According to a press release, the new route "will now have direct connections to Porto (Campanhã and airport) and Viseu." Thus, it will be possible to "travel between Porto and Covilhã without transfers in just over three and a half hours, while Viseu and Covilhã will be less than two hours apart."

According to the public transport company, "the new route aims to strengthen the mobility offer to and from Covilhã, serving both the academic community of the University of Beira Interior, which brings together more than 10,000 national and international students, and the thousands of tourists who visit the Serra da Estrela Natural Park every year."

In addition to routes to Porto and Viseu, the new route will promote connections with Guarda and Albergaria-a-Velha, while “the new FlixBus line strengthens the link between these cities in the Beira Interior region and the Porto Metropolitan Area, bringing local populations closer to one of the country's main economic and tourist centres and the country's second largest airport.”

For now, four departures per day are offered, two in each direction. From Covilhã, departures are at 10:50 am and 8:50 pm. In the opposite direction, buses will depart from Porto at 6:20 am and from Porto Airport at 3:30 pm, arriving at the Campanhã Intermodal Terminal at 3:55 pm.

“For FlixBus, this is a very special route, as it positions long-distance road transport as a driver of student mobility to the interior of the country, and, in this specific case, to Covilhã. We are fully aware of the importance that young people and higher education institutions have in the development of inland regions, but also of the impact that the increased cost of living has on the budgets of families with children studying outside their area of ​​residence, so it makes perfect sense for us that our offer can make the mobility of displaced students more accessible and tailored to their needs,” explains Tiago Cavaco Alves, Director of Operations at FlixBus in Portugal, quoted in the press release.

Tickets can already be purchased on the FlixBus app and website, as well as at Pagaqui points of sale and FlixBus partner travel agencies. According to the operator, prices start “at €4.99 for the Porto-Covilhã route, and €3.99 for the Viseu-Covilhã route.”