Poland's controversial 'Highway to Hel' 666 bus revived

Poland's seaside resort called Hel is getting its 666 bus service back, despite earlier opposition from Christian groups. Controversial 'Highway to Hel' 666 bus revived in Poland Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. The bus service's combination of 666 and Hel proved too much for some offended Christians (pic: 2016) A local bus numbered 666, heading to Polish seaside resort Hel, is parked on the roadside in Rewa, Poland. Poland's controversial 'Highway to Hel' 666 bus revived Coach operator FlixBus has announced the return of the 666 bus service to the Polish seaside resort of Hel. It resurrects the controversial so-called "Highway to Hel" bus journey formerly run by local company PKS Gdynia. Religious conservative groups fiercely opposed the "satanic" association of 666 with Hel, so in 2023 the number was changed to 669. The new 13-hour route run by FlixBus will connect Kraków to Hel, passing through other major Polish regional towns and cities including the capital Warsaw. FlixBus spokesperson Aleksander Kalenik told the Polish news service TVN24: "The number 666 was deliberately chosen as a marketing communication element, intended to increase the visibility of the connection on the popular holiday route to Hel." Back in June 2023 a PKS Gdynia spokesperson had told media: "The management board buckled under the weight of letters and requests that were sent to us, maybe not in large numbers, but periodically for many years with a request to change the line number." One Polish religious group had accused the bus company of "spreading satanism". The Bible identifies 666 as the "number of the beast" and Hel is just one "l" short of the English word "hell". Poland is a predominantly Roman Catholic nation, where the Church has traditionally been influential. Hel is located on the tip of the 22-mile (35km) Hel Peninsula, which juts off the northern coast of Poland in the Gulf of Gdańsk. Tourists have been drawn to Hel's sandy beaches, ancient architecture and seal sanctuary. Bus route 666 run by Poland's PKS Gdynia company End in sight for Poland's bus route 666 to Hel The vehicle serves a similar route in East Sussex to the one the veteran once drove. The routes to the Wolds and the Holderness coast run on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. Police say the bus failed to slow ahead of a work zone and struck six vehicles on the motorway. The US is considering options for punishing Nato allies which it considers to have failed to offer support during the Iran war, according to a Pentagon memo seen by Reuters. The PM met his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk at RAF Northolt to formalise the agreement. President Donald Trump says he wants to send more troops to Poland, a week after his officials cancelled a similar deployment. Thousands attend funeral prayers for the three victims of Monday's deadly shooting at the Islamic Centre of San Diego. The future of Ilford Park in Stover remains in doubt after the government launches consultation.