EmberAvaliações 

I have mixed views about Ember bus services.

On the one hand, they have free WiFi, quite comfortable buses and drive a decent speed. Also, the frequency of services is quite decent. Their mission to decarbonise inter-city transport is laudable.

On the other hand, their payment system is unnecessarily punitive. I recently hoped to take an Ember bus spontaneously but was told by the driver that a ticket bought on the bus would be 100% more expensive, even if I used the contactless payment method. I tried buying online, inputting the very same card details to pay the ‘normal’ fare. The system did not allow it as we were quite close to departure (aka ‘computer says no’). This gives Ryanair vibes. I ended up not travelling with Ember and went with one of its many competitors, since there are many options on the routes that Ember services. I also lost some of the appreciation I had for this start-up and have since not travelled with Ember again.

This is a friendly request to Ember to reconsider their payment strategy. You lost a customer who was willing to pay, for no other reason that I would’ve paid via contactless for one of the remaining available seats. That can’t be in the interest of your business. I can see why you don’t like cash since this could delay departure of the bus. But a quick contactless tap should really not imply such punitive additional charges. Be nice!