German travel tech firm Flix is trialling the first ever 100% electric coach service in England and Wales.
The coach is set to save 352kg of carbon emissions per day compared to the average diesel-fuelled coach, as well as improve air quality.
Flix, which operates in 43 countries across four continents, has piloted electric vehicles in several markets and aims to achieve carbon neutrality throughout Europe by 2040.
The trial will run for three months from March 21 2024 with travellers able to try out the electric vehicle on FlixBus routes between London, Bristol and Newport.
Andreas Schorling, managing director of FlixBus UK, hailed the trial as a “huge step forward” for the sector.
Schorling said: “As the first electric long-distance coach service in England and Wales, we’re sending a powerful message about our continued commitment to bring even more sustainable travel options for the public, and our determination to drive forward the change needed to reduce the impact on the climate.”
Subscribe to Sustainability Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest sustainability news sent straight to your inbox everyday
The trial is being run on Flix’s long-distance coach network with operator partner Newport Transport.
Newport Transport interim managing director David Jenkins commented: “Flix, as a global leader in travel tech, is the brand with passion and ambition to bring this vision to life, and we are delighted to partner on such a momentous pilot project.
“Newport Transport has been leading the way in bringing electric vehicles to our network of local bus services in South East Wales and into England and bringing this electric vehicle to the intercity coach market is the next big step.”
Earlier this year, an electric bus fleet was withdrawn in London after a double-decker bus caught fire.
Last year, West Midlands-based operator LandFlight Travel Services introduced what is understood to be the area’s first battery-electric coach.
