Entitlement to delay compensation for annual passes

In this specific case, the passenger purchased a Verbund annual ticket and then correctly registered for delay compensation on the ÖBB-Personenverkehr website. After evaluating the train delays for the year 2014, the compensation amount due to him was automatically transferred to the specified account.

The situation was different in 2015, when he did not receive any compensation. After enquiring with the railroad company, he was informed that the route was not entered in his account and therefore no compensation could be paid out as the basis for calculation was missing. As the annual pass holder had originally entered the route from St. Pölten to Vienna and the processing of the delay compensation had worked smoothly in the previous year, he also insisted on the amount due to him being transferred for 2015. The railroad company suspects that the route originally entered was not automatically transferred to the ÖBB compensation system for 2015 due to the changes in prices by the transport association. Unfortunately, it was not possible to reach an agreement with the railroad company itself, so he turned to apf, which mediated positively and achieved retroactive entry of the route and transfer of the compensation amount.

When will you receive your delay compensation if you have an annual travelcard?

If you have an annual ticket, you are not entitled to compensation for a single journey. However, every canceled or delayed train is included in the punctuality statistics required by law. In regional transport, a punctuality rate of at least 95 percent applies for each rail company. If this is not met, you are entitled to compensation of at least 10 percent of the rail ticket price for each month in which the punctuality level was not met. With ÖBB-Personenverkehr , you are only entitled to compensation if you register in advance, i.e. as soon as you receive your annual pass, on the Internet or at a ticket counter.

Recommendations of the apf for the application for delay compensation:

• Check at least once a year whether the data you have entered is correct and complete. This can be done directly with the railroad company (by telephone on 05-1717) or on the ÖBB-Personenverkehr website.
• If your details change - for example the route because your home address has changed - change your details as quickly as possible on the ÖBB-Personenverkehr homepage or inform the railroad company of the changes by e-mail or post(kundenservice@pv.oebb.at or ÖBB customer service, subject: "Fahrgastrechte", P.O. Box 75, A-1020 Vienna) so that your claim can be calculated correctly.

Here you will be forwarded directly to the homepage of the Agency for Passenger Rights , where you can find further information on your rail passenger rights.