Beulas Jewel double-decker enters service on FlixBus’s Prague–Budapest route

Since 14 November, FlixBus passengers travelling between Budapest and Prague have been able to ride on a type still seen relatively rarely on Hungarian roads: a brand-new Beulas Jewel double-deck long-distance coach built on Scania chassis and operated by the private company UMSE s.r.o., based in Liberec, Czechia. The imposing vehicle, bodied in Spain and also UMSE’s very first double-decker coach, was handed over to its new owner on 31 October, and soon afterwards entered service on the international route linking the Hungarian and Czech capitals.

The 14.15-metre double-deck coach is built on a Scania K-series chassis and offers a total of 80+1+1 seats across its two decks, including the attendant’s and driver’s seats. Passengers can take their places in reclining seats equipped with footrests and fold-down tables, while on the lower deck, behind the front wheel arches, there are also four-seat bays with fixed tables on both sides. Comfort is further enhanced, among other features, by USB-A and USB-C charging sockets for portable devices, as well as a toilet, while luggage can be accommodated in a spacious 8.5 m³ luggage compartment. For scheduled service operation, the coach has also been fitted with electronic external destination displays, while a vacuum cleaner is likewise part of the factory equipment. Another distinctive feature is its forward-opening front passenger door with a swing mechanism.

A whole range of active driver-assistance and accident-prevention systems expected today is responsible for safety. The alcohol interlock ensures that the driver can only start the coach after first providing a negative breath alcohol test. Predictive adaptive cruise control not only reacts to traffic directly in front of the vehicle, but can also anticipate traffic situations in advance using information from the multifunction camera and the navigation system — for example slowing the coach before it reaches a sharp bend or the boundary of a built-up area.

FlixBus currently operates 11 direct services per day between Budapest and Prague on weekdays, 13 on Saturdays and 12 on Sundays. In Hungary, passengers can board the green coaches at Budapest-Népliget and Budapest-Kelenföld, while in the Czech capital stops are served at the main railway station and Florenc bus station. We contacted the Hungarian office of the mobility platform company with questions about the exact duty schedule of the newly introduced Beulas double-decker, and they told us that the coach departs Prague every morning at 8:05 and arrives in Budapest at Kelenföld railway station at 15:25. On the return journey, it leaves Kelenföld at 16:50 and arrives at Prague’s Florenc bus station at 0:15. In both directions the coach stops in Brno and Pozsony (Bratislava), while on the return journey it also serves Győr.

Founded in 1934 and still operating as a family business, Beulas, which specialises mainly in long-distance coach models, is one of Spain’s long-established bodybuilders. Its current flagship is the double-deck Jewel, available in five length and two height variants, while the range also includes the smaller Cygnus, the high-floor Aura and Mythos single-deck touring coaches, and the interdeck Glory model. The company’s smallest and newest model is the Kala minibus, built on the MAN TGE van platform.

Photos: Beulas/UMSE s.r.o.