Bus and coach transport

ART is the national body responsible for the assessment of the infringements of the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 concerning passenger rights in bus and coach transport.

Watch the video-tutorial on bus and coach passenger rights (in Italian language).

For further information, please visit and use:

• the list of bus terminals providing assistance to disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility (Decree of 25 August 2022 of the Ministry of Infrastructure and sustainable mobility)
• the information pages of the European Commission on Passenger Rights (Single Digital Gateway);
• the Authority’s FAQ (in Italian language);
• ART digital assistant “SmARTbot”(in Italian language),accessible from the homepage of the website.

REFERENCE LEGISLATION

EU Regulation

EU legislation regulates the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport based on Regulation (EU) No 181/2011. This legislative framework is aimed at improving the rights of bus passengers, taking into account the characteristics of the sector.

The rights of passengers in bus and coach transport, where their boarding point or alighting point is situated in the territory of a EU Member State, shall apply:

• in full to long-distance services, i.e. where the distance of the service is 250 km or more;
• in part to services covering shorter distances.

Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 provides, inter alia, the rights of passengers in the event of delay or cancellation in departure, including assistance, the right to information throughout the travel, the accessibility and assistance for persons with disabilities or reduced mobility, the deadlines to respond to complaints.

Implementation of the EU Regulation in Italy

The Transport Regulation Authority is responsible for the assessment of the infringements of the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 181/2011  concerning the rights of passengers in bus and coach transport and for the imposition of sanctions provided for under Legislative Decree No 169 of 4 November 2014.

On 1st October 2023 the Authority has published unified rules of procedure for the conduct of sanctioning proceedings concerning passengers’ rights in rail, bus and sea transport.

MINIMUM RIGHTS DEFINED BY THE AUTHORITY

The Authority has also defined the minimum rights that may be claimed by users of bus and coach services from service providers and managing bodies of the related infrastructure, in particular:

• Decision No 28/2021 – Conclusion of the proceeding initiated by Decision No 147/2020. Approval of “Measures concerning the minimum rights that may be claimed by users of rail and bus and coach transport services against service providers and managing bodies of the related infrastructure with regard to the handling of complaints” (provisions applicable from 1 January 2022).

REPORTS ON THE ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE AUTHORITY

Article 29 of Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 requires the Transport Regulation Authority to publish, every two years, an activity report.

• Activity report from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2022 (date of publication: 04/10/2023)
• Activity report as at the 1st quarter of 2021 (date of publication: 26/05/2021)
• Activity report as at the 1st quarter of 2019 (date of publication: 24/05/2019 – Itaian language)
• Activity report as at the 1st quarter of 2017 (date of publication: 26/05/2021)

For further information on the activities carried out by the Authority for the protection of  bus & coach passengers, please consult please refer to the above reports and the Annual Report.