I have had much experience with Jefferson Lines with 4 two way trips from Fargo to twin cities area as well as several trips my girlfriend has taken. We have not had a good record with this company. There is an overall lack of customer service (like non-existent) as we have had problems and tried to contact someone about it and not been able to to get through to someone. Last time I used Jefferson Lines my bag was garbed by mistake. I calling the baggage claim to see if the individual had turned in my bag and left as no one was there to answer the phone during normal business hours. I left a detailed message. They promptly never called me back. Ever. Classy. The first time my girlfriend used this service a driver called in sick. Only after waiting at the bus stop for an extended period of time did she relies no bus was coming. She called Jefferson Lines at which point they re-routed her on a 9+ hour bus ride through multiple cities far out of the way to make an easy 2 1/2 hour trip along an interstate from St. Cloud MN to Fargo a nightmare. Over a month ago my girlfriend booked a ticket to come spend the weekend with myself and my family on the only free weekend from school and marching band which happens to be on and around my birthday. The day before she was supposed to leave they sent her an email informing her that the bus route was canceled. There are also no alternative routes or other buses scheduled she could have used. I had to make two four hour round trips to pick her up and drop her off. As a public transportation service this is entirely unacceptable people should be able to rely on their buses coming on time, have simply adequate customer service, and having bus routes that are not canceled for no given reason. read more

Awful Service! I have had two different experiences with Jefferson lines in the Past. The most recent one was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. I had booked a bus ticket over a month in advance to see my boyfriend on his birthday. I recived a email a day before I was supposed to leave on this said trip that my bus was canceled for that day. I called in and they wouldn't even tell why my bus was canceled. They at least offered a refund for the tickets that I have booked a month in advance. You think that they would of at least canceled it with a week in advance so that I would of had time to prepare another way of getting to Saint Paul, No the day before I was supposed to go. I did get to see my boyfriend on his birthday, He came to pick me up instead. The first time that I used Jefferson lines was Noverber of my freshman year of college and the the trip to my house was great but the way back was horrible. The driver got sick and I had to take a 8 hour bus ride thru Minnesota back to Fargo with stops being made in Bemidji, MN and Grand Forks, ND. I WILL NEVER TAKE THIS BUS COMPANY AGAIN IN MY LIFE WITH THE SERVICE THAT I HAVE RECIVIED WITH BOTH OF THESE TRIPS. Trips that my boyfriend has resulted in him not getting duffle bag when he was going home for work. He was getting back to school and it was a colder day outside (At night as well), He had no winter coat on what so ever and he told me that his luggage was stolen on the way there. We will both not being using this bus company in the future from now on. read more

A veteran of our armed forces got STRANDED in the middle of nowhere in SD for THREE WEEKS. He had no money. He needed to get to a town that had bus service so I could send him a bus ticket to get home. He finally made it to a town $450.00 later (I wired him money) after FedEx failed to overnight ship a bus ticket. So, I had to get Jefferson to reissue the ticket. I bought it online and could not log in to change the travel date myself... Called Jefferson 800-451-5333 first time to change the day. Fine, no problems, and was not billed extra. Then, he had an emergency at home, he needed to get home today! I called 800-451-5333 to make another change, after not being able to make it online because I could not log in. Spoke to an agent named Sarah who was a piece of work from the get-go. She said I bought the ticket online, I had to make the changes online, she refused to help me. Of course I was livid, and under the stress of trying to get this vet HOME. I said she had to help because I could not log in online. She yet again refused to help, and said she was going to take the next caller. She HUNG UP ON ME. I called back, reiterated that I COULD NOT LOG INTO JEFFERSON SITE to make the change. I said it was AN EMERGENCY. She refused to help yet again! I said YOU HAVE to do this, this is an EMERGENCY. She said I will help you this one time, but I am BANNING YOU from any further help from us EVER AGAIN. If you buy a ticket online, you must make changes online...mind you, the first agent was calm, and nice, and gladly made the change in the ticket date. This agent Sarah, I believe based in Mason City IA, would not connect me to her supervisor. She said she was the only one there. Well, I guess that gives her the right to treat customers like dirt. She changed the date of the ticket for today, and charged the vet an extra $15.00 to make the change! Yeah, I was not happy. I finally got her to send the ticket to the motel where the vet was staying, and she reiterated, she was banning me from ever receiving help from them again~!!!!! Plus, the ticket she faxed out there, did not have the necessary bar code on the ticket, and it was useless without the BAR CODE. I will never, never, ever use Jefferson Lines again, and I am going to take my complaints to the top of this company and will give negative reviews wherever I can online. When she ended the conversation with "You are banned", I said I don't give an eff, I'll never use you again anyway. This was inexcusable behavior from a so-called professional especially when trying to help a veteran of our armed forces get out of a jam, who, by the way risked his life for trash like this girl. read more

