CHAPTER I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Subject matter
Article 1
This Regulation establishes rules for bus and coach transport as regards the following:
1. non-discrimination between passengers with regard to transport conditions offered by carriers;
2. rights of passengers in the event of accidents arising out of the use of the bus or coach resulting in death or personal injury or loss of or damage to luggage;
3. non-discrimination and mandatory assistance for disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility;
4. rights of passengers in cases of cancellation or delay;
5. minimum information to be provided to passengers;
6. handling of complaints;
7. general rules on enforcement.

Scope
Article 2
1
This Regulation shall apply to passengers travelling with regular services for non-specified categories of passengers where the boarding or the alighting point of the passengers is situated in the United Kingdom or in the territory of a Member State and where the scheduled distance of the service is 250 km or more.
2
As regards the services referred to in paragraph 1 but where the scheduled distance of the service is shorter than 250 km, Article 4(2), Article 9, Article 10(1), point (b) of Article 16(1), Article 16(2), Article 17(1) and (2), and Articles 24 to 28 shall apply.
3
In addition, with the exception of Articles 9 to 16, Article 17(3), and Chapters IV, V and VI, this Regulation shall apply to passengers travelling with occasional services where the initial boarding point or the final alighting point of the passenger is situated in the United Kingdom or in the territory of a Member State.
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7
Nothing in this Regulation shall be understood as conflicting with or introducing additional requirements to those in current legislation on technical requirements for buses or coaches or infrastructure or equipment at bus stops and terminals.
8
This Regulation shall not affect the rights of passengers under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 and shall not apply in a case where a package travel contract referred to in those Regulations is terminated for reasons other than cancellation of a regular service.

Definitions
Article 3
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:
1. ‘regular services’ means services which provide for the carriage of passengers by bus or coach at specified intervals along specified routes, passengers being picked up and set down at predetermined stopping points;
2. ‘occasional services’ means services which do not fall within the definition of regular services and the main characteristic of which is the carriage by bus or coach of groups of passengers constituted on the initiative of the customer or the carrier himself;
3. ‘transport contract’ means a contract of carriage between a carrier and a passenger for the provision of one or more regular or occasional services;
4. ‘ticket’ means a valid document or other evidence of a transport contract;
5. ‘carrier’ means a natural or legal person, other than a tour operator, travel agent or ticket vendor, offering transport by regular or occasional services to the general public;
6. ‘performing carrier’ means a natural or legal person other than the carrier, who actually performs the carriage wholly or partially;
7. ‘ticket vendor’ means any intermediary concluding transport contracts on behalf of a carrier;
8. ‘travel agent’ means any intermediary acting on behalf of a passenger for the conclusion of transport contracts;
9. ‘tour operator’ means an organiser or retailer, other than the carrier, as defined in regulation 2(1) (interpretation) of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018;
10. ‘disabled person’ or ‘person with reduced mobility’ means any person whose mobility when using transport is reduced as a result of any physical disability (sensory or locomotory, permanent or temporary), intellectual disability or impairment, or any other cause of disability, or as a result of age, and whose situation needs appropriate attention and adaptation to his particular needs of the services made available to all passengers;
11. ‘access conditions’ means relevant standards, guidelines and information on the accessibility of buses and/or of designated terminals including their facilities for disabled persons or persons with reduced mobility;
12. ‘reservation’ means a booking of a seat on board a bus or coach for a regular service at a specific departure time;
13. ‘terminal’ means a staffed terminal where according to the specified route a regular service is scheduled to stop for passengers to board or alight, equipped with facilities such as a check-in counter, waiting room or ticket office;
14. ‘bus stop’ means any point other than a terminal where according to the specified route a regular service is scheduled to stop for passengers to board or alight;
15. ‘terminal managing body’ means an organisational entity in the United Kingdom responsible for the management of a designated terminal;
16. ‘cancellation’ means the non-operation of a regular service which was previously scheduled;
17. ‘delay’ means a difference between the time the regular service was scheduled to depart in accordance with the published timetable and the time of its actual departure.
18. ‘relevant authority’ means, as regards Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland devolved authority and, as regards any other part of the United Kingdom, a Minister of the Crown;
19. ‘designated terminal’ means:
  - as regards Northern Ireland, a terminal specified in regulation 4 of the
2014/186
Regulations;
  - as regards any other part of the United Kingdom, a terminal specified in regulation 6 of the 2013 Regulations;
20. ‘designated complaints body’ means:
  - as regards Northern Ireland, the relevant body specified in regulation 3 of the
2014/180
Regulations or regulation 6 of the
2014/186
Regulations;
  - as regards any other part of the United Kingdom, the relevant body specified in regulation 9(2) of the 2013 Regulations;
21. ‘designated enforcement body’ means:
  - as regards Northern Ireland, the relevant body specified in regulation 2 of the
2014/180
Regulations or regulation 5(1) or (2) of the
2014/186
Regulations;
  - as regards any other part of the United Kingdom, the relevant body specified in regulation 8(1) of the 2013 Regulations;
22. ‘2013 Regulations’ means the Rights of Passengers in Bus and Coach Transport (Exemptions and Enforcement) Regulations 2013;
23. ‘
2014/180
Regulations’ means the Bus and Coach Passengers Rights and Obligations (Designation and Enforcement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014;
24. ‘
2014/186
Regulations’ means the Bus and Coach Passengers Rights and Obligations (Designation of Terminals, Tour Operators and Enforcement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014.

Tickets and non-discriminatory contract conditions
Article 4
1
Carriers shall issue a ticket to the passenger, unless other documents give entitlement to transport. A ticket may be issued in an electronic format.
2
Without prejudice to social tariffs, the contract conditions and tariffs applied by carriers shall be offered to the general public without any direct or indirect discrimination based on the nationality of the final customer or on the place of establishment of the carriers, or ticket vendors within the United Kingdom or the Union.

Other performing parties
Article 5
1
If the performance of the obligations under this Regulation has been entrusted to a performing carrier, ticket vendor or any other person, the carrier, travel agent, tour operator or terminal managing body, who has entrusted such obligations, shall nevertheless be liable for the acts and omissions of that performing party.
2
In addition, the party to whom the performance of an obligation has been entrusted by the carrier, travel agent, tour operator or terminal managing body shall be subject to the provisions of this Regulation with regard to the obligation entrusted.

Exclusion of waiver
Article 6
1
Obligations to passengers pursuant to this Regulation shall not be limited or waived, in particular by a derogation or restrictive clause in the transport contract.
2
Carriers may offer contract conditions that are more favourable for the passenger than the conditions laid down in this Regulation.
Words in Art. 2(1) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Rights of Passengers in Bus and Coach Transport (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/141), regs. 1(1), 4(2)(a); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Words in Art. 2(3) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Rights of Passengers in Bus and Coach Transport (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/141), regs. 1(1), 4(2)(b); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Art. 2(8) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Rights of Passengers in Bus and Coach Transport (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/141), regs. 1(1), 4(2)(d); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Art. 2(4)-(6) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Rights of Passengers in Bus and Coach Transport (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/141), regs. 1(1), 4(2)(c); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Words in Art. 3(i) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Rights of Passengers in Bus and Coach Transport (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/141), regs. 1(1), 4(3)(a); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Words in Art. 3(o) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Rights of Passengers in Bus and Coach Transport (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/141), regs. 1(1), 4(3)(b); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Art. 3(r)-(x) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Rights of Passengers in Bus and Coach Transport (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/141), regs. 1(1), 4(3)(c); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)
Words in Art. 4(2) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Rights of Passengers in Bus and Coach Transport (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/141), regs. 1(1), 4(4); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)