On Wednesday 29 November, the European Commission presented a series of proposals aimed at strengthening the rights of passengers and travellers and improving information.
Strengthening passenger rights
This includes the revision of the regulation on the application of passenger rights in the EU, as well as a new regulation on passenger rights in the context of multimodal travel.
The Commission wants to strengthen national consumer protection bodies, which passengers can call on if they have a problem with their carrier.
“In some member states these national protection bodies are very supportive and responsive. In others they are no more than a functional email address leaving passengers at a loss” explained Adina Vălean, the Commissioner for Transport, at a press conference. “We are therefore going to require all EU countries to monitor passenger rights proactively”, she continued.
Transport operators will be obliged to establish service quality standards on punctuality, cancellations, reimbursement assistance, etc. They will also have to publish reports on compliance with these standards, to ensure greater transparency.
In addition, the Commission wants to create a single European reimbursement form, available on several platforms and usable by all transport companies. It hopes to require carriers to diversify their means of contact.
Passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility will be assisted in changing modes of transport at transfer points by carriers and terminal operators. If an airline requires a passenger with reduced mobility to travel with an attendant, the airline will be obliged to carry the attendant free of charge and, if possible, to seat them next to the passenger they are assisting. This right already exists when travelling by train, boat or bus/coach.
In a press release published the same day, the European Disability Forum expressed its dissatisfaction with the inadequacy of the proposed measures. “The Commission is ignoring the problem of the many cases of disabled people being denied boarding, allowing blatant discrimination to continue on a daily basis, as well as maintaining uncertainty and additional costs for disabled passengers”, it commented.
Revised regulations on the application of passenger rights: https://aeur.eu/f/9ur
Regulation on passenger rights in the context of multimodal travel: https://aeur.eu/f/9ut
Improving multimodal travel information services
This measure includes a delegated regulation on intelligent transport systems (ITS), for which the relevant directive was adopted in October (see EUROPE 13275/37). It defines specifications to ensure that multimodal travel information services provided throughout the EU are accurate and accessible to ITS users. In particular, it specifies the types of data that must be made available by transport authorities, transport operators, infrastructure managers and on-demand transport service providers. It also sets out the conditions for accessing, re-using and updating the data.
This regulation will make it easier for passengers to find real-time information on various modes of transport via travel information services, and to access real-time updates during their journey, for example on delays and cancellations. New types of information will also be available, such as the possibility of taking bicycles on a train and accessibility, including for disabled passengers or those with reduced mobility.
The Commission has also issued a communication to create a common European data space on mobility and a recommendation on how to take account of the effects of automation and digitalisation on the workforce in the transport sector.
Delegated Regulation on ITS: https://aeur.eu/f/9v2
Communication on the Common European Mobility Data Space: https://aeur.eu/f/9uy
Recommendation on the effects of automation and digitalisation the workforce: https://aeur.eu/f/9v3 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)