The driver was great. But the company it's self needs to stop excepting greyhound tickets I have been told that I can't get on the bus because the ticket I baught was not correct even though I got it off the Jefferson lines website just eliminate greyhound as partner please read more

Awful. Almost my entire ride was horrible. Starting off, I was told I would have to pay $20 for a new ticket as I had misplaced mine. I understand that was my own fault, but what came next was awful. I was ultimately forced to buy an entire new ticket because they could not print my ticket. Then, about 40 minutes out from my destination, the bus broke down. The driver would not let us off to make other arrangements, and help did not come for about an hour. People missed connections and no accommodations were made. Will never use this service again. read more

never in a million years will i take this bus service. bus never showed up. waited 2 hours and called customer service who asked me to take the next bus which was 5 hours later. sure i will sit in the rain while i miss my flight. no apology. asked me to fill out the refund online. hope they run out of business very soon. read more

This company cuts corners in every way possible to make a buck. After taking this bus twice in the last two months I'm convinced the awful experiences I've had were not a fluke. The first time I took Jefferson lines from Madison to Minneapolis, it took what was supposed to be a 5 1/2 hour drive close to 9 hours! This was due to an inexperienced elderly driver who should not have been behind the wheel of a bus. The second time, traveling from Minneapolis to Madison I was surprised to find out that people on the bus with me had tickets for a completely different route. Instead of the Friday bus route( a 5 hour trip), they had tickets for the daily, 8 hour trip that stops numerous times. My ticket indicated we should arrive in Madison around 7:10 but because of all the unmentioned stops we did not arrive until 10pm. Additionally, the driver's GPS stopped working and people on the bus had to give directions! He announced this was his first time driving this route and had no idea where he needed to go. Thus Jefferson once again sent an inexperienced driver out , plus made the driver take an extended route that does not even exist on their bus schedule. On the return trip, our bus showed up damaged, and we had to wait 30 min before a Badger Bus arrived. We were able to make it back to Minneapolis in good time, however the driver only knew the route up until Lacrosse WI. With a bus filled with students, the driver skipped the University stop and went straight to the bus station, announcing that as the last stop. When no one got off, the driver claimed that the stop printed on everyone's ticket was not a scheduled stop and students were required to alert the driver if they need to get off there!!! After so many disaster trips, I recommend the Megabus for all travelling needs! The lack of management and driver training at Jefferson Lines is outrageous. Even worse, the State of Minnesota just hired the CEO of Jefferson Lines to be head of the Department of Transportation! Get ready for a few bridges to nowhere everyone! read more

Recently took Jefferson Lines round trip from Ames IA to Burnsville MN and back. Previous trips were fine but not this one. Bus was about 40 minutes late departing from Ames with no explanation. Quite a few young people boarded the bus in Ames, probably Iowa State students, and filled seats with their belongings instead of using luggage storage or overhead storage. Thus, I had difficulty finding a seat. I finally asked a young man if I could sit next to him. He didn't say yes but I sat down anyway. He took up as much space as he could and made it very uncomfortable. Then we arrived in Mason City where the driver got lost trying to find the bus stop. That put us another approx. 45 min. late. I then decided I had put up with my uncomfortable seat long enough and asked the driver if I could sit in one of the EIGHT seats she had blocked off at the front of the bus. She told me they were for her "personal comfort". What about passengers comfort??? Another passenger heard the conversation and offered to let me sit next to him for the rest of the trip. Apparently the driver doesn't know Jefferson rules of one seat if you pay for one, and EIGHT seats for personal comfort?? On a positive note, she did seem to be a good driver and managed to make up lost time so I arrived at my destination only about one hour late. My return trip was fine with a courteous driver who knew the rules and how to enforce them. He didn't need EIGHT seats for personal comfort. read more

