Today, FlixBus announced to start domestic service in the UK on July 2. The company will connect London, Birmingham, Bristol, Guildford and Portsmouth and will start with up to 200 trips a week
Quote from: Stuharris 6360 on June 30, 2020, 06:34:11 PM
Today, FlixBus announced to start domestic service in the UK on July 2. The company will connect London, Birmingham, Bristol, Guildford and Portsmouth and will start with up to 200 trips a week
Oh good. I've been waiting for this since their announcement last year.
I used FlixBus from Poznan to Berlin and back last year. Best coach I had ever been on, and it was only €31 return, bookable up to 15 minutes before departure.
I guess they'll be in competition with Sinbad for the cross-euro traffic once everything starts to open up.
BM coaches Flixbus on launch day:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rootymasters/50069114271
I saw a Flixbus in its green colours coming down the M1 at Watford Gap Service station today.
Just did a quick search on their website for coach travel from Birmingham to London with them, and they have tickets starting from £3.99 per direction (£2.99 plus £1 service fee).
They depart from Dudley Street in Birmingham, by the old Bull Ring Bus Station (so a little more central than MegaBus) and they call at either Finchley Road or Victoria Coach Station in London, for a stated 3 hour journey.
Few changes to the schedule from tomorrow... departures from Birmingham at 1025 and 1730 now, with the route extended to Manchester, coaches departing that way at 1130 and 1900 tomorrow. Different schedules applying depending on day of the week.
To London
Thu/Mon: 1025, 1730
Fri: 0800*, 1140, 1930
Sat: 0915, 1625
Sun: 0800*, 1210, 2020
* these coaches start in Birmingham
From London (to Manchester)
Thu/Mon: 1130, 1900
Fri: 1300, 1630*, 2000
Sat: 1030, 1730
Sun: 1400, 1630*, 2000
* these coaches terminate in Birmingham
Quote from: tyresmoke on July 15, 2020, 05:15:42 PM
Few changes to the schedule from tomorrow... departures from Birmingham at 1025 and 1730 now, with the route extended to Manchester, coaches departing that way at 1130 and 1900 tomorrow. Different schedules applying depending on day of the week.
To London
Thu/Mon: 1025, 1730
Fri: 0800*, 1140, 1930
Sat: 0915, 1625
Sun: 0800*, 1210, 2020
* these coaches start in Birmingham
From London (to Manchester)
Thu/Mon: 1130, 1900
Fri: 1300, 1630*, 2000
Sat: 1030, 1730
Sun: 1400, 1630*, 2000
* these coaches terminate in Birmingham
Thanks. Has Portsmouth been withdrawn?
Quote from: WilliamLeylandNational on July 15, 2020, 05:34:57 PM
Thanks. Has Portsmouth been withdrawn?
Yes it has, I'd attach the full schedule here but the file is too big
Quote from: tyresmoke on July 15, 2020, 06:05:34 PM
Yes it has, I'd attach the full schedule here but the file is too big
Is BM Coaches still the main supplier of Flixbus liveried coaches?
Quote from: Winston on July 15, 2020, 06:54:44 PM
Is BM Coaches still the main supplier of Flixbus liveried coaches?
BM appear to be rounding up Levantes for it!
So far they have 3 ex Whippet and Turners also have a Levante
Quote from: Tony on July 15, 2020, 06:59:29 PM
BM appear to be rounding up Levantes for it!
So far they have 3 ex Whippet and Turners also have a Levante
The Levante's looked temporary i.e. allover white with Flixbus stickers. BM coaches have had some 19 plate Vah Hools painted up in full Flixbus livery.
I wonder how long the Kings Ferry BA Shuttle base will remain based at BM Coaches if they're working with Flixbus aswell.
Quote from: Winston on July 15, 2020, 09:34:32 PM
The Levante's looked temporary i.e. allover white with Flixbus stickers. BM coaches have had some 19 plate Vah Hools painted up in full Flixbus livery.
I wonder how long the Kings Ferry BA Shuttle base will remain based at BM Coaches if they're working with Flixbus aswell.
They are using none PSVAR Van Hools which is naughty. Thandi is also involved
Quote from: Tony on July 15, 2020, 09:51:51 PM
They are using none PSVAR Van Hools which is naughty. Thandi is also involved
I noticed the Van Hools weren't PSVAR, not a great start. Seems to have been launched in a bit of a rush.
Which Thandi?
Quote from: Winston on July 15, 2020, 09:53:43 PM
I noticed the Van Hools weren't PSVAR, not a great start. Seems to have been launched in a bit of a rush.
Which Thandi?
Thandi Executive. Suki Thandi has been seen driving. They have also been operating some London to Paris runs before the domestic services started
Quote from: Tony on July 15, 2020, 10:09:38 PM
Thandi Executive. Suki Thandi has been seen driving. They have also been operating some London to Paris runs before the domestic services started
Wasn't the London - Paris runs what KF used to run under Ouibus branding after leaving Eurolines ?
