Flixbus buys US industry leader Greyhound

The Munich-based mobility provider Flixmobility, which operates the Flixbus and Flixtrain brands, is taking over the US company Greyhound Lines.

Flixbus conquers the American market and takes over Greyhound Lines. The US company has belonged to the British transport company Firstgroup since 2007. Now Flixbus has taken over the US industry leader for about 172 million US dollars.

Flixbus has already been operating buses in the US under its own brand name since 2018. At first, the green buses connected destinations throughout the Southwest, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. The company later expanded its tours to additionally connect cities in the Southwest, South, Northeast, and Pacific Northwest.

The Greyhound purchase is a step toward offering user-friendly, affordable, and environmentally friendly travel to consumers worldwide, according to Flixbus. "A compelling offering will lead significantly more travelers away from private cars and towards shared intercity bus mobility," hopes André Schwämmlein, founder and CEO of Flixmobility. Fluctuations in fuel costs, price increases for cars and climate change have led to an increased interest in bus travel, he said. "Together, FlixBus and Greyhound will be able to better serve this increased demand," says the CEO.

Flixmobility was founded by Jochen Engert, Daniel Krauss and André Schwämmlein in Germany in 2013. The Flixbus network now serves over 2,500 destinations in 36 countries outside the U.S. with 400,000 daily connections.

Greyhound connects approximately 2,400 destinations across North America and accounts for nearly 16 million passengers per year. As an industry leader, Greyhound has achieved cult status in the United States. Founded in the early 19th century, the bus company has been the inspiration for many films, song lyrics and other pop culture products.