Trains, coaches and ferries
Bus and coach passenger rights: delays, cancellations and refunds
My coach was cancelled or left very late — what must the operator do and what can I claim?
Applies to: European Union · United Kingdom · National law variesRules last checked:
On this page
In short
In the EU, for regular coach services with a scheduled distance of 250 km or more, if the carrier expects a cancellation or a departure delay of more than 120 minutes from a terminal (or overbooks), you must immediately be offered a choice: continuation or re-routing at no extra cost, or reimbursement of the ticket price (with a return service where relevant). For departures from a bus stop you have a right to claim the same options.
Compensation of 50% of the ticket price applies only if the carrier fails to offer you that choice — it is not an automatic payment for any delay. For journeys of more than 3 hours, a delay of more than 90 minutes at departure also brings free snacks or meals, and a hotel where a stay is necessary.
What to do next
- Ask, in writing if possible, which of the two options — continuation/re-routing or refund — you are being offered.
- Do not buy a replacement ticket before asking: reimbursement of an alternative ticket is not automatic in the coach regulation.
- Keep proof of your departure time and the delay.
- Send the complaint within three months, then follow the reply deadlines.
What to check
When these rules apply
Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 covers regular services where you board or alight in an EU Member State and the scheduled distance is 250 km or more. Below 250 km only a smaller set of rights applies; the regulation lists exactly which. Some domestic services could be exempted by Member States for limited periods, so a local route may be treated differently.
The United Kingdom retained a version of the regulation, still in force on legislation.gov.uk. We do not summarise its UK-specific detail here — check the UK text and your operator’s conditions.
What to do
Cancellation or a departure delay of more than 120 minutes
The carrier must immediately offer you the choice between continuing or being re-routed to your final destination under comparable conditions at no additional cost, and reimbursement of the ticket price (plus a free return service to your first departure point where relevant). Reimbursement is due within 14 days. If the vehicle breaks down, the carrier must offer continuation in another vehicle or transport to a suitable waiting point.
If the carrier does not offer you the choice, Regulation 181/2011 (Article 19(2)) provides for compensation of 50% of the ticket price on top of the reimbursement, payable within one month.
Departing from a terminal, the carrier must inform you of a cancellation or delay no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time.
What to check
Meals and a hotel
For a journey with a scheduled duration of more than 3 hours, if departure from a terminal is cancelled or delayed by more than 90 minutes, the carrier must offer free snacks, meals or refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time, and a hotel or other accommodation if a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary. The carrier may limit the accommodation cost to EUR 80 per night and to a maximum of 2 nights.
The accommodation duty does not apply where the carrier proves that severe weather or a major natural disaster endangers the safe operation of the service.
What to do
How to claim, and the deadlines
- Keep your ticket, note the scheduled and actual times, and keep receipts.
- Complain to the carrier in writing within three months of the date the service ran, or should have run.
- The carrier should send a status notice within one month and a final reply within three months of receiving your complaint.
- If you are not satisfied, go to the national enforcement body of the Member State concerned. Some Member States require you to complain to the carrier first.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 on bus and coach passengers’ rights (Official Journal) — EUR-Lex, European Union
- Bus and coach passenger rights — European Commission — European Commission
- National enforcement bodies for passenger rights — European Commission — European Commission
- Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 as it applies in the UK (legislation.gov.uk) — UK National Archives
General information to help you understand your options — not legal advice, and not a promise that any payment or refund is due to you. Your rights depend on the facts of your journey and the law that applies; check the official sources above and the carrier’s own terms.