FlixBus has partnered with Harrow-based operator Desi Coaches to offer additional services between London and Leicester.
Daily operations will begin in March and be expanded in April ready for the summer peak.
Desi Coaches, which was founded in 2011 and presently offers home-to-school transport and coach hire, has taken on two new Yutong GT12 coaches for the partnership. This will take the number of FlixBus-branded vehicles on the UK roads to more than 200 by this summer.
Managing Director of Desi Coaches, Nilesh Patel, says: “FlixBus has a highly impressive model, growing at a remarkable pace. We saw in FlixBus the opportunity to take our operations to the next level.
“Joining FlixBus will be a transformative opportunity for our business, allowing us to expand beyond our traditional audience and operate on a national scale, leveraging FlixBus’s innovative platform and popularity among travellers.”
The partnership contributes to FlixBus’s aim to double the size of its market in the UK this year, following recent link-ups with First Bus, among others.
Andreas Schörling, FlixBus UK Managing Director, says: “Our growth strategy this year means onboarding ambitious operators like Desi to ensure we offer an optimised network, high frequencies and high quality options for our passengers.
“We are extremely optimistic about the market and the economic outlook for our network and partners, bringing sustainable and scalable growth opportunities to SMEs across the UK.
“We are redefining coach as the best way to travel, allowing the whole sector to thrive as a result.”