I took a round trip from Minneapolis to Duluth and back. The trip to Duluth was fine; the bus was a standard coach with reclining seats and outlets. On the return leg of the trip, however, we ended up with a ridiculous "party bus" with flashing lights and seats running parallel to the bus interior (not kidding about this). That was odd enough, but the worst part was that its windows wouldn't stay shut and kept sliding about an inch or two open, letting cold air rush in for the entire 3-hour ride. The vehicle was showing clear signs of age, extremely rickety, loud, and the faulty windows forced everyone on board to wear winter coats and hats to stay warm. I wish I was making this up. You guys cannot use a vehicle like this for interstate travel. read more

I made a reservation with greyhound bus lines who in turn made a reservation with Jefferson bus lines. The bus ticket has 60 east broadway in Minneapolis on it. So I went to that address and it's the mall of Americas. The largest mall in the USA. This address was so ambiguous no one new where this company was. I walked around the mall looking for this bus until my apple watch registered that I put a full days exercise. Then I called the bus line and asked their customer service where the bus line located. It turned out not to at that address at all. I flew into Minneapolis to make that bus connection. Stranded in -12 degree weather. Buyer beware of these guys. read more

I just had a similar experience. Bought a ticket from Bloomington Minnesota to des Moines Iowa and the bus never showed up. Another poor girl was waiting and we both were screwed, I called the reservations line and they said that sometimes happens. Apparently buying a ticket doesn't mean that a bus will actually take you at the place and time you've reserved. What a scam - never again. read more

I was walking my dog at cedar and 11th st. at St. Paul around 6:30 pm. One of the Jefferson buses took a left turn from cedar to 11th st. and nearly run us over. The driver saw us and had a smile on her face and didn't slow down I have to run and yank my dog.It was very close.my dog was scared and myself as well. read more

On a long run from Michigan to Spokane, I was forced to put up with a driver who started at Rapid City, SC. to Billings. His name was Rob. This was very late at night. He was talking excessively loud with a passenger seated behind him for 3 hours straight. nobody could get any sleep. I finally spoke out by saying Don"t you guys ever shut up? He got on the loud speaker and tore into me big time...trying to provoke me so he could kick me off the bus, he threatened many times. For that reason, I am bound to spread the word and hopefully, this guy will lose his position. Don't they mentally screen their driver's? This guy would have never passed that test. read more

It is the second time Jefferson line cancel the bus. Without notifying. I am taking an international flight today and they just cancel the bus. leaving the passengers waiting until we call them. So, NEVER take Jefferson read more

I've taken Jefferson lines to and from Duluth/Twin Cities. This previous week I checked the schedule from St. Paul (Transfer Road) to Duluth and noted the time. I even called Jefferson to confirm that I did not need to buy a ticket in advance (because I wasn't sure what TC location I was leaving from); they assured me that I could buy a ticket *on the bus* at the Transfer Road stop in St. Paul. I was dropped off by friends; the bus never came. I called the Jefferson customer service line and was told that my stop was "temporarily discontinued." I pointed out that their website said it was a valid stop. Answer: "Well, yes, but the website is wrong; that stop is temporarily discontinued." This left me stranded in a crappy area of St. Paul with no bus leaving until the next morning. I had to pay for a taxi to MSP to catch the Skyline shuttle late at night and arrive in Duluth in the wee hours of the morning and then pay for another taxi to get home, and go to an all-day work meeting on 2 hours of sleep and possibly jeopardize my job due to my poor performance. Jefferson lines is a lying, horrible, incompetent substitute for Greyhound. Never again. read more

june 2nd brought ticket leaving Sioux city Ia at 10pm got there 8:oopm got to be 1030 checked tracking said unavailable bus never show up found out 11pm they cancelled bus due to break down had to get taxi and hotel file to get refund told me not liable for breakdowns so they are keeping my 198.50 said can use it up to one year but would be charge 20 dollars to reissue fee wish I could get paid and not do my job read more

