“Flixbus” has now almost become a generic term for long-distance bus journeys in Europe. The company has grown enormously since it was founded in 2012 and has now become a quasi-monopolist.

Apart from a few remaining smaller providers like regional jet, Blablacar bus, Itabus or Ecolines, there are still niche providers who have their regular customers in traffic between Germany and Southeastern Europe as well as Eastern Europe. Their offers have now shrunk noticeably or they also use Flixbus as a sales platform to generate additional income.

In Europe, Flixbus does not operate a single bus itself. It is a concessionaire on many routes, but has commissioned subcontractors to operate the routes. Another form of cooperation with Flixbus is that bus companies use the Flixbus brand as part of a franchise agreement, but are themselves concessionaires. An example of this are the inner Austrian routes Graz-Vienna and Graz-Vienna Airport, which were designed by Dr. Richard. There is also a form of cooperation, especially in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, where the bus operator sells tickets themselves and also offers some seats via the Flixbus platform.

It was shown that companies that offer long-distance bus services can hardly get past the market power of the German group or have almost no chance Example the startups Pinkbus and Roadjet. Both providers have not managed to operate their Flixbus alternatives profitably and have therefore withdrawn from the market again. The two failed Flix challengers have not completely disappeared, but the focus is now on the classic bus charter business. Also the former one Market leader Eurolines had to give up a lot, because in German-speaking countries the heavyweight Blaguss Reisen left early and switched to Flixbus. Deutsche Touring followed not long ago under the ownership of Croatia Bus, which bought the former railway subsidiary out of bankruptcy.

State railways withdrew their long-distance buses

How difficult it is to compete with Flixbus is also shown by the fact that the state-owned companies Deutsche Bahn AG (Berlin Linien Bus and IC Bus) and the Austrian Federal Railways (Helloe) have withdrawn from this segment. Even Deutsche Post had to give up its Postbus, which was originally launched in cooperation with the ADAC. What was not bought by Flixbus sometimes ended in bankruptcy, as was impressively the case with DeinBus.de. Only a few providers, including Regiojet, manage to stand up to Flixbus and other smaller ones concentrate on routes that are obviously not really interesting for the top dog.

Those who want to travel by long-distance bus often have no alternative to Flixbus or, if there is, it is sometimes not particularly well known, so that some travelers do not even know that there is a competitor. This is also because one or two specialist providers rely heavily on the community when selling tickets and are quite satisfied with their regular customers. However, low-cost airlines such as Wizz Air and Ryanair, which are increasingly represented between Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as destinations in Southeastern Europe and Eastern Europe, are putting pressure on these providers. These alternatives are certainly welcomed. Why sit in a coach for a long time when it's quicker by plane and cheaper because of the generous subsidies in some countries?

In any case, it is very difficult to examine the Flixbus product because, due to the cooperation models described at the beginning, there is no uniform fleet. A variety of bus types are in use and these have striking differences in terms of equipment and comfort for passengers. What is included in the ticket price and what is not can be regulated differently even within Europe.

Luggage is not always included

On those routes on which subcontractors operate on behalf of Flixbus, one piece of luggage and one piece of hand luggage are usually included. However, some entrepreneurs who only use the Flixbus brand for sales charge a surcharge starting with the first piece of luggage. Things are very different here: sometimes the surcharge can be paid online, sometimes this is only possible by paying in cash to the bus driver. There is a complete confusion of regulations and the blatant advertising representation that the transport of one piece of luggage is always included is a bit misleading. Before the booking is completed, there is a clear breakdown of what is included and what is not, but there are simply no uniform regulations that would apply at least to all trips in Europe.

Passengers should therefore be careful about what they are actually buying when booking. If taking a suitcase with you is not included, you should pay attention to whether any surcharge has to be paid online or in cash to the bus driver. Important: Especially in non-Euro countries, any payments must be made in cash in the local currency. The drivers are often accommodating and accept euros as long as the amount is right, but you shouldn't rely on that. Especially in countries in Southeastern Europe, the long-distance bus is an everyday means of transport due to the poorly developed rail network and many passengers tend to have a lot of large luggage with them. If you haven't included or booked a piece of luggage, you should arrive at the bus station on time, because if the trunk is full, then it's full. The buses are often completely booked.

The thing about the quiet place

What is also complicated, and sometimes even misleading, is that Flixbus advertises on its own homepage that there should be a toilet available for passengers. This is intended for “emergencies” on board, so that the journey does not become torture. However, just because there is an on-board toilet does not mean that it is open and can be used by passengers.

