Belle Vue Manchester is expanding its partnership with fast-growing coach network FlixBus to launch services to three new destinations.
Stockport-based Belle Vue will run daily services between Manchester and York, Birmingham and Leicester from spring 2024 as it expands its operations in the express coach sector.
The company’s partnership with FlixBus began in April this year with the introduction of cross-country services between Manchester, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle upon Tyne.
The route’s success has been recognised with high customer satisfaction ratings and is shortlisted for the best express coach service accolade at the UK Bus Awards, which will be presented later this month.
Belle Vue will add five new Yutong vehicles to the FlixBus network in line with its expansion. Two of these will run on the existing Newcastle services, and the others will operate on the new routes. The Manchester hub for Belle Vue’s FlixBus services is Shudehill Interchange.
Belle Vue was recently accepted into the Guild of British Coach Operators, an elite body open only to companies which attain a 100 per cent rating in an independent audit of its operations. It is one of only 20 companies to gain membership of the guild.
The award-winning company has a diverse and growing fleet which carries two million passengers a year across the UK and Europe. It provides branded transport to a wide customer base, serving the education and corporate sectors, private hire and touring groups, as well as express inter-city services with FlixBus.
Managing director Phil Hitchen said: “The strength of our partnership with the FlixBus team is unmatched, and we have been keen to expand our relationship with them based on the excellent results we’ve seen so far.
“There is a revolution in express coach services happening with FlixBus here in the UK, and it’s exciting to be part of the forward-thinking brand shaping the future of the industry.”
Travel tech company FlixBus launched its eye-catching green coach service in the UK market in 2021 and now serves over 60 destinations nationwide, as well as regular coaches into continental Europe.
The FlixBus network is the largest in Europe and now operates in 42 countries worldwide, including the USA, Canada, Brazil and Chile.
All FlixBus vehicles in the UK have USB charging points, free Wi-Fi and live coach tracking updates sent directly to passengers’ digital devices.
FlixBus operates its own technology development, network planning, operations control, marketing & sales, quality management and continuous product expansion. The green FlixBus fleet is managed by long-term bus operator partners.
FlixBus UK’s managing director Andreas Schorling said: “Belle Vue has delivered exceptional quality on our network, alongside an entrepreneurial and ambitious approach from Phil and the entire team. We are delighted to expand our partnership and are looking forward to working together for decades to come.
“FlixBus sets out to build partnerships that last and we are delighted that as a key operator, Belle Vue is keen to expand with us, and drive forward our mission to become the largest express coach network in the UK.”
He added: “One of our core values is the democratisation of transport, and we are passionate about bringing our coach services to every corner of the country. We want to ensure as many passengers as possible benefit from our sustainable, affordable network to travel through the midlands and north of England.”