6 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Booking Your Bus Ticket
Online booking has made purchasing bus tickets very comfortable. You can now plan your whole trip and make the payments just as easily with a few clicks. But this convenience and quickness of the process can sometimes make us forget to be careful. If you happen to make a small and simple mistake while booking your bus ticket, it could result in you having a terrible and expensive headache on your travel day.
They spot which may be denied boarding, or you may have to pay extra fees, and, in the worst case, you may miss your trip altogether. Before bus ticket confirming your next trip in a hurry, let’s first glance at the mistakes people typically commit and solutions for avoiding them with ease.
Not Double-Checking the Dates and Times
It is the most common and most irritating mistake by far. You are rushing, you pick your bus route, and proceed to book your bus ticket. Once at the airport, it dawns on you that your bus ticket is actually for another day, or even worse, for another month.
Another usual mistake is confusing “AM” with “PM”. A bus ticket for 7:00 PM, while you intended to travel at 7:00 AM, can really spoil your plans. Double, double, and double-check the date together with the exact time, even to the hour, prior to any payments of your bus ticket. Checking takes only five seconds, but it can rescue you from losing both your money and your trip.
Forgetting to Check the Luggage Allowance
While purchasing your bus ticket, you also consent to the bus operator’s terms of service, including rules regarding luggage. Lots of people believe that their bus tickets allow them to carry as many bags as they want. More often than not, it is not true. There are numerous companies, especially those in the budget sector, that impose very strict limits on the dimensions and weight of the bags people are allowed to carry free of charge.
If you come with a large suitcase, the high excess baggage fees may be the only “free” thing you get at the terminal. Just before you confirm your bus ticket booking, ask yourself if you have taken that one minute to look up and read the policy regarding luggage for that particular bus ticket.
Only Looking for the Cheapest Bus Ticket
Everyone is fond of a good bargain, but the lowest-priced bus ticket might not be the best option in terms of cost-effectiveness. Sometimes, a bus ticket that is far cheaper than others can catch your eye. However, what makes it so cheap? It can be an old and uncomfortable bus, the bus stops more often, thus the travel time is longer, or the bus operator has a bad reputation for being late and having frequent breakdowns, etc.
Before you go and book the lowest-priced bus ticket you encounter, it would be a wise decision to first check some up-to-date bus company reviews. At times, the money you save on buying a bus ticket from a disreputable operator may cost you the lack of safety, comfort, and punctuality, whereas the small difference in price can be worth it while buying from a reputable bus company.
Entering Incorrect Passenger Details
Bus tickets are formal travel documents, similar to airplane tickets.The name that appears on the bus ticket should be the same as the one on your personal identification (like an ID card or a passport). You might face difficulties if your name is misspelled, even if it is just slightly. In a situation like this, the bus staff has the right to deny you the bus if your identification does not correspond to the bus ticket.
Similarly, be sure that you always put the right email address and phone number. This is the way you get your bus ticket confirmation along with any important updates, such as a delay or departure point change. If a mistake is made here, you may not receive your bus ticket at all.
Not Understanding the Cancellation Policy
Plans, they do change. It is an inevitable fact of life. You may get sick, or your meeting may be rescheduled. You may think that you can simply cancel your bus ticket and get a refund in return. This is a very risky assumption. Every bus ticket comes with a cancellation policy, and it is usually very restrictive.
A large percentage of the cheapest, promotional tickets are totally non-refundable and non-changeable. In case you purchase such a bus ticket and your plans change, you will not get any of your money back. It is always a good idea to pay attention to the “Terms and Conditions” or “Cancellation Policy” before you make your payment. It will let you know exactly what happens if you have to cancel your bus ticket.
Conclusion
Booking your bus tickets from the comfort of your home or anywhere else is wonderful. Nevertheless, it is a fact that online bus ticket booking is a handy way, but it should not be done recklessly. By refraining from these mistakes, you will be able to travel without any inconvenience or nervousness.
Always keep an extra minute for your date. Double-check, take a look at the luggage and cancellation policy, and make sure that your name is correct. That little bit of care when purchasing your bus ticket is the only thing that ensures a great beginning of your journey.
