With the liberalisation of passenger transport by coach, the bus has become the ideal solution for low-cost travel in France and Europe. Many bus companies have entered the market, and with the help of competition, they offer trips at really low prices. More comfortable, more convenient and more numerous, the buses of these different companies offer regular and frequent services to many French and European cities. Here is an overview of the current good plans.
Say yes to the Ouibus (BlaBlaBus)
Ouibus is the long-distance travel service created by SNCF. With more than 300 new lines in France and Europe at low prices, the Ouibus are really a godsend for small budgets. As an indication, a Paris/Reims costs around €9 and a Paris/London or Paris/Toulouse costs an average of €19.
Many buses also offer connections between cities that are poorly served by trains but well served by roads. This is really very practical for some trips such as a Bordeaux/Marseille, relatively long and tedious by train.
The buses are comfortable and have a free Wi-Fi network on board, large reclining seats, air conditioning and electrical outlets in each row which is really not bad to recharge your smartphone.
Compared to other bus companies, Ouibus stations have the advantage of being located in city centres or SNCF stations, so they are easily accessible by public transport. Most Ouibus stations also offer a waiting room, newsstands, snacks and drinks as in train stations
Megabus des bus low cost from 1 € !
Megabus provides direct connections to Paris from more than 20 destinations throughout France. It is the first low-cost coach company in Europe and as proof, it offers tickets from €1 for a Paris/Le Havre or a Paris-Dijon. For less than your coffee at the bistro, you can now go for a walk in the port of Le Havre or discover how Dijon mustard is made.
Despite these low cost prices, all trips are made by modern coaches with free Wi-Fi, power sockets, air conditioning and toilets.
The megabus.com network also offers 160 destinations in Europe, including London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Brussels, Lyon, Toulouse, Barcelona, Lille, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Rome, Milan and Naples.
The current average fare on the megabus.com network for a trip in continental Europe is about €10. With such prices, it is easier to understand why the megabus.com network is growing rapidly in Europe and grew by more than 250% in 2015!
FlixBus: drive green and cheap
Since 2015, FlixBus has been continuously expanding its European network and now serves more than 550 European cities every day with 45,000 daily connections in France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Croatia and many other countries
It is therefore the bus company that provides the largest number of services in Europe, but since 2015 it has also served more than 100 French cities
As with its competitors, FlixBus buses are modern with free Wi-Fi on board, electrical outlets, but also snacks and drinks at low prices.
But FlixBus' trademark is its motto: "Drive green". The bus company is indeed making numerous efforts to achieve an exemplary CO² balance.
As far as fares are concerned, you can expect around €10 per one-way ticket in France. To go to a European city, it will be a little more expensive: from 20 € for London and 50 € for Milan.
Busradar.fr : the online bus comparator
With all these new bus companies and their many promotions, it is not always easy to know which one offers the cheapest route..
To save time and make sure you get a good deal, there is now an online bus comparator, busradar.fr, which allows you to know in real time how much you can pay for a bus ticket on a particular date, on a particular route, just like a flight or hotel night search engine.
Good plan guaranteed!