I booked trips before and they canceled last minute without notice. Then I booked a separate trip and they canceled again. They say that I got the bad end of the stick and they can't guarantee anything. What kind of company sells bus tickets but never have their buses show up? If I really need to be in one place on that day, it really means that I need to be there on that day. If a bus breaks down then have another bus come shortly after or even later, but that will never happen. If you ever need to change ticket times you won't be able to do any of that online. It will have to be in person. Even when they say they will give you a refund, they won't because it's all credit based. You'll be forced to use this company once again. read more

Terrible experience travelling from Minneapolis to Rochester. The ticket and my booking was not clear that my trip from Albert Lea to Rochester was going to be via another bus company. As at 15 mins to departure, the other bus was not availble and by departure time, myself and the driver of the JF Lines I took from Minneapolis were wondering what happened. None of the companies took responsibilities and the JF Lines customer rep only stopped short of calling my mother a b***tch. I will say avoid if you have to, especially if you will be taking connecting trips. read more

I have never been treated so coldly, and with as much disrespect as I was treated by the customer service employees of Jefferson Lines. Today my suitcase was stolen on a trip from Madison to Minneapolis. The company offered me virtually no help in retrieving my suitcase. Note that I feel no apprehension in claiming that my suitcase was stolen seeing that it is a somewhat unique shade of purple and an innocent mistake on behalf of the perpetrator is doubtful. Furthermore, the name and contact information of the individual whom the bus driver had seen taking my suitcase is available to Jefferson Lines. I know that company policy restricts their personnel from imparting me this information. I am rendered thoroughly powerless in retrieving my stolen valuables because I did not tag my suitcase. The customer service representative claimed dismissively that a failed called to an unresponsive cell phone line is all she could do to help. Please keep in mind that at no point on the trip was I informed that I need to tag my bags. It was naive of me not to not know, however Jefferson Lines has been downright draconian in their approach to my situation. I understand that Jefferson lines legally has no liability. However, this is a thoroughly unsympathetic and callous way of treating their customers. It may be legally sound, but this is NOT a company one should bring their business to. read more

Please whatever you do try not to use Jefferson lines.I took one of our employees to Grand Forks bus station on 12-02-2011 at 7:40am.Like always the bus was late,so the lady who drove the bus was so rude and unfriendly that i was glad i was not on that bus.First she asked us for the ticket,so the guy start getting his papers out of a folder and she put her arms in the air telling him to hurry up.It"s not his fault she is late,then she asked for I D and as the guy start to open his jacket pocket for I D she took the ticket and pointed to a sentence on the ticket and said can't you read you have to have your I D ready when asked upon.I am sorry to put it in these words,but she was a real bitch.It is not our fault that she was late,she is the driver not us. read more

This was a terrible experience. The people on the bus all smoked, just got out of prison, or was on their way to the homeless shelter when they got off the bus. The seats we so small you were touching the person sitting next to you,and I'm a little person. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!! For a period of the trip people had to sit in the aisle because their were not enough seats. If you are a respectable individual who likes to travel with an ounce of dignity please don't take a Jefferson Lines bus. read more

I rode them down to Sioux Falls . from Minneapolis, very awesome, paid for ticket at counter. Did the express bus. it was cool for me. It took 4 hrs. saved alot of money. read more

My daughter bought a ticket to get to college becuase she needed to get on a van the next day to attend a seminar in Chicago. The trip included one transfer. The original bus was late, causing her to miss the transfer. Jeffereson got her a cab to the Minneaplois Airport to catch a different bus. Upon getting to the airport, that bus was gone as well. We called Jeffereson Lines to be told she can use the ticket tomorrow, but they offered no means of getting her to her location today. If we wanted to travel tomorrow, we would have bought a ticket for tomorrow. So there she is at the airport and is supposed to wait for the bus that comes in 20 hours? Come on! Customer service offered credit to use at a later date. I requested a full refund , which they agreed to. (we will see if it arrives). Bottom line is spend the extra $20 for a reliable bus ride. Not worth the hassle! read more

