Lingo Bus is an online Mandarin learning platform for kids from 5 to 12 years old.
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Is Lingo Bus legit?
Lingo Bus (lingobus.com) has a 4.4 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 49 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Education & Training and its reputation is good. 84% of reviews are 4 stars or higher and 10% are 1 star; The business has replied to 71% of negative reviews. Last updated 2026-10-24.
The classes themselves are not bad. However, they do not have an easy way to retake classes if you child needs to review and retake a class again. It is just expected that the child will master each class.
The biggest headahe is that there is no admin or point of contact. If they want to ignore you or kick the van down the road, they can and there is no recourse for it.
BEWARE: The main reason for the low rating - one of thwir selling points is that you will get a refund, but you will NOT get a refund. They will stop communicating with you and you can do nothing, but just finish taking the classes. If you do want to continue forward with registering, I suggest using a card like Visa, so you can dispute and get back your money for any unused classes. Keep in mind you should dispute within 100 days. That's the only way you will get your money back.
Overall, I would look to another company within your country before usng themwhich is a shame because their software is great.
If you must go with them, I would buy the smallest package, so you don't have too many to make up if they don't response back to you about a refund. I am two months in after requesting a refund and they still have not done it.
Having been a customer of LingoBus for 4 years, I write this review with mixed feelings. The teachers are wonderful, and our son learned from working with them. They are talented, enthusiastic, and friendly about teaching Chinese.
However, the management does not exist. When our son became ill and could not sit online for the lessons, I asked to extend our expiration period. I asked specifically to talk to "management" or a "supervisor." The only contact is the Instant Messaging Panda, who responded and said the company would "work with me with the validity period." Once my son returned online, the classes expired a week later and we were shut out of the system. We had spent $700 and had 54 classes left.
If your child is mature and capable of spending 30 minutes speaking a foreign language in front of a screen, I would encourage the program. However, if you have any emergencies or conditions that require you to pause the program, this company may or may not not work with you.
CORRECTION : Nov. 2023 I tried the app one last time and discovered someone had written back (not to my email, but within the app) to inform me that the company was on National Holiday for two weeks. They re-started our membership and have extended the expiration date. I don't know how long. Currently we are working with a great teacher and our son is doing well.
I think they were just brought by new people. I have used them for 2 years. I went to purchase $500 of classes and it switched to $3600 right when I hit submit. There was no button to cancel. I contacted them, no response, I contacted PayPal and opened a dispute. Then Lingobus contacted me via email and said they would refund me, but not if I kept the dispute open. I am now waiting for them to contact PayPal with a timeframe.
I was a faithful customer and this is how they do me. Be very careful.
Great native speaking teachers, my toddler loves her classes. She learns speaking and word recognition in an engaging format. Customer service is also wonderful, I always get a quick reply. Highly recommend!
My kid studied Chinese with LingoBus for hlf year. We like their teaching materials. They used short stories. The content of the stories are very diversity, including math, biology, geography, history, etc. We learned a lot Chinese cultures with this class. The teachers are patient and experienced as well. Their teachers are very professional, patient and always provide feedback for every class. . My son’s Chinese have improved a lot. I am pretty happy with their progress.
We are a Korean family living in Hong Kong. My kid has studied Chinese with LingoBus for more than 1 year.
Why do I choose LingoBus:
1. The teachers are professional with excellent teaching skills.
2. Teaching contents are very interesting and they also provide studying materials.
3. Kids can use their e-library.
4. System is stable.
5. Reasonable tuition fee.
The result:
My kid can now understand and join the conversation . And he has confidence to read Chinese books.
The teacher is very patient, professional and well knows how to talk to small child. My kids starts on 4 years and he likes the teacher there a lot. Found a good teacher is very important. I highly recommended- Yuting Z.
All teachers are from China who speak native Chinese. The teachers are very nice and professionals! The app has plenty of resources for reading, learning game and fun. My two kids love the teachers and books. The program is tailored for the kids who do not speak Chinese as native language but wants to learn Chinese and China culture.
Highly recommended!
My son loves the courses and teachers, I appreciate the service!
My son has been learning Chinese with Lingobus for more than 2 years and we are very happy with Lingobus. The courses are well designed and the teachers are very nice, patient and competent! The communication with them works fine and they take my feedbacks seriously! In one sentence: my son loves the courses and the teachers, I appreciate the service!
My child has learned Chinese with Lingo Bus for three years. Their teachers are highly professional at teaching foreign languages. Their teaching methods are also fun for children. My child likes reading stories at their free online library. And we can also choose teachers and schedule classes conveniently.
My daughter is 10,she started learning Chinese with Lingobus since September,2018,never knowing Chinese characters to fluent listening, speaking and reading, she enjoyed the course and at level 6 now.Thanks for teacher Zoe Jin
Michael has been with Lingo Bus for over a year. He has been enjoying the interaction with the teacher during the class and his level has been progressing since. Sometimes the teacher will explain the Chinese culture, which is very helpful and interesting.
My son is ten years old, and he has been learning Mandarin by LINGOBUS almost 100 classes in one and a half year, level 3 now. He enjoys to chat with the teachers, and the teachers are experienced, enthusiastic and patient. The platform is good designed too, includes class preparation, simply homework after class, teacher feedback, unit review, and library. And, I can book or cancel the classes conveniently. anyway, we are happy with Lingobus.
My two kids love Lingobus. The teachers are patient and professional. The classes are full of fun. Learning Chinese can be an exciting journey with Lingobus.
It's a great way for our little one to learn Chinese. Teachers are friendly and helpful and always patient with kids. My daughter learned a lot from the class.
My kid has enjoyed Lingobus for more than 2 years. We are at level 5 now.
The curriculum is well designed, and the teachers are very enthusiastic and helpful. We also like the online library and reading aloud audio books, which offers great resources for extra learning.
My son has been learning Mandarin using Lingobus over two years. We have tried other learning platforms and hit the walls many times until we found lingobus. This is a great platform. The teachers are very professional. More importantly my son enjoys his lessons and love to chat with his teacher. I also highly recommend the Pinyin package. It’s an additional small package. It does not cost much but it benefits your learner a lot!
Never refunded my money. (over $1000) I waited over three weeks for a refund. Then I decided to simply have them reinstate the classes. I had to do the math for them because they had shorted me by 12 classes! The teachers and curriculum are AMAZING, they deserve 10 stars! Management....1 star!
Reply from Lingo Bus2021-10-19
Dear Natasha Porter,
We are sorry for your inconvenience. We missed your refund e-mail since we have many e-mails that need to be solved after National Day. Generally, the refund will finish in 1 week. We'll complete your refund before this Friday. I appreciate your understanding.
Thank you
The Lingo Bus Team
With the professional Lingobus team support, I am surprised to see my kids are showing strong willing to learn Chinese. Experienced teachers team are having very good patient and skills to teach not only grammar but also pronunciation. Now we are basically talking in Chinese with kids in our daily family life. Very exciting.
Our two children have been studying Chinese at LingoBus for more than a year. I really like this platform for learning Chinese! Before each class, the two children are looking forward to it and do a good job of pre-class preparation carefully. After class, I like to use Chinese to repeat what I have learned in class. Will also be happy to complete the homework of this lesson. The LingoBus Chinese online class once or twice a week has greatly improved my two children's listening, speaking, reading, and writing. LingoBus's convenient course selection system, serious and professional teachers, and vivid and interesting course content all make my children learn happily, and let us be parents satisfied and assured. LingoBus makes it easy and fun for the second generation of overseas Chinese to learn Chinese, and it is no longer a burden!
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