megabus.com launches German domestic service
megabus.com started new domestic services in Germany, serving Munich, Nuremberg, Leipzig, Berlin, Hanover, Dortmund and Cologne, on 8 April 2015, offering travel from just €1 plus booking fee. The services will be operated by a €5m fleet of double decker coaches carrying up to 87 people allowing the company to have a low cost per passenger and keep fares down. The new route will also give customers connections to cities in the UK, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg using the international services that megabus.com has been operating to and from Germany since 2013.
megabus.com has established a new operational base in Munich, creating 23 jobs, with a further 27 employees to be stationed at a crew base in Hanover, in the process forging ties with local businesses. Munich based companies Josef Ettenhuber and AGK Truck and Bus will assist with fuelling, cleaning, parking and maintenance of the megabus.com vehicles. The company will also use office premises shared with AGK Truck and Bus at its base in Feldkirchen. In Hanover, megabus.com has rented office space in the city centre near the bus station.
The eleven new Van Hool Astromega coaches which will operate on the new routes feature free Wi-Fi, power sockets and onboard toilet facilities. In addition, the vehicles have two new safety features, Lane Deviation Warning and Adaptive Cruise Control which have been introduced a year ahead of regulatory requirements. All megabus.com drivers will undertake a detailed operational and customer service training programme, including route familiarisation and driving assessments.
megabus.com MD Edward Hodgson said: ‘This is an exciting development for public transport in Germany. It will provide more choice for passengers, who will benefit from low fares and high quality travel to some of the most popular places across the country. Our brand new fleet of coaches allows us to carry more passengers and keep costs down for our customers, meaning they have more money to spend when they get to their destination. Our services will complement existing transport options for people and our experience in the UK shows that coach and rail services can both attract growing numbers of passengers by offering customers good value and good customer service.’
The number of passengers using megabus.com’s growing coach network in Europe increased by more than 60% in the past year. megabus.com already carries more than 15m passengers a year across Europe and North America. megabus.com offers German, English, Spanish, French and Dutch language websites.