While most European countries have had a long-distance bus system for a long time, intercity bus travel was virtually non-existent in Germany until 2012. Things have changed rapidly since then and the interurban buses they are now a relatively inexpensive way to reach a wide range of German locations and a handful of international destinations.
Service
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Long-distance bus services competing with railways were prohibited in Germany from 1934 until market liberalization on 1 January 2013. The main exceptions were services to and from Berlin and international lines with few stops in Germany, mainly to the countries ofcentral Europe and oriental.
Prices are often lower than competing rail services, due to stiff competition and because buses do not pay for the use of the roads, while trains (even those operated by the state-owned Deutsche Bahn) have to pay for the use of the roads. tracks.
Buses are usually slower than regional rail services, unless the bus connection is direct. There are three main reasons for this:
- According to German federal law the maximum speed of buses can be at most 100 km / h, while "low speed" trains can reach up to 160 km / h and often use various technology and modern lines. THE high-speed trains (which are almost all long-distance trains in Germany) obviously have maximum speeds of around 250 km / h to 300 km / h and are rarely slower than 200 km / h for long journeys.
- Buses have to get in and out of cities, often using congested roads, while trains simply run on dedicated tracks that don't usually slow them down.
- By law, bus drivers are required to take regular breaks (usually 30 minutes every four and a half hours of travel). Therefore, if a bus is delayed (for example due to traffic), the driver may be required by law to take an (unscheduled) break.
As with many forms of infrastructure, the west of Germany is better served than the east, where most airlines focus on routes to / from Berlin and the main destinations in Germany. coast of the Baltic Sea, while medium-sized cities have little or no connection. On the other hand, the Berlin route - Dresden it is one of the best served on the market with stiff competition driving prices down, mainly because it is part of the Berlin route - Prague, which is also served by international operators to whom the German domestic market is profitable.
The market was initially extremely lively. Several companies sold tickets on countless routes for less than the price of a cup of coffee to gain market share and brand recognition. Now the market has largely stabilized. The number of bus companies (and the frequencies and routes) are significantly lower. Bus companies (which in Germany usually means Flixbus) compete mainly with trains and cars rather than other bus companies.
On board
In general, buses are reasonably new and safe, but legroom and seat are often unsatisfactory for overweight people. Most bus companies sell snacks and drinks on board (or make stops at places where you can buy food), but you should still consider bringing your own as the selection is very limited. While Wi-Fi is often promised, it's not available on all buses. The Internet connection is provided via a normal cellular signal, so bandwidth and access (especially on a full bus) can be limited.
Transport of bicycles
While most companies will carry bicycles for a fee, capacity is generally very limited (just over three or four per bus) and this requires advance notice. Taking a folding bike or putting a bike in a bag and declaring it as normal luggage is less feasible on buses than on trains as there is little space in the former and for this reason this will almost certainly result in a surcharge. It may be cheaper and more convenient to take an IC or regional train (ICE trains do not carry bicycles except in the ways mentioned above, when they are considered "baggage").
Prices
As with long-distance trains and most flights within Germany, bus prices are cheaper when booked well in advance online. Tickets can be purchased directly from the driver before boarding, however, you are expected to pay up to ten times the advertised lowest possible fare. Some companies operate their ticket offices (sometimes integrated into other stores such as newspaper shops) in some bus stations. However, ticket offices usually don't sell tickets for competing companies, so you may end up paying a higher price than you would have online. Although connection services are possible with a change of buses, most companies do not guarantee all connections. Traffic delays are particularly common during holidays and weekends.
If you wish to buy the ticket directly from the driver, please note that it is not allowed to board a bus if all seats are occupied, as it is illegal to stand on long-distance buses in Germany. Most companies also sell tickets through tour operators. However, the prices will still be higher than the online rates, as there will be a premium for the provider or personal service included in the price. Unlike trains, there are no discounts for frequent travelers. And unlike planes, connecting services are never cheaper than others.
The bus market in Germany has consolidated since it was initially liberalized and Flixbus now controls around 90% of the domestic market. Prices have slowly risen. Highly competitive routes or smaller companies on the market still offer some value, but clearly the days of ultra-cheap fares are over. However, unless the rail link is much shorter in other terms (more changes, longer travel time) a bus ticket purchased on the same day will generally be cheaper than a train ticket for the same trip, if the train ticket is not discounted. That said, Deutsche Bahn has introduced some special offers specifically to compete with bus operators, and some aggregator websites also list Deutsche Bahn, so check before buying a ticket. If you have a BahnCard, keep in mind that most aggregators are not included in the BahnCard discounts, even though owning a BahnCard could give you a discount on the fare. It may be easier to find slower but cheaper train tickets on the bus aggregator websites than on the DB website. Enabling "local transport only" on the DB website excludes IC / EC and ICE trains because they only display regional trains, which are often slower and cheaper.
Cancellations
In general, cancellations are relatively easy but only possible before the scheduled bus departure. Flixbus grants you a voucher of the price of your ticket at less than 1 €. Deinbus returns the money in the cheapest way with a commission of € 3. Onebus allows you to choose a refund without a commission of € 5 or a full value voucher. Unlike Flixbus, you have to cancel 24 hours before departure or earlier.
