Frequently Asked Questions
This notice is to tell you about the settlement of a class action lawsuit, Matthew Peterson v. FlixBus, Inc., brought on behalf of consumers who purchased seat reservations for any FlixBus trip between January 12, 2020 and January 15, 2023, and who did not receive a refund of such seat reservation payment before January 15, 2023. You received this notice because you may be a member of the group of people affected, called the “class.” This notice gives you information about the case and tells you how to opt out if you don’t want to be part of it.
It is an important legal document, and we recommend that you read all of it. If you have questions or need assistance, please call (415) 484-0980, which is the number of the lawyers representing the Class.
Read this notice to understand the settlement and to determine if you are a class member. Then, decide which of these actions you want to take:
Options |
What each option means: |
| Do Nothing | You will receive a payment of approximately $<Award> that will be paid to the PayPal account associated with your email address. |
| Elect Form of Payment | Instead of having the approximately $<Award> sent to your PayPal account, you can elect to have payment made by either Venmo or by paper check by filling out information on this website |
| Opt Out | Get no payment. Allows you to bring another lawsuit against FlixBus about the same issues. |
| Object | Tell the Court why you don’t like the settlement. |
Read on to understand the specifics of the settlement and what each choice would mean for you.
Your deadline to object or opt out: March 7, 2025.
Settlement approval hearing: April 14, 2025 at 10:30 a.m.
Your deadline to elect a different form of payment: March 7, 2025.
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of consumers who purchased a seat reservation on FlixBus buses. The lawsuit claims that FlixBus sold, for an additional charge, seat reservations that could not be used on certain buses. The plaintiff claims that FlixBus had a practice of collecting payments for a service that could not be redeemed on certain buses, which violate California consumer protection laws.
FlixBus denies that it did anything wrong.
In October 2024, the parties agreed to settle, which means they have reached an agreement to resolve the lawsuit. Both sides want to avoid the cost and risk of continuing the case in court.
The settlement is for the consumer who brought the case and all members of the settlement class. The Court has not decided this case in favor of either side.
The Court will hold a Fairness Hearing to decide whether to approve the proposed settlement. The hearing will be held at:
Where: Spring Street Courthouse, Department 1, located at 312 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
When: 10:30 a.m. on April 14, 2025.
The Court has directed the parties to send you this notice about the proposed settlement. Because the settlement of a class action decides the rights of all members of the proposed class, the Court must give final approval to the settlement before it can take effect. Payments will only be made if the Court approves the settlement.
You don’t have to attend the hearing, but you may at your own expense. You may also ask the Court for permission to speak and express your opinion about the settlement. If the Court does not approve the settlement or the parties decide to end it, it will not take effect and the lawsuit will continue. The date of the hearing may change without further notice to members of the class.
FlixBus has agreed to pay $1,490,000.00 into a settlement fund. This money will be divided among the class members and will also be used to pay for costs and lawyer fees approved by the Court, and for the cost of administering this settlement. Members of the settlement class will “release” their claims as part of the settlement, which means they cannot sue FlixBus for the same issues and legal violations raised in this lawsuit. The full terms of the release can be found [here].
The settlement also provides for FlixBus changing its business practices. The full terms of FlixBus’s changes in business practices can be found on this website.
The settlement also provides $7,500.00 to the consumer who brought this lawsuit, Plaintiff Matthew Peterson, to compensate him for his work on the case. This is called a "service award."
If there is money left over after the claims and expenses are paid, it will be donated, in equal parts, to the National Consumer Law Center and the Consumer Federation of America.
If you purchased a seat reservation for any FlixBus trip between January 12, 2020 and January 15, 2023, and did not receive a refund of such seat reservation payment before January 15, 2023, you are part of this settlement.
If you are unsure of whether you are part of this settlement, contact the Settlement Administrator at 1-833-419-4225.
Your payment amount will depend on the amount of the lawyer fees, costs, and service payments approved by the Court. Your payment will be approximately $<Award>.
