Romania has liberalized its domestic coach transport market, aligning with the regulatory model already in place across Germany, France, Italy, and Portugal. FlixBus, which has operated international routes in Romania since 2018 and was among the operators that pushed for the domestic market opening, launches 10 routes connecting more than 50 cities in partnership with local carriers.

FlixBus’s role in Romania’s market opening

FlixBus has been present in Romania’s international market since 2018, connecting more than 80 Romanian cities to over 160 European destinations. During that period, the company publicly supported domestic market liberalization, citing its impact on competition, service quality, and passenger access in markets where the model had already been applied. The June 2025 regulatory opening marks the first opportunity to extend that network to intercity travel within Romania.

The domestic network connects Bucharest to Iași and Satu Mare, Constanța to Timișoara, and further corridors across the country. Services are operated by Romanian carrier partners; FlixBus provides the sales platform, traffic monitoring, and service standards it applies across its global network — the asset-light model through which it operates on four continents.

How liberalization has played out in comparable markets

Romania’s regulatory shift follows a pattern established across Western Europe over the past decade. In Italy, where FlixBus marked its tenth year of domestic operations in 2025, the opening of the coach market to competition was accompanied by passenger growth of more than 40% and a 14% increase in intercity coach revenues.

“FlixBus recently celebrated 10 years in Italy, a market where liberalizing coach transport brought more competition, better prices, and greater access for passengers. We believe Romania has the same potential. With clear rules and support for innovation, we can build more accessible, sustainable mobility connected to real people’s needs,” said Andrea Incondi, Vice President of FlixBus for Southern Europe.

“Opening the transport market is something UNTRR has consistently supported, to align with European regulations and to create development opportunities for all operators. The experience of other countries and the emergence of new business models like FlixBus clearly show that liberalization brings direct benefits to passengers: more accessible, safer, and varied services,” said Radu Dinescu, President of IRU and Secretary General of UNTRR, Romania’s national road transport operators’ union.

Coach use and tourism demand in Romania

Coach demand in Romania has a measurable tourism dimension. Data from Romania’s National Institute of Statistics (INS) shows that approximately 37,000 foreign tourists used coach transport in Romania in 2024, ranking in the top three transport modes chosen by foreign visitors. Between 2021 and 2024, transport spending by both domestic and foreign tourists grew by approximately 30% in real terms, while foreign tourists’ transport spending rose 15.3% in 2024 alone – as noted by Tudorel Andrei, President of Romanian INS, speaking at the launch event.

Flix operates the FlixBus, Kamil Koç, and Greyhound brands across a network of more than 8,700 destinations in 45 countries on five continents, complemented by FlixTrain in Germany. The network has carried more than 500 million passengers since its founding in 2013. Additional domestic routes in Romania are planned for the coming months, to be operated by further local carrier partners.