Meet the BUS2BUS Advisory Board: Finn Ole Matthias Peters

As Managing Director of Peters-Reisen, Finn Ole Matthias Peters represents the perspective of a medium-sized family business in the bus industry. On the BUS2BUS Advisory Board, he advocates for practical solutions and the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises. He also represents the topic of transformation and change: in view of the shortage of skilled workers, problems with recruiting young talent and generational change in family businesses, he is concerned with the question of how the transition to sustainable and future-proof bus tourism can be shaped.

1. In your opinion, what developments are currently having the greatest impact on the bus and mobility industry?

We are experiencing structural change on several levels: a shortage of drivers, rising costs, increasing bureaucracy and at the same time a customer base that is reorienting itself. People want to travel but in a more conscious, accessible and emotional way. Expectations range from digital bookability and real-time information to empathetic support and personal service.

It is precisely this duality that is challenging and at the same time a huge opportunity: we must not only modernise the bus technically, but also rethink it. With our start-up vJourney, we enable virtual travel experiences for people who can no longer travel physically thus creating new forms of participation and cultural mobility.

The industry must dare to think outside the box or rather, outside the bus. Artificial intelligence, VR and digital tools help us to simplify processes and conserve resources, while at the same time creating space for what really matters in the end: genuine encounters, community and inspiration.

2. What role does sustainability play in your working environment and what opportunities do you see for the industry?

For us, sustainability is not a buzzword, but a responsibility we live out every day. Our bus trips replace thousands of kilometres travelled by car this significantly reduces CO₂ emissions and shows that collective mobility is part of the solution.

In addition, with our start-up vJourney, we are creating a completely new form of climate-friendly participation: virtual travel for people who cannot (or can no longer) travel in real life whether for health, age-related or financial reasons. At the same time, travel agencies also use our technology as an emotional selling point: sustainability that can be experienced.

The great opportunity for the industry lies in understanding sustainability not as a technical obligation, but as an emotional experience and a promise for the future. For medium-sized companies, this means that transformation does not begin with technology, but with a clear inner attitude.

3. What are your expectations for BUS2BUS 2026 – which topics should the industry focus on discussing there?

BUS2BUS should be the place where technology, entrepreneurship and social responsibility come together – not separately, but as an interconnected whole.

In addition to the important debates on drive technologies and digitalisation, I would particularly like to see impetus on the "people issues" that will determine our future:

• How can we attract new,especially young driving personnel, particularly for tourist transport?
• How do we manage generational change when many companies are giving up due to age?
• How can we make the bus relevant again for young people?
• And how can we attract new passengers such as "young seniors" who are digitally savvy, fit and discerning?

Perhaps we need to bring not only TikTok to the bus, but also bus thinking to TikTok. The industry needs more than technical innovation it needs emotional inspiration, a shared vision and new images in people's minds. BUS2BUS can be both the stage and the driving force for this.

4. Is there a bus experience that has stayed with you in particular?

Yes, and it symbolises what I call "memory gold": small, unexpected moments that stay with you. I was driving myself on a trip to the beautiful border triangle around Feldkirch. On the way back, we got caught in a " natural traffic jam”. during the traditional cattle drive, the village kitchen and cattle train blocked the road.

What would have been stressful elsewhere became a real highlight here: the guests got out, took photos, waved to the cows, laughed and enjoyed the moment. No schedule, no app just authenticity, serenity and that special group feeling you get when you experience something together that no one planned but that connects everyone.

Moments like these show me why we do what we do. The bus is more than just a means of transport: it is a stage for stories, encounters and real experiences. And often it is precisely these moments that people still talk about years later when they meet again somewhere.

5. If you didn't work in the mobility industry, what other field could you see yourself in?

Either something traditional or something completely different. I would probably have become a carpenter: creating something with my hands, smelling the wood, seeing what I had built at the end of the day. That has always fascinated me.

Or the complete opposite: innovation consultant in a start-up in Montreal. International perspectives, creative founders, fast idea cycles combined with impact and technology that really makes a difference. The main thing is that it makes sense, it has heart, and it helps people move forward.

6. As a medium-sized bus company, what particular opportunities and challenges do you currently see in competition with large players?

Our challenge: we don't have corporate structures, million-pound budgets or purchasing power. Our strength: we are closer. More personal. Faster. More honest.

We know our guests by name and that will remain the case even as we digitise and streamline our processes. For us, digitisation does not mean replacing people with technology. Rather, it means putting the bus on digital wheels without losing service.

This means, for example, booking and refunds with a single click but the call is still answered by a real colleague. Digital interfaces, yes, but with attitude and a handshake.

It is precisely in this balance that our opportunity lies: using technology to be more human again. And to shine where big players often become impersonal. Because today's travellers are not only looking for efficiency they are looking for meaning.