Delays and cancellations for long-distance buses
Delays and cancellations with long-distance buses - Passenger rights
Whether it's a spontaneous weekend trip, a visit to relatives abroad or a vacation - there are many reasons to travel by long-distance coach. Starting from the Vienna International Bus Terminal (VIB) in Vienna-Erdberg, for example, destinations in Western, Central and Eastern Europe are served. From Graz main station, destinations in Italy, Slovenia and Croatia are popular. Here you can find out what rights passengers have if they are (sometimes literally) left out in the rain at the stations, for example because the booked long-distance coach does not arrive on time.
The apf conciliation body is constantly receiving inquiries about departure delays, cancellations and overbooking of long-distance bus journeys.
Passenger rights in long-distance bus transport are less extensive than in other modes of transport (air, rail). They can be found in EU Regulation 181/2011 "concerning the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport". Nevertheless, in certain cases, those affected can turn to the apf if a journey could not be carried out as desired and no agreement could be reached with the bus company.
Scheduled bus trip with a distance of more than 250km as a prerequisite
In order to be able to claim full passenger rights on bus services, three criteria must be met:
- This is a scheduled bus trip (with a regular timetable).
- The place of arrival or departure is in the EU or in Switzerland, Norway or Liechtenstein.
- The route of the bus line is 250km or longer.
According to the European Commission, the EU regulation applies to all scheduled services, both national and international, where the scheduled distance of the route offered is at least 250 kilometers. Passengers who only use part of such a long-distance service are also covered. The text of the regulation does not require the entire route to be traveled.
Examples of connections covered by passenger rights:
Vienna - Prague
Vienna - Krakow
Vienna - Zagreb
Vienna - Ljubljana
Graz - Brno
Graz - Budapest
Graz - Banja Luka
Graz - Zadar
Graz - Rovinj
Graz - Venice
Graz - Bolzano
Graz - Munich
Linz - Dresden
Linz - Olomouc
Linz - Udine
Linz - Nuremberg
Salzburg - Prague
Salzburg - Zagreb
Salzburg - Venice
Salzburg - Zurich
Salzburg - Stuttgart
Innsbruck - Trieste
Innsbruck - Milan
Innsbruck - Bern
Examples of connections NOT covered by passenger rights:
Vienna - Bratislava
Vienna - Budapest
Graz - Ljubljana
Salzburg - Munich
Innsbruck - Munich
Departure delay, bus failure or overbooking - what are travelers entitled to?
In the event of a departure delay or bus cancellation, passengers are entitled to assistance based on passenger rights if the journey takes longer than 180 minutes.
From 90 minutes delay in departure / bus cancellation, the bus company must
- Offer meals and refreshments in proportion to the waiting time (if this is possible on site)
- Offer accommodation (e.g. hotel) and transportation there (if necessary). The cost of accommodation can be limited to 80 euros per passenger or night.
The following claims apply from an expected delay of 120 minutes at departure / bus cancellation / overbooking:
- In these cases, passengers have the choice between not continuing their journey and, if necessary, taking a free return journey
or - The continuation of the journey at the earliest possible date under comparable conditions and at no additional cost.
The bus company must proactively offer these two options. For passengers, this means that if they decide not to continue their journey, the fare will be refunded (pro rata and free of charge) or alternative travel options can be used. For example, another long-distance bus or a train connection.
Only if the bus company does NOT offer this option are passengers entitled to compensation amounting to 50 percent of the ticket price.
There is NO entitlement to compensation for delays in bus transport
Early departure of a bus journey is interpreted by the apf and the European Commission as a cancellation, as the passenger is faced with a similar situation.
What should passengers do in the event of departure delays/bus cancellations?
Step 1: Contact the bus company
In the event of delays, cancellations and overbooking, affected passengers should first check whether they have been contacted by the bus company (e.g. by email, text message, phone call). If there has been no attempt to contact them, those affected should contact the bus company themselves.
You can find the contact details of the most common long-distance bus providers in Austria here:
https://www.apf.gv.at/de/kontakt-beschwerdestellen-bus-apf.html
Step 2: Confirmation of delay
Confirmation of the bus delay or cancellation can be helpful in individual cases. Document the delay or cancellation with photos (e.g. from the display board).
Step 3: Onward journey/refund
Clarify the conditions for the onward journey or reimbursement with the coach company. If you have to organize/book alternative transport or hotel accommodation yourself, you must keep all invoices and receipts in order to be reimbursed by the bus company.
Please note: Coach companies can limit the cost of hotels to 80 euros per person per night and for two nights.
Step 4: Claim costs from the bus company
If passengers had to organize their onward journey themselves, the additional costs can be paid to the respective customer support of the bus company.
Step 5: apf helps free of charge
If the response from the bus company is not satisfactory, or if you are unable to find a solution within one month (or a maximum of three months), those affected can contact apf free of charge and commission via onlinearbitration request.
The team from the bus area can be reached for questions Mon-Fri between 10:00 and 12:00 on +43 1 5050 707 720.
Are there passenger rights for package tours?
For package tours (e.g. combination of hotel and flight), the Austrian Package Travel Act applies with special rights and obligations.
Travelers can assert their rights in accordance with both the Package Travel Act and the relevant EU regulation. However, claims for compensation or price reduction that have already been granted once can be offset against the second claim.
In the event of problems with a package tour, it is advisable to contact the organizer. Alternatively, claims under the EU regulation can also be made directly to the coach company.