By Martin Banks - 6th July 2010
This could lead to some services being withdrawn completely
Philip Bradbourn
MEPs have approved new rules which aim to give bus and coach passengers the same right to compensation as those travelling by air and rail.
In a vote in Strasbourg on Tuesday, deputies approved a commission proposal by 366 in favour and 86 against.
The proposal, alongside one on the rights of passengers travelling by sea and inland waterway, is part of a package put forward by the commission in December 2008.
It seeks to extend similar rights for travellers as those that currently apply under EU law for air and rail.
At present, member states are able to exempt urban, suburban and regional services from the application of the regulation. But parliament wants to include these services in any final regulation.
MEPs have voted twice to include regional services in the regulation. They say urban and suburban services can only be exempted if covered by a public service contract guaranteeing a similar level of passenger rights. The package now goes to conciliation between the EU institutions.
British Tories voted against including local and regional bus services in the regulation, saying they should not be subject to the same passenger compensation rules as major airlines.
Tory MEP Philip Bradbourn said that, if the proposal goes ahead, local rural bus services would be liable to pay compensation for delays or cancellations well above what is reasonable.
"This could lead to some services being withdrawn completely."
Bradbourn, who was shadowing the report through parliament, said, "The scope of this regulation should not affect local and regional bus services. I have no problem with paying compensation for tardy or inferior service but we have our own rules on the amounts to be paid which Europe should not interfere with.
"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, is ridiculous.
"It will raise costs to small scale operators, many of whom provide a vital service in rural areas, and push up prices. Far from improving service, it will hinder it and push many operators to say that the liabilities no longer make the service viable.
"Being stuck behind a tractor or getting a flat tyre cannot be equated to some of the factors that affect air travel delays."
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