Yes. Yellow Bus belongs to Carris, the public company that runs Lisbon's buses and trams, so you are dealing with a transport operator and not a reseller. The weak point is frequency: in Lisbon a bus comes every 40 minutes.
7.6/10
Traveller rating · 7.6/10 across 917 reviews
Company details checked on 5 October 2026
Yellow Bus at a glance
Founded1998
Head officeLisbon, Portugal
OwnerCarris (Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa), Lisbon's public bus and tram company
Average of the ratings on Civitatis for the cities below, weighted by the number of reviews.
Is Yellow Bus reliable?
Who is behind it
The operator is Carristur, registered in Lisbon under number 501597395 and licensed as a travel agency with number 2308.
Its only shareholder is Carris, the public transport company.
That gives it a stable owner and a physical presence, with a kiosk in Praça do Comércio.
Contact is yellowbus@carris.pt or +351 218 503 225, daily from 9:00 to 18:00.
Refunds and cancellation
The FAQ allows a free cancellation and refund within 14 days of purchase as long as the ticket has not been used.
You ask by email with the order details, and the terms say the money returns to the card within 30 days.
A ticket with a fixed date can be moved for free if the product is available.
After 14 days, or once the voucher has been exchanged for a ticket, there is no refund.
When something goes wrong
The usual problem is the wait.
Both Lisbon routes run every 40 minutes, so one full bus costs you most of an hour.
Extras can also be unavailable: the benefits page lists the Santa Justa lift and two funiculars, which the booking site reports as closed until further notice.
The terms exclude liability for strikes and other events outside its control.
Formal complaints go in the Portuguese complaints book, online at livroreclamacoes.pt.
What to expect on the day
In Lisbon a bus comes every 40 minutes on both routes, and each full loop takes about 110 minutes.
The Belém route runs from 09:00 to 19:00 and the Modern Lisbon route from 09:20 to 18:00.
Commentary is an audio guide in 12 languages through single-use earphones handed out on board.
The Santa Justa lift and the Bica and Glória funiculars listed among the ticket benefits were reported closed until further notice when we checked.
The table below shows how travellers rate it in each city.
Good at
Owned by Lisbon's public transport company, with a staffed kiosk in Praça do Comércio.
Free cancellation within 14 days of purchase if the ticket is unused.
Bus tickets include rides on Carris public trams while the ticket is valid.
Combined passes with tram tours and a river boat for longer stays.
Watch out for
A bus only every 40 minutes on both Lisbon routes.
The 24-hour ticket covers one route. Both routes need the 48-hour ticket.
The FAQ gives flexible vouchers 180 days and the terms say 120. Use yours within 120 days to be safe.
Not every bus has a wheelchair ramp, and the trams and boat have none.
Yellow Bus, city by city
The same company can be worth the ticket in one city and a poor deal in the next. These are the cities we have checked.
Yellow Bus is the brand of Carristur, a company founded in 1998 and wholly owned by Carris, Lisbon's public bus and tram operator.
The website now trades as Yellow Tours and Experiences.
Its registered name is Carristur - Inovação em Transportes Urbanos e Regionais.
Carristur runs its own yellow open-top buses, plus tourist trams and a boat in Lisbon.
Being part of Carris is what lets it include rides on the city's public trams in a bus ticket.
It also sells training and consultancy to other transport companies.
It operates in three Portuguese cities: Lisbon, Porto and Funchal on Madeira.
Lisbon is the largest, with two bus routes, two tram tours and a river boat.
Each city has its own tickets and they are not interchangeable.
How Yellow Bus tickets work
In Lisbon the 24-hour ticket is sold per route, either Belém or Modern Lisbon, and the 48-hour ticket covers both. There is no plain 72-hour bus ticket. The longer option is an all-in-one pass that adds the tram tours and the boat. Youth, child and family rates are available.
You buy a voucher online and exchange it with the driver or at the kiosk for a Yellow ticket. Once exchanged, the voucher is spent. Flexible vouchers can be used on any day within their validity, and fixed-date ones only on that day.
Tickets are also sold on board and at the Praça do Comércio kiosk, and holders get 10% off other Yellow tickets bought in person. There is no phone app to speak of, so keep the paper timetable.
Yellow Bus: quick answers
Is Yellow Bus a legitimate company?
Yes. It is the brand of Carristur, founded in 1998 and fully owned by Carris, the company that runs Lisbon's public buses and trams.
Can I get a refund from Yellow Bus?
Yes, within 14 days of purchase and only if the ticket has not been used. Email yellowbus@carris.pt with your order details.
Does the Yellow Bus ticket include tram 28?
In Lisbon the bus ticket gives free rides on Carris public trams, including 28E and 15E, for as long as it is valid.
Does one Lisbon ticket cover both routes?
Only the 48-hour ticket does. The 24-hour ticket is for the Belém route or the Modern Lisbon route, not both.
How do I complain about Yellow Bus?
Contact the company first. For a formal complaint use the Portuguese complaints book at livroreclamacoes.pt.
Sources
Read on 5 October 2026. Timetables and prices change with the season, so check the operator's page before you travel.
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