I Missed My Ride: Not So ‘Direct Bus’ Andorra

Not So ‘Direct Bus’ Andorra is part of the Gold Medal Trip Report.

I have been forever paranoid about missing a flight (see Boarding Announcement Paranoia). I am terrified of being caught on a train without a ticket (see “Tickets, Please, Tickets”: Train Anxiety). And I am scared that I will take the wrong bus or, worse still, miss the bus completely.

To prevent Travel Lesson posts from accumulating, I purposefully and strategically researched the bus from Barcelona to Andorra. I came across Direct Bus. For 60 euros, I could easily and without hassle reach another country on my list (see Where I’ve Been).

I took note that the bus picks up at Terminal 2 and scheduled my Bolt to make sure I arrived with plenty of time to spare. Upon arrival, I went to the information desk to double-check the location of the bus stop. She confirmed that it was out the doors to the right.

Unfortunately, there were no signs that said Direct Bus. As the minutes ticked along, I became concerned. Not wanting to be idle, I asked multiple bus drivers. Both said I was in the right spot.

With the pickup time moments away, I made use of the Direct Bus WhatsApp contact. Here’s what I was told.

Assured that I was in the right place and that the bus was there, I waited past the pick-up time and assumed that maybe the bus was running late.

A few minutes later, a Direct Bus arrived. I thought this was it. When I went to board, the driver said that he was not going to Andorra and that my bus had already left. I tried to explain that I had been here the entire time but he said ‘se fue’ and that was the end.

Outraged, I called Direct Bus and the agent tried to convince me that I missed the bus and that I would have to wait two hours for another one.

I could have gone home but decided to book with another company, Andbus, hoping it would show up.

Overall
There is no Travel Lesson to be learned. The bus did not show up. I am not crazy.