An Observer Review

When the 4:38 a.m. text message from Amtrak said my trip to Portland was cancelled because the Empire Builders’ Train 27 had broken down in Spokane, it was FlixBus to the rescue. If my husband and I wanted to make the appointments that had been scheduled for months, FlixBus was our best option.

The Observer reported last January that FlixBus had started offering service from Pasco and can now report that the service deserves five stars!

After the crack-of-dawn message, I quickly went online and found that the FlixBus website was easy to use. The one bus to Portland left at 2:30 p.m. from the Pasco Intermodal Station – otherwise known as the Amtrak Station. Seat selection was simple, and I decided to pay an extra $10.46 each for two “panoramic” seats on the front row. Our total fare came to $97.95. A quick check indicated that prices weren’t the same every day; they varied between $30 to $50 a trip.

When we arrived by Uber at the train station about 10 to 15 people were already waiting. A few said they had originally been scheduled on the train.

Passengers can leave their cars in the intermodal station parking lot. Signs in the lot include a phone number to call to provide a license plate number and the days the car will be parked there.

Before boarding and heading to their pre-selected, assigned seats, passengers arranged their suitcases under the bus. My husband and I each had a change of clothing in small bags. Mine easily sat on the floor beside me but my husband put his bag in an overhead compartment.

The bus held about 56 passengers in 14 rows with two seats on each side. At the end of the corridor of seats was the bathroom.

The views of the gorge from the front-row seats were worth the extra $10.46 to me, but my husband had a different opinion. From his aisle seat, the sunscreen in the top of the window to shield the driver below us obscured part of his view out of the front. Both seats, although comfortable, had a bit less legroom because there was a bulkhead in front of us.

The rules of the road from the bus driver

Anyone who read the Observer’s January announcement that FlixBus has begun service from Pasco knows that I had one serious question about it – the potty!!! The trip to Portland is four hours and there are no toilet breaks. FlixBus makes it clear that riders must use the onboard bathroom. I worried – how clean was that facility?

To my relief, after all of the passengers were in their seats, the bus driver addressed the issue head on.  All riders must “sit” on the toilet, he announced.

So off we went. The wind in the gorge was howling with up to 45 mph gusts. The driver managed to keep the big vehicle between the lines while courteously yielding to other drivers entering the highway. His driving skills definitely earned A+. 

When I complimented him at the end of the trip, he laughed, “Well, I’ll be hit first.”

Five-minute stops and a bathroom inspection

First stop: The Dalles. The bus driver called first dibs on the bathroom during the five-minute break. Then we were off to Hood River to drop off a passenger.

When the bus hit the I-84/I-205 backup at the split in Portland, I decided that it was time to inspect the bathroom. After all, I needed to report back to Tri-Cities Observer readers. I’m happy to say that the other passengers had obeyed the rule and the bathroom was in pretty good shape. There was no sink but hand sanitizer was available. The numerous grab bars were also helpful in the bouncing bus.

Bus arrives in Portland

The bus arrived in Portland at an area just north of Union Station shortly after 6:30 p.m. The next leg of the trip was Portland to Seattle at 7:15 p.m. Passengers for that trip were waiting.

The return trip to Pasco left the next day at 9:15 a.m.

Bus to Seattle

FlixBus also has a 2:10 p.m. direct bus to Seattle which arrives at the bus station there at 6:35 p.m. and continues on to stop at the University of Washington at 7:05 p.m. The one-way prices vary from around $30 up to $75.

If you want to go to SeaTac, about a $40 cab ride will take you there from the bus station in 17 minutes.

The only FlixBus from Pasco that stops at SeaTac is the one that goes to Portland first and arrives at the airport at 10:20 p.m.

Unless you’ve booked a redeye flight or a hotel, taking the bus to SeaTac doesn’t seem to work.

Amtrak and FlixBus offer great options.

Between the train and the bus transportation options, I can’t imagine that we’ll be driving to Portland very often from now on. The only thing I’ll miss is the halibut sandwich and chocolate shake at Burgerville in The Dalles.