It is quite common, especially on routes to southeastern Europe, for drivers to block the toilet and tell passengers that it is broken. The reason behind this is usually that the bus drivers don't want to go through the trouble of discharging the faeces at collection points that are available at many bus stations. Occasionally, considerable pressure from passengers helps ensure that the quiet local system is functional and released. Sometimes the drivers remain stubborn and don't care that the presence of a toilet was advertised when buying a ticket or was even a purchase criterion. It should also be noted that on short routes such as Vienna-Bratislava the toilet is often locked, but there is no indication of this in advance.

WiFi and sockets don’t always work – or are completely missing

The same applies to the toilets with WiFi and sockets. These are repeatedly advertised by Flixbus, but just because it is technically available does not mean that it works or can be used. In some buses there are neither sockets nor wireless LAN because they are not equipped with them, and in others they simply do not work.

Drivers actually have the option of switching the 230-volt sockets and, if available, 5V USB sockets on and off using a button. But: The drivers can't do anything if the energy source at the seat doesn't work, but it feels like everyone else does. This is a case for technicians in the workshop. When it comes to WiFi, it depends on the bus type. Some have buttons that drivers can use to turn the router on or off, but others do not. The device, which is usually located behind a panel, would have to be “removed” and then an attempt should be made to see whether it would work according to the motto “plug out, plug in, it works”. In general, it is not uncommon for Flixbus's WiFi routers to hang up and no longer provide internet for passengers. Even the login page usually no longer loads. A possible source of error: Some routers seem to have problems when the network is changed when crossing the border.

How much internet you can use also varies. Some buses – contrary to Flixbus’ advertising – have no WiFi at all. Then the question of the included data volume doesn't arise anyway. Some things depend on the actual operator of the vehicle, because sometimes only 150 megabytes are included, sometimes as much as you want, but streaming services like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Video are blocked and then there are buses where there are no restrictions at all usability of the Internet. So it's a total confusion and can be a new surprise for online-savvy passengers on every trip. Sometimes positive, sometimes negative.

Seat reservations for money, but not on all buses

Flixbus originally launched with a free choice of seats. This concept is very reminiscent of Ryanair, Easyjet, Germanwings and other low-cost airlines in the early 2000s. Back then you could choose where you sat and whoever sat down first “owned” the chair. It was only later that the low-costers realized that they could make a lot of money with paid seat reservations. Network carriers have also copied this and it is now an unofficial industry standard that the seats in economy class are assigned “randomly” and if it doesn’t suit you, you can do so for a fee, which can sometimes be higher than if you booked directly reserved when booking, have the place changed. A lot of money is at stake for the airlines.

It is therefore not surprising that Flixbus offers paid seat reservations on many routes. If you don't want to pay extra for it, you will automatically be assigned one at no extra charge, which, unlike airlines, can no longer be changed later. Of course, this doesn't rule out swapping with other passengers directly on the bus. However: Not all Flixbus routes have a fixed seat allocation and therefore the possibility of reserving your desired seat in advance for a fee.

There is still free choice of seats, especially on routes where entrepreneurs operate with their own license and only use Flix as a sales partner or are active as franchisees. There is also an “in between”. Certain rows can be reserved for a fee, while in all others there is free choice of seats. You can find out exactly what awaits you on the bus when booking and on the ticket.

A particular annoyance for travelers is often that passengers do not understand that there are assigned seats and simply sit down anywhere. If you have paid extra for it and the “occupier” refuses to comply, it often depends on the bus driver whether he warns you to adhere to the seating arrangement or whether he simply doesn’t care. Both occur and vary greatly depending on who is there.

Buses are equipped very differently

It is very difficult to make a concrete statement regarding the comfort on board, because there are striking differences due to the large number of different vehicle types. Some buses have comfortable seat spacing, others have the tight seating that airlines offer in economy class. Especially in sales and franchise routes, it depends on what the entrepreneur actually wants. On the Flix subcontractor routes it is more or less uniform and there are only differences depending on the vehicle type. At Flixtrain, the Flix Group's railway product, the equipment is largely uniform. Find out more at this link at Aviation.Direct.

Nevertheless, passengers must be prepared for the fact that a comfortable bus with a large seat pitch and the ability to move the backrest backwards without the person behind being “crushed” may be in use on the outward journey and then on the return journey extremely tight. This cannot really be determined in advance, because even if you can determine from the seating plan (if there are paid seat reservations) whether it is a single- or double-decker bus, vehicle changes can occur at extremely short notice. So-called replacement buses in particular can vary greatly.

