Rights of passengers

INFORMATION ON THE RIGHTS OF PASSENGERS IN BUS AND COACH TRANSPORT

The Act on implementation of Regulation (EU) No. 181/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 concerning rights of passengers in bus and coach transport and amending Regulation (EC) No. 2006/2004 (“Official Gazette” No. 127/13) provides for ensuring protection of the right of passengers in regular transport by bus and coach in the Republic of Croatia, whereby the place of departure and place of destination are located within the European Union, with travelling distance of 250 km and more.

Rights of passengers in regular bus and coach transport includes:
  • non - discrimination of passengers on grounds of their nationality or or point of sale of the ticket
  • right to transport of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility (except in cases where  safety requirements are not met or construction of the vehicle or infrastructure is inadequate)
  • compensation for loss or damage of a wheelchair or other mobility equipment in cases where responsibility of the transport operator or bus terminal has been proved
  • right to travel information to be provided to passengers before and during the journey, as well as to information of the rights of passengers. When requested by a person with reduced mobility, if possible, information is to be provided in an adequate form
  • setting up of a complaint handling mechanism by a carrier, which should be available to all passengers
  • processing of complaints by the carrier within 3 months from the receipt

Rights of passengers to regular transport between two or more EU countries with envisaged travelling distance of 250 km and more include, among other things:
  • guaranteed continuation or re-routing of the journey to the final destination or reimbursement of the ticket price in cases of cancellation, overbooking or delay longer than 120 minutes
  • appropriate assistance in case of cancelled or delayed departure for more than 90 minutes, for a journey of a scheduled duration of more than 3 hours
  • information in case of cancelled or delayed departure
  • compensation for death or personal injury, as well as for loss or damage of luggage due to accident, and in particular assistance with regard to the passengers’ immediate practical needs following the accident

Passengers may make a complaint for non - compliance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No. 181/2011 within 90 days from the day of the regular transport concerned. The complaint should first be made to the carrier (contact information to be found on the ticket). The carrier shall then, within 1 month of receiving the complaint, give notice to the passenger that his complaint has been substantiated, rejected or is still being considered. The time taken to provide the final reply shall not be longer than 3 months from the receipt of the complaint. Only in cases where carrier failed to  process the passenger’s complaint as described above, (Article 27 of Regulation 181/2011) or where passenger is not satisfied with the way complaint has been dealt with by the carrier, the passenger may lodge a complaint to the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure as as implementation authority in the Republic of Croatia. In this regard, the Ministry shall, without delay and within 30 days from the receipt of the complaint in written form at the latest, inform the passenger about its findings and the measures taken in connection with the complaint. If the passenger is again not satisfied with the measures taken or has not been informed within the required time limit about the measures taken, he or she may institute an administrative dispute at the administrative court.

Report on activities of the Republic of Croatia 2017 / 2018 Regulation (EU) 181/2011 (.pdf)

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Report on activities of the Republic of Croatia 2013 - 2014 (.pdf)

Contact information of the implementation authority in the republic of Croatia:

Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure
Directorate for Road Transport and Inspection
Road Transport Sector
Prisavlje 14, 10000 Zagreb
Tel.:  +385  1 6169 050
Fax: +385 1 6195 941
E-mail: PravaPutnika.cestovni@mmpi.hr


The whole text of the Regulation is available on the website:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/HR/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32011R0181&from=EN (Croatian)
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32011R0181&from=EN (English)


Other useful information:
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/passengers/road/
http://ec.europa.eu/transport/passenger-rights/en/
http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/bus-and-coach/index_en.htm