FlixBus: driving the sustainable travel revolution

26/04/2022

Long-distance buses are one of the most sustainable travel options  
FlixBus invests in emission reduction measures and sets standards in climate-neutral technologies such as biogas-powered buses, electric buses, and buses with solar panels 
Launch of the first hydrogen-powered long-distance bus due 2024

London 21 April 2022 – Joining forces with the Leaders for Climate Action, FlixBus is among world-renowned brands in the Earth Week initiative this Earth Day (22 April). Focused on how organisations can invest in the planet, the campaign is a perfect match for Flix’s vision, offering sustainable and affordable travel for everyone. Investing in impactful measures to lower emissions and set new standards for carbon-neutral technologies, the goal is to lead and transform the future of transport with renewable energies.

Thanks to its large and modern fleet of long-distance buses powered by conservative diesel engines, Flix has some of the most environmental-friendly modes of transportation available on the market. Together with a diverse portfolio of projects to further reduce emissions, such as biogas-powered buses, E-buses, and solar-panel-equipped buses,

Flix’s commitment also stretches to the consumer with the possibility to offset CO2 emissions through a partnership with environmental NGO atmosfair. The next development is underway, with global technology group Freudenberg and manufacturer ZF, with the creation of the first hydrogen-powered long-distance buses.

The Flix (R)Evolution

2013

The company entered the market as FlixBus and started its revolution of long-distance bus travel, changing the way people move across Europe. By gradually integrating a modernised Euro6 Diesel product, FlixBus has become one of the most sustainable modes of transport. A passenger in Germany travelling by FlixBus accounts for 23g CO2 per passenger-kilometre. By comparison, a private car passenger’s carbon footprint is around five times bigger, and an airplane passenger’s even around ten times bigger. 

2018

Growing as a company, taking millions of passengers to their desired destinations, the focus and vision of Flix has not changed: offering more sustainable and affordable travel for everyone. Aiming to take the sustainability commitment to the next level, together with BYD and Yutong, Flix started pilot projects for two electric bus models. Running in Germany and France, they were the world’s first long-distance electric buses. Another milestone was the introduction of FlixTrain in Germany. Running entirely on green energy, the fuel is carbon neutral. In 2020 FlixTrain’s green journey continued by expanding to Sweden.

2020

Flix followed the sun: a FlixBus with solar panels started to run from Dortmund to London, today the bus is running between Paris and Eindhoven. FlixBus worked with TRAILAR, a British company that offers innovative transport solutions to reduce the environmental impact of commercial vehicles. The solar panels generate energy for the bus’s electrical consumption which effectively reduces fuel consumption, leading to an average of 1.7 litres of diesel saved per 100km and CO2 emissions reduced by up to 6.5%. Flix is currently investigating whether this innovative technology could be implemented throughout the fleet. 

2021

The first biogas-powered buses were launched on the routes Amsterdam – Brussels, and Stockholm – Oslo. The bus between the Netherlands and Belgium is powered by compressed biogas (Bio-CNG) and is built by Iveco while the bus running between Sweden and Norway is powered by liquified biogas (Bio-LNG) and is a Scania model. Flix partnered with gas providers OrangeGas and Gasum, to ensure the most climate-friendly biogas. Using biogas-powered buses leads to 75% CO2 reduction compared to diesel operations on the same route. Due to our modern and highly efficient fleet, 400,000 tonnes of CO2 from our passenger trips were avoided by choosing FlixBus and FlixTrain.

Future

Already having launched several pilot projects and planning on many more to come, Flix joins forces to develop a revolutionary product: Europe’s first hydrogen-powered long-distance bus. In cooperation with Freudenberg Fuel Cell e-Power Systems and ZF Friedrichshafen, a fuel-cell-powered long-distance bus is being developed and expected to be launched in 2024. The aim is to establish a high-performance fuel cell system that will replace conventional diesel propulsion to achieve climate neutrality in long-distance bus travel.