Dynamic pricing system, but not always

In terms of price, Flixbus is positioned as a low-cost provider. Long-distance bus journeys usually take considerably longer than train and air journeys. But there are also exceptions, because the bus can also be the fastest means of transport, especially in areas where the railway is poorly developed or does not exist at all. There is no general answer as to whether Flixbus is always cheaper than the train or the plane, as low-cost airlines occasionally offer promotional tickets that can be very cheap.

Flixbus uses a pricing system originally invented by low-cost airlines. The ticket price depends on supply and demand. The closer the departure gets or the more bookings are already made, the more expensive it becomes. Flixbus found itself in the crossfire of criticism during the recent rail strike because the journeys were - subjectively perceived by passengers - significantly more expensive than usual.

Flixbus is not always the contractual partner

But there are also exceptions: In the area of ​​franchise and sales routes, there are some entrepreneurs who offer their tickets at a fixed price and do not use the dynamic pricing system. This can usually be recognized by the fact that the fares offered are higher than on other routes that can be booked on the Flix homepage. Occasionally, Flix only acts as an intermediary and also sells tickets for other modes of transport. This will be pointed out when booking.

In general, travelers should pay attention to who their contractual partner actually is when booking. Just because you booked via the Flixbus homepage does not mean that Flix is ​​the responsible carrier and therefore the contractual partner. Both when booking and on the invoice there is the note “carried out by”. For example, if it says “Flixbus DACH GmbH”, then it is a Flixbus subcontractor route and Flix is ​​the contractual partner. For example, “Dr. Richard”, then it is probably Graz-Vienna/Vienna Airport, because the actual concessionaire is the contractual partner. But it can also read “Croatia Bus” or any other company name.

Passengers have rights

This information can be particularly important in the event of irregularities, because it is important to contact the right company, especially when it comes to asserting passenger rights. If Flixbus and/or a subsidiary is the concessionaire of the route, then the claims must be directed there. However, if it is a franchisee or just a company that uses Flixbus as a sales partner, then Flix customer service will only be able to pass on the contact details, but otherwise will not be able to help much. This is particularly true if you worked purely as an agent for another bus company.

Yes, passengers have legal passenger rights on Flixbus and other long-distance bus providers. In contrast to passenger rights in aviation, these are much softer and there are no high compensation payments at all. Particularly important: For long-distance buses, it is not the time of arrival that counts for fare reductions, but rather the time of departure. If you get in and end up stuck in a traffic jam for hours, you're simply unlucky. Aviation.Direct has more information about passenger rights at this link for your convenience.

No real conclusion possible

Long-distance buses are often an inexpensive alternative to flights, trains and your own car on many routes. There are now hardly any other providers on most routes, as Flixbus has a quasi-monopoly position in Europe. This also has an impact on prices, as they appear to have increased gradually due to the loss of competitors, but not to an extent that would be comparable to the monopoly routes of a German aviation group and its subsidiaries.

Unfortunately, Flixbus has long since said goodbye to the uniform offer, where there were small deviations depending on the bus type. A real confusion of regulations and rules is now the order of the day, so that passengers should pay close attention to what they are buying when booking. This prevents you from standing at the bus and having to charge the driver an extra fee for your suitcase because it is not included.

Unfortunately, it often happens that passengers do not really inform themselves about transport regulations. It's still a small thing that many people don't know that seat belts are required on board long-distance buses for safety reasons. There is much more talk about the fact that there are always “experts” all over Europe who stand on the bus with a dog or cat and are then angry that they are refused a ride. A look at the Flix homepage would have been enough, because it is not allowed. The only long-distance bus company that allows animals to be taken within very strict limits is currently Regiojet, and not on all routes. In general you can remember the rule of thumb: dogs, cats and mice are not allowed. As always, assistance dogs such as guide dogs are excluded from this. It is very helpful if you register this in advance by telephone if necessary.

It is almost impossible to draw a “conclusion” about Flixbus, because due to the many differences it can happen that something is highlighted positively that does not exist at all on another bus. No clear statement can be made regarding the price either, as these vary dramatically depending on the date and route. A lot of things are a surprise when you get started. Sometimes positive, sometimes unfortunately negative. As is often the case, a lot depends on the crew. Many drivers are motivated and friendly and unfortunately there are also unfriendly ones who can ruin the day of a bus full of passengers. It's a bit reminiscent of flight attendants in a bad mood, but people work everywhere and they can have a bad day, even if it's unprofessional to let the passengers feel that way. In any case, notices that have recently been stuck on the buses that the bus driver would be happy about a tip are a bit questionable.