FlixBus

FlixBus

FlixBus

International intercity bus company

FlixBus (German pronunciation: ['flɪksbʊs]; styled FLiXBUS) is a German brand that offers low-cost intercity bus services in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Its last expansion was in India in 2024 with 46 domestic destinations. It is owned by Flix SE, which also operates Flixtrain, FlixCar, Kâmil Koç, and Greyhound Lines. Flixbus operates buses or, in many cases, just handles marketing, pricing, and customer service for a commission, on behalf of bus operators.[1][2][3] In 2022, FlixBus had revenues of €1.5 billion and carried 60 million passengers of which 38 million were in Europe, 13 million were in Turkey and 8 million were in North America.[4]

Countries in which Flixbus operates as of March 2024[5]

Quick Facts Founded, Headquarters ...

As of 2024, Flixbus serves over 400,000 routes and over 5,000 destinations in more than 40 countries.[6][7]

History

Corporate history

FlixBus was founded in 2011 in Munich by Daniel Krauss, Jochen Engert and André Schwämmlein. In June 2021, FlixMobility GmbH raised $650 million at a valuation of US$3 billion.[8] In April 2022, FlixMobility GmbH was renamed Flix SE and the umbrella brand FlixMobility was replaced by Flix.[9]

Service launches

FlixBus launched its first three routes in February 2013 in Bavaria, Germany to take advantage of Germany opening up its bus market to competition.[10] In the following years, it added routes across Europe.[11]

A North American FlixBus in Hartford, Connecticut at Hartford Union Station

In 2018, FlixBus expanded to the United States, first operating from Los Angeles[12] and adding service to the East Coast of the United States in 2019 operated by Eastern Bus.[13]

In 2022, FlixBus launched its Canadian operations with routes in Ontario[14] and British Columbia.[15][16]

In 2021, FlixBus launched service in Brazil[17] and in 2023, it launched in Chile.[18]

In 2024, FlixBus launched service in India.[18]

Acquisitions

More information #, Date ...

Accidents

Setra S 431 DT
FlixBus in Prague, heading to Karlovy Vary
  • In May 2017, the driver of a double-decker bus attempted to drive under a bridge with insufficient clearance, completely ripping off its roof. No passengers were on board.[32]
  • In May 2018, a bus rolled and crashed near Udine, Italy. There were 43 people on board, of which 26 were injured.[33]
  • In August 2018, a bus traveling from Stockholm to Berlin crashed in Germany after veering off a highway, seriously injuring sixteen passengers.[34][35]
  • In December 2018, a bus crashed on a motorway near Zurich, killing two people including the driver.[36]
  • In May 2019, a bus crashed in Germany. At least three passengers were seriously injured. Initial police findings were that the bus driver was not at fault for the accident.[37]
  • In May 2019, a bus rolled and crashed into a road safety barrier in Germany. One person was killed and 60 were injured. The local police found early indications the driver had fallen asleep.[38]
  • In October 2019, a bus rolled and crashed near Bizanet. One person was killed and 17 were injured.[39]
  • In November 2019, a bus rolled and crashed near Amiens, injuring more than 30 people.[40]
  • In February 2023, an Uber Eats bicycle courier was struck and killed by a Flixbus coach in Brussels.[41] Two months after the incident, the government and FlixBus were criticized for not moving the bus stop away from the bike lane.[42]
  • In June 2023, a bus crashed in Avellino, Italy when it swerved to avoid another car, resulting in one death and injuries to 26 passengers.[43]
  • In July 2023, a bus crashed into another bus in the Czech Republic, killing one of the drivers and injuring 76 people.[44]
  • In September 2023, a 19-year-old Austrian woman died after the bus overturned near Micheldorf, injuring 20 people.[45]
  • In December 2023, an overcrowded Flixbus from Vienna, Austria to Kyiv, Ukraine overturned in Trebišov district of the Košice region of Slovakia, injuring 9 passengers.[46]
  • On January 5, 2024, one person died and 11 others were injured after a Flixbus rolled over on Interstate 87 that bound for New York City from Montreal. [47]
  • On March 24, 2024, One person died in Italy. The Flixbus Milan-Rome crashed close to Modena[48]
  • On March 27, 2024, five persons died and 20 others were injured when a Flixbus crashed near Leipzig, after veering off a highway bound for Zürich from Berlin. [49]

Controversies

Working conditions for drivers in Germany

In 2016, FlixBus was accused by a German government agency of forcing its partners to make drivers work excessive hours at low wages.[50]

Use of infrastructure without toll payments in Germany

Unlike train services and trucks, buses do not pay any road toll in Germany; this was criticized as a "hidden subsidy" by some German politicians in the spring of 2015.[51] bdo, an association of German bus companies, responded that buses pay for infrastructure use in the form of related taxes (ex. mineral oil tax) while billions in subsidies are paid to national rail provider Deutsche Bahn.[52]

Dominant market share in Germany

In August 2016, following the acquisition of Postbus, FlixBus had control of roughly 80% of the German long-distance bus market, a move criticised by various media outlets as a de facto monopoly and harmful to competition. It was also suggested at the time that FlixBus' control of the market could lead to higher prices and less service to smaller destinations.[53][54][55]

Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden

In July 2020, a passenger criticized the company for not requiring social distancing on its buses in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic. FlixBus responded that the requirements from the Public Health Agency of Sweden were unclear.[56][57]

Buses inaccessible for wheelchair users in California

On May 14, 2020, the Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC) filed a federal class action lawsuit in a California U.S. District Court against FlixBus and other bus operators alleging that buses were inaccessible for wheelchair users and staff was untrained on how to accommodate wheelchair users.[58]

Customer support after bus crash in Italy

Following the crash of a FlixBus coach in Italy in June 2023, FlixBus was criticized by survivors for the lack of support offered, including delays in receiving help from the company and a lack of communication. Passengers said that, despite the seriousness of the situation, their initial compensation offer was a €10 meal voucher "for the inconvenience.”[59][43]

References

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