GoVolta Reviews 

Technical failure, no refund and appalling customer service

The GoVolta check-in system repeatedly failed due to a technical error, meaning I could not receive the QR code and boarding pass required to travel. I emailed them immediately but received no help before departure. Without a QR code, I could not even get through the station gates.

Their response afterwards was unbelievable: they claimed I should simply have boarded without a valid boarding pass and explained everything to the conductor—even though I could not legally pass through the gates. A transport company advising a customer to travel without the required ticket is completely irresponsible.

Despite proof of the technical error and several refund requests, GoVolta refuses to refund me. Their communication was rude, dismissive and completely unprofessional. Instead of accepting responsibility for their broken system, they blamed the customer.

Genuinely the worst customer service I have ever experienced. I strongly advise people not to travel with GoVolta. If their system fails, you may lose both your journey and your money.

I booked a ticket from Germany to Amsterdam last minute (5h before departure). When I tried the online check-in (>4h before departure) it failed. So I did not board the train because I did not have a valid ticket. (they specifically tell you this in the email). Unfortunately, GoVolta refuse to issue a refund despite me showing proof of the technical error during check-in as well as the information I received that without check-in I cannot go on the train. Appalling..

GoVolta is cheaper than a regular train and offers a much nicer and faster experience than FlixBus. There were moments during the journey when I found myself wondering why we had stopped or why the train was running almost an hour late, yet somehow they still managed to get us to our destination with only a 10–20 minute delay.

I would be careful about booking GoVolta if you have an important connecting train or flight, but for a city trip, it’s perfect.

One thing I would really love to see improved is access to a clear schedule, either online or displayed on the train screens, showing the planned stop times, arrivals, and departures. It would make the unexpected stops and delays much easier to understand.

Very friendly staff! Seating is very spacious and comfortable. I have taken a total of 2 trips with GoVolta, first one was during the European heatwave so train was extremely hot and late. The second trip the train arrived on time, AC working, and we arrived to the destination early. Booking process is straight forward, sometimes check-in can be a bit tricky. But after contacting customer service they can assist and sort everything. Looking forward to see how GoVolta evolves. Recommendations: would be great if trains could offer charging ports for laptops and cellphones, and if GOVolta added a Apple wallet option for the boarding passes.

Mid of July I was going with GoVolta to Berlin and back. I already knew upfront it would be an older train and that I had to expect less comfort/luxury/modern equipment. I experienced the whole journey more positive than I expected. I brought enough food with me, a hand ventilator because it was a hot day and a power bank. I had enough space and comfort. The only thing that I experienced as weird, was that at one point they said you wouldn't be allowed to use the toilet for 1,5 hours. However, they did say in emergencies you can. So I had to use the toilet, and I just went. The toilets were just open, and needing to go to the toilet is an emergency in my opinion. The smell was stronger on the toilets on the way back from Berlin. So thats a point you have to prepare for. However, other than that for that price, I would use Go Volta again. All went smooth and fast.

I was excited to try a new train competitor and was saving about 15 EUR per person so thought very worth it to try.
First off, when you book they give a fake departure time, but you don't know that it is fake. They require you to 'check in' online at least 4 hours before so that they can give you the 'real' departure time. We found out only a few hours in advance that our departure time was 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. Then, towards the latter part of the trip, I went to the toilet to find a large queue. Eventually someone came up and told us that because they use the toilets that drops onto the tracks, they are not allowed to operate the toilets on many sections of the line, so for more than 2 hours at the end of the trip, the train had no working toilets as the staff will lock them all without any warning. At least warn people before you do this so that they have a chance to use the toilet.
Also, since we did not pay extra to sit together, they gave us seats far apart from each other in an empty train. Fortunately the ticket inspector didn't care and said we could sit wherever, but they are not cheap enough to be this terrible. In order to travel together, they force you to pay a large premium to select seats. You are therefore better off paying more for a real train company that won't do this.

Otherwise avoid at any costs. Do not bother to pay extra for comfort seat, the toilet was out of order the whole journey, absolutely no additional value in this class. Considering how empty the train was, the company will disappear rather soon and will not be missed.

I get that it’s cheap. And i’m not expecting perfection. But sometimes you can smell the toilets, and the trashcans were full. For an all day trip that is unacceptable.

Trein trip from Amsterdam to Berlin was fine ! I read reviews & the article in Volkskrant I expected problematic travels - I had none - it was very hot weather & no airco on train - but doable on the going to Berlin trip - - the temperature went higher for my return trip to Amsterdam - evening into night so I ordered a comfort arrangement- a bit more space & several stops along the way for a breather made trip - 8 hrs & I can still say fine! Train departed on time & even got to Berlin 20 minutes early - return trip was also all on time in spite of the Very Hot weather— so I can recommend to anyone on a budget & not expecting airco, the one criticism I have is about the WC’s — GO VOLTA needs to do BETTER with that very necessary accessory for long haul journeys!

On time, comfortable and affordable.

