A complaint against a bus operator goes to the operator first, in writing, with the booking reference. Unresolved consumer complaints can then go to a consumer body.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not any of the companies listed here and cannot act on your behalf. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel with the right information in hand.
Who actually handles this
The operator, or the agent that sold you the ticket. Safety concerns about a vehicle or a driver are a different matter and should be raised with the operator immediately rather than through a general complaints process.
What to do, in order
- Complain to the operator in writing with the booking reference and the travel date.
- Be specific about what happened and when, including the departure point and the vehicle where relevant.
- Ask for a complaint reference number.
- Keep a short log of each contact.
- If unresolved, take the history to a consumer body.
What to have ready before you make contact
- The booking reference and travel date.
- The route and departure point.
- The complaint reference number.
- A short written history of each contact, with dates.
Verified long-distance bus operator routes
Every route in this table was taken from the organisation’s own official contact page and checked on 21 August 2026. Contact details change, so confirm on the official site before relying on one for anything urgent.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| Intercape 24 hour call centre and bookings | 021 380 4400 |
| Greyhound contact centre and bookings | 011 611 8000 |
| Citiliner contact centre and bookings | 011 611 8000 |
| Intercape queries and complaints email | [email protected] |
| Greyhound bookings email | [email protected] |
Who owns what when something goes wrong with a delivery or a journey
- The retailer, if you bought online, is who your contract is with. It owes you the goods, in the condition you paid for, at the address you gave. Which courier it chose is its arrangement, not your problem.
- The courier physically carries the parcel and is the party that can trace it. It works from the waybill number and generally caps its liability unless extra cover was bought.
- The operator, for a journey, runs the service and holds the booking, unless you booked through an agent, in which case the agent holds it and is usually the only party that can change it.
- A consumer body such as the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud takes unresolved consumer complaints, free of charge, once the supplier’s own process has been exhausted.
The most common dead end is being sent back and forth between a retailer and a courier. If you bought online, say plainly and in writing that your contract is with the retailer and that delivery is its obligation.
Common mistakes that cost time
- Raising a safety concern through a slow general complaints route instead of immediately.
- Complaining without the booking reference and travel date, which makes the journey hard to identify.
- Leaving it in a phone call with no written record.
- Approaching a consumer body before the operator has had a documented chance to resolve it.
If it is not resolved
The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud handles unresolved consumer complaints against participating suppliers, free of charge to the consumer. It also expects you to have gone through the supplier’s own complaints process first.
Escalation works on evidence. Keep a short written log of every contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the person you spoke to and the reference number you were given. Every formal complaints process asks for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| CGSO consumer complaints call centre | 0860 000 272 |
| CGSO WhatsApp | 081 335 3005 |
| CGSO general email | [email protected] |
Related contact pages
- Bus Company Complaints Contact Details
- Transport
- Nersa Complaints Contact Details
- Public Protector Contact Details Complaints
- Fnb Complaints Contact Details
- University Complaints Contact Details
- Uif Complaints Contact Details
- ContactDetails.co.za home
- How to verify a contact number before you use it
Frequently asked questions
What about a safety concern?
Raise it with the operator immediately rather than through a slow complaints route, and be specific about the vehicle, the date and the time.
Do I complain to the operator or the agent?
To whoever sold you the ticket in the first instance, and to the operator as well where the problem happened on the journey.
Is there a cost to complaining to a consumer body?
The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud is free to consumers.
The contact routes on this page were checked against each organisation’s official source on 21 August 2026. Where a detail has changed, the official source is always the authority.