As FlixBus enters the competitive express coach market between Plymouth and London, CHRISTOPHER CARTER samples coach services on the corridor
The eye-catching bright green livery of FlixBus added a splash of colour to the competitive Plymouth-Exeter-London express coach market on April 28, when it became a second low-cost challenger to the ubiquitous white brand of the long established market leader National Express currently celebrating its 50th anniversary.
It is the fast-growing German global budget brand's second attempt to disrupt the fairly saturated UK long distance coach services market – its first from July 2020 thwarted by Covid – with its foray into South Devon coming one year into its current campaign. It takes Flixbus to an estimated 35-40 UK vehicles, compared to around 500 for National Express and 100-120 for Megabus pre-Covid. FlixBus UK boldly aims to have the UK's largest network by 2025, saying it is focusing on modal shift rather than existing coach passengers.
It is ambitious, but 18 years behind Megabus which pioneered budget South Devon services using cascaded ex-Hong Kong Olympians in 2004. Despite the might of Stagecoach behind it and evolving to modern coaches, Megabus nev…
