Last week the Swedish Transport Administration released a report as a result of a government assignment in order to investigate possible opportunities to procure sleeper services from Sweden to the European continent. The report is only available in Swedish but below is a summary and some reflections. Despite the long distance from the European continent…
EPF Admin
Should passengers accept vouchers instead of cash reimbursement? The Coronavirus pandemic has led to travel restrictions all over the EU (and the world) and a surge of cancellations. Airlines and travel agencies are currently exerting strong pressure on passengers to accept credit vouchers instead of cash reimbursement as well as on governments to change the…
In the context of the HiReach Startup Lab, HiReach has successfully conducted a one-week bootcamp in Vienna that helped entrepreneurs to deliver solutions to transport poverty problems. On 17-21 February 2020 several project representatives met at Impact Hub Vienna premises, where a selection of top 23 startups were involved and learned about business model innovation,…
During the last decade, European passengers faced a closure wave of night train services, but the recently increased interest for climate friendly transport modes has revived the demand for travelling long distances by train. This position paper aims to define a declaration of EPF’s views concerning night train services including sleepers’ carriages. Night trains services…
The Corona crisis is having a tremendous effect on all of us, not in the least on our travel behaviour and on public transport in general. After careful consideration, EPF has decided that it is impossible to hold our Strasbourg conference in early June, as we initially had foreseen. The Management Board has decided to…
Eurostar has cancelled many trains and is now operating a very limited timetable between London and Brussels/Paris. Many passengers therefore cannot travel or if they were to travel would face long delays. On Eurostar’s web page on the corona virus, passengers are only offered an “eVoucher”, that can be used for a future Eurostar journey,…
The European Passengers’ Federation held its annual general meeting on 14th March in Düsseldorf despite the COVID-19 pandemic and just before the announcement of travel restrictions and #stayhome measures. President Michel Quidort and Chairman Josef Schneider were reelected and will continue working for better conditions for European passengers, together with the other Management Board members…
The proposed revision of Regulation 261/2004 on Air Passenger Rights and Regulation 2027/97 on Air Carrier Liability in respect of the carriage of passengers and their baggage – on hold since 2015 – is back on the table and will soon be discussed at the European Council. The European Passengers’ Federation (EPF) wishes to seize…
At the annual General Meeting in Düsseldorf on 14th March, EPF adopted a new position paper with recommendations on public transport promotion for touristic trips. The paper was prepared by EPF member PRO BAHN and deals with: the journey to a holiday destination mobility at the holiday destination day trips from the place of residence…
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to the travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 EPF conference has been postponed to next year. We will keep you informed of the new date. Thanks for your understanding! Join us for the next EPF-conference in Strasbourg (5-6 June 2020). This year’s theme: European Cross-border links: What’s in it for…
The Commission has proposed on 04.03.2020 to make 2021 the European Year of Rail, to support the delivery of its European Green Deal objectives in the transport field. A series of events, campaigns and initiatives in 2021 will promote rail as a sustainable, innovative and safe mode of transport. It will highlight its benefits for…
Obviously, the coronavirus is having an important impact on passengers. The European Commission has published a note answering the main questions that passengers may have: I do not want to travel any more, can I rebook or get reimbursed? I am not feeling healthy and I am not sure whether I should be travelling? What…