Big Bus Tours New York Reviews 4,568

TrustScore 2 out of 5

1.9

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Would NOT advice! You get a folder that says the bus goes every 30 minutes, later we got told, no it is every 1 hour and when you try to get on it, it is full, so you have to wait another hour. Which... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Positive: application that shows location of busses. Negative: in summer on upper level you burn in sun and lower level you cook in heat and don't see anything due to windows that do not open and... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Buses overcrowded. Ok if you want to sit inside downstairs and see nothing. Often queuing for long periods whilst buses come and go. Audio system inadequate and failed. Bus terminated on its route... See more

Company replied

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

2 days; 2 Adults & 2 Teens: 360USD. The experience did not live up to expectations, an outdated not service oriented experience! Sellers standing at route-stops generally 'sales-aggressive'. Drive... See more

Company details

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Discover one of the most iconic cities in the world with our incredible Big Bus Tour of New York City. See all of the famous New York attractions, from the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty, in the comfort of one of our open-top buses. Don't miss the highlights of our hop-on, hop-off Day Tour. We have 3 great routes spanning the best neighborhoods, including Downtown, Uptown and Brooklyn. Our spectacular Night Tour lets you experience the city that never sleeps, showcasing the beautiful illuminations of Times Square, 5th Avenue and the Manhattan skyline. We have a variety of great tickets and packages to choose from, so you can make the most of your trip to the Big Apple. Our Big Adventure Pass gives you the choice of 2 or 3-day bus passes, with free admission to your choice of top New York attractions included, such as Madame Tussauds and the Statue of Liberty.


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1.9

Poor

TrustScore 2 out of 5

5K reviews

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Rated 4 out of 5 stars

NYC red & blue line

I rode the red and blue (downtown & uptown) routes in early June. I had one frustrating thing. Before visiting NYC, I had contacted the Big Bus Tours customer desk to check whether I could ride an entire route (from the 1st stop to last) and continue riding for a few more stops (so I could transfer to the other line smoothly). Customer service said it was possible, and I could continue sitting, and the tour will continue. Wrong. At the last stop, all passengers must leave the bus because the staff will take a break. I wish customer service knew how things work at the site.
The tour itself was excellent. The female guide of our red route was very knowledgable but spoke too fast. "To the right is ***, to the left is ***. That's the ***" It was hard to tell which building she was referring to. But overall, I loved it. If you're sitting through the entire route, I suggest you bring cushions for comfort.

June 19, 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Arrogant staff at 42nd St. Office. Not worth the hassle, beware.

Extremely arrogant, ignorant and EXTREMELY unhelpful staff at their 42nd St, Office. Can't believe, I had to 'force' them to help me as I had purchased a New York Pass (Another one to avoid) to be used on my mobile for that day. The e-mail was NEVER received, yet I have a purchase reference, the instructions stated I could go to Big Bus to retrieve the pass AND to get the Big Bus access. Well, if I did, wow I was told to wait up to 2 HOURS for the e-mail ???? I only had the ONE day and had bought the ticket for instant MOBILE access. Anyway, to cut a VERY frustrating and VERY long story short, he gave me the required access code for the app and off I went, only to find out I HAD to come back again to have the SAME person print out the bus tickets for me. What a clown and COMPLETELY unhelpful person. I hope he enjoyed his day DUPING customers. NEVER AGAIN. Stay way, they will play games with you.

June 18, 2019
Unprompted review
Big Bus Tours New York logo

Reply from Big Bus Tours New York

Good Afternoon Clive,

We apologize for any confusion, in regards to your detailed description, It seems you were speaking of NY Pass representative. It is their policy that a customer must wait around 2 hours (but up to 24 hours) for this code for security purposes. We do not have access to get these codes on our system.

Also, for mobile passes, we are unable to fulfill the order as a physical pass as it was a mobile order requested. In this instance, our agent would not be able to issue the customer anything on our end, other than the bus ticket which the guest first would need the code (as mentioned above) to be able to retrieve their pass for us to scan. Regardless, we hope you were able to enjoy the rest of your New York trip.