My rating is manifestly negative. Not only did they over-charge me, but failed to wake me when the agent said he would, so I missed my departure, and now insult me with no one to talk to or name of person to submit the ticket which was not used because I had to rent a car to complete my trip in time. read more

email I sent to jefferson lines. I will add an extended review if I HAVE to use their services. I recently purchased a ticket through one of your agents. I am currently living on the road with my fiances' company and they usually work in small towns. When I need to make a trip home it is usually hard because of the locations I need to depart from. I have used everything from trains, planes and buses to travel but I know that I would rather pay the extra for a plane ticket before using your services. First of all the operator that book my ticket was very rude and behaved as though I was wasting her time. Ex: I advised her that I would be departing from a town that I wasn't familiar with but she didn't even give me general information like the address of the bus station. When I asked her about a possibility of needing to change the ticket because my fiances' job may move us to another town before my departure date or before my ticket arrived, she told me that the ticket could be changed by me paying and additional $20 fee and giving the bus driver my confirmation number. Well I called in today and spoke with the same operator, I'm assuming, since she was just as rude and impatient. She told me that it wouldn't be possible under no circumstances to change the departure location and had nothing to say as if that was just the end of the whole conversation. If I had known it would be a problem I would have just bought a plane ticket since they are changeable or purchased a refundable ticket. I will more than likely have to pay for another ticket but if I can't find another bus service other than yours I will just be purchasing a plane or train ticket. I feel if your bus drivers are as rude as your operators and as unfriendly as your customer service policy I would rather spend the extra to avoid them all together. Patrina Satfield (not Fatfeild as my ticket says) read more

While traveling to visit family, I booked a ticket over the phone which had to be refunded because the woman mistakenly made the ticket from the downtown center instead of the airport- no big deal but I was never told that if going from the airport I had to take Land to Air first. Land to air picks up at ground transportation and Jefferson picks up at the bus terminal which requires a quick ride on the tram from the terminal- the location of pick up was confirmed by two information counter individuals. So after waiting on the phone for 5min I talked to an individual from Jefferson bus lines and discovered I wasn't in the right location, she argued with me that I was and was not able to give me directions from the airport. I tried to explain that I was never told I needed to take a separate bus line first- how would one know if they bought a ticket for Jefferson Lines? I called again because once I got to Land to Air they had no record of me with my confirmation number. The woman told me no supervisor was available, she repeatedly interrupted me and argued to me that the locations were the same- Even though I just did the route and again, where Jefferson picks up by the city bus lines is a completely different location than from where Land to Air picks up at the terminal. The woman repeatedly interrupted me, insisted the locations were the same and hung up on me. I never was able to explain that when booking a bus ticket over the phone it would be helpful to have directions from the airport and if having to use another bus line the customer needs to know. I work in customer service and service to individuals at the highest level as member of the armed forces for 14years, I've never experienced this level of disrespect and never do you argue with the customer who is in need of help. Unfortunately I don't have the woman's name and it is a disgrace to treat people the way she did. read more

This last week my Husband and sister road on this bus line.It was our first and last time.Very disgusting ,the ride to our destination,was the worst, the bus was not at all like the pictures you put out there for people to see.no internet service and no plug ins that work.My husband has a sea pack and did not have a plug in to use his machine at night..We brought out lap tops but could not use.and then the bathrooms on the bus,WOW,I am glad I did not have to use them to much.the toilet seat was half gone and no place to wash hands after wards .not even a sanitiizer to use. and the bus stops in Kansas was so dirty,do you have and body to come in to clean these places.,at least on the way back home at least the chairs looked like your pictures,and my husband did find 1 plug in that worked.and the bathroom on the bus was still dirty and no sanitizer again,and no internet again.and out of toilet paper during the whole trip back..You need to change you web site because it is not at all like you put out there. I know I will never ride the bus again. read more

