SPOKANE, Wash. — A fast-growing, tech-friendly bus service offering rides from Spokane to other Pacific Northwest destinations has generated a lot of talk online.
The service launched in Spokane in mid-November, offering rides from Spokane to Seattle for as low as $9.99. Since then, it has transported hundreds of people between the two cities.
FlixBus also offers trips to Coeur d'Alene, Ellensburg, Eugene, Portland and Tacoma.
Prices are similar to airlines in that they can vary by day of the week and demand. The buses hold between 52-56 people, depending on the model.
KREM's Evan Noorani wanted an affordable way to travel from Spokane to Seattle on Monday. He decided to try FlixBus and shared his experience.
Noorani says the experience was mostly positive, with the bus arriving on time and plenty of seats available. His round-trip ticket from the Spokane Intermodal Center to Seattle cost $25.
"Staff is nice, bus is clean and new, and we're leaving on time!" he tweeted.
His bus was scheduled to arrive in Seattle just after 2 p.m. on Monday.
Noorani also praised the upbeat bus drivers.
"Wanda and Chaz are our bus divers and their spirits are high," he wrote. "Chaz and Wanda are very optimistic about the future of the eco-friendly and affordable service."
The ride to Seattle was quiet and smooth overall, Noorani said. He added that he was curious how the journey would be once the bus reached Snoqualmie Pass.
Noorani said the bus was passing through Moses Lake at about 10:30 a.m. before a stop in Ellensburg. Riders can get off the bus at the stop.
"We're making good time! 66 miles from Ellensburg and 172 from Seattle!" he said.
Passengers can also stay on the bus after it stops in Seattle if they are headed to Tacoma or Portland. Noorani said this is planned through the website, so everyone's starting and ending destinations are official.
Noorani said passengers can also pay a small extra fee to choose their seats.
The bus reached Ellensburg at about 11:30 a.m. on Monday and was running on time, Noorani said. Conditions seemed clear headed toward Snoqualmie Pass but the driver had chains for the bus if they were needed at any point.
More passengers boarded in Ellenburg but Noorani said the bus still had plenty of room remaining.
At about 1:10 p.m., Evan said the bus made it over the summit of Snoqualmie Pass. He said the driver drove like "a champ."
At about 2 p.m., Noorani made it to Seattle and said they were a few minutes early. He said he would recommend the bus service to anyone.
After it launched, some Spokane riders have complained about Flixbus' customer service since its launch.
A few KREM viewers sent in comments about their reservations to use the bus company again. Several other comments from Yelp.com showed similar concerns.
Flixbus said at the time that the company needed to iron out issues with its schedule.