The German road and rail transport company Flixbus presented its 2020 expansion plan. The most important news concern Europe, with new countries that will be covered, while there will be the absolute debut on the African continentstarting from Morocco. Africa thus becomes the fourth continent where the company with its now unmistakable green and orange livery coaches is operational: only Oceania is missing and in 2020 consolidation is also planned in Asia and within the next ten years the arrival in America of the South.
Exactly seven years after the launch of its very first line, which became operational between Munich and Erlangen on 13 February 2013, in conjunction with the liberalization of the long-distance bus market in Germany, Flixbus therefore relaunches its expansion objectives: “We are pleased to celebrate our seventh anniversary by looking with satisfaction to the goals we have achieved in Europe and in the United States, but we have no intention of stopping here: 2020 will be a year of ambitious projects, in the name of an important international expansion", declared André Schwammlein, CEO and founder of FlixMobility.
Parallel to the creation of the world's largest intercity bus network, FlixMobility it has also diversified its offer with the launch of the FlixTrain brands and more recently, FlixCar and FlixBus Rental. In 2019 alone, Flixbus transported over 62 million people in 30 countries, and is now preparing to make its debut in new territories: the expansion plan for 2020 in fact contemplates the launch of a national network in the United Kingdom (where upgraded existing cross-border connections) and in Portugal, and landing in the Baltic States and Morocco.
Home network in UK and Portugal
Among the cornerstones of the expansion plan for the current year are, first of all, the strengthening of the international routes operating between the United Kingdom and France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany - with direct connections between London and cities such as Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Dortmund and Cologne – and the launch of the country's very first domestic connections.
“The United Kingdom currently constitutes fertile ground for foreign investors, as well as a solid market in the bus sector. A capillary domestic network is the next step in the direction of a new innovative and green mobility offer, which we want to guarantee to British passengers in collaboration, as always, with local SMEs", commented Schwämmlein.
Also in Portugal, where Flixbus already operates international connections with 80 cities, the operator has planned the launch of the domestic network in 2020, following the liberalization of the market.
Baltic Countries: three new European countries reached by the Flixbus network
Another important project for 2020 is represented by the extension of the Flixbus network to the Baltic countries: after the consolidation in Poland and throughout Eastern Europe, which experienced its latest development with the arrival in Ukraine in 2019, the European leader in road travel is now working to inaugurate the first international connections with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The management of the first connections with the Baltic countries will be handled by the Polish entity Flixbus Polska, operational since 2016.
The first international connections between France and Morocco are underway
The first international connections with Morocco also leave, operational as early as Tuesday 18 February: from 27 French cities of the Flixbus network it will in fact be possible to reach nine destinations in Morocco, including Rabat, Marrakech, Casablanca, Tangier and Fes through the agreement with CTM, the operator's new partner.