I purchased a bus ticket for my 86 year old mother-in-law from Maple Grove, MN to Moorhead, MN. First, I attempted to get the ticket online, but the online system was down for several hours. I then called, went through several rounds of their automated answering service, and 45 minutes later got connected to a harassed rep who finally helped with the ticket. On the day of the journey, we arrived 25 minutes early and the bus showed up 90 (yes, NINETY) minutes late. I called Jefferson three times during the wait (and endured MORE rounds of their INFERNAL automated system), to be told the bus should be there in a half hour. They could have texted, called or emailed with delay information--but why would they care? When the bus finally arrived, the driver was rude to the nicest old person there is--was angry at her that she didn't have her ticket out and in hand (who would, after a ninety minute wait?). On the way home, the passenger in front of her was obviously odd as he talked LOUDLY to himself the entire 5 hour ride home and the driver did nothing to address the problem. I was frankly scared that I had put her on a bus with such terrible service but had no other way to get her back home. Never again!! read more

I will avoid ever using Jefferson Lines again! This is the first review I ever write because I don't usually feel a need to express negative opinions, but this is the second morning in a row that I have pulled my three little kids out of bed to take our guest to catch their bus from Blaine to Duluth and it has been delayed both times. Yesterday after not seeing a bus I called and they told me they werent sure if a bus was even going to duluth that day! They said to call back in an hour. At exactly an hour I called again and was told that there was a bus going after all and it was to leave minneapolis in 15 minutes and stop by Blaine in about 45 minutes, but they really couldn't give me an exact time. So we went again, no bus! I called again and then was told that the bus checked in and out of Blaine about 45 minutes ago!! So they gave me the wrong departure information and we missed it! The options the gave me were to leave from minneapolis at noon or wait till the next day. So like I said, here we are the next morning and again, no bus. I tracked the bus on their website and found it was delayed half an hour. It finally showed up. All I can say is thank goodness we didn't have anything urgent to get to and flexible schedules, but their lack of professionalism and unreliable timing will definitely keep me from ever recommending this company to anyone! read more

Their bus tracker sucks and there's no one to talk to after hours. The bus was supposed to be at my stop at 9:20 PM, but it was late. So my friend that was dropping me off pulled up the bus tracker to see how late it was going to be. "Oh, only 20 minutes late? No biggie." 20 minutes later, the bus tracker has updated the ETA to be 20 minutes in the future of that time. Repeat this process until 2 hours has passed and the bus finally arrives (not at the estimated time, either; just a random time). I tried to call nearly every single stop that was listed on the route, and was only able to speak to one person--a gas station employee who had no idea about the routes or their progress. It would be helpful to have a bus tracker that actually tracked progress and when it doesn't know when the bus will arrive TO ACTUALLY EXPRESS THAT (perhaps it could say, "ETA unknown due to bus malfunction. Please call 555-555-5555 for more details.") It would also be helpful to have at least 1 person staffed during unusual business hours (yes, including overnights) so that they can explain to customers why they have to wait, what's being done to fix the problem, etc. I seriously never write reviews; I consider myself Miss Nice Customer who understands when things go wrong, but this was just ridiculous. It would have been much more tolerable if I would have known what was going on or was at least able to talk to somebody. I will be calling to request a refund. read more

Be VERY VERY careful in using this bus service, the driver/s will tell you they will leave at one time and leave even earlier then the scheduled time, leaving you stranded. They have left 8 passengers stranded my son included today in Fargo North Dakota station. The only thing they will do is get them on a bus for tomorrow. Meanwhile everything of their's is on that bus, no food, no accommodations, nothing, a BIG FAT nothing. I called the station and they can't pickup a phone to save there lives, I called the National call center and they could only repeat what they told the passengers.The rep at the call center was rude, as the station rep was rude to the passengers, and they have no care for others. They seem to only care about collecting that money and covering up their employees mistake to save face. I only put 1 star on this review just to be able to post this. If they would have negative stars I would of put -5 stars for this company. read more