Shadow Buses Minister Simon Lightwood continued his interaction with the coach and bus industry via a visit to FlixBus on Monday.
With a general election due to take place before January 2025, the Labour minister met with the travel tech company at its London Victoria office to hear about the rapid growth of the company and the challenges faced by the coach sector.
As well as meeting FlixBus Managing Director, Andreas Schorling, Mr Lightwood paid a visit to Victoria Coach Station where he spoke to drivers from coach operator partner Rowgate Group.
Mr Lightwood says: “It was fantastic to see what the advanced digital platform FlixBus is bringing to the UK and it’s impressive to see how FlixBus uses its technology to offer small and medium operators an opportunity to grow. The company’s rapid growth is supporting the country’s transport system as well as local economies.
“We cannot overlook coach’s fundamentally positive impact on society – with so many people feeling the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis, coach provides an affordable, reliable lifeline for people who want and need to get around.”
He also referred to the forthcoming launch of FlixBus’s zero-emission trial with Newport Transport between London, Bristol and Newport.
“Decarbonising the industry is a key priority for me,” he says. “I’m also incredibly impressed FlixBus is forging a path for electric long-distance coaches, piloting the first service in England and Wales next week.”
With his speeches at the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Conference in January, where he referred to coach, and at the launch of CPT’s Rural Zero-Emission Bus Taskforce report last month, the minister likely to next take over remit for coach and bus has shown a willingness to to engage with the industry.
Mr Schorling adds: “It was a pleasure to speak to the Shadow Minister about our expansion here in the UK as well as provide insights on behalf of Flix as well as our partners, alongside our experience in the 43 markets we operate in. His desire to support a thriving, growing coach industry was clear and we’re grateful he took the time to listen to our perspective.
“We made clear that we want a coach to be allowed a level playing field with other forms of transport, for example, for coach operators to pay fuel duty at the same, lower rate as UK rail companies. As we build the largest coach network in the country, we are proud to lead the charge and be a voice for our partners and the wider sector.”
