Would You Try This Coach Bus Company for 99 Cents One Way?

In 2013, FlixBus launched in Germany and since then, the coach bus company has been disrupting conventional European travel (i.e. trains from European city to European city). Fast forward to today, and Europe’s largest bus network is launching in the United States with the goal of changing long-distance travel.

This marks “phase one” of FlixBus’ US launch: 180 FlixBus connections will be operated by six regional bus partners. The company, though, already has plans to extend beyond its current West Coast market with an additional 400 connections.

FlixBus serves 27 countries in Europe. Its business model is unique because it uses a network of buses that are operated by independent, local companies in each destination that they serve, so FlixBus doesn’t have to shell out for parking or maintenance of a bus fleet. The buses are equipped with free Wi-Fi, onboard entertainment, LED lighting, up to 31 inches of pitch. Each passenger can bring up to two pieces of luggage.

TPG‘s Katie Genter tried FlixBus in October 2017 on a trip from Munich to Stuttgart Airport (STR) in Germany. She found the service to be fine for her three-hour jaunt, but she thought the drawbacks — like the Wi-Fi being down, no snacks or drink offerings and a less-than-ideal lavatory — would make a longer trip more frustrating.

FlixBus hopes to have over 1,000 connections by the end of 2018 and has plans to expand beyond it’s current West Coast routes.

Source: thepointsguy.com