RIGHT BALANCE STRUCK IN NEW EU PASSENGER COMPENSATION RULES FOR BUS AND COACH SERVICES
Posted, February 15, 2011 @ 00:00
Strasbourg 15 February 2011. Local and Regional bus services will not be subject to the same passenger compensation rules as major airlines following a vote in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Under the initial plans - voted for by Labour MEPs - local rural bus services would have been liable to pay compensation for delays or cancellations well above what is reasonable. This - according to many local operators - would have lead to some services being withdrawn completely.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 will not initially affect local and regional bus services. I have no problem with paying compensation for tardy or inferior service but the original scope of the report, supported by Labour MEPs, would have pushed a large number of operators, most of whom are Small businesses, into the ground.
"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, would have been ridiculous.
"Being stuck behind a tractor or getting a flat tyre cannot be equated to some of the factors that affect air travel delays.
"What we have achieved today is a sensible compromise that manages to strike the right balance between passenger rights without imposing massive burdens on the bus and coach industry."