BRUSSELS – The Council of the European Union’s adoption of its general approaches on passenger rights enforcement and multimodal journey regulation marks a significant step forward in safeguarding passengers and supporting operators. IRU welcomes, in particular, the clarification of the scope and the realistic extension of reimbursement deadlines. However, critical gaps remain, including the need to consider the unique position of small enterprises and set clearer rules on intermediary liability.

Passenger rights are a fundamental pillar of the EU’s consumer protection policy, ensuring fair treatment, transparency and compensation for travellers.

As passenger numbers grow, particularly for multimodal journeys booked through intermediaries, clear and harmonised rules are becoming increasingly important. The general approaches on passenger rights have to both strengthen passenger protections and maintain operational feasibility for transport providers.

Enhanced passenger rights enforcement

IRU supports the Council’s decision to eliminate impractical service quality standards and simplify complaint submission processes by accommodating language requirements. However, the Council’s insistence on mandatory electronic communication for reimbursement and compensation disregards the realities faced by many bus and coach operators.

IRU EU Advocacy Director Raluca Marian said, “The bus and coach sector is largely made up of SMEs, many of which lack digital infrastructure.” 

“Allowing passengers to submit complaints and reimbursement claims in paper form would provide much-needed flexibility. Coach operators are not airlines or large rail companies. Often, they do not even have websites, so how should they comply with mandatory digital requirements?” she added.

Strengthening legal certainty for multimodal journeys

IRU welcomes the clarified scope and harmonisation of multimodal passenger rights with sectoral legislation. The new framework respects crucial exemptions, such as services under 250km and occasional services, and acknowledges the unique challenges of road transport regarding road safety and sharing road infrastructure with other users.

“Clarifying the legislation’s scope was vital. The bus and coach ecosystem is diverse, with some services being typical long-distance services, while others are governed by public obligations or by the Package Travel Directive. Recognising these differences ensures both passengers and operators have clear, fair expectations,” highlighted Raluca Marian.

IRU also supports the extended reimbursement periods in cases of missed connections during multimodal journeys (15 days for business-to-business transactions and 30 days for consumers), which align with the financial realities of the bus and coach industry.

Next steps: Parliament adoption and trilogues

With the Council’s position finalised, attention now turns to the European Parliament, where the Committee on Transport and Tourism is yet to adopt its position. IRU urges the Parliament to prioritise harmonisation with sectoral legislation and practical solutions for SMEs, including the option for paper-based submissions and clearer delimitation of liability in the multimodal proposal by setting specific definitions for carriers, carrier vendors and intermediaries.

IRU remains committed to ensuring the final texts strike a balance between robust passenger protections and operational feasibility for transport operators.