“I learnt from the FlixBus team that their commitment is to invest 80 to 100 million euros (INR 741 crore to INR 927 crore) over the next few years (in India). This signifies a robust partnership and a shared vision for sustainable and accessible public transport,” Patil said.
In total, FlixBus India connects 101 cities and 215 stops nationwide. The launch has added 33 cities with over 200 connections throughout South India. As part of its Bengaluru launch, it has rolled out a special price promotion of just INR 99 for the new routes within a stipulated booking period. The company, last valued at about USD 3 billion, plans to introduce additional routes across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala in the later stage. It forayed into India launching its Delhi operations earlier this year.
The company has partnered with six bus operators such as Vijayanand Travels for the routes planned. “After the success of North India operations, expanding to South India is the next step in our journey to revolutionise intercity travel. We have received a positive response from customers and bus partners, reaffirming our belief in the power of our technology-driven model,” Surya Khurana, managing director of FlixBus India said. Globally, the firm runs about 6,000 buses. The company was founded by Jochen Engert, André Schwämmlein, and Daniel Krauss in 2013. It clocked an annual revenue of 2 billion euros in 2023, up 30% from a year ago. Its set of investors includes the likes of marquee firms General Atlantic, Permira, and BlackRock.
Until recently, the company was considering listing publicly. “We plan to continue to grow profitably, which we have in the last two years. In the long-term, we also must make sure we are well funded, so IPO was an option, but the market did not come through and we raised from exclusive private firms such as EQT instead,” co-founder Krauss told TOI.
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