On August 11th, 2024, a bus operated by Jadran ekspres departed from the central bus station in Podgorica, Montenegro, and the experience left many passengers frustrated and upset. The issues began at the bus station, where passengers were required to pay nearly 3 euros to print a ticket and cover additional commission fees. This unexpected cost caught many off guard, especially those with limited cash. To make matters worse, they had to withdraw money from an ATM at the station, incurring even more fees.
OPTION TRIP – Passengers were puzzled by the requirement to print a ticket when the ticket already had a barcode, leading many to feel that the extra charge was an unnecessary way to extract more money from them. This situation left them feeling exploited and taken advantage of.
The bus itself, which was supposed to be a straightforward journey, turned into a nightmare. The bus arrived in Podgorica at 13:15, which should leave the capital of Montenegro and to go to Albania’s city of Durres at 13:00, but the driver informed some passengers that there were no available seats, despite them holding valid tickets. This lack of communication left passengers feeling frustrated and in the dark about the situation.
Shortly after departure, the situation worsened. The bus stopped near the border, and the driver announced that the bus had broken down. Passengers were left stranded on a mountain for nearly five hours without water, waiting for a replacement bus, which eventually arrived at 18:00. What was supposed to be a straightforward trip turned into an ordeal, with passengers finally arriving in Durres, Albania, around 23:00, several hours later than the scheduled arrival time of 17:25.
The tickets were purchased through the intermediary getbybus.com, which has refused to assist the affected passengers, placing the blame solely on the carrier Jadran ekspres Međugorje in cooperation with Globtour Međugorje. Complaints have been filed with the Departments of Transport in Montenegro and Albania as passengers seek accountability for their ordeal.
Thank you for contacting us regarding this matter.
We are very sorry that you faced such an unpleasant situation. We have contacted the bus company operating on this route to inquire about what happened. The representative confirmed that the bus was overbooked. Please trust that we understand your frustration and we know this unpleasant situation is totally unacceptable as you had already purchased your ticket in advance.
Our company is just an intermediary in online ticket sales and we are just one of the sales outlets for the bus company. It appears that the bus carrier did not coordinate its sale with all of its partners, leading to more tickets being sold than there were seats available on the bus. The bus carrier is notified of each ticket sale on our webpage at the time of purchase, and therefore decides when the bus is fully booked and when to close the sale.
This is really unacceptable, and we completely understand your frustration. Unfortunately, our company cannot directly impact the quality of service, although we do our best to avoid unpleasant situations, but some things are unfortunately impossible to predict and prevent.
We will immediately contact the bus company regarding this issue.
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding!
Srdačan pozdrav/Kindest regards, Brigita. Customer Support Agent getbybus.com