'Highway to Hel' 666 bus reinstated three years after 'satanic' accusations
The number was changed in 2023
Last updated 1st Jun 2026
A number 666 bus service to the Polish seaside resort of Hel is returning three years after religious conservative groups complained that it “spread satanism”.
Nicknamed ‘Highway to Hel’, a nod to AC/DC’s seminal 1979 song and album ‘Highway to Hell’, the infamous bus connects the southern city of Kraków to Hel on the north coast of Poland.
Formerly run by local company PKS Gdynia, the bus number was changed to 669 in 2023 to make it “less controversial” following pressure from religious groups.
A PKS Gdynia spokesperson said at the time: "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."
Coach operator FlixBus, which has since taken over the route, has now confirmed that the 666 number will be reinstated this year.
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."
In the bible, 666 is named as the number of the beast and directly associated with Lucifer himself.
Iron Maiden, of course, named their 1982 single and album ‘The Number of the Beast’, and they were met with protests in some US cities on tour.
The iconic Derek Riggs album cover artwork for ‘The Number of the Beast’ depicts Maiden’s mascot Eddie holding Satan like a puppet and Satan clutching an even smaller Eddie.