Student Agency
Student Agency is a Czech travel and transport company founded by Radim Jančura, with activities spanning study and work-abroad services, ticketing, tourism, buses, and the RegioJet rail and bus network.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Student Agency is a Czech travel and transport company headquartered in Brno. Although its name reflects its original focus on students, the company’s services have long been available to a broader customer base. It was founded and registered in 1996 by Radim Jančura, a graduate of the Brno University of Technology, initially to mediate au-pair placements for students from the Czech Republic. During the same year it added mediation of language-study programmes and work programmes abroad. The business expanded from educational and youth-oriented services into travel distribution and passenger transport. It began selling airline tickets in 2000 and introduced regular domestic bus services in 2004, while also operating international bus routes. It later added the sale of tours and holidays in 2010. This diversification made Student Agency both a travel intermediary and a recognizable passenger-transport brand in the Czech market. Transport became increasingly central to the company’s identity. In 2005, awards reported in 2006 recognized Student Agency as the Czech Republic’s best IATA flight agency and best bus transporter. In the same period, Jančura publicly described plans to expand the bus network and enter rail transport. To support that strategy, RegioJet a.s. was incorporated in the Czech Companies Register in 2009, with railway and railway-transport activities registered later that year. RegioJet developed as a private competitor to state-owned railway operators, initially focusing on the Czech market and the Prague–Ostrava corridor before expanding to Slovakia and international destinations. A Slovak company with the RegioJet name was established in Bratislava in 2010 to operate rail and bus services in Slovakia. Student Agency remained the owner of RegioJet. From 2016, the company’s bus services were brought under the RegioJet brand, while Student Agency continued to represent the wider travel-agency and group structure. RegioJet’s network has included domestic routes linking Prague with cities such as Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Liberec, and Hradec Králové, alongside international services to destinations including Vienna and numerous other European cities. Student Agency also briefly entered premium urban taxi services. In April 2013 it acquired Tick Tack, intending to build a high-quality service for corporate and affluent customers in Prague. The plan contemplated a large fleet of relatively new Audi and BMW vehicles and positioned the venture as a response to the poor reputation of parts of Prague’s taxi market. The taxi business was sold to Taxi Prague in February 2018 after suffering financial losses. The company is privately held and has remained closely associated with Jančura, who is identified as its founder, chief executive, and sole owner in the referenced company material. Its business scope now combines travel agency services with ownership of a major private passenger-transport operation. The Student Agency name is therefore best understood as the group’s original travel-services brand, while RegioJet is the principal consumer-facing label for much of its current bus and rail activity.
History
Student Agency was founded in the Czech Republic in 1996 by Radim Jančura. Its original business was the mediation of au-pair stays for Czech students. The company quickly broadened its educational and international-placement portfolio, adding language-study programmes and work programmes abroad during its first year. This gave the business an initial identity rooted in mobility, foreign experience, and services for younger customers, although the company was not ultimately limited to students. The next stage was travel distribution. Student Agency began selling airline tickets in 2000 and developed international bus operations alongside its travel-agency activities. In 2004 it introduced regular domestic bus transport, extending its role from intermediary to operator. The transport business became one of its most visible activities in the Czech market. Recognition in the TTG Travel Awards for 2005, announced in 2006, named Student Agency the Czech Republic’s best IATA flight agency and best bus transporter. That recognition reflected the company’s simultaneous presence in air-ticket distribution and scheduled coach travel. In 2010 the company added tours and holidays to its portfolio. Meanwhile, Jančura was pursuing a larger role in passenger transport. RegioJet a.s. was incorporated in the Czech Companies Register on 20 March 2009, and railway and railway-transport activities were registered on 6 October of that year. RegioJet was established as a private railway operator competing with state-owned Czech and Slovak railways. It obtained access to Czech tracks and became associated with services on the Ostrava–Prague connection. A related RegioJet company was established in Bratislava in 2010, supporting rail and bus operations in Slovakia and international connections such as services toward Vienna. RegioJet’s growth changed the group’s market profile. Its rail activity provided an alternative to incumbent national operators, while its bus services connected Prague with Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Liberec, Hradec Králové, and other cities. International routes reached a wide range of European destinations, including Vienna, London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Munich, Berlin, Paris, Budapest, Rome, Venice, Zürich, Geneva, Oslo, and others. From 2016, bus transport was placed under the RegioJet brand, making that name the principal public label for much of the group’s transport business. Student Agency also tested an adjacent mobility category. In April 2013 it acquired Tick Tack, a Prague taxi company, with the stated objective of creating a premium service for corporate and affluent clients. The proposed model emphasized new or relatively new premium vehicles and an attempt to improve perceptions of Prague taxi services. The operation did not meet its commercial objectives and was sold to Taxi Prague in February 2018 because of financial losses. Throughout its development, Student Agency remained privately held and closely controlled by Jančura. The company’s history is consequently one of related diversification rather than a sequence of unrelated brand acquisitions: educational placement led to ticketing, tourism, coach transport, and ultimately a group structure in which RegioJet became the principal rail and bus operator. Student Agency continues to denote the travel-agency side of the business, while RegioJet carries much of the group’s transport-facing identity across Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, and international European routes.
- 2018
Tick Tack sold
[1]The taxi operation was sold to Taxi Prague after financial losses.
- 2016
Bus services moved under RegioJet
[1]The group placed its bus transport activities under the RegioJet brand.
- 2013
Tick Tack taxi acquisition
[1]Student Agency acquired Tick Tack to build a premium Prague taxi service.
