BlaBlaBus
 | |
 BlaBlaBus at Saint-Denis | |
| Parent | BlaBlaCar |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Service area | Western Europe |
| Service type | Intercity coach service |
| Alliance | ALSA National Express |
| Hubs | Paris-Bercy Lyon-Perrache Lille-Europe |
| Fleet | 46 coaches |
| Chief executive | Maria Harti |
| Website | [1] |
BlaBlaCar bus,formerly BlaBlaBus, Ouibus or iDBUS, operatescoach servicesin Europe.[1]Currently, BlaBlaCar Bus servesAix-en-Provence,Amsterdam,Barcelona,Brussels,Genoa,Lille,London,Lyon,Marseille,Milan,Nice,Paris,Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport,San Sebastián,andTurin.The route network is expanding progressively. BlaBlaCar Bus has three major hubs;Paris-Bercy,Lyon-Perrache,andLille-Europe.Founded in 2012 bySNCF,in November 2018 it was announced that it would be purchased byBlaBlaCarand rebranded asBlaBlaBus.
History
[edit]
iDBUS was launched on 23 July 2012 with services toAmsterdam,London,andBrusselsfrom the original hub atParis-Bercy.[2]A domestic service between Paris andLillewas launched on 29 August 2012.
A second hub was created atLyon-Perracheon 17 December 2012 to launchMilanandTurindestinations. On 23 May 2013, iDBUS began operating services betweenMarseilleandNice,GenoaandMilan.On 28 April 2014 iDBUS launched a service from Brussels to Amsterdam, London andCharles de Gaulle Airport.[3]
On 1 December 2014, iDBUS started operating into Germany, with a service from Paris to Brussels,AachenandCologne.[4]From 15 June 2015 iDBUS expanded further in theBeneluxregion, withRotterdamandAntwerpadded to the network. On the same date, a London toLyonroute started.
On 3 September 2015, iDBUS was rebranded Ouibus.[5]In July 2016, the Starshipper business was purchased.[6]
In February 2018, Ouibus entered a partnership withALSAandNational Express.[7]In November 2018, it was announced the business would be purchased byBlaBlaCar.[8]
Entering the German market in 2020, BlaBlaBus became the first major competitor ofFlixbussince that company had achieved a nigh-monopoly in the German long distance bus market throughmarket consolidation,mergers and acquisition of competitors.
Accident
[edit]On 10 April 2022, an accident happened close to Antwerp, Belgium.[9]Two occupants of the bus were instantly killed, whilst several others were left in a life-threatening condition. The driver of the bus tested positive for drugs just after the accident.[9]Police also stated that the driver of the bus was known for drug offences in the past.[9]
References
[edit]- ^About UsArchived5 June 2016 at theWayback MachineOuibus
- ^SNCF Launches its First Coach ServiceIdbus 4 July 2012
- ^Article about the launch of new services from Brussels(in Dutch)
- ^Article about the launch of a new service to Germany(in French)
- ^Idbus becomes OuibusCoach & Bus Weekissue 1214 10 November 2015 page 14
- ^Starshipper becomes OuibusSoBus
- ^National Express strengthens cross channel and European servicesNational Express 1 February 2018
- ^SNCF to sell Ouibus to BlaBlaCar in multimodal partnershipRailway Gazette International13 November 2018
- ^abc"Tweede dodelijk slachtoffer van busongeval is 17-jarige Franse vrouw, parket vraagt aanhouding buschauffeur voor onopzettelijke doodslag".Het Nieuwsblad(in Dutch). 11 April 2022.Retrieved11 April2022.
External links
[edit]