Brussels wants passengers on the continent to be able to search, compare, combine, and book transport options, whether by plane, train, bus, or boat, with comprehensive legal protection. To the point that it has proposed a new single ticket, which will guarantee rights of assistance, reimbursement, and compensation even when the journey involves different transport companies.
With the regulation presented this Wednesday by the European Commission, companies will be required to comply with minimum connection times, while also aiming to end the “artificial segmentation” of journeys to prevent travelers from losing their rights in case of possible delays.
One of the star measures is the one that has to do with the new multimodal reservation that affects platforms, both websites and apps, that allow comparing and purchasing tickets for different means of transport. The new regulation will oblige companies to show search results objectively and without bias. This means that they will not be able to favor one operator over another based on commercial agreements, in most cases hidden, unless the user explicitly requests it, for example, through sponsored content.
The concept of a single ticket that is now being introduced aims to ensure that any journey purchased in a single commercial transaction is protected, even if it comprises several different transport contracts. In this case, if a passenger has a single ticket and misses a connection due to a delay or cancellation of a previous train, the responsible operator must offer assistance, a refund, or alternative transport for the entire remaining journey, in addition to possible financial compensation.
If the case is detected that a travel agency or platform combines routes without respecting the minimum connection times established, it will be responsible for compensating the passenger with 75% of the ticket value and managing alternative transportation, freeing the railway operator from that burden.
What Brussels proposes is to open the market for train ticket sales, which is currently usually dominated by the historical companies of each country. All railway companies will have to share their timetable and fare information with external ticket vendors who request it. In addition, those that have a market share greater than 50% in a Member State will be obliged to sell their competitors' tickets on their own website or digital platform, ensuring that the user has a complete offer in one place.
That said, commercial agreements between operators and platforms must be “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory”, while the Community Executive indicates that tickets must be available for sale at least five months in advance.
The proposal is part of the community strategy to move towards a more integrated and competitive mobility system within the European Union. Brussels considers that, despite technological advances and the growing digitalization of the sector, passengers continue to face significant barriers when organizing complex journeys that combine different means of transport or different