COACH journeys costing as little as 99pence will be linking York to other destinations as a major intercity coach travel provider adds the city to its network of UK routes.

FlixBus will be offering connections to and from York for the first time from Thursday, May 20, as part of moves to link 20 cities in England and Wales.

The company returned to the roads on April 15 with a domestic coach service connecting cities on a network of 18 routes between 12 destinations, including Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Leicester and Cardiff.

Following the initial success, FlixBus is boosting the number of direct routes to almost 40.

Initially, York will be directly connected to London, Leeds, Leicester and Sheffield. The company says tickets can be booked from 99p.

More destinations will be available with interconnections, and FlixBus is also planning to further increase its offer during the year.

Within the current expansion, Nottingham, Northampton, Liverpool, Warrington, Stoke-on-Trent, Chester and Bridgend are also becoming part of the green network.

Andreas Schörling, managing director FlixBus UK, said: “Since we have restarted our network, we have seen a strong growth every week in the number of passengers travelling with us.

"People are seizing the opportunity to move around the country again and there is a great demand for a new, value for money travel alternative in the UK.

"Passengers from York will now have access to FlixBus’s coach services too. We believe this will allow even more people to enjoy the freshly regained freedom of mobility. The upcoming spring bank holiday is a great opportunity for local passengers to try our service."

When the easing of restrictions continues, capacities are expected to increase and new journeys will be added.

FlixBus strictly follows local regulations. Currently, the company fills only half of the seats and keeps the row immediately behind the drivers clear.

Preventive measures stay in force on all vehicles. Passengers have to wear masks, as do drivers when away from their seat. Every coach undergoes a thorough cleaning process which includes the use of disinfectant.