The French provider of long-distance bus services, Blablabus, wants to start in the spring cities in Germany. This gives market leader Flixbus competition.
Since the takeover of the coach company Ouibus, which is part of the French railway, announced in November, the Blaupar car service, which is also active in Germany, is working to get into the coach business. Under the name Blablabus, the French startup wants to send its buses to the first German cities as early as spring, as Zeit Online writes. This gives the market leader Flixbus, which holds about 95 percent market share in this country, strong competition.
Competition for Flixbus: Blablabus wants to head for dozens of cities in Germany
According to a report by the Handelsblatt, Blablabus plans to reach 60 cities in Germany and the Benelux by the end of this year. The CEO of the startup Nicolas Brusson said he had deliberately chosen the start of the expansion outside of France in Germany. “People want an alternative offer,” the Handelsblatt quotes the Blablacar founder.
In 2015 Blablacar took over the German rivals Mitfahrgelegenheit.de and Mitfahrzentrale.de
In the future, the company wants to score points in the coach business with cheap tickets and also offer the opportunity to combine long-distance bus travel with car-sharing opportunities. Like Flixbus, Blablabus relies on organizing and arranging rides for medium-sized bus companies.
Flixbus claims to have connections to 2,000 locations in 28 countries in Europe, including France. There are therefore 300,000 connections available daily. A quick check showed: A trip from Paris to Cologne costs currently at the German provider about as much as with Ouibus – namely from 17 or 18 euros. Blablacar currently has approximately 65 million members and offers its services in 22 countries. 20 million travelers use the platform every quarter.
Also published on Medium.