FlixBus partners with trentbarton
Global travel brand FlixBus announced a new partnership with Derbyshire-based trentbarton at Euro Bus Expo.
The partnership is due to start in spring 2025 and is due to see trentbarton’s directorial leadership and other companies within its parent body, the Wellglade Group, lead the operation. Nine Yutong vehicles will be added to FlixBus’s UK network as a result of the partnership.
Speaking during a press conference announcing the partnership at Euro Bus Expo, Andreas Schorling, FlixBus UK Managing Director, said: “Only three years ago, our operation didn’t even exist in the UK. Now we serve over 70 destinations and Flix is becoming a household brand.
“But as we like to say: we’re just getting started. The plan is to double the size of our network again, aiming to operate over 200 coaches in the UK. We’re going to be the largest network. But in order to achieve that, we need to get operators to partner with us.
“We are delighted to work with trentbarton; they’re an operator we have huge respect for.”
Andreas praised trentbarton’s legacy and history and said the operator’s positive relationship it has with its drivers gels well with FlixBus’s attitudes.
(L to R) Andreas Schorling and Tom Managhan
“This is possibly the first step of many” – Tom Monaghan, trentbarton Managing Director
Tom Monaghan, trentbarton Managing Director, said: “We first met FlixBus at the NEC at the last show. We had been talking on and off ever since. The more we talked, the more we realised we were closely aligned. The idea of partnering came up time and time again. This is possibly the first step of many.
“This partnership represents a new chapter for trentbarton and a long-term investment in our company’s growth.”
No exact details of what and how many routes trentbarton is to operate for FlixBus were available at the launch, but it is expected the routes will be based from the operator’s Midlands depots.
This collaboration comes on the heels of the recent FlixBus partnership announcement with First Bus. Last month Chalfont Coaches Northampton and Prospect Coaches switched to the FlixBus network.
“Our strategy to achieve market leadership through partnerships with respected, high-quality operators is delivering phenomenal results,” concluded Schorling.