The planned trip from Berlin to Paris on a long-distance bus operated by Flixbus turned into a real ordeal for the passengers, as the “Bild” newspaper reports. The city of love, the destination of many dreamy hearts, was to become a distant dream for the 30 or so passengers that day. Instead of a romantic trip, they were faced with a frightening journey that would come to an early stop at a rest area near Potsdam. At 9:20 p.m., the Flixbus left Berlin’s central bus station on May 28, 2024. “As soon as I got on, I noticed that he had a confused look in his eyes. He seemed drunk,” a female passenger told the newspaper. A suspicion that was to be confirmed a little later while driving on the motorway.
The fears were confirmed sooner than the passengers would have liked. “He was constantly rummaging around in his bag and not looking at the road. We drove zigzag along the motorway,” the witness continued. Among the passengers was a school class from France, whose teacher, together with another worried passenger, intervened and was able to persuade the driver to stop.
Fear spread as memories of previous accidents came flooding back. “The atmosphere was very tense. I was very scared, I had to think about the accident in Leipzig with the deaths,” the Flixbus customer describes her feelings. Under pressure, the bus driver finally drove the bus to the “Am Stern” rest area at 9:40 p.m. Some passengers had not realized the extent of the threatening situation up to this point.
The police were on the scene just one minute after arriving at the rest area. The officers were able to quickly confirm the passengers’ suspicions. “The passengers’ suspicions were confirmed,” said a spokeswoman for the West Police Department. The police carried out a breathalyzer test on the 50-year-old Polish driver, which showed a reading of 1.24 per mille. The replacement driver (54), who was sleeping in the trunk, also reached a reading of 1.09 per mille.
The two drivers had therefore started the journey heavily intoxicated and thereby put the lives of all passengers at risk. After a two-hour wait, the Flixbus customers were finally picked up by a replacement bus and taken back to Berlin. When asked by “Bild”, Flixbus confirmed the incident. Sebastian Meyer, a spokesman for the company, stated firmly: “Of course we have banned both drivers. They will no longer drive for Flix.” Flixbus also announced that the drivers were employed by a subcontractor, which also fired them after the incident.