German long haul scheduled coach giant Flixbus is marking seven years in business by expanding into Britain, challenging market leaders National Express and Stagecoach-owned Megabus.
The move follows a slowdown in ticket sales in its home country where it has a market share of more than 90%.
The Munich-based company says it plans to establish a domestic network in the UK but has not yet announced a timeline or such further details as the routes it will operate. It seems the first step is to boost the frequency of its services linking London with France and the Benelux countries.
‘The UK is currently especially welcoming towards foreign investments,’ says Flixbus chief executive Andre Schwämmlein, who believes that the decision to leave the European Union has sparked a tremendous interest in Britain to stay connected with Europe.
He accepts that its move into the UK express coach market, which has been deregulated for 40 years, will be different from its experience in the more recently liberalised mainland European countries. ‘We are looking at a very mature market for coach travel, thus we are excited to bring something new to the table, a smart and green product combined with the experience of traditi…
