FlixBus completed another new financing round at the end of the year. The Munich-based company secured a partner, none other than Silver Lake, the world's largest tech investor. Existing investors General Atlantic, Holtzbrinck Ventures, and Daimler are also participating in the new financing round.
According to various media reports, such as startup scene, between $75 and $100 million. However, the Munich-based founders generally do not comment on such speculation and, as a limited liability company, are not required to report it.
Customers, drivers, and partner companies are expected to benefit from the investment in quality, network, and service. Optimized capacity utilization, transparent real-time information, and more stable Wi-Fi are among the main goals to be implemented.
Transformation from a long-distance bus company to a technology company
Jochen Engert, FlixBus founder and managing director:
"In recent years, we have created a strong, innovative mobility offering and changed the way people travel for many millions of people in Europe. With Silver Lake, we have gained the world's leading tech investor from Silicon Valley and its expertise in innovative technologies for FlixBus."
André Schwämmlein, FlixBus founder and managing director:
"In 2017, we will invest even more heavily in the data-driven development of quality, network, and service. This will benefit not only our customers but also our FlixBus partners."
“Offer the customer exactly what he is looking for”
Schwämmlein continues:
"We want to offer customers exactly the route they're looking for, at the time and at the price they're looking for. Through data-driven analysis of traffic flows, we can optimally adapt our offerings to customer needs and grow where customers want to travel. This way, together with our bus partners, we can make even better use of existing capacities, and customers can find the perfect offer at a fair price."
New in 2017: “Where is my Bus”
With new services like the transparent live tracking feature "Where is my bus," long-distance bus users will soon be able to track the location of their FlixBus on the website and via the app. Schwämmlein adds:
"We want to improve the customer experience with real-time information. This way, we avoid the biggest annoyance from a passenger perspective in the event of delays."
The free Wi-Fi on the buses is also expected to become even more stable in 2017. In recent months, FlixBus has already upgraded its network to LTE quality. The Europe-wide rollout of the new Wi-Fi boxes is almost complete.
In addition, FlixBus plans to introduce “FlixUniversity”, an e-learning platform for the approximately 5,000 drivers who now work for FlixBus and its regional bus partners. André Schwämmlein:
"For us, the bus driver is the most important quality feature and sometimes the only personal contact with the passenger. That's why we're investing in a digital training concept to complement the regular driver training provided by our quality management."
