Have Your Say

Please note that the public consultation on a possible change to the rules on driving and rest times for bus and coach drivers is currently open and the deadline is 18th February. The mobility package that was agreed upon last year only affects truck drivers but a clause was inserted that the Commission would review the rules for bus drivers.

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Objectives and Policy options

The initiative aims at ensuring an adequate working and business environment for the bus and coach sector, helping the sector to serve passengers efficiently and to contribute to making the European mobility system more efficient, safer, resilient and greener. It should facilitate the recovery of bus and coach operators, the majority of which are SMEs and micro-companies and are particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The objectives of this initiative are:

    • to improve working conditions of drivers, including the aspect of stress and fatigue of drivers, in the bus and coach sector;
    • to increase road safety which is directly linked with the stress and fatigue of drivers and with better compliance with the rules;
    • to ensure a level playing field among international and domestic operators in the bus and coach sector;
    • to improve the efficiency and quality of passenger transport operations.

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    To meet the objectives of the initiative, the following policy options have been preliminary identified:

    1) No change to the current rules – the baseline scenario assessing the situation following the adoption of the Mobility Package I and analysing what would happen in the sector if no separate rules were adopted;

    2) Weekly rest arrangements – derogation from the current rules to allow for a restricted postponement of a weekly rest period for bus and coach drivers involved in the international and domestic occasional carriage of passengers

    3) Breaks and daily rest arrangements – derogation from the current rules to allow for flexible distribution of breaks in daily driving times and arrangements of taking daily rest for bus and coach drivers involved in international and domestic tours;

    4) Breaks, daily rest and weekly rest arrangements – derogation from the current rules to allow for flexible distribution of breaks in daily driving times and adjustable arrangements of taking daily and weekly rest periods for bus and coach drivers involved in the international and domestic occasional carriage of passengers.

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The EU Commission would like to hear your views citizens and businesses can share their views on new EU policies and existing laws.