Travelers and commuters in Germany can use long-distance buses again. After two months Corona breakFlixbus restart announced for Thursday next week (May 28th).
The green buses steer scarce at first 50 stops at how the German market leader announced on Friday. Before the crisis there were ten times as many.
Because of the spread of the novel corona virus, the buses have been idle since March 18. Competitors like Blablabus and Pinkbus have not yet announced whether and when they will resume operations.
Seats should not remain free
“We also want in these Corona times safe travel allow, “said Flixbus managing director Andr Schwmmlein of the German press agency.
You have a Hygiene concept Developed. Buses are disinfected after each trip. The safety distance of 1.50 meters applies at stops and when boarding and alighting. Tickets are checked without contact, disinfectants are ready.
As with the train However, seats are not blocked become, as Schwmmlein said. “That is not economically feasible.”
Passengers must wear face masks during the entire journey. Responsibility is also required here, said Schwmmlein. “We appeal to our passengers to only start their journey when they are symptom-free are.”
“Dramatic situation in the industry”
Despite the higher effort, the trips should not become more expensive. “We assume that we will Maintain price level that we had before the crisis. “
In addition to major cities such as Berlin, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main and Munich also smaller towns such as Bayreuth, Himmelkron, Titisee-Neustadt, Weimar and Wolpertshausen, as Flixbus announced.
Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Denmark are also in use again. Toilets are not opened, so that passengers do not meet on the bus. However, the buses regularly lead to rest stops, according to the company.
“We will weather this crisis,” said Schwmmlein. The company is very well funded. Flixbus does not have its own buses, but arranges the booking for medium-sized bus companies. “It’s a dramatic situation in the industry,” said Schwmmlein. “But our partners are all still there.”
State aid to the bus industry
In 2019, Flixbus transported more than 62 million passengers worldwide, this year it should Expansion abroad go on. Now it’s about getting going again. It is not yet certain when the Flixtrain train offer can be booked again.
“It feels a bit like the 2013 Flixbus network,” said Schwmmlein. 26 buses will be on the road in Germany, Austria and Switzerland next week. Flixbus relies on soon crossing borders again to be able to drive. “We hope that a responsible European solution will be established in the next few weeks.”
Flixbus supports demands from the bus industry government aid. “Everyone survives three months, but we have to think about how to help in the next 12 to 18 months,” said Schwmmlein. “Otherwise, many will not survive.” Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) recently announced aid of around 170 million euros for the bus industry.
At the same time, aid worth billions is planned for Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa. “You have to act naturally, traffic is important,” said Schwmmlein. “But it depends on that Corona not as an excuse for distortion of competition. “The EU Commission should pay attention to this. (dpa / mer)
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