FlixBus kicks off first East Coast electric bus pilot program between Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia

11/08/2022

FlixBus partners with Motor Coach Industries (MCI) to run zero emissions J4500 CHARGE™ along most heavily trafficked corridor in U.S.

New York, NY. (August 11, 2022). FlixBus, North America’s fastest-growing intercity mobility provider, is launching an electric bus pilot program running between Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA between August 11-19 in another key step towards realizing the goal of launching the first zero emissions bus route in North America.

FlixBus is a market leader in the testing and development of alternative drive projects in the United States and Europe:

FlixBus has run electric bus pilots in 7 cities along the West Coast and carried hundreds of passengers through these programs.
These include a series of firsts in U.S. history, including the first intercity electric bus pilot between Sacramento and San Francisco in 2019, the first interstate electric bus pilot in 2021 between Seattle, WA and Eugene, OR and the first international pilot between Seattle and Vancouver, BC in July 2022.
In Europe, Flix has run pilot programs to test hydrogen, solar and biogas buses as future replacements for internal combustion models.
FlixBus also gives passengers the option to offset their carbon emissions with each ride through targeted carbon offset programs in affiliation with atmosfair.

Through pilot programs like these, FlixBus has proven that ZEV buses are climate-friendly solutions to reduce emissions and speed the transition from fossil fuels.

However, they also highlight that while great strides have been made in building charging infrastructure for private cars, facilities for medium and large vehicles still require greater public/private investment to provide incentives to industries like transit and freight to make the transition to zero emissions vehicles.

Developing the future of intercity buses through local bus partners

The August 11-19 pilot program between Washington D.C. and Philadelphia is FlixBus’ first on the East Coast and will test the viability of electric motorcoaches along one of the United States’ busiest intercity routes.

The all-electric coach, J4500 CHARGE™ will be provided by Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a zero-emission version of the industry’s best-selling J series tour and charter luxury coaches, which leverages EV technology from New Flyer and delivers over 200 miles of range, while also delivering enhanced safety features.

FlixBus’ local bus partner, Adventure Tours based in Maryland, will run the J4500 Charge on passenger trips between FlixBus’ stop in Washington, DC (New York Avenue & 6th Street NW), Philadelphia (6th & Market Street) and Cherry Hill Mall (2000 NJ-38). The first trips will depart from D.C. on August 11 at 11:35 a.m. and arriving in Philadelphia by 2:25 p.m. and Cherry Hill Mall by 2:45 p.m. Return trips will leave from Cherry Hill Mall at 5:25 p.m. with a stop in Philadelphia (6:15 p.m.) and ending in Washington, D.C. by 8:55 p.m.

Adventure Tours is a longtime FlixBus local partner since 2019 that operates FlixBus routes throughout the mid-Atlantic U.S. Founded in 1999, Adventure Tours is known for their consistent high-quality service and professionalism, and trusts in FlixBus' technological expertise in pricing, marketing and sales, route intelligence, quality management and continuous product expansion.

"Adventure Tours has proudly been providing luxury transportation services in the DC metro area for nearly 25 years. Our company was founded with a commitment to excellence and providing the most modern fleet in the area. We were the first green certified company in 2014 in the DC Metro area and we are now excited to welcome the challenge of operating the first all-electric private route in the area. We look forward to working with our trusted partners, MCI and FLIX, on the continued transformation of our industry,” said Adnan Khan, President of Adventure Tours.

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