Otherwise the offer will be scrapped
Flixbus insists on participation in a 49-euro ticket
03/11/2023, 8:08 p.m
Currently, long-distance buses and long-distance trains are not integrated into the 49-euro ticket. If it stays that way, the Flixbus route network would have to be significantly reduced, the company boss threatens. Individual regions could then be “cut off” from the long-distance bus network.
The long-distance bus company Flixbus threatens to significantly reduce its route network if it does not become part of the 49-euro ticket. “We would probably have to cut up to 20 percent of the total offer in Germany,” said Flixbus boss André Schwämmlein of the “Bild” newspaper. All in all, “the long-distance bus service in 150 German cities would then deteriorate or it would be completely eliminated”. Individual regions could be “cut off” from the long-distance bus network.
The 49-euro ticket is to be valid from May 1 on all local public transport in Germany, i.e. on regional trains, buses, trams, underground and suburban trains. A digitally bookable, monthly terminable subscription is planned. Long-distance buses and long-distance trains are not included. Flixbus demands to be included in the offer in the future. The company had “many discussions” with Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing, said Schwämmlein. He spoke of “positive signals”.
Founded in 2012, the company has expanded rapidly in recent years and is now represented in 40 countries. The internationally renowned Greyhound long-distance buses in the USA also belong to Flix, as does the Turkish operator Kamil Koç and the Flixtrain trains. “We can see that all of our markets have recovered very well from the pandemic,” Schwämmlein previously explained. Flix therefore wants to expand further and “expand the offer in new countries”, as stated in a statement. Last year, the group transported 60 million passengers worldwide.