- 2010
Tours and holidays added; Slovak RegioJet company established
[1]Student Agency entered holiday sales, while a related RegioJet entity was established in Bratislava for Slovak rail and bus operations.
- 2009
RegioJet incorporated in the Czech Republic
[1]RegioJet was incorporated and registered railway-operator activities, creating the platform for private rail operations.
- 2006
Travel-industry awards announced
[1]Student Agency was recognized for its 2005 performance as a leading Czech IATA flight agency and bus transporter.
- 2004
Regular domestic bus transport begins
[1]The company added scheduled domestic bus lines while continuing international coach operations.
- 2000
Air-ticket sales added
[1]Student Agency expanded from placement services into the sale of airline tickets.
- 1996
Student Agency founded and launches overseas placement services
[1]Radim Jančura founded the company, initially mediating au-pair placements and then adding language-study and work programmes abroad.
Products and positioning
A Czech travel-services and passenger-transport group that evolved from student-oriented overseas placement services into a broad travel intermediary and a private competitor in Central European bus and rail transport.
International placement services · 1996
Au-pair programmes
Student Agency’s original service mediated au-pair stays for people from the Czech Republic, particularly students and young people seeking overseas experience. This activity established the company’s initial travel and international-mobility orientation.
Education-abroad services · 1996
Language-study programmes
The company expanded its original placement model by mediating language-study programmes abroad. These services broadened its education-related offering beyond au-pair arrangements and connected travel planning with international study.
International placement services · 1996
Work programmes
Student Agency also mediated work programmes abroad, giving customers an organized route to temporary employment and overseas experience. The offering formed part of the company’s early international-placement portfolio.
Travel distribution · 2000
Airline tickets
Air-ticket sales marked the company’s expansion into mainstream travel agency services. Student Agency was later recognized in the Czech TTG Travel Awards as a leading IATA flight agency.
Bus transport · 2004
Student Agency bus transport
The company operated international coaches from its early transport period and added regular domestic bus routes in 2004. From 2016, these services were incorporated under the RegioJet brand.
Tourism and travel packages · 2010
Tours and holidays
Student Agency added the sale of tours and holidays, complementing its ticketing and international-placement services with conventional leisure-travel distribution.
Rail transport · 2009
RegioJet rail transport
RegioJet operates private passenger rail services in Czechia and Slovakia and competes with state-owned railway operators. Its network has included the Prague–Ostrava corridor and international services toward destinations including Vienna.
Bus transport · 2016
RegioJet bus transport
RegioJet operates domestic and international coach routes linking major Czech cities with Slovakia, Austria, and a broad selection of European destinations. The service became the group’s principal branded bus offering after the 2016 rebranding.
Taxi transport · 2013
Tick Tack taxi
Tick Tack was acquired as a premium Prague taxi venture aimed at corporate and affluent customers. Student Agency intended to build a large fleet of premium vehicles, but the business was later sold after financial losses.
Brand decisions
2018
Exit the Tick Tack taxi businessM&ABackground
The taxi operation had generated financial losses after Student Agency’s attempt to establish a premium Prague service.
Action taken
Student Agency sold Tick Tack to the competitor Taxi Prague.
Aftermath
The group withdrew from the taxi business and concentrated on travel services and RegioJet rail and bus operations.
2016
Consolidate bus transport under RegioJetStrategyBackground
The group’s transport operations had expanded sufficiently for a distinct rail-and-bus consumer brand to become strategically useful.
Action taken
Student Agency moved its bus transport activities under the RegioJet name.
Aftermath
RegioJet became the more prominent public-facing transport brand, while Student Agency retained its broader travel-agency identity.
2013
Acquire Tick Tack for premium taxi expansionM&ABackground
Student Agency sought to diversify into Prague taxi services and address demand from corporate and higher-income customers.
Action taken
The company acquired Tick Tack and planned a premium fleet and service model.
Aftermath
The taxi venture incurred financial losses and was sold to Taxi Prague in 2018.
2009
Establish RegioJet as a private rail operatorStrategyBackground
Student Agency had expanded from travel intermediation into bus transport and sought to enter the rail market in competition with state-owned railway operators.
Action taken
The group incorporated RegioJet in the Czech Republic and registered railway-operator activities, later developing services on Czech and Slovak routes.
Aftermath
RegioJet became the group’s principal rail brand and expanded into domestic and international passenger services.
Recent events
- 2018
Tick Tack taxi business sold to Taxi Prague[1]
M&A
Student Agency sold the Tick Tack taxi operation to competitor Taxi Prague after the venture incurred financial losses.
- 2016
Student Agency transfers bus services to the RegioJet brand[1]
Product generation
Bus transport activities were incorporated under the RegioJet brand, strengthening the separation between the group’s original travel-agency identity and its consumer transport brand.
- 2013
Student Agency acquires Tick Tack taxi company[1]
M&A
The group acquired Tick Tack to develop a premium taxi service in Prague for corporate and wealthier customers.
- 2009
Student Agency expands into rail transport through RegioJet[1]
Product launch
RegioJet was incorporated in the Czech Companies Register and registered railway-operator activities, establishing the corporate basis for Student Agency’s private rail expansion.
- 2006
Student Agency recognized as leading Czech flight agency and bus transporter[1]
Other
The company received recognition in the TTG Travel Awards for 2005 as the Czech Republic’s best IATA flight agency and best bus transporter.
Sources1 sources
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