Companies
Mainly domestic companies are almost all recent start-ups, while international companies have been around longer.
Mainly national
The domestic services market consolidated a lot at the end of 2016 with Flixbus taking control of almost all domestic competition and some companies closing down. Since then, prices have slowly but surely risen, they are still lower than most rail tickets and comparable flights. As no company made any profits in the early stages of the bus market opening, it remains to be seen how much prices will rise and whether any new competitors on the market will challenge Flixbus' dominance. Buses still do not pay any road tolls, but some cities are trying to charge for the use of bus station facilities. However, some companies have in the past chosen to only serve stations with no or low access costs.
Flixbus controls over 96% of the long-distance bus market in Germany. It has the largest bus network. Its buses are usually green. The company expanded organically and also bought several competitors, and now has routes to neighboring European countries as well, including connections to London. The company owns a single bus mainly due to regulatory issues and subcontracts virtually all of its services. This means that the bus you might get might be a little older, with no electrical outlets or WiFi, or have other problems. Flixbus is experimenting with an entertainment portal that can be accessed using the onboard wifi. However, for now it will be "on selected buses only". "Flixbus Interflix"- a ticket similar to an Interrail pass - is valid for 5 one-way trips for up to three months and costs € 99. The company is also known for giving some bus stations somewhat misleading names. For example , they call their stop in Kornwestheim "Stuttgart", to suggest it is closer to Stuttgart than it actually is. It also offers reserved seats starting at € 1.50 with higher prices for what it identifies as "premium" seats such as the first row on the upper deck of double-decker buses or seats with a table. The internal search engine also allows you to cover the connecting route, and in the event of delays the system itself warns the user of the delay and sends an email rescheduling the connection (in case the trip is missed) a bit like in companies. aerial.
Blablabus owned and co-branded by the company of rideshareBlablacar launched in 2019 and is the first attempt to break the Flixbus monopoly since its inception. Like Flixbus, Blablabus does not own buses but subcontracts services. One of their unique strengths is that where their buses don't go, you can book a ride with their service ridesharing and combine the two. During its summer 2019 launch, Blablabus flooded the market with 99 cent tickets, so expect there to be some price competition between the "big two" until the market either settles down or one of the players pulls out. .
Pinkbus also launched in the summer of 2019 a much more modest selection of destinations, they have two "gimmicks". The first is their "no intermediate stops" policy, with all buses running continuously between Berlin, Düsseldorf is Monk and the second is their "flat fares" policy: you will always pay € 25 for any ticket on any route.
DeinBus[link not working] has good coverage in southern and southwestern Germany. They also have routes in the north and west of the country, as well as the neighboring one France, Belgium is Netherlands. They have a deal in codeshare (similar to airlines) with the Dutch operator Citybusexpress, which allows them to offer tickets further north. DeinBus has a market share of less than 1%.
There Deutsche Bahn owns some buses that cover different routes in place of the train. Their buses can be booked at the official DB website. Many buses have wifi on board and are a good substitute for the train when not present.
Mostly international
Eurolines mainly serves theEastern Europe but it also has destinations in other parts of Europe. Eurolines predates the opening of the bus market in Germany and has offered some domestic routes under the (Deutsche) Touring brand for decades.
IC Bus[link not working] is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn and is bookable via the regular DB website. They offer very limited international connections with neighboring countries and are expanding their network. Deutsche Bahn fares and prices apply (including BahnCard discounts). Booking is done through the regular DB website and the booking system treats the buses as if they were intercity trains that require a booking.
Student Agency (sometimes also known as Regiojet) is a Czech company with a network throughout Europe which also serves some domestic routes in Germany. While they don't serve many places in Germany, their prices and services (free hot drinks, video screens at each seat) make them worthy of consideration on the routes they serve. They only offer WiFi in the Czech Republic.
Sindbad is a Polish company serving various destinations in Germany and other countries in Europe. They only serve a handful of stops in East Germany while having much more in the West.
Ecolines serves destinations throughout Europe (except Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, United Kingdom, Ireland.)
Leo Express is a Czech company with routes from Dresden, Regensburg is Munich to Prague and other destinations in the Czech Republic. Their buses also have "Business Class" seats with more legroom.
Stations
Most buses do not operate from dedicated stations. They generally stop near central railway stations. Some cities have a central ZOB bus station (Zentraler Omnibus Bahnhof), often near the center. If you don't know the bus stop, check your ticket: it usually includes an address and a small map of the bus stop.
Some companies serve more than one station in a city, especially if the city is very large (eg Berlin), has more than one main train station (eg Dresden) or has a large international airport (eg. Frankfurt). Make sure you arrive at the right station and for connection services check if the stop from which the connection departs is the same as where the bus arrives. If not, find out how to switch between them and how long it takes. Unless you go by light rail, subway, or tram, it would be wise to plan a little extra time for traffic congestion.
Many cities argued about building bus stations once it became clear that intercity bus travel would become an alternative. Cost concerns mean that not all of this has been built as of 2018. Where bus stations exist, there are usually few shopping options and tend to be as expensive as convenience stores at gas stations. Some stations have been relocated due to conflict between bus operators and cities, often due to congestion. Some stations are closer to the airport than the city center, so check where the bus stops - actually getting downtown can be a long (and sometimes expensive) journey.