From the Campania capital, routes to 70 Italian destinations have been reactivated to date. Incondi: «It's time for answers: the Government should allocate resources for long-distance travel»
FlixBus reactivates new connections with Naples, bringing to 70 the number of destinations reachable from the Campania capital. Before the pandemic, green buses connected the Neapolitan city with over 150 cities, but the exclusion of the bus sector from the Government's strategy for the relaunch of transport requires a restart with reduced ranks.
Incondi: «Without help from the Government, competition and the right to mobility are now at risk»
Both at a national and international level, FlixBus aims to progressively increase the capillarity of the network, pursuing, as always, the dual objective of offering a mobility alternative for all budgets on the main routes and, at the same time, guaranteeing an efficient service to those who live in areas penalized by poor rail penetration. But the prospects are uncertain: despite the social role played in this sense by FlixBus and other long-distance companies, to date the sector remains excluded from the recovery strategy for transport outlined by the Government within the Relaunch Decree.
"These days we are receiving several requests from many municipalities, as well as from citizens, to resume, increase or activate new connections and routes, especially from those regions where other means of transport do not reach. We would like to respond positively to everyone, but following the activities on a daily basis, without a real possibility of planning we cannot hide the fact that the resumption of services will be slow and uncertain. We have obligations for distancing on board and no economic aid, in fact they are asking us to operate at a loss. But how long can it last?» he says Andrea Incondi, Managing Director of FlixBus Italy.
«Adequate resources are needed and not symbolic initiatives to prevent the death of hundreds of companies that perform a public service for the country at their own expense. And for some it is already too late. If we do not intervene, the actual right to mobility of people is at risk and the normal rules of competition are being called into question, Italian and European, which guarantee equal treatment for all operators. For this reason, once again, we ask the Government, and in particular the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and Minister Paola De Micheli, to make possible interventions to support the long-distance bus sector: not all citizens can afford high-speed trains, well funded in the Relaunch Decree".
"Every investment will have positive repercussions on the transport front as a whole - since buses are a fundamental means of transport in an intermodal travel perspective, especially to reach smaller towns - and on the relaunch of tourism in our country. In this summer that we all hope for in the name of rediscovering nature, heritage, and the wealth of thousands of small Italian municipalities, risking jeopardizing the survival of long-distance bus transport companies, which would be precisely those capable of guaranteeing thousands of connections every day between hundreds of realities of the Bel Paese, would be a real gamble for the economic recovery.», he concludes Uncondi.
From Naples, routes to 70 destinations have been reactivated (before the pandemic there were over 150)
One of the first Italian cities to use the FlixBus service, Naples has been at the centre of the operator's investments from the beginning, soon becoming one of its main hubs in the South. Thanks to its appeal as an international tourist destination, the company subsequently connected the Campania capital also with France, for a total of over 150 directly connected destinations.
Of these 150 destinations, only 70 are now reachable from Naples. A drastic reduction that reflects the difficulties that the long-distance bus sector, excluded from the Government's strategy for the relaunch of transport, must deal with in this delicate phase.
From Naples there are currently connections to many of the main Italian cities, such as Rome, Milan, Turin, Genoa, Bologna, Florence, Bari, Venice and Trieste.
Furthermore, also in line with the importance given to tourism as a strategic resource for the relaunch of the national economy, FlixBus once again guarantees tourists departing from Naples the possibility of moving towards crucial destinations for the summer season: among these, seaside resorts such as Porto Cesareo and Gallipoli in Salento and Sibari and Cir�� Marina in Calabria, but also popular destinations for cultural tourism such as Siena, Matera and Agrigento. Conversely, the reactivation of connections with Naples will benefit tourists arriving from all over Italy and heading to the capital.
Connections with Pompeii and Sorrento also reactivated
Always with a view to channelling the flow of visitors on the national territory in order to enhance its heritage and encourage its rediscovery, FlixBus also reactivates connections with Pompeii and Sorrento: starting tomorrow, both cities will once again be connected to Rome, while Pompeii can be reached comfortably and without changes also from Turin and Genoa.
Hygiene and safety on board: all the measures taken by FlixBus
Among the security measures implemented by FlixBus, listed in detail in the section dedicated on the site, the thorough cleaning and disinfection of the vehicles, sanitized at the end of each trip and subjected to additional sanitization in the major stations, boarding provided exclusively from the rear entrance, touch-less check-in and the presence of a dispenser with disinfectant gel for the entire duration of the trip. In addition to these measures, there is the guarantee of minimum distance also during boarding and disembarking, and the obligation to wear a mask before, during and at the end of the trip.
FlixBus passengers who purchase their trip on the website www.flixbus.it or through theapp Free FlixBus will be informed of the safety measures in their booking confirmation, which will also be explained by the FlixBus drivers on board. The application of more stringent safety measures than average and the continuous collaboration with institutions and health authorities are fundamental prerequisites for FlixBus in the relaunch phase, with a view to guaranteeing passengers the most pleasant experience possible. At the same time, the company appeals to their sense of responsibility to support the efforts made to protect their own health and that of the on-board staff by observing a conscientious attitude.
Article published on 1 July 2020 - 13:26
