Flexa: The new flexible local transport in Northern Saxony revitalizes mobility!

Flexa: The new flexible local transport in Northern Saxony revitalizes mobility!

A lot is happening in the area of ​​public transport in the North Saxony district. The flexible on-call bus system Flexa has been active throughout the district since December 15, 2024 and is enjoying ever-growing popularity. An average of 80 Flexa vehicles are used every day, picking up passengers directly at their stop and taking them to their desired destination or transfer point. Flexa is the further development of Geißler's dial-a-day bus and offers a welcome addition to the existing regular services, even if many of these connections have been canceled since the system was introduced.

Booking Flexa is child's play: from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., rides can be requested online or by phone with a lead time of 30 minutes. In the western part of the district the buses even run until midnight. According to [lvz.de]. on Saturday with 1,483 trips, which was slightly below average.

Flexa as a flexible solution

The flexibility of the system is particularly evident in the 45 virtual stops that are not served by regular scheduled services and thus significantly shorten walking distances. All of these efforts are part of a larger plan to strengthen public transportation in rural areas. A current study by ioki shows that on-demand offers such as Flexa not only support existing bus and train lines, but also represent a sustainable alternative in the mobility mix. In Germany, 27 million people already have access to good public transport, while there is a need for improvement in rural regions.

Of course, the response to Flexa is mixed. Older citizens in particular rarely use the system, although it can also be booked by telephone. But commuters and students in particular have discovered Flexa and use it regularly - so-called repeat offenders. Of the 10,929 Flexa trips registered between January and May 2025, over 14,000 passengers were transported. However, around 3,700 requests had to be rejected because there were already scheduled bus connections at the requested time.

Expansion of capacities

The demand for Flexa clearly shows that there is a need for action in the North Saxony district. In order to do justice to this, the district is planning to expand capacity with an additional vehicle. It is important to design the offer in such a way that it remains accessible and attractive for all citizens. The entire service runs at no extra charge, so passengers can use the tried and tested MDV tariffs or the Deutschlandticket.

It seems that Flexa has the potential to support the mobility transition in Northern Saxony and significantly reduce the burden on personal transport. If developments continue to be so positive, a comfortable solution could perhaps be found for the older generations in the future in order to increase not only mobility but also the quality of life in the district.