Brno, August 10 (BD) – The green buses of Flixbus attempt to provide better connections between Czech cities. Is the competition with the Czech provider Regiojet arising? Photo: MichaSpa via Wikimedia Commons
The German provider Flixbus is known for their frequent international connections around Europe. The provider has recently decided to strengthen their lines between Czech cities and the number of connections keeps rising.
At the beginning of this year Flixbus added more Czech cities in their schedule such as Prague, Pilsen, Karlovy Vary, Cheb, Jihlava, and Znojmo. Since this July in Brno, Ostrava, Pardubice and Olomouc, new green buses started to arrive and depart.
Is Flixbus a strong competitor for Regiojet within the Czech Republic? Regiojet is known to Czech passengers across the country and for the low fares.
Another advantage the yellow buses offer is the fast, direct routes especially within the country but also to Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary. Flixbus offers less frequent connections between Czech cities that are sometimes not direct and it takes more time to reach the destinations.
Flixbus operates 9 direct buses between Prague and Brno and the ticket price is similar to Regiojet. The yellow buses depart from Brno to Prague every thirty minutes. For some routes, Flixbus offers cheaper tickets than Regiojet.
When it comes to the tickets, both providers offer a user friendly website where passengers can make their booking. Regiojet also offers a seat selection. Tickets for both carriers can be printed or shown in an electronic form on smartphones. Regiojet also has ticket booths in many Czech cities where passengers can directly buy their tickets.
What about ticket cancellation? Both providers give the option of ticket cancellation and full refund for intra-state fares. Regiojet requires a ticket to be canceled at least 30 minutes prior the departure, while for Flixbus it is possible only 15 minutes in advance.
What would happen in case of delayed arrival or departure? While Regiojet has warnings for possible delays on their website, Flixbus will update the passengers through SMS. Due to the long-distance routes Flixbus performs, delays can occur more often.
To some passengers, the service of stewards of Regiojet, free hot beverage, multimedia screen, headphones, and newspapers is a clear big plus. Flixbus does not have additional services on board. In any case, non-Czech or non-German speakers can ask the staff for information as they usually speak English.
So far, Flixbus doesn’t make a strong competitor for Regiojet when it comes to the domestic connections, but they undeniably offer great services for reaching the destinations abroad. “Because we have just begun on some national lines, their share is a small percentage, but we are working on it,” spokeswoman of Flixbus Bettina Engert said to Czech news server Aktualne.cz.
