In a statement, FlixBus justified its action, emphasizing the “urgency of ensuring compliance with the determinations of the competent regulatory authority [Autoridade da Mobilidade e dos Transportes] before RNE creates a situation of real capacity exhaustion”.
“The exclusion of competing operators by the terminal manager represents an unacceptable barrier to free competition and passenger rights,” the company stated, demanding a “swift response”.
FlixBus estimated losses of 12.5 million euros in 2024 due to the blockage of access to the Sete Rios terminal in Lisbon, despite a regulator’s decision acknowledging the multinational’s access, which remains unimplemented.
In 2023, FlixBus filed a formal complaint with the Autoridade da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (AMT) over denial of access to the Sete Rios terminal, operated by Rede Nacional de Expressos. In May, the regulator determined that access to the infrastructure must be equitable and non-discriminatory.
FlixBus estimated losses of 12.5 million euros in 2024 due to the blockage of access to the Sete Rios terminal in Lisbon, despite a regulator’s decision acknowledging the multinational’s access, which remains unimplemented.
Lusa | 13:45 – 06/11/2025
The AMT found that “the terminal’s capacity exhaustion was not proven and the existence of available capacity was confirmed,” thus requiring the manager to “provide access to the terminal within the available schedules, which cannot be denied to all requesting operators,” while reminding that infractions of these rules “constitute offenses”.
“While denying our requests, we noticed an increase in services operated by Rede Expressos,” FlixBus reported during a press gathering last week.
The transportation company operating across Europe, the United States, and Asia expressed bafflement that six months later, the decision remains unenforced, stating that “Lisbon is the only European capital where it lacks access to the city’s main terminal”.
“If we need to appeal to the European Commission and the European Court of Justice to enforce an AMT decision, we will do so, but we would prefer if Portuguese authorities took action,” emphasized FlixBus Portugal’s general director and vice-president for Western Europe, Pablo Pastega.
FlixBus launched the game ‘Monopólio Expressos – Sete Rios Edition’ to denounce Rede Expressos’ blockade of the Sete Rios Bus Terminal in Lisbon, despite a favorable decision from AMT.
Márcia Guímaro Rodrigues | 16:19 – 05/11/2025
On the same day, Rede Expressos maintained its refusal to admit new operators at the Sete Rios Terminal in Lisbon, for which it holds the concession, asserting it has reached its operational and physical capacity limits.
“Rede Expressos, the concession holder of the Sete Rios Bus Terminal, considers that the access of new operators to this space, under current conditions, is not viable and would endanger the safety of passengers, workers, and property,” the company stated in a release, reinforcing its refusal to introduce new services, including those proposed by FlixBus and BlaBlaCar.
FlixBus proposed introducing 96 new schedules and BlaBlaCar 12 more.
“The Sete Rios terminal was conceived as a temporary solution in 2004 and is now highly inadequate for demand, despite the investments made in this public asset over decades by the company,” added the concessionaire.
Rede Expressos appealed against the AMT’s decision to open the terminal to new operators.
