Flixbus, a coach company founded in Germany in 2011 and active in Italy since 2015, has in just a few years become an icon of low-cost travellers. The now well-known green and orange app offers 350.000 daily connections throughout Europe (and recently also in the USA): using it, it is possible to reach 450 locations throughout Italy and travel, for example, from Milan to Rome for only 15 euros. It is the favorite of students, off-site workers, tourists, and has just closed a record 2018, with Italy which has established itself as the first market: "We exploit the infrastructure gap in many areas of the country, especially (but not only) in the medium and small towns of Southern Italy", he told FIRSTonline Andrea Incondi, managing director of Flixbus Italia. The German parent company, which does not communicate its financial results (“But I can confirm that they are positive”), is now also aiming to revolutionize the rail offer: after planes and coaches, here are low-cost trains. "Not in Italy though: for now we continue to focus only on buses", reveals the young manager.
2018 was a record year for Flixbus in Italy, above all (but not only) thanks to connections with airports, foreign cities and small towns in the Centre-South. In practice where there are no connections or high-speed rail does not arrive. Will this be the trend in 2019 as well or do you want to relaunch the challenge on the big traditional routes such as Milan-Rome?
“Since our arrival in Italy, we have focused on two fronts: on the one hand, the growing demand for efficient and affordable alternatives on major routes leads us to continue investing in the traditionally most popular connections, such as Milan-Rome , Bologna-Bari, Turin-Venice and so on. On the other hand, the existence of an infrastructural gap in many areas of the country, above all (but not only) in the medium and small towns of Southern Italy, places us before the need to create mobility on less traveled routes to satisfy the demand for a otherwise condemned to isolation. Also in 2019 we intend to pursue this dual objective. Similarly, the growing willingness to use forms of intermodal transport, such as those involving connections with airports, is a cornerstone on which we intend to continue working in 2019, always encouraging the use of public transport in line with our orientation towards a environmentally friendly and as clean as possible mobility. In a nutshell, capillarity and intermodality will be essential guidelines also in 2019".
Speaking of high-speed rail: the German parent company FlixMobility has launched FlixTrain, the low-cost train line in Germany. The plan is to also arrive in Italy and if so, reasonably with what timing?
“We are always looking for new opportunities, but for the moment our core business remains long-distance bus connections and, in the specific case of Italy, as I said before, we plan to make our network of bus connections increasingly capillary linking more and more centres, large and small, at a national level and abroad”.
Italy is the Flixbus market with the highest growth rate: will it be the same in 2019? How many locations do you expect to connect by the end of this year?
“Obviously we hope to remain the market with the highest growth rate also in 2019. At the moment we expect to add 50 new cities, but the chances that this number will grow progressively are very high. Suffice it to say that last year we initially planned to reach 350 connected cities, and we reached 450 by December”.
How many passengers will use your buses according to your estimates and what will be the new foreign destinations?
“Regarding passengers, we hope to maintain a growth rate of more than 50% annually, which, in view of our extremely young history, we consider to be more than satisfactory. With respect to international connections, we expect a significant increase in connections with Spain, France, Switzerland and Germany, but even here we have reasons to think that the year-end balance will far exceed expectations".
With your service you have launched a "fad": BlaBlaCar recently offered 101 million euros for Ouibus, the French low-cost operator, and could launch the challenge in Italy. Will anything change for you?
“We have always welcomed any initiative that can help maintain a climate of healthy competition in the transport sector. Given the extremely positive past of these three years in Italy, despite a political climate that is not always favorable to innovation, we have excellent reasons to think that our business is not destined to suffer repercussions following a possible synergy between the two operators”.
Journeys on Flixbus vehicles are often very long: what solutions, in addition to free WiFi, have you implemented or will you implement to entertain passengers and improve the quality of their experience?
“Using technological evolution to continuously improve the travel experience of our passengers is a priority for us. Precisely for this reason, an ad hoc department exists in Flixbus which is constantly working to implement new entertainment solutions and more. For example, we have recently implemented various payment devices such as Google Pay and Apple Pay to make the booking phase easier and faster, but also the possibility of reserving seats directly from the site as well as recently we have experimented with virtual reality as an entertainment tool for our passengers”.
One of the added values of Flixbus is the convenience of moving from city center to city center. This is possible almost everywhere except in Milan, where the Municipality has preferred to grant peripheral stations that can be reached by underground to relieve traffic congestion. On the one hand this solution is inconvenient, but it also pursues the right objective of not congesting city centers and allows you to gain time, given that often stops in city centers slow down the journey a lot. What are your thoughts on this? For example, wouldn't it be preferable – although perhaps economically inconvenient – to provide for shorter routes or routes with fewer intermediate stops?
“As mentioned before, Flixbus primarily pursues the objective of increasing mobility between the various centres, whether large, medium or small, in each of the countries in which it operates. In line with this objective, the existence of multiple relationships within the same line is the prerequisite for a wider range of travel opportunities. Even more so when these same relationships are not operated by more traditional carriers. Personally, I believe that even this availability of daily connections (which currently exceed 350.000 at European level) is one of the factors that make Flixbus a highly appreciated solution by those who live in or have to travel to smaller locations that are traditionally less connected".
Flixbus policy does not provide its financial results. Can you tell us, however, if in 2018, globally and in Italy? What is, today, the average price of a ticket for a route, for example Milan-Rome? Will ticket prices remain as ultra-competitive as they are now or could they increase in 2019?
“I can confirm that 2018 was a positive year from a financial point of view. As already mentioned, our passenger traffic has increased by over 50% compared to 2017, and this is a goal that I consider more than positive for a company that took its first steps in Italy less than four years ago. As far as prices are concerned, our dynamic pricing system, similar to that used by most airlines, allows us to offer fares at extremely competitive costs depending on the time you book and, consequently, the rate of bus filling: the cost of a Milan-Rome ticket, therefore, can vary from a minimum of 14,99 euros to a maximum of 59,99 euros. Also in 2019 we will continue to sell our tickets using the same system, so as to ensure that anyone can travel while keeping costs down".
Unfortunately last December a Flixbus bus had an accident in Zurich, causing two deaths including the driver. The case is isolated but it has inevitably sparked the debate on the issue of safety: Flixbus journeys are often very long, even at night, they are made in any weather condition and can be very demanding for the drivers. After the accident, a Swiss union representative also accused Flixbus of "saving money at the cost of safety". What answers have you given or do you plan to give on the subject of safety and working conditions for drivers?
“Safety comes first for FlixBus. All our partner buses must comply with the highest safety standards, and are therefore equipped with the latest equipment. ESP, emergency brake assistant, lane keeping assistant, automatic distance control system, light sensor, clearance lights and much more are standard on the vehicles used on behalf of Flixbus. TAll drivers are highly specialized and are regularly trained on safety regulations. Thanks to GPS tracking, it is also possible to ascertain compliance with driving and rest times and the location of the buses at any time. Night trips - carried out by drivers specially trained for this service - are carried out by Flixbus with two drivers and with a regular change of driver. Furthermore, the TÜV (Technischer Überwachungsverein) certificate and regular checks on the buses further raise the safety level”.
Before becoming managing director of Flixbus Italia, you were a user of Flixbus, which you used to reach your future wife in Germany. Can you confirm that even now, when you have time, you take a few trips every now and then to see first-hand how things are going?
“I confirm. I believe that it is essential, for those who occupy managerial roles, not to lose a concrete and tangible link with the reality that every day, in some way, they contribute to shaping with their actions. In addition to always traveling by Flixbus during my trips, from time to time, I also dedicate time at our stops to talk to our passengers and understand from them how we can improve our service more and more".
