The regional CEO of Flixbus has said the international bus company has now met the requirements to provide a route from Tallinn to Vilnius, Lithuania, but is now waiting for specifications from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (MKM).
In August, Flixbus Estonia proposed opening a line between the capitals of Estonia and Lithuania, but an assessment conducted by the economic affairs ministry found that the company did not have a legal basis to offer international passenger transport.
The ministry concluded from data from the economic activity register that Flixbus Estonia had not applied for copies of licenses over the last six months, meaning in principle, the company had not technically conducted paid passenger transport.
MKM then issued an injunction to the company to meet the requirements in two months – which if Flixbus failed to do – the Association of Estonian International Road Carriers (ERAA) would repeal the license given to Flixbus Estonia, six months after it had received the license from the ERAA in the first place.
Michal Leman, Flixbus’ CEO in Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic States, said Flixbus Estonia had now received a license from the ERAA to conduct international passenger travel. He added that the ministry had been notified of the company’s compliance.
Leman said: “We are planning to open new lines in the Baltic States in April of next year.”
Representatives of MKM said that Flixbus had indeed met the ministry’s requirements and had applied for a certified copy of the ERAA license, but the company had not yet been given a license to operate in Estonia.
Taavi Audo, spokesperson of the economic affairs ministry noted: “MKM has not given Lithuania the approval to open the line yet because, in cooperation with the Estonian Road Administration, some of the circumstances of the proposal still need to be specified.”
Flixbus entered the Baltic market in July, the company operates in more than 30 countries in Europe. (ERR/Business World Magazine)
