The successes of the Deutschlandticket mean that Flixbus has been picking up fewer customers within Germany’s borders recently. Now, the company has announced it will cut some lines as a consequence.
Since the 49-euro ticket went on sale and opened up transportation across Germany throughout the summer, fewer are opting for a long, sweaty coach ride. Flixbus is feeling the pinch and has announced that it will cut some of its lines running between German cities and popular tourist destinations in the federal republic.
“We are seeing the impact of the Deutschlandticket when it comes to demand for particular long-distance bus services,” a Flixbus spokesperson told Rheinische Post. “For that reason, we have reduced services on these lines”. Particularly affected are buses running between Hamburg and the northern German coastline.
Since the announcement of the 9-euro ticket, Flixbus has been pushing the German government to let the international company be included in one of its nationwide transport ticket policies. So far, to no avail.
Flixbus believes that including its services in the Deutschlandticket would “make the offer significantly more attractive and increase sales,” the spokesperson told Rheinische Post. But the Federal Ministry of Transport isn’t convinced, arguing that the main aim of the 49-euro ticket is to make local public transport, rather than long-distance travel, more appealing.
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