Just back from Mallorca with a very mixed experience with
Hoppa. This isn’t meant to come over as a rant and perhaps should have seen this coming but is intended a potential warning for other users.
First off, I should state that I’ve used this service 3-4 times annually for years with mostly excellent service; occasional long waits at the airport and sometimes having to go through Acludia but mostly good - for the price. My parents use the service more than I do with again, mostly good service. I also used Transunion a couple of times last year when Hoppa were going through their ‘teething’ issues with the new service provider however after a year I expected them to have their act together, the price when booking made it too good to pass up and I’d heard promising reports from other users. However…
• Almost 80 min wait at PMI (max 45 min stated)
• We were 14th stop (max promised 10) and still people were on our bus when we departed
• Bus turned off at Inca –> Sineu -> Sta Margalida -> Can Picafort -> Acludia -> Pto Pollenca so slow back roads in the middle of the night with no explanation
• Dropped off 4 hours after checking in to Hoppa Desk
• Guys on our bus had booked ‘Speedy Shuttle’ (max 6 stops) and were the drop off before us. They were beyond livid.
When waiting at PMI I was close to walking off the bus a few times but always had the feeling that if I did, it would leave. My girlfriend was also very tired and was sleeping so didn’t want to disrupt her. At least the bus was new, clean and very comfortable but other people on that bus were already annoyed.
I should point out this was late on a Thursday night in April so not exactly a ‘peak’ time of the season but given there was over 10 people going to PP on this bus and >20 to to other destinations surely it would have made sense to lay on a separate shuttle for us and another for Can Picafort/ Alcudia? This is what used to happen; the old Urbis desk seemed to have a relationship with other bus companies when if you’d just missed a bus or were the only one going they would put you on another coach or (as happened to me a few times) put in a taxi or small minibus but the new Palma Coaches service does not seem to offer this or have as many coaches as their competitors.
I was initially going to cancel our return trip on Hoppa but decided to wait and see how early our pickup would be for the 10:40 flight home (partly to add to my complaint letter). Surprisingly we were given a 07:20 pickup time so decided we would go for this (having paid it already) and if it was clear the bus was going back via Alcudia or would be a long trip, would decline and take a taxi. On collection, we were the second to last pick up and 45 mins afterwards we were at the door of PMI however it was clear that there were people on that coach who had been there for a very long time already…
I will write to Hoppa to complain about the service we experienced but at the same time will praise the excellent return journey but the initial service from PMI is enough to put us off using them again and have already booked future trips this year with Transunion.
TLDR: Horrific journey out, perhaps should have known better. Return journey excellent but still booking Transunion for next trip.