Regulation (EU) No. .181/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 concerning the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport and amending Regulation (EC) No. 2006/2004 (hereinafter: The Regulation) ensures that passengers, including disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility, travelling by bus and coach have the same rights wherever they travel in the European Union (EU). These rights, including the right to information or to compensation in the event of delay or cancellation, are in addition to similar rights for passengers during their journey by sea and inland waterways and passengers in air and rail transport. The Regulation was published on 28 February 2011 and its provisions entered into force on 1 March 2013.
The Regulation thus lays down rules for bus and coach services as regards regular services for passengers travelling within the EU over distances of 250km or more. However, some of these provisions apply to all services, including those over shorter distances.
Passenger rights applicable to long-distance journeys (i.e. over 250km) include among others:
- adequate assistance (e.g. snacks, meals, refreshments and, if necessary, hotel accommodation for up to two nights for a total of EUR 80 per night, except in the event of severe weather conditions or major natural disasters) in the event of cancellation or after a delay of more than 90 minutes if the journey takes more than three hours;
- guaranteed refund or re-routing in the event of overbooking or cancellation, or after a delay of more than 120 minutes in relation to the scheduled departure time;
- compensation of 50% of the ticket price in the event of a delay of more than 120 minutes in relation to the scheduled departure time, cancellation of the journey, and if the carrier fails to offer the passenger either a re-routing or a refund;
- information when your journey is cancelled or delayed;
- protection of passengers in the event of death, injury, loss or damage caused by road accidents, in particular with regard to immediate practical needs in the event of an accident (including hotel accommodation for up to two nights for a total amount of EUR 80 per night);
- special free assistance for disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility at stations and on-board vehicles, and, where necessary, free transport for persons accompanying passengers.
In addition, the following passenger rights apply to all journeys (including journeys of less than 250km):
- prohibition of discrimination in passenger fares and contractual conditions based – directly or indirectly – on nationality;
- non-discriminatory treatment of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility and financial compensation for the loss of or damage to their mobility equipment in the event of an accident;
- minimum rules on travel information for all passengers before and during their journey and general information on their rights at stations and online; where possible, this information will be made available on request in accessible formats specifically designed for people with reduced mobility;
- complaints handling mechanism set up by carriers and available to all passengers;
- independent national authorities in each Member State empowered to enforce this Regulation and, where necessary, to impose penalties.
You can find out more about passenger rights at
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/passengers/road/doc/summary_sl.pdf
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/SL/legal-content/summary/bus-and-coach-passengers-rights.html
Carriers and station managers shall, within their respective area of competence, provide passengers throughout their journey with relevant and comprehensible information on their rights under the Regulation, no later than at the time of departure – on the internet and at stations where appropriate, and, at the request of a disabled person or a person with reduced mobility, in an accessible format where practicable. This information also includes the contact details of the enforcement authority or authorities designated by the Member State, which in the Republic of Slovenia is the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Energy as the Ministry responsible for public passenger transport (in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation on the implementation of the Regulation (EU) on the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport – Official Journal of the Republic of Slovenia No. 15/13 et seq.), and the supervision of the implementation of the EU Regulation and the Regulation of the Republic of Slovenia is carried out by the inspectors responsible for public passenger transport.
Procedure for exercising the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport (complaints concerning rights and obligations under the Regulation):
If passengers’ rights are violated in Slovenia, they have the right, under Article 5 of the Regulation implementing the Regulation (EU) concerning the rights of passengers when travelling by coach and bus, to complain to the carrier from which they bought their ticket. Passengers who have bought a ticket from Arriva d.o.o. can lodge a complaint by sending an e-mail to: info@arriva.si.
The passenger must lodge a complaint concerning rights and obligations under the Regulation within three months from the date on which the regular service was or should have been operated. Within 14 days of receiving the complaint, Arriva must then inform the passenger that his/her complaint has been substantiated (and the alleged deficiencies in the transport service have been rectified or the time limit and the manner in which the deficiencies will be rectified), rejected (stating the reasons), or is still pending.
If the passenger is not satisfied with the handling of the claim or complaint with Arriva, or if Arriva does not reply within the prescribed time limit, the passenger has the possibility to lodge a complaint to:
Družba za upravljanje javnega potniškega prometa, d.o.o.: pohvale-pritozbe@dujpp.si.