Flixbus, a German bus company, has announced its expansion into Peru and Mexico, as reported in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
Last year, the parent company, Flix, ventured into the Indian bus market, which is the second-largest in the world after China. “By the summer, Mexico will follow, the third-largest and also this year, Peru” said André Schwämmlein, the company’s CEO and co-founder, in an interview with the FAS. All of these markets are often much larger than the German one. Flixbus is already active in Latin America, with operations in Brazil and Chile.
Schwämmlein hinted that the company expects more passengers to use its buses in 2024 than in 2023, stating, “We are very satisfied with the previous year.” The company’s growth will primarily come from emerging markets, he added. “In these countries, buses are the dominant mode of transportation, as the rail network is small and flights are still too expensive for most people. On the other hand, wealth and population growth make more travel possible.” However, Schwämmlein is hesitant to enter the Chinese market, citing the government’s reluctance to allow foreign competition.
The company’s Flixtrain network, which offers train services in competition with the German railway, will also be expanded, but this will take time, according to Schwämmlein. “Demand is there, but it’s not always easy to get attractive departure times. Most of all, we lack wagons. So, we’re focusing on offering more and longer trains on existing routes before we expand the network. We’re prioritizing Germany for now” he said.