They do never ride on time, which is weird because on the long trips they take coffee and smoke breaks of 15 minutes, what causes them to depart later then schedules. Very weird inconsistent company with weird ever changing schedules.

I have no idea where is this 5, 4 3 stars from? A legit reviews or just bot. Writing this review while inside govolta train back to NL from Berlin.
No AC, tooo hot, feels like youre travelling back to 70's or 80's. Toilet has no water to wash your hands l, only disinfectant, wc is so smelly, windows are widely open for air to come,old windows and dirty curtain. A lot of stopovers and every stops from 20mins to 40mins of waiting in the railway.
Booked at Albertheijn app. NEVER AGAIN!!! Even its for free!!! I rather go with ICE train.
Even if you give me FREE travel.NO THANKS GOVOLTA. Very uncomfortable travel.

Overall, a very good travel experience when price-quality ratio is considered. The trains were on time, the seats were surprisingly comfortable considering that the train cars are older, there was enough luggage space in the racks, and the personnel were friendly and funny. The 4-person seating arrangements were also nice for group travel.

I do think there are points for improvement and hope that GoVolta will work towards them. The toilets were not fully operational, did not have soap or running water, and were not pleasant to smell. The lack of air conditioning also means we had to travel with open windows, which was loud and did not always help with the heat.

I would travel with them again since I consider them reliable and affordable, but I would avoid doing so in hot summers!

Great experience on the go Volta train! Extremely friendly staff. Got there early. The seats were fine the price was great. No complaints!

on train back from Berlin. Need to use the toilet due to medications i'm taking. the one in my comfort carriage isnt available; the next neither; the third yes but it stinks of urine. (i have a high tolerance for bad smells too) When i said something to the young dude and some other undercover chica they replied: we have old trains that do not meet german laws so there is no toilet usage while the train is in Germany. The staff to be fair are friendly, but laconic af. Felt like i was imposing ;being problematic just asking. They blame the german laws for the inconvenience and we will be in NL in an hour or we stop in bad bentheim where apparently there is a toilet i can pay for. Assuming again the stop will be long enough for more people to use it. Stopped at Bad Bentheim for 40 minutes and step out of train to discover the perron is long as the train and then you need to go down and back up on other side to access toilet you can pay for. I'm on crutches and movement is slow from carriage 1 down to carriage 10. Again asked a gaggle of 4 jovial with each other 'attendants' in quasi-distinuishable go volta shirts about where the toilets are and the question dissolved into one asking another, who ignored or deflected and it dissipated with an uncomfortable laugh into airy nothing and i was left with nada. Except my discomfort (dissed-comfort). Information is seemingly estranged from their blank stares and non-responses. okay back on the road again and in the dark except for our computers and phones. (did buy a powerbank with the money i saved) wish i bought more water; wish there was someone serving coffee. almost in NL where we can pee free. So if you gotta go, do not go volta. Other stuff i can ride along and accept (i did save money after all): no airco, windows are all open. Terrible to say but the intercom drowned out by noise from sound outside, so information like i say is a no go or need to know and not their fault. Bless. Teething problems. But having read the other 1 star reviews and seeing mention of stinky toilets a lot, i wonder why in their responses they never actually deal with this. So No-go volta for me no more. I loved Berlin though.

Finally an affordable international train

All good! The train departed in time, there was a toilet (not smelling nice but ok). Big minus is no WiFi and no power sockets even in the 1st class. Other than that the ride was great and not too full!

Overall, I had a pleasant trip and would definitely travel with Govolta again. The train arrived on time, with no delays at all. The staff were friendly and helpful. On the downside, the carriages are quite old. There are no power outlets, which is frustrating on a long journey. The toilets were often locked for most of the route without any explanation. There is also no Wi-Fi, no option to buy food or drinks on board, and no air conditioning. Despite these drawbacks, I enjoyed the journey thanks to the pleasant atmosphere and the nice people on board.

I read that it has great budget option, honestly for me 90 eur for this kind of service and train does not worth it. There are no plugs, air conditioner and it looks like it was made a 100 years ago, dirty and uncomfortable. Not to mention, it was late 1 hour without providing any information when its going to come. Never again, will rather pay for IC 50 eur plus.

Decent budget option, but also an uncomfortable journey. If you are on a budget it’s a solid choice, but for me the money saved is not worth over travelling with other options like the ICE.
In the summer the train gets really hot, because there is no AC. You can open the windows which provides some ventilation, but the sound of the wind makes it hard to understand each other.
In addition, there are no drinking water taps in the train, so make sure to bring water, especially during warm weather!
Another major drawback was that the toilets cannot be used while the train stands still at a station. During both journeys I experienced a long stop at a train station, which meant you could not go to the toilet for over an hour. Additionally, after leaving the station, the toilet queues are very long, because has to go to the toilet. The toilets do not get cleaned during the journey either, so they are really dirty towards the end.
However, the staff members are really kind and humorous, which made the journey more pleasant. Big thumbs up to them!