Student Agency buses - basic and important questions

Discussion in 'Travel Tips & Advice' started by S2kDriver, Sep 9, 2005.

  1. S2kDriver

    S2kDriver Well-Known Member

    I'll be visiting Brno from Sept 11 - Sept 19 and I've decided to try out the Student Agency buses as suggested to me by other posters.

    1. I went to their website, couldn't understand it, but I did navigate to their schedules via the drop down on the home page. I assume Praha is like the city center and Ruzyne is the name of the international airport in Praha? So am I correct in understanding that it takes 3.5 hours (as indicated by the schedules) from the airport to Brno and vice-versa as well?

    2. Also, someone said (I believe it was "Jeff") reservations aren't possible without special arrangements. If I don't make reservations, do the buses normally fill up? Is it ok to just show up and expect to get on the bus at the time I want, most of the time? Or should I get there 2 or 3 time slots before the one I want, to ensure I won't be late to my destination?

    3. About luggage - I'll be bringing along lots of lugguge pieces that are quite huge. Are the luggage compartments underneath the bus, accessible from the outside on the side of the bus? Or do I have to try to fit these inside the bus?

    4. Are the seats assigned or do you just sit anywhere there is room?

    5. After I land in Prague, do I have to walk a ways or take a shuttle to get to the Student Agency building/booth? Or is it something I really can't miss coming out of the terminal gate? And do the people at the booth speak fluent English and are friendly or do they snarl at you if you don't speak Czech? :)

    6. And lastly - the end stopping points (airport and Brno) - do they only stop at only one location at the airport and one location in Brno? If they stop multiple times at the airport and Brno, it might get confusing. And if want to get to Brno from the airport, I don't get off at the Praha city center stop, right?

    TIA - hope this post and those 6 points help others too.
     
  2. Dana

    Dana Well-Known Member

    You are correct. Praha means the Florenc bus station in the center of Prague, Ruzyně is the Prague international airport. According to the schedules, it takes 3.5 hours from the Prague airport to Brno and vice versa.

    In red letters on the SA site: "Rezervace je možná pouze v případě, že máte zajištěnou Otevřenou nebo Kreditovou jízdenku s dostatečným kreditem!" ("Reservations are only possible if you have an Open Ticket or a Credit Ticket with enough credit on it!") These tickets only make sense if you're going to use SA often enough. For one-time trips, you can't make a reservation but can just show up at their booth. I can't say if the buses normally fill up since I've only taken the bus once. I think it depends on the day of the week and the time of day. Jeff and I went to Brno from Florenc on a Monday morning and we were able to get on the bus by just showing up. If you can't get on the first bus, you will probably (no guarantee) be able to get on the next one. If you can't, I suggest you get to the Florenc bus station (see how) and take a bus from there. There are LOTS of direct buses that go to Brno from there and all of them take about 2.5 hours. Go to www.idos.cz to look up schedules.

    There are luggage compartments underneath the bus, accessible from the outside on the side of the bus. This is quite common on long-distance bus lines.

    There are assigned seats.

    I haven't taken the bus from the airport, so I don't know where their booth is there. I would think it would be pretty visible and within walking distance. It may even be inside the arrivals terminal where all the car rental etc. booths are - not sure. I think the people at the booths probably all speak English to some extent as these are young people who probably had English at school. I understand that SA prides itself in customer service, so I wouldn't expect anyone snarling at me for any reason! If they do, fill out the customer satisfaction form on their site.

    There is only one stopping point in Brno, at the Hotel Grand bus station. That's where the line ends/starts. It must be the same at the airport. The Prague airport isn't big enough to justify multiple stops. If you're traveling from the airport to Brno, I assume you simply stay on the bus at Florenc. There is a stewardess on every bus, so I'm sure she'll make it clear and you can always ask her questions right on the bus.

    A few notes about my experience:

    Student Agency advertises that all their buses have toilets inside. Don't rely on it. The bus we were on did not have a toilet! (And the toilets at the Florenc bus station are some of the grossest I've ever seen - the Florenc metro is a better option.) The coffee machine on the bus was broken, so no hot drinks were served. It was a bright, sunny day, therefore it was hard to decipher things on the little TV screens. The bus was airconditioned and the ride was smooth and comfortable, which is nothing unusual with some Czech private bus companies these days. All in all, it was a nice bus ride but my expectations had been built up too high. I wouldn't go out of my way to use SA again (we didn't on the way back to Prague). Of course if you need to get to Brno from the Prague airport, SA is obviously a great option since they take you all the way in both directions.

    If you do end up using Student Agency, please post about your experience here afterwards. It would be interesting to know what you thought.

    Have a good trip!

    Dana
     
  3. Malnik

    Malnik Well-Known Member

    We've used Student Agency busses a few times and found them excellent. We are lucky - my wife is Czech and the website is no problem.
    Always had toilets - never used them though, my mum always said go before you leave!
    Always had a movie - albeit sometimes no English subtitles - but thats my problem.
    Luckily now we can get Ryanair to Brno so we can be in Mother-in-laws flat 4.5 hours after leaving home here in UK.

