Our female reader asked us to publicize the matter. In an email to the editorial office, she wrote:

I would like to describe a short journey on PKS Lubań. I am deeply outraged by the way PKS and PKP customers are treated in Poland. I use these means of transport quite often, but nothing has upset me as much as the recent events. That is why I decided that similar situations should be reported more and more often, so that the “esteemed management” of these “corporations” would come to its senses and start employing competent people!

On December 27 last year, I had to get to Wrocław in time for a direct train to Kielce, which was leaving Wrocław Główny at 8 a.m. I decided to travel to Wrocław by PKS at 5:40 a.m. At the main bus station in Bolesławiec, punctually a bus marked “PKS Lubań” pulled in.

I took my seat. The bus left according to the timetable. However, I was surprised when, in Tomaszów Bolesławiecki, the driver pulled onto the shoulder. I assumed he was also picking up passengers there. Instead, the driver got out without saying a word!!! Five, 10, 15 minutes passed, after which two female passengers went out for a cigarette and learned from the driver that the bus had broken down.

I got off to speak with the driver, who “apparently” could not contact PKS in Lubań. I knew perfectly well that the next bus to Wrocław was leaving Bolesławiec at 5:55. I told the driver this, and he replied that he knew nothing about it! Meanwhile, my boyfriend had already called PKS Bolesławiec, which still knew nothing about the breakdown of “our” bus. At least 20 minutes had passed since the driver left the bus! During that time, no one had yet been informed about the breakdown!

I believe that if the driver had notified PKS Bolesławiec, the company might have stopped the next bus so that it could take us to Wrocław. I would like to point out that at least two female passengers had flights booked from Wrocław before noon!!!

The driver returned to the bus, and we could only turn back to Bolesławiec. I demanded a refund for the ticket. The driver replied that he could not give me any money and that I could report to PKS in Lubań. I lost my patience and asked for the money once again, telling him that it was unthinkable that he had got off the bus without informing us about the breakdown. I asked for his first and last name and for a statement that the bus had not gone to Wrocław. At that point, however, the driver returned my money.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I understand that a bus can break down, but the fact that the driver gets out and does not inform passengers of the situation, nor does he notify the nearest PKS station, is unthinkable! I do not know what happened next, as I returned home, from where my parents drove me to Legnica to catch a train to Kraków, and from there I made it to Kielce—several hours later.

My question to those managing PKS staff is: when will passengers finally be taken seriously?! When will you start training your staff in how they should behave and treat customers?! I would like to point out that PKS lost at least one passenger. I suggest you think about that.

PKS rejects the allegations

“The driver informed the passengers about the breakdown; he had to inform them,” claims the head of PKS Lubań’s transport department, who did not want to give her name. “Two people demanded their money back. The driver refunded it from his own pocket, although he should not have done so. After this incident, another person, a resident of Lubań, contacted us. We also refunded her ticket. We handled the matter as we should have.”

“The driver was upset. It would be difficult for him to smile at the passengers. The breakdown was not our fault. The weather conditions were terrible that day. The bus froze up,” explains the head of the transport department. “On behalf of the company, we apologize to the travelers.”

Passengers waited approximately 2.5 hours for a working bus to be provided. How many of our readers have had a similar experience? We invite you to join the discussion.

Share important information

One of our readers described her experience with PKS. If you also have important information, send an SMS, call, or email us. We guarantee anonymity.

(reader information)