Tickets for the new services, which start on Monday 9 March, are on sale now at www.megabus.com.
There will be one overnight journey each day in each direction between Paris and Toulouse, with a journey time of around eight and a half hours. The service is part of the existing route which links London, Paris, Toulouse and Barcelona, but until now megabus.com has been prevented from carrying customers who want to travel between Paris and Toulouse only.
Coach operators are still banned from operating domestic services in France, unless special "cabotage" approval is given. Even then, less than 50% of the seats sold can be used by customers travelling between cities in France. The other seats must remain empty or be filled with customers travelling from or to countries outside French borders.
Edward Hodgson, Managing Director of megabus.com, said: "People in France love our service, but until now they have been prevented from enjoying the benefits of our low cost coach travel between towns and cities in their own country. You could travel all the way from Paris to London, but you were not allowed to travel from Paris to Toulouse. In 2015, that is a bizarre state of affairs.
"After spending more than a year pressing the authorities to allow us to offer a service, we are pleased we have finally been given approval. We aim to offer the lowest cost travel of any transport mode and we are confident this will open up travel to people on low incomes. It will also help the economy by making it easier to move between these two key cities for education, employment, business or leisure activities."
The number of passengers using megabus.com's growing coach network in Europe has increased by more than 60% in the last year as the company continues to transform travel options for passengers. megabus.com already carries more than 15 million passengers a year across Europe and North America.
The French Government has begun the process to modernise the law and make it easier to operate inter-city coach services within the country. Legislation is currently being progressed through the French Parliament.
Mr Hodgson added: “We support the steps being taken by the government to modernise the system. It is important that this legislation is passed without delay so consumers can benefit quickly. Only by fully modernising the system will people in France enjoy the great benefits that coach travel offers and which can complement the rail network.
“Our experience in the UK has shown that having modern rules for coaches benefits all public transport. We have seen a growing number of people use coach services in the UK and at the same time we have had the fastest growing rail network in Europe. That is a great result for everyone and means people have access to even more greener public transport."
For travel during the first week of the new service, at least 10 tickets on each service will be priced at €1.
Thereafter, megabus.com has confirmed that there will be travel for €1 on every journey between Paris and Toulouse. All other fares on the route will also represent excellent value for money, particularly when compared to other modes of transport. The current average fare on the megabus.com network in mainland Europe is €15.
megabus.com uses bigger coaches with more seats carrying up to 72 people, compared to other operators which tend to have less seats. This allows the company to have a low cost per passenger and helps keep fares down to provide outstanding value for money. megabus.com was launched in the UK in 2003 and expanded its services to North America in 2006. The company launched low-cost coach services between London and mainland Europe in 2012 and now links around 110 destinations in the UK and Europe. The European network includes Paris, Amiens, Amsterdam, Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Toulouse, Barcelona, Brussels, Lille, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.
Services have proved very popular with families, students and tourists looking to save money on their travel and spend extra on entertainment when they arrive at their destination. Passengers travel on state-of-the-art coaches featuring free wi-fi so they can stay connected on the move.
All megabus.com drivers undertake a detailed operational and customer service training programme, including route familiarisation and driving assessments. The training is part of an EU standard qualification for professional bus, coach and lorry drivers. megabus.com ensures full compliance with relevant EU working time legislation and the company also has stricter maintenance standards than legal requirements as part of its commitment to safety.
megabus.com offers French, Italian, German, English, Spanish and Dutch language websites.
The success of megabus.com’s services has seen it create more than 400 jobs over the past decade in the UK and Europe and a further 1,000 jobs in North America.
