FlixBus has extended its scheduled coach network to Scotland as part of further growth in the UK. Edinburgh and Glasgow are among 10 additional destinations, with Greenock-based McGill’s Buses introduced as a partner of the brand to deliver Anglo-Scottish services.
The latest bout of expansion means that FlixBus now serves 36 towns and cities in the UK. It follows a relaunch of the domestic FlixBus network in April and growth in May. The company observes that customer demand here is rising and that a “significant share” of its recent US$650m funding round will go towards further expansion in the UK as it bids to create the country’s largest scheduled coach network by 2025.
FlixBus UK Managing Director Andreas Schorling says: “We have had a fantastic start of operations and we have really enjoyed enabling people to travel again in these last three months.
“This is a great time for people in the UK to discover their own country and to do so sustainably travelling by coach. Our new offer includes even more towns and cities, and our modern coaches serve existing destinations more frequently. We are especially excited to travel even further afield and to expand to Scotland.”
Mr Schorling adds that FlixBus believes the UK scheduled coach market “still has the potential to grow.” All services here are delivered by partner operators and he says that FlixBus has received “strong support” from the coach industry.
McGill’s is among the latest operators to partner with FlixBus. It has invested “substantially” in new Volvo 9700 coaches for the Anglo-Scottish work, says Chairman of McGill’s Group James Easdale. The arrangement with FlixBus is McGill’s first move into long-distance scheduled coach travel, for which the operator has “assembled a team of highly experienced long-distance drivers.”
Adds Mr Easdale: “FlixBus is a huge brand that is synonymous with intercity bus travel in Europe and the United States. Everyone at McGill’s is looking forward to working to build its presence in Scotland and the rest of the UK.”
