FlixBus

FlixBus
FlixBus' current logo, used since 5 May 2016
A FlixBus Setra S 431 DT at Berlin Messe in 2016
ParentFlix SE
Founded2011 (2011)
HeadquartersMunich, Bavaria, Germany
Service area
  • Europe
  • United States
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Canada
  • India
  • Mexico
Service typeIntercity coach service
Websitewww.flixbus.com
Countries in which FlixBus operates

FlixBus (German pronunciation: ['flɪksbʊs]; styled FLiXBUS) is a German brand that offers intercity bus services in 44 countries in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Australia, with over 300,000 daily connections. 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 network planning, scheduling, pricing, booking, and marketing, and customer service for a commission, on behalf of over 1,000 bus operators.[1][2][3][4]

History

FlixBus was founded in 2011 in Munich by Daniel Krauss, Jochen Engert, and André Schwämmlein. They had met in university and began discussing the concept in 2009 after plans were made to deregulate the bus industry in Germany.[5]

FlixBus launched its first three routes in February 2013 in Bavaria, Germany, to take advantage of Germany opening up its bus market to competition.[6]

In January 2015, FlixBus acquired MeinFernbus, increasing its market share in Germany.[7] In conjunction with the acquisition, General Atlantic made an investment in the company.[8]

In November 2015, the company acquired LIINITA, a ridesharing company.[9]

In August 2016, FlixBus acquired Postbus, an operator of German bus lines, from Deutsche Post.[10] FlixBus then had control of roughly 80% of the German long-distance bus market.[11][12][13]

Between 2015 and 2016, FlixBus launched services in France, Italy, Central and Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. In the following years, it added routes across Europe.[14]

In July 2016, FlixBus acquired Megabus Europe from Stagecoach Group. Stagecoach became an operating partner.[15]

In May 2017, FlixBus acquired the Hellö coach network, an operator of Austrian bus lines, from Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).[16]

In April 2018, FlixBus was the first to use all-electric vehicles on a long-distance bus route, between Paris La Défense and Amiens.[17]

In May 2018, FlixBus entered the North American market, first operating from Los Angeles and the Southwestern United States.[18]

Also in May 2018, FlixBus acquired Swebus Express, an operator of Swedish bus lines, from Nobina.[19]

In April 2019, FlixBus acquired Eurolines operating businesses in France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic and Spain and acquired Isilines from Transdev.[20][21]

In May 2019, FlixBus expanded to the East Coast of the United States via a partnership with Eastern Bus.[22]

In August 2019, FlixBus entered the Turkish market through the acquisition of Kâmil Koç, one of Turkey’s largest intercity bus operators, from Actera Group, a private equity firm.[23][24][25]

In October 2021, FlixBus acquired Greyhound Lines from FirstGroup for $78 million. The acquisition extended Flix’s network to over 1,600 destinations in the U.S. and Canada.[26][27][28][29][30]

FlixBus entered Latin America in 2021 with services in Brazil,[31] expanding to more than 100 cities by 2024.

In April 2022, the company converted from a GmbH structure to an SE structure and was renamed Flix SE.[32]

FlixBus launched service in Canada in 2022.[33][34][35]

The company launched services in Chile in 2023.[36]

FlixBus launched services in India in early 2024, connecting 46 cities through a network of 59 stops and more than 200 connections.[37][38]

Services in Mexico began in May 2025.[39]

In November 2025, FlixBus launched services in Australia.[40][41][42] The service operates between Central railway station, Sydney, Jolimont Centre in Canberra, and Southern Cross railway station in Melbourne and is operated by Deanes Coaches and the Donric Group.[43][44]

In January 2026, FlixBus acquired a majority stake in Flibco, which offers bus service to/from airports, from SLG; SLG retained a minority stake in Flibco.[45][46]

Financing history – parent company, Flix SE

In 2013, the company received equity financing from Mercedes-Benz Group and the Technical University of Munich.[5]

In July 2019, the company raised €500 million in a Series F financing round led by TCV and Permira, valuing the company at over €2 billion.[47]

In June 2021, FlixMobility GmbH raised $650 million in a Series G financing round at a valuation of US$3 billion from investors including General Atlantic, Permira, TCV, HV Capital, BlackRock, Baillie Gifford, and SilverLake.[48]

In July 2024, EQT AB and Kuehne + Nagel acquired a 35% stake in the company for €1 billion.[49][50] As part of the funding round, Porsche invested "low double-digit million" euros in FlixBus.[51]

