Aug 03, 2016: Deutsche Post selling its long-distance bus service: Postbus to become Flixbus

Deutsche Post is withdrawing from the long-distance bus market and selling its bus business to FlixMobility GmbH, which offers travel services under its Flixbus brand. As part of the agreement FlixMobility GmbH will take over bus line and bus stop permits, IT licenses and cooperation agreements. A marketing and sales cooperation agreement was also signed. Both companies have agreed to keep the purchase price confidential. Subsidiary Deutsche Post Mobility GmbH will remain a part of Deutsche Post DHL Group and in the future will be focusing more intensively on its 'Post Reisen' tourism service, offering vacation packages and holiday travel.

Joachim Wessels, Managing Director of Deutsche Post Mobility GmbH, had this to say about the reasons for the sale: 'After entering the liberalized long-distance bus market in October 2013 with Postbus, we were able to become a recognized quality leader in a fast growing market in a short time. However, in terms of profitability, Postbus did not sufficiently live up to our expectations.'

From the start, Postbus offered high safety standards such as the 3-point seat belt and the latest vehicle technology as well as a high level of travel comfort thanks to ample leg room and adjustable seats. With its innovative offers such as media centers featuring the latest in entertainment, normally found on airplanes, and fast, free WLAN, Postbus has set standards in the long-distance bus market. As a result, Postbus achieved high customer satisfaction ratings, with more than 90 percent saying they were 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with their travel experience. It was also the winner of numerous quality tests, including most recently the long-distance bus test conducted in March 2016 by the German Institute of Service Quality.

As part of the marketing and sales cooperation agreement, more than 5,000 Deutsche Post partner retail outlets across Germany will offer among other things vouchers for Flixbus tickets with special terms and conditions. The powerful website of Flixbus in return will feature select postal products for the purpose of targeted advertising.

All Postbus lines will be available at the usual high quality and reliability until October 31, 2016. All current bookings and those made between now and the end of October will be handled with utmost conscientiousness. Up until that date, customers can book their connections as usual over the booking platform and all other remaining channels. Afterward, the travel lines will be incorporated into the Flixbus network. For bookings after November 1, customers will automatically be transferred to the Flixbus booking system. One exception will be the feeder lines going to the Munich Airport, which in cooperation with Lufthansa will continue to be serviced by Postbus until December 14, 2016, for the German destinations, and until February 11, 2017, for trips to and from Innsbruck and Salzburg. Following these dates, these lines too will be incorporated into the Flixbus network. With this sale to Flixbus, Postbus customers will soon be able to benefit from the largest German and European long-distance bus network.