    Do the other busses still operate? We got other companies before Student Agency began but the price was cheaper with them so we switched. I get the idea that they want to bankrupt the others and i worry they will then put the price up.

    Mal
     
  4. Sova

    Sova Well-Known Member

    Maybe the Czechs are learning the ways of capitalism after all ...
     
  5. Dana

    Dana Well-Known Member

    We paid 150 Kč per ticket with Student Agency and it was more than some of the other buses. E.g. Tourbus (another direct Prague - Brno express) charges 135 Kč and makes it to Brno in 2 hrs. 15 min. They even have a special for 95 Kč on Wednesdays and every 6th ticket for 1 Kč. :) Bors Břeclav charges 140 Kč, Krodos Bus Kroměříž also 140 Kč, First Transport Lines Prostějov 125 Kč. Then some others cost more, up to 200 Kč, so SA seems to be somewhere in the middle.

    There are a number of bus companies that go from Prague to Brno, often on the way to other destinations in Moravia and Slovakia. The Český národní expres that was the first one operating the direct Prague - Brno express line doesn't seem to go to Brno anymore.

    But what about all those free hot drinks you can get on the bus? ;) Like I said, we didn't have that problem luckily.
     
  6. S2kDriver

    S2kDriver Well-Known Member

    Wow - thanks for the detailed and lengthy reply. Yes, will appraise with feedback later on.
     
  7. Malnik

    Malnik Well-Known Member

    I'm impressed with Tourbus, always was. Good offers.
    My own choice would be to go with one of the others if it was close to price and my travel times.
    I'm not a fan of Student Agency....but thats another story.

    The amazing thing is the increase in seat numbers available. They must be filling them.

    Mal
     
  8. S2kDriver

    S2kDriver Well-Known Member

    Unfortunately, I didn't get to ride on the bus, so I have no review to give. I was forced to take the cab to and from Brno (I know, it cost 4,000 kc each way) due to time constraints. One of the cab drivers told me his main job is driving Student Agency buses.
     
  9. Krysicka

    Krysicka New Member

    I took the SA from Brno to Prague on the morning of the 18 October. It was exactly 9am and the bus was set to leave as I was waiting in the que to purchase a ticket. However, the stewardess had asked for those wishing to leave at 9:00 to board immediately. Not wanting to stand in the cold at the bus station an hour to wait for the next bus, I went aboard and took my seat. The young lady simply collected my 150 Kč somewhere after the 1st hour of the ride. Hot beverages were served and a movie on DVD played (English subtitles), but I used the time to catch up on my reading. The bus got to the Florenc station in less than 3 hours. A comfortable ride from beginning to end!
     
  10. player1

    player1 Active Member

    "And do the people at the booth speak fluent English and are friendly or do they snarl at you if you don't speak Czech?"


    :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: ...if you're worried about that, dont even come here in the first place! Even if you DO speak czech, they'll still snarl - that's czech "customer service!" :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
     
  11. Student Agency bus is no where near as good as Capital Express.
    They are friendly and helpful. Try them out.
     
  12. chewjoel

    chewjoel Member

    Is there any website of these bus companies where I can check the price, schedule and even make reservation online? Ehm... in English version, of course. I tried to ask about buses to Hungary in the Student Agency counter in Brno, and I was told there is no bus to Hungary while it was stated in the brochures they'll have buses to Hungary from 1.2.2006. So I tried the website but hmm... I can't understand one single word there.
     
  13. brook

    brook Well-Known Member

    Haha, yes... the scowls and snarls can be a bit offputting, but don't let it ruin your experience. :) Just remember not everyone is like that - there really are some nice people in the CR!

    Regarding the buses... I took several buses between Prague and Brno when I was there, can't remember the name of the lines tho - been too long. Anyway, it was a much more pleasant experience than taking the train (there are some experiences I can do without - waiting in Prague's main train station is one of them!) plus it was cheaper and faster. I would recommend trying to buy your ticket a little bit early - sometimes the buses can fill up fast. If you are last, you may end up standing up the whole way like I saw some people do (2 1/2 hrs standing on a bus - eek!). Also, the bus station in Brno is right near the city center, so you shouldn't have any problems getting to where you need to go once you arrive. Depending on where you're staying you can probably just hop on a tram and be on your way.
     
  14. Matej_CZ

    Matej_CZ Member

    to chewjoel:

    On Student Agency website click on "Jizdenky" (bus tickets), then "SA Madarsko" (SA Hungary) and then "Jizdni rad" is schedule and "Cenik" is pricelist. In the "Jizdni rad" section there is now message: "Omlouvame se klientum, start linky do Madarska bude posunut. Sledujte tuto stranku pro dalsi informace." = "We apologise to clients, the start of the line will be postponed. Check the information on the website."

    If you want to go to Budapest from Praha, you can use Eurolines buses (www.eurolines.cz or .com), train connection (which is very expensive) or mixed solution Praha - Bratislava by bus and Bratislava - Budapest by train, which could be the cheapest. I have written about this in different post.
     

Share This Page