Safety incidents

  • In May 2017, the driver of a double-decker bus outside Berlin, Germany, attempted to drive under a railway bridge with insufficient clearance, completely ripping off its roof. No passengers were on board.[52]
  • In May 2018, a bus rolled and crashed near Udine, Italy. There were 43 people on board, of whom 26 were injured.[53]
  • In August 2018, a bus travelling from Stockholm to Berlin crashed in Germany after veering off a highway, seriously injuring sixteen passengers.[54][55]
  • In December 2018, a bus crashed on a motorway near Zurich, Switzerland, killing two people including the co-driver, who was not driving at the time.[56] The driver was sentenced to 20 months in prison.[57]
  • 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.[58]
  • In May 2019, a bus rolled and crashed into a road safety barrier in Germany due to drowsy driving. One person was killed and 60 were injured.[59]
  • In October 2019, a bus rolled and crashed near Bizanet, France. One person was killed and 17 were injured.[60]
  • In November 2019, a bus rolled and crashed near Amiens, France, injuring more than 30 people.[61]
  • In February 2023, an Uber Eats bicycle courier was struck and killed by a Flixbus coach in Brussels, Belgium.[62] Two months after the incident, the government and FlixBus were criticized for not moving the bus stop away from the bike lane.[63]
  • 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. The company was criticized by a passenger for the lack of support offered after the incident.[64][65]
  • In July 2023, a bus crashed into another bus in the Czech Republic, killing one of the drivers and injuring 76 people.[66]
  • In September 2023, a 19-year-old Austrian woman died after a bus overturned near Micheldorf, Austria, injuring 20 people.[67] The bus driver was microsleeping. He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, suspended in full.[68]
  • 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.[69]
  • On 5 January 2024, one person died and 11 others were injured in NY State, USA, after a Flixbus that was bound for New York City from Montreal, Canada, rolled over on Interstate 87.[70]
  • On 24 March 2024, one person died in Italy after a Flixbus travelling between Milan and Rome crashed close to Modena.[71]
  • On 27 March 2024, five people died and 20 others were injured when a Flixbus crashed near Leipzig, Germany, after veering off a highway bound for Zürich from Berlin.[72] The driver received a suspended sentence.[73]
  • On 7 November 2024, around 7:10am, a Flixbus operated by Tribal Sun Bus LLC left the roadway and rolled over on I-490 in Chili, New York, just west of Rochester, New York. All 28 passengers were injured and transported, one critical patient died at the hospital that night.[74] The bus left New York City around midnight, bound for Niagara Falls. The driver was charged for fatigued driving, excessive speed, unsafe lane change, and no seatbelt.[75][76][77]
  • On 3 January 2025, a Flixbus crashed into two cars between the Perušić and Gospić junctions, in the direction of Dubrovnik.[78]
  • On 11 January 2025, a Flixbus carrying 13 passengers crashed when exiting the Autobahn 11 between Berlin and Szczecin, causing 2 deaths and 11 injuries.[79][80]
  • On 4 May 2025, a Flixbus from Arlington, Virginia to New York City rear-ended another bus on the New Jersey Turnpike. 39 people were hospitalized because of this chain-reaction crash.[81]
  • On 4 July 2025, a Flixbus overturned in Germany leaving 23 injured.[82]
  • On 22 July 2025, two FlixBus buses bound for Amsterdam were involved in a crash on the A4 motorway near Nieuw-Vennep, Netherlands. No serious injuries were reported.[83]

Buses inaccessible for wheelchair users

FlixBus has been sued in the U.S. and investigated by U.S. regulators for allegedly not making buses accessible for wheelchair users, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.[84][85][86]

Allowing for domestic travel within Switzerland

In March 2017, FlixBus was fined CHF3,000 for cabotage by allowing domestic travel within Switzerland, in violation of the monopoly of Swiss Federal Railways for passenger transport within Switzerland.[87][88]

Greenwashing

In March 2025, FlixBus was fined by German authorities for greenwashing by making misleading claims regarding its environmental record, including claiming that it is "the most environmentally-friendly means of transport".[89][90]

Logos

  • Flixbus – 2015
  • Meinfernbus.de
  • MeinFernbus Flixbus – 2015
  • Flixbus – 2015–2016
  • FlixBus – 2016–present

References

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