Operators Flixbus and Blablacar are smiling again, after having achieved their best month in November since the start of the pandemic.
This fall, new customers have flocked to this means of transport, which had a lackluster first half of 2021 and yet it is not a traditionally buoyant season.
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Due to Covid-19, attendance of “Macron cars”, completely at a standstill during the first confinement, fell last year to its 2016 level, just after the liberalization of the sector, according to the Regulatory Authority of transport (ART).
Long-distance buses have not yet regained their pre-crisis level of clientele, recognizes Blablacar, but they are
"now close"
to finding them.
The finding is similar within the German company FlixBus, its managing director in France, Yves Lefranc-Moisin, being
"pleasantly surprised by the number of people on the lines and the demand".
"We estimate the activity at 75% of the 2019 level
,
"
the group told AFP.
He hopes for a return to normal in 2022. The spirits are currently turned towards the end of year celebrations, decisive period for the sector with the summer holidays.
No decrease in demand for the moment
The general delegate of the National Federation of Passenger Transport, Ingrid Maréchal, considers that the outlook is "very good" for these holidays, when Arnaud Aymé, economist specializing in transport, judges that there is
"less volatility in demand (...), which suggests strong activity ”.
The lights are green for the moment, despite the resumption of the pandemic, and reservations are numerous.
For example, Blablacar forecasts a 50% increase in activity for the Christmas holidays compared to the same period of 2020, while, at Flixbus, some lines are already full.
The German group therefore plans to
"increase the frequency"
on certain routes to meet demand, the increase reaching 20% to 30% compared to the autumn holidays.
This increase in activity, Arnaud Aymé explains it by several factors.
“There is first a return of the desire of the French to travel, always at a low price.
But the increase in fuel observed in October also plays a role.
This pushes individuals towards public transport such as carpooling and coaches, ”he believes.
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This good recovery is however threatened by the meteoric wave of Covid-19 hitting Europe, causing the sector to fear the return of new restrictions that would again affect the activity.
"We remain attentive to health developments, although we have not seen a drop in demand for the moment,"
reassures Blablacar.
