****roach-Infested Bus Before Departure — Intercity Express Still Refused My Refund

I would strongly advise anyone considering travelling to Limpopo with Intercity Express to reconsider.

The company's website and the exterior appearance of its buses create a professional impression, but my experience once I boarded the bus was completely different.

I boarded the bus and took my seat while waiting for it to depart. Before the journey had even started, I began noticing ****roaches and other bugs around the seating area. Some were crawling on and around me, while others were moving towards passengers' belongings. I found myself constantly scratching and became extremely uncomfortable and disgusted by the conditions inside the bus.

The infestation was so severe that I decided to get off the bus before it departed. I therefore never travelled with Intercity Express on that trip.

This was particularly upsetting because I had planned to travel to Limpopo to attend the funeral of a long-time childhood friend. Instead of being able to continue with my journey, I had to abandon the trip because I could not reasonably be expected to sit for hours in a bus that appeared to be heavily infested with pests.

I had paid for a return ticket and requested a refund because I did not use the service at all. Despite explaining what had happened, Intercity Express refused to reimburse me and did not provide any meaningful assistance.

What concerned me further was their response that the bus would simply be cleaned. Given the extent of the infestation I witnessed, ordinary cleaning is not an adequate response. A bus in that condition requires proper pest-control treatment and fumigation before passengers are expected to use it again.

I find it unacceptable that a passenger can board a bus, encounter such unhygienic conditions before departure, decide not to travel because of those conditions, and then still be refused a refund.

I expected Intercity Express to investigate the matter properly, apologise for the inconvenience caused, address the condition of the bus, and refund the fare for a service that I was unable to use because of the condition of their vehicle.

Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Intercity Express unless the company urgently addresses the hygiene and pest-control conditions of its buses and improves the manner in which legitimate passenger complaints and refund requests are handled.

Disgruntled Customer

Ticket Number: ***