Residents of Leiria and Marinha Grande will have more options for travelling across Portugal following FlixBus's expansion in the central region.

The long-distance coach operator has introduced three new routes, creating direct connections between Leiria and Montijo, São Martinho do Porto and Santarém, as well as linking Marinha Grande with Aveiro, Figueira da Foz and Peniche.

Service schedule

On 2 November, the changes were announced, including additional departures on existing services.

Leiria will benefit from 30 extra weekly departures, while Marinha Grande will receive another 34, bringing the total increase across both municipalities to 64 weekly services.

From Leiria, the additional schedules will improve connections to Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Aveiro, Torres Vedras and Nazaré, giving passengers greater flexibility when travelling for work, education or leisure.

Meanwhile, the new service from Marinha Grande will operate daily towards Aveiro, Figueira da Foz and Peniche, while connections to Lisbon and Nazaré will also benefit from increased frequencies.

As reported by FlixBus, the expansion responds to growing demand for transport from smaller cities, particularly among people who have moved away from major urban centres but continue to commute for work.

Tiago Cavaco Alves, FlixBus’s Director of Operations in Portugal, said the company had noticed an increase in demand for journeys originating in the region.

He also highlighted the importance of the local student population, adding that the planned creation of the University of Leiria and Oeste could further increase the need for accessible transport links.

The operator said the additional services are intended to improve regional mobility while providing residents and students with more direct connections to other parts of the country.

Promotional fares

Tickets for the new routes are already available through the FlixBus website and mobile app, as well as Pagaqui sales outlets and partner travel agencies.

For journeys between Leiria and Santarém, promotional fares start at €1.49, while tickets from Leiria to Montijo begin at €1.99.

Meanwhile, passengers travelling from Marinha Grande will see fares starting at €1.49 for connections to Figueira da Foz and Peniche, as journeys to Aveiro start at €1.99.

FlixBus introduces travel search through ChatGPT

In a separate development, FlixBus has also integrated its services into ChatGPT, enabling users to search for coach routes and destinations through the artificial intelligence platform.

The integration also covers FlixTrain services so that users can explore available journeys and follow direct links to the relevant booking pages to complete their purchases.

According to FlixBus, the feature is designed to make researching and planning journeys easier by bringing transport searches into a conversational platform.

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