Rights of passengers in bus and coach transport
The rights of passengers in bus and coach service within the European Union are governed by Regulation (EU) No. 181/2011. The official summary of the regulation published by the European Commission can be found here.
The EU regulation governs, in particular,
- Prohibition of discrimination between passengers
- Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Rights in the case of accidents
- Right to information
- Rights in the case of cancellation and delay
- Rights when dealing with complaints
Attention:
The rules apply only if your journey is scheduled to be at least 250 km long.
Arbitration body SÖP
In a dispute with the company, if no agreement could be reached directly, you can also contact an arbitration body:
Arbitration body for public transport (Schlichtungsstelle für den öffentlichen Personenverkehr e.V. (SÖP)
The aim of the regulation is to establish uniform conditions for this sector within the European Union and to grant the passengers, as the weaker party of the transport contract, minimum protection. Disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility should have the same opportunities to take bus trips as everyone else.