Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council. Report on the application of Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 concerning the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport and amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004

Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 lays down a series of rights for passengers who travel by bus and coach in the European Union. It became applicable on 1 March 2013.

Buses and coaches are a flexible transport mode and, unlike trains or aircraft, are generally able to pick up and set down passengers anywhere with a minimal provision of fixed infrastructure. In passenger-kilometre terms, bus and coach transport holds a 9.2% share of all land passenger transport in the EU and is the most important means of land passenger transport after private cars (81.7%). The liberalisation of the international coach market more than a decade ago and the recent liberalisation of the domestic coach markets in several Member States (including Germany and France) has created steady growth in the coach sector.

Bus and coach transport is characterised by a number of distinctive features, which affect both operators and passengers. Unlike aviation and rail transport, the bus and coach sectors consist largely of small and medium-sized undertakings and buses and coaches share the road infrastructure with other actors. These specific features are taken into account in certain provisions included in the Regulation.

The Commission is submitting this report under Article 32 of the Regulation, which requires it to report to the European Parliament and the Council on the operation and effects of the Regulation and, if necessary, to make proposals for legislation to implement the provisions of the Regulation in more detail or to amend it.