Flixbus driver complains about lack of rest periods: ‘I think the drivers were overtired’

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Horror on the German highway A9. On Wednesday morning around 9:45 a.m., a Flixbus left the road near Leipzig, drove into a field and overturned on its side. The bus drove from Berlin to Zurich.

The sad result: the crash is fatal for five passengers and twenty other people are injured, some seriously. Police do not believe another vehicle was involved in the crash. It is still unclear whether Swiss were involved in the accident. The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (EDA) is in contact with the German authorities about this.

Accident with announcement?

Blick meets Erika B.* (41) at the Zurich bus station on Wednesday afternoon. The woman drives buses for Flixbus subcontractors and is about to get behind the wheel of a bus. She says: “I think the drivers were overtired because they had to work too long.” It is no secret that many Flixbus subcontractors do not have enough drivers for the many routes. “The drivers are therefore at their limit because they cannot adhere to the rest times and do not sleep enough!”

However, the director notes regional differences. “The rest periods are observed by German subcontractors, but it is completely different in all other countries,” says B. She has also spent far too long behind the wheel at night. This happened when she was driving for a different Flixbus subcontractor than she is now.

Always under criticism

Erika B.’s criticism is not new. In 2019, a Flixbus was involved in an accident near Leipzig. At that moment a woman died. After the accident, “Spiegel” reported how Flixbus drivers were poorly paid and how rest periods were avoided. “We had to use different tricks with the driver card,” said one driver.

Flixbus rejected the criticism. “The safety of our passengers and of course the drivers themselves is our top priority,” the company says. Internal and external authorities would monitor driving and rest times, compliance with which is very important for Flixbus. “We do not tolerate violations and range from warnings to additional training and even blocking a driver.”

*Name changed

Source: Blick