Stagecoach-owned operator launches first route linking Barcelona and Cologne via France and welcomes changes to French coach industry rules
Megabus.com has announced it is setting up a base in Lyon and launching a new route linking France, Spain and Germany.
The move, which will also see the creation of more than 30 new jobs, comes as the French Government finalises plans to modernise the country’s coach market later this year.
From June 3, two megabus.com services a day will operate in each direction between Barcelona, Perpignan, Montpellier, Avignon, Lyon, Mulhouse, Freiburg, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Frankfurt and Cologne. For travel on the first five days of the new services, Megabus has confirmed that all tickets will be priced at €1.
The new route will offer direct megabus.com services between France and Germany for the first time and marks the latest expansion of the company’s network, which now covers around 130 destinations across Europe.
French cities Lyon, Perpignan, Montpellier, Avignon and Mulhouse are new locations on the megabus.com network.
Domestic journeys will be possible in Germany, allowing people to travel between Cologne, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe and Freiburg.
As part of the latest expansion, Megabus is creating 35 jobs at a new operating base in, Belleville-sur-Saône, north of Lyon. Seven vehicles will be parked, fuelled, cleaned and maintained at the base under a partnership with local company Autocar Maisonneuve. The coaches, which were manufactured by Van Hool, represent an investment of more than €3m.
Megabus Managing Director Edward Hodgson said: “Our high-quality services are opening low-cost connections for people across Europe and we are delighted to establish a new base in Lyon with its central location in France.
“We are serving several locations in France for the first time. It will give local people access to a large network of megabus.com services across Europe and help boost tourism.
“We are the only coach operator in Europe to offer €1 fares on all services across all routes.”
Stagecoach-owned Megabus carries more than 15 million passengers a year across Europe and North America. In Europe, it currently operates mainly international routes in and out of France due to ‘cabotage’ rules which restrict coach links between destinations wholly within the country. The company has supported recent moves by the French Government to liberalise the coach market and changes are expected to be introduced later this year.
Edward Hodgson added: “Modernising the outdated rules for coach services in France can give a huge boost for consumers, with more choice and lower fares. Our experience from the UK is that this benefits all public transport, with coach services flourishing at the same time as the country has the fastest growing rail network in Europe.”
