Flixbus expects jump in Swiss ticket sales after domestic route approval

The company was previously barred from offering domestic routes in order to protect Swiss operators. Keystone

The German low-cost bus company estimates a 40% increase in Swiss passengers following approval in June to offer domestic routes. 

The company was previously barred from offering Swiss passengers the possibility to travel within the country. Last year it was fined CHF3,000 ($3,066) as passengers were using its coaches on the Lyon to Constance route for cut-price inter-city travel within Switzerland. The buses stop at Geneva, Bern and Zurich. 

However, from June onwards the company was allowed to run domestic long-distance bus routes. The Swiss bus company Eurobus operates the routes while Flixbus provides the booking system and sells the tickets. Flixbus also plans to expand its Swiss network by connecting the airports of Basel, Zurich and Geneva, said the German bus operator. In addition, the national network will be integrated into Flixbus’s international route network. 

Other attempts at expansion include new night services and better connections to numerous destinations in Germany, France and Italy. New tourist destinations in eastern and southern Switzerland complement the company’s long-distance bus network. 

In total, more than 200 destinations in Europe can now be reached by long-distance bus from Switzerland. The company estimates that this network expansion, as well as investments in new services, will result in 1.7 million Swiss passengers in 2018. 

Flixbus was founded in 2013 after the abolition of the German rail monopoly on long-distance transport between cities. It now offers cut price competition to the Swiss rail service, which is a government owned monopoly.