If you do nothing, a payment will be issued to the PayPal account associated with your email address. If you not do not have a PayPal account already created with your email address, PayPal will send an email asking you to create an account. If you do not have a PayPal account and do not create an account within 60 days, the money will be returned and sent to Venmo. If you do not claim the payment with Venmo within 60 days, will be donated, in equal parts, to the National Consumer Law Center and the Consumer Federation of America.
Alternatively, you can elect to have payment made directly to Venmo or to have a check mailed to you by clicking [here] and providing your information.
You have four options. You can stay in the settlement and receive payment by PayPal, you can elect to have payment made by Venmo or check, you can opt out of the settlement, you can object to the settlement, or you can do nothing. This chart shows how your rights are affected by each option:
In a class action, the court appoints lawyers to work on the case and represent the interests of all the class members. For this settlement, the Court has appointed the following lawyers.
Your lawyers: Christian Schreiber of Olivier & Schreiber PC and Elliot Conn of Conn Law, PC. These are the lawyers who negotiated this settlement on your behalf.
If you want to be represented by your own lawyer, you may hire one at your own expense.
Lawyers' fees and costs will be paid from the Settlement Fund. You will not have to pay the lawyers directly.
To date, your lawyers have not been paid any money for their work or the expenses that they have paid for the case. To pay for some of their time and risk in bringing this case without any guarantee of payment unless they were successful, your lawyers will request, as part of the final approval of this Settlement, that the Court approve a payment of up to $496,666.67 total in attorneys’ fees plus the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses of up to $30,000.00.
Lawyers' fees and expenses will only be awarded if approved by the Court as a fair and reasonable amount. You have the right to object to the lawyers' fees even if you think the settlement terms are fair.
Your lawyers will also ask the Court to approve a payment of $7,500.00 to the Class Representative for the time and effort he has contributed to the case. If approved by the Court, the Service Awards will be paid from the Settlement Fund.
You can opt out. If you do, you will not receive payment and cannot object to the settlement. However, you will not be bound or affected by anything that happens in this lawsuit and may be able to file your own case.
To opt out of the settlement, you must send the Settlement Administrator, by email or mail, a signed written Request for Exclusion not later than March 7, 2025 at:
FlixBus Class Action
Settlement Administrator
PO Box 301134
Los Angeles, CA 90030-1134
1-833-419-4225
Be sure to include your name, address, and email address or telephone number.
If you disagree with any part of the settlement (including the lawyers' fees) but don’t want to opt out, you may object. You must give reasons why you think the Court should not approve the settlement and say whether your objection applies to just you, a part of the class, or the entire class. The Court will consider your views. The Court can only approve or deny the settlement — it cannot change the terms of the settlement. You may, but don’t have to, hire your own lawyer to help you.
To object, you must send your written objections by email or mail to the Settlement Administrator not later than March 7, 2025 at:
FlixBus Class Action
Settlement Administrator
PO Box 301134
Los Angeles, CA 90030-1134
1-833-419-4225
If you fail to object by March 7, 2025, the Court will still hear from you if you attend the Final Approval Hearing and ask to speak regarding your objection.
This notice is a summary of the proposed settlement. The complete settlement with all its terms can be found on the Case Documents page on this website. To get a copy of the settlement agreement or get answers to your questions:
- contact your lawyer (information below)
- visit the case website at www.FlixbusSettlement.com.
- access the Court's eCourt Public Portal system or by visiting the clerk's office of the Court (address below)
Resource |
Contact Information |
| Case Website | www.FlixbusSettlement.com |
| Settlement Administrator |
FlixBus Class Action Settlement Administrator PO Box 301134 Los Angeles, CA 90030-1134 1-833-419-4225 [email protected] |
| Your Lawyers |
Olivier & Schreiber PC 475 14th Street, Suite 250 Oakland, California 94612 Tel: (415) 484-0980
Conn Law, PC 100 Bush Street, Suite 1580 San Francisco, CA 94104 Telephone: (415) 417-2780 |
| Court (DO NOT CONTACT) | Spring Street Courthouse 312 North Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 |