FlixBus

FlixBus (German pronunciation: ['flɪksbʊs]; styled FLiXBUS) is a German brand that offers low-cost intercity coach services in Europe, North America, South America, Asia and India. It is owned by Flix SE [de], which also operates FlixTrain, FlixCar, Kâmil Koç [tr], 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. In 2023, FlixBus had revenues of €2 billion and carried 81 million passengers of which 55 million were in Europe, 14 million were in Turkey, and 12 million were in North America.
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.
FlixBus launched its first three routes in February 2013 in Bavaria, Germany, to take advantage of Germany opening up its bus market to competition. In the following years, it added routes across Europe.
In April 2018, FlixBus was the first to use all-electric vehicles on a long-distance bus route, between Paris La Défense and Amiens.
FlixBus expanded to the United States in 2018, first operating from Los Angeles, then expanding to the East Coast in 2019 through a partnership with Eastern Bus. FlixBus also launched service in Brazil in 2021, Canada in 2022, Chile in 2023, and India in 2024.
In April 2022, the company converted from a GmbH structure to an SE structure and was renamed Flix SE.
In 2025, Trentbarton became the operator of Flixbus services in the East Midlands.
In 2013, the company received equity financing from Mercedes-Benz Group and the Technical University of Munich.
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.
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.
In July 2024, EQT AB and Kuehne + Nagel acquired a 35% stake in the company for €1 billion.
In 2016, FlixBus was accused by a German government agency of forcing its partners to make drivers work excessive hours at low wages.
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. bdo, an association of German bus companies, responded that buses pay for infrastructure use in the form of related taxes (on fuel, for example) while billions in subsidies are paid to national rail provider Deutsche Bahn.
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.
On 14 May 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.
Tribal Sun Bus LLC (Rockland, MA) operates buses under the Flixbus brand. As of 6 November 2024, the FMCSA SAFER system reported 6 crashes in the last 24 months (starting 6 November 2022.) 1 fatal, 3 injury, and 2 towable. In FMCSA SMS, Out of 77 driver inspections in 2 years, 21 had Hours of service (HOS) violations. Prior to a rollover accident on 7 November 2024, the FMCSA listed a Carrier Safety Rating of "Conditional; Records indicate that the carrier was out of compliance with one or more safety requirements."