Kind Regards,
BBTNY

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

2 day ticket

Just back from 5 days in New York. Bought the 2 day pass that included the liberty cruise and night tour. Can honestly say I was the best thing I did. So easy to jump on and off. Saw everything and never waited for more than 5 minutes for a bus. The night tour was amazing. Bought the tickets in UK before we went so cheaper. Just showed them on the first bus and they swapped it for the real tickets. No hassle at all. Liberty cruise was stunning. Staff fantastic.

June 14, 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We loved the experience

We loved the experience! I took my granddaughter for her 13th birthday. And brought her mom along also. We loved the Big Bus and had so much fun. We got to see so much of New York that we would not have if we hadn't ridden the bus. Everyone should experience New York this way!

June 11, 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great trip

The buses were clean, frequent at pick ups and the guides were fun and knowledgeable.

June 9, 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

It appeared a few of the employees gave…

It appeared a few of the employees gave out misinformatiom about madam toussant wax museum tour I was told I could attend for free only to be turned around feeling embarssed

Some of the employees did not know times of statue of liberty sailing employees also in told us that we could walk from lower manhattan to the circle line tour. We were informed it was a 10 minute walk away, an to just to follow the water along West Street
Overall all worker were friendly

May 30, 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Downtown tour was farrr better than…

Downtown tour was farrr better than uptown tour. Took a ride on 21/05/19 morning for downtown. Loadsss of sights to see on this tour and handy tips given by guide. Best to do a bus tour on your first or second day of your trip so you get a feel of the area and where you could potentially visit etc. Shout out to Chinaza Okeke who works at the stops, really guided and welcomed us on. Another shout out to John Harkins who did the commentary for the tour. Very informative, great sense of humour and truly loved his job from my perspective, left a tip too !!!!. Could make it a bit simpler in collecting tickets for New york Pass users, having everything in one location.
On the other hand Uptown tour is very boring, not much to see and not as exciting as downtown in my opinion.

May 28, 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Very difficult process trying to get on…

Very difficult process trying to get on the bus. We were waiting at a stop for 45 minutes, no bus. Called and was told to go down the street to a different bus. Went. Tried to get on a bus. There was no one there to scan our purchased tickets. Had to get off the bus and go to another location to get the actual printed ticket. All in all we wasted at least 2 hours. Very frustrating. Once you're on the bus, its a nice experience. But good luck getting on.

May 28, 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A great way to explore the city and…

A great way to explore the city and jump on and off for the attractions. Our group thoroughly enjoyed the commentary given by the tour guides( especially SHERWOOD- his knowledge, professional and attentive approach, humour, clear voice was amazing- make sure you jump on to his bus!!) Thank you so much Sherwood ! .
Also, must say these drivers are skilled at route planning and adapting to road closures, vehicle handling and smooth use of the controls. Definitely recommended Big Bus.

May 26, 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Buses overcrowded

Buses overcrowded. Ok if you want to sit inside downstairs and see nothing. Often queuing for long periods whilst buses come and go.
Audio system inadequate and failed. Bus terminated on its route and kicked off roadside at bus stop to wait another bus.
Expensive price for poor service.

May 26, 2019
Unprompted review
Big Bus Tours New York logo

Reply from Big Bus Tours New York

Good Afternoon Aaron Gallavan,

We apologize for the difficulties you've endured while trying to board your tour. Unfortunately, due to ongoing construction, we have encountered some delays and higher than normal traffic and route changes. We only close stops when we are mandated to by the Department of Transportation, we abide by all rules and regulations set forth on us. Whenever we do need to make changes to our routes, these closures are posted on our website and app under “Service Information”. The advertisements on the windows are made keeping guests vision in mind, and we are sorry if yours was altered in any way. Our mechanics, are working strenuously to remedy the issues with audio. None the less, we thank you for your feedback and we hope this incident doesn't deter you from touring with us again.

Kind Regards,
BBTNY

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

It’s ok

If you don’t want to walk, it’s ok. The Brooklyn route and the night tour are kind of disappointed. Except for the bridge there’s nothing else to see. The red route is ok.

May 25, 2019
Unprompted review

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