Los precios son accesibles, pero el servicio aun deben pulirlo mas y mejorar las lineas de buses. Mejorar el sistema de reservas y respetar los lugares que se compran con anticipacion.
I like KIng Quality not only for the chairs and food services, but also because the have a person checking on every body status. I have seen how they help persons with problems on traveling, they have a emergeny kit for helping people.
The drivers apparently have some deal with some customs/immigration guys to extort customers sometimes. So if you have any minor immigration flaws, like being a day late which is usually overlooked, or you have 3 cell phones or something, take the other bus lines.
I think that KQ has recently rebranded as Platinum (http://platinumcentroamerica.com). I took the Platinum service from Managua to Guatemala City, leaving at 3am and arriving 90 minutes earlier than scheduled at 7.30pm. The first leg, to San Salvador, was on what looked like a brand new vehicle; smart, spacious, comfortable and clean, with films, working WiFi and two toilets. There was an hour's wait in San Salvador before we left on an older bus, shabby on the outside but comfortable enough inside. The whole journey was smooth and the staff pleasant and helpful. The terminals are nothing special but they are safe. Food is adequate.I bought my ticket, for $88, at the agency at the very helpful Hostal Hamacas in Granada.
Good buses. The first leg from San Jose to Managua was only about 6-7 hours but left at like 4 AM. Bus not very full. Restroom was clean but small. Managua to San Salvador was more like 11+ hours (maybe 15 - it seemed like it) and long for a bus ride, esp. with 2 border stops. I think the restroom was out of order. On both trips the meal was really bad fast food. First one was from BK and like an egg mcmuffin but seemed like it had been made 3 days before and left out to get hard and stale. On the 2nd ride it was something else because it was lunchtime but also not so good. So bring your own food but other than this I'd use KQ again, and will.
I have taken King Quality several times on visa runs from Nicaragua to Costa Rica. Due to the tickets being higher than other buslines, there is very few people on the bus, a nice bonus...this ensures you will have your seat row to yourself. The a/c is very strong so bring a jacket. They serve meals, snacks, and beverages, and if you want something you just have to ask. The buses have always been clean and new, and the bathrooms spotless. They stay pretty well on time, by Nica standards, leaving within an hour of their scheduled departure. They make it a breeze to go through customs at the border, and so far have always delivered luggage safely. Would highly suggest this for single women travelers, who dont want anyone to hassle them on their bus ride.
...and sure it was pretty late too.we took the bus from managua to tegucigalpa and weren't to thrilled about the aspect of arriving there late anyway. what we didn't know was that the bus we were so happy to secure the last 2 tickets on did not start in managua but came all the way from costa rica. so a 3 hour delay was not all to surprising. what we also weren't told was that we were to change buses midway.we made it over the border, of course were made to pay a 7usd fee when there should be none and arrived at some hotel where some people got off after the stewardess told them to. mind you, she's got the passengers manifest, the ticket stubs and she asked every one on the bus where they were going. she even talked to my friend after coming back on the bus after that stop and was told again that we were going to tegucigalpa. still, she went back to the drivers cabin and off they took. just to stop 15 min later smack in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, yelling at us for still being there. then it took her and the driver another 15 min to flag down someone to take us back to the bus stop or that is what we assumed as they did not really bother to talk to us. well until the only guy who stopped asked for 15 usd and the girl wanted us to pay for it as she claimed it was our fault that we stayed on. at least that we did not do. we got in the very old truck and were taken back. not to the hotel, not really anywhere. the guy had no idea where to take us as it showed, the bus to tegucigalpa was never called to wait for us and the truck was ways to slow to have a chance to catch up with the bus. there wasn't enough fuel either. so after an unpleasant 30 min ride he stop at a very much closed fuel station and told us we had to get out, he could not take us anywhere anymore.in the end we were lucky that a family running a fruit stall nearby helped us to find a room to stay the night. a room by the way usually paid by the hour. the whole episode is so preposterous, i won't even bother with the fact that we never got a blanket or a pillow. i'd like a refund but i guess that is out of the question. what's left is the hope that you will stay away from king quality if you can!!
Bus trip on " King Quality"Guatemala City to Managua via San Salvador. Aug 31,2013$79.00 cc's accepted at their office in GCFirst leg: superior comfort, equipment and service (5 star)Second leg: poor on all counts (2 stars) Because the second leg is three times as long as the first, 2 stars carry the day.Left 7:00 AMVery nice, modern bus with stewardess. Bus was 1/3 full.Service as on an airplane: Water, coffee, sodas served on request and are included in the price of the ticket, b-fast sandwich (frijoles and egg) served as we left GC. Pillows and blankets are distributed in the first hour of the journey which is good - as many others have said, the A/C works well! Coffee and cookies were served about 2 hours into the tripMovies started immediately. Speed is under 100kph, gentle...CIVILIZED in comparison to Chicken Busses or Alamo/ADN (etc) pullman busses b/t GC and Xela. This is a pleasant, restful, ride.9:30. We passed uneventfully through the El Salvadorian border, which took about 30 minutes and was handled by the Stewardess, who collected passports. Money changers abound and offer a dreadful rates...half what the bank would give.11:30. Arrive at bus terminal. Disembark. Submit passport and tickets at the check-in counter. They are returned a while later w/immigration forms for Honduras and Nica. Complete them. While waiting, I walked down the street and had a tasty burrito at a restaurant called "Soccer." The currency in El Salvador is US dollars; the burrito was $2.45. I'd suggest that it is fine to leave the terminal area to grab a bite to eat, letting someone...like the guard at the entrance know what you're up to. I had fun talking with the guards and bus washers.1:20. PM. Left terminal in a dated double decker that smells like mold. Bus 2/3 full. 5:20. Honduras customs. Fees totaling $17 for entry of non-C.A. citizens into Honduras and Nicaragua. We pay the steward and give him the immigration forms for both countries. El Salvadorian immigration comes on to check passports against passenger manifest. On the road again at 5:45. Now the trip is starting to feel long. The service is poor/ the steward is unattentive, so I help myself to water or soda. No movies since the first one three hours ago.8:50. Nica border. Needed to clear the bus, walk a bit, have all luggage inspected. Moving again an hour later. Steward showed up to feed us a sandwich for dinner at 10:15...we were all very hungry by then.Expected arrival time now 1:00.11:15. Breakdown. Driver coasts to an abrupt stop on side of the road, Engine not working.11:45. Going again. Fingers crossed.2:05AM arrived at the King Quality terminal which is across from the Inter Plaza centro commercial.
We checked the lonely planet and then King quality's website for bus times from Tegucigalpa to Managua and planned to get the 05:30 bus.We turned up very early in the morning to book a ticket and were told abruptly no we couldn't buy a ticket, we asked why and were told that the route was closed and only Ticabus went now,despite a big poster with the routes on advertised, we were simply told it was incorrect,so was the website.no apology given. We took the Ticabus at 09:30 and it was fine, but we got the last seats so try and book in advance if you can as its the only bus.
I took King Quality to Nicarauga from El Salvador. the service was slow and the attendant worked with the border immigration to charge some passengers a fee to pass through.