Is Thandi Executive Blue Thandi ?
Flixbus seems to be setup such that operators take the risk / decide the routes / frequencies & pay Flixbus for using their brand & online booking facilities etc. Flixbus routes to Portsmouth & Guildford have already been pulled. Not sure if that's how they operate elsewhere, but very different to NX contractors.
Quote from: Winston on July 15, 2020, 10:46:12 PM
Is Thandi Executive Blue Thandi ?
Yes, they are Blue Thandi. Same people who operate the 37/334/335. Evergreen Coaches are red Thandi.
More changes to the Flixbus schedule from this Thursday 6 August.
Only thing affecting this region is the withdrawal of the Fri/Sun only 'short' 0800 departure from Birmingham and 1330 return. All other 023's stay the same.
Nationally they're introducing a new twice daily (Thu-Mon) London to Leeds via Sheffield Meadowhall.
Having withdrawn operations last year, it looks like they will be back from next Thursday. The following (some new) routes appear in the journey planner from 15th April, however in the absence of a map it's all a bit hit and miss just typing in random origin and destination points, so the actual routes may well be longer (or indeed others not yet 'found').
Victoria, Heathrow, Newport, Cardiff, Bridgend, Swansea University, Swansea
Victoria, Hammersmith, Heathrow, Bristol University, Bristol
Victoria, Finchley Road, Fosse Park, Leicester, Loughborough, Derby
Victoria, Finchley Road, Sheffield (Meadowhall), Leeds, Bradford
Victoria, Finchley Road, Birmingham, Manchester
Thandi have a brand new VanHool, TT21 NND, on the 023 to London this morning.
Quote from: DJ on April 16, 2021, 09:10:00 AM
Thandi have a brand new VanHool, TT21 NND, on the 023 to London this morning.
BLOTW suggest Thandi have 4 of these vehicles . . . . . . . . . .
they collected 5 the other day
Quote from: cris 99 on April 16, 2021, 12:03:13 PM
they collected 5 the other day
Highly likely , if I plug my brain in ,the ones BLOTW mention have TH to start with not TT . . . . . ::) ::)
Thandi have added another Van Hool - FL21 BUS.
Been seeing quite a few Flixbus coached punting their way up and down the M1 in the last week or so. I would've said I saw more of them than NX coaches on one day until a gaggle of NX coaches appeared stuck at J16.
A 005 service was even trundling down the A5 today, presumably avoiding the utter chaos that was enveloping the M1 this afternoon.
Whippets Coaches appear to have lost all their NX work & have redeployed all their Levante fleet on to Flixbus work instead.
Have blue Thandi lost the flix contract?
Quote from: Nxwm on September 23, 2021, 03:47:58 PM
Have blue Thandi lost the flix contract?
Flixbus isn't contracts as such, operators decide on routes to run and Flixbus market them. Thandi have decided it's not worth their while
Quote from: Tony on September 23, 2021, 03:57:51 PM
Flixbus isn't contracts as such, operators decide on routes to run and Flixbus market them. Thandi have decided it's not worth their whe
I see thank you for clearing that up
@Tony
Wonder what they are going to do with coaches
For sale
Can we confirm if the Flixbus coaches were purchased or "leased" by Thandi ? I would assume the latter ?
Leased or owned I would guess a big financial hole, sure there must be a time contract if leased
Saw the 021 being operated by Ridleys last night in Birmingham, with the 023 being operated by Lucketts Whippets.
EDIT: modified as I got the company wrong.
Quote from: ellspurs on September 26, 2021, 04:05:20 PM
Saw the 021 being operated by Ridleys last night in Birmingham, with the 023 being operated by Lucketts.
Lucketts?
I presume the Watford one as I haven't seen them on yet.
Quote from: Tony on September 26, 2021, 04:40:16 PM
Lucketts?
I presume the Watford one as I haven't seen them on yet.
Oh whoopsie. I mean Whippets. Sorry about that.
West Midlands based ASA Travel have acquired a new Yutong GT12 (AA24ASA) today, in full Flixbus spec, bar branding. No plans to actually join the Flixbus network though.
https://flic.kr/p/2pDdJHw
Could it be from a cancelled order maybe, like how Johnsons brought the Metrodeckers from Optare that Reading cancelled?
Quote from: the trainbasher on March 14, 2024, 10:38:41 AMCould it be from a cancelled order maybe, like how Johnsons brought the Metrodeckers from Optare that Reading cancelled?
They did have plans to join Flixbus but pulled out, and decided to keep the Coach.
Here's a better pic of it earlier at Cheltenham:
https://flic.kr/p/2pDiV95