LOCAL BUS SERVICES SHOULD NOT FALL UNDER SAME EU PASSENGER RIGHTS RULES AS AIRLINES SAYS CONSERVATIVE MEP
Posted, July 06, 2010 @ 00:00
Strasbourg 6 July 2010. Local and Regional bus services should not be subject to the same passenger compensation rules as major airlines a Conservative MEP said today.
Under the plans - voted for by Labour MEPs - local rural bus services would be liable to pay compensation for delays or cancellations well above what is reasonable. This could lead to some services being withdrawn completely.
Philip Bradbourn MEP, who was shadowing the report as it passed through the European Parliament, said today,
"The scope of this regulation should not affect local and regional bus services. I have no problem with paying compensation for tardy or inferior service but we have our own rules on the amounts to be paid which Europe should not interfere with. I am in favour of cross-border coaches falling under the same passenger rights rules as other international transport modes, but imposing this upon local services, many of them run by small operators, is ridiculous.
"It will raise costs to small scale operators, many of whom provide a vital service in rural areas, and push up prices. Far from improving service, it will hinder it and push many operators to say that the liabilities no longer make the service viable.
"Being stuck behind a tractor or getting a flat tyre cannot be equated to some of the factors that affect air travel delays."