meters back to the stop then when pulling away the bus was still in reverse gear and all passengers were violently throw forward then to make matters worse if that possible he missed the turning into Bramar Ave and need up in Pump Lane a very small not suited to a bus and with weight limit on he was asked to turn the bus around but refused and carried Not a good driver when he has peoples lives in his hands

I have a 2-hour bus ride home because my parents don’t drive, so I rely on public transport. Today I was waiting for my bus and checked the live map. The bus was frozen in the same place, but the app still said it would arrive in 5 minutes. I waited the full 5 minutes, and then nothing. The bus never showed up. It honestly feels like they just decide whether they want to turn up or not. It’s so frustrating, especially when you have a long journey home and no other way to get there. First Bus is honestly a joke

I have lived on Shadwell Lane in Leeds since 2019, and the 7S service has consistently been one of the most unreliable bus services I have ever used.

Buses are frequently late, cancelled without notice, or simply fail to arrive. This has been an ongoing problem for years, with little or no noticeable improvement.

I am a wheelchair user, so reliable public transport is not a luxury—it is essential. Every time the 7S is cancelled or fails to turn up, I risk missing medical appointments, work, shopping, and other important commitments. This level of service is completely unacceptable, especially for disabled passengers who depend on public transport for their independence.

It feels as though the Shadwell community has been forgotten. After more than six years of living here, I have lost confidence in First Bus. Passengers deserve a reliable and accessible service, not constant uncertainty every time they need to travel.

As a wheelchair user, I often have no practical alternative when the 7S fails to arrive. Being left stranded has a serious impact on my independence and daily life.

First Bus should stop making excuses and start providing the reliable and accessible public transport that passengers are paying for.

Very poor service. One star. I cannot recommend the 7S route to anyone.

Disabled passengers deserve better. We should not have to wonder whether we will be able to get home simply because the scheduled 7S bus never arrives.

X11 vanished yesterday I have to take a stroll from iport to town centre... Worst service ever

Shambles of a bus company, drivers are so rude, don't give you any change, don't give you your return ticket. App is useless, cannot be relied upon. They don't update their app when a bus stop is closed. You thank them at the end of your journey, and they don't even look at you.

Genuinely the worst bus company I’ve ever encountered in my entire life. Every single time without fail they arrive late. How is possible that I live next to a bus stop which is the literally third stop for the start of their route yet the bus arrives 20 or 30 minutes late. Then they charge me an insane amount for a standard this low. I’ve put the date of experience as the date today but I wish I could change that to the experience being every single day