Go Bus — Local services in Luxor City

We were at the Go bus station, and we came 30 minutes earlier to make sure our tickets were OK. Since we bought tickets online for the 5pm bus from luxor to Hurghada. They checked my booking and told me my ticket was OK. 30 minutes later , ready for the 5pm bus to Hurghada,we were about to board the bus when the bus controller told us our names were not on the passenger manifest. so I was confused, and he told me to go back to the office to get the ticket printed out. I went back, and they said they couldn't see our tickets and that even if I had paid online, it's not confirmed by them, and I should either call the online agent or buy a new ticket couldn't place a call since I had no Egyptian no. I was with my 2 kids moving back and forth from the bus to the office and back and no one of them had the courtesy to just say, your ticket is not from Go bus but from EG bus. And I bet on my life and that of my kids that this was not the first time they had to deal with a situation like this. There were another 2 people with similar situations like me. As we were talking and asking questions , all they were interested in was for us to buy new tickets from them at the spot. With all the frustration and confusion, running out of time, I asked for they new ticket, they said they accept only cash. The nearest ATM was out of service, so I was left stranded , the bus left. After the bus left that's when I calmly asked again the bus controller if he can explain what really is the problem before e said, "The ticket was from another agency." EG Bus. Which is apparently 2 mint walk away from Go bus.

We went to EG bus and they confirmed my ticket but unfortunately we missed the 5pm bus from them. However, the agency Bookaway, which is the online site I bought the bus ticket from, organised a car for me 15mint later to take us to Hurghada.

Pay Attention If you have booked a ticket online from Luxor to Hurghada , online and you probably booked from a site called Bookaway , pay attention, your bus may be with EG Bus not Go- Bus. If you go to Go Bus, they will not tell you but force you to buy new tickets or you are left...

We took the Cairo to Luxor trip at 9 p.m. and the Luxor to Hurghada trip at 2:30 p.m. On the first trip, we were lucky to ask a local where to catch the bus, and he kindly helped us find the right one. Every time we stopped at a station, the lights would turn on, which was quite uncomfortable since it was a night trip. However, the air conditioning worked well, though it got a bit too cold at times. When it came to loading the luggage, they placed a numbered tag on the bags and gave us a matching one on our ticket so we could collect our luggage at the end of the journey. On the first trip, they asked for a tip after placing the tags, but someone with us said something, and we didn’t end up paying. On the second trip, they charged 20 pounds per bag. I refused to pay and threatened to call the police, but they started removing the tags, warning us that we wouldn’t be able to retrieve our bags. In the end, we had to pay the amount they demanded.

Interestingly, on the second trip, they didn’t even check the ticket tags when we picked up our luggage, which made the request for a tip in Luxor for simply placing the tag feel like pure extortion.

At one of the stops, they tried to charge me 10 dollars to use the bathroom. I’m not sure if it was a mistake and they meant 10 pounds, because 10 dollars is ridiculous. Also, on the second trip, the air conditioning didn’t work properly, and since the trip was at 2:30 p.m., the heat was unbearable.

In short, I do not recommend traveling with this company. To top it off, the driver was always on his phone with earphones in, drank soda, ate two chocolate croissants, and threw all the trash...

Go Bus is a really easy, comfortable, and inexpensive way to get from Luxor to Hurghada and vice versa (with bus "station"* situated near Luxor train station).

In our case, we didn't have return travel to Hurghada pre-booked as we didnt know when our tour would finish that day, so we turned up to the ticket office a bit last minute (on the day at 3 pm). Although probably not recommenand, if you are stuck/in a similar situation, Go Bus is worth a try even on the day before you go looking at expensive private transfer options!! We were pleasantly surprised as they still had tickets for both 5 pm and 7 pm Friday** buses (online info was a bit confusing, so worth going in person).

The coaches are so comfortable and spacious (with aircon, too). Our coach was not full, but even if it were, it would not feel overcrowded. I also liked how there were single seats, which looked perfect for solo travellers (on the bus we were on at least), and you get to select your seats at the ticket counter in advance, so no surprises! Great service!

(*It's more like a little booking office with buses parked around on the street; you could miss it if you're looking our for a traditional bus/coach station. **We were travelling in October, so in "shoulder season," I guess, and also worth remembering that Friday is like a Sunday in Egypt! So a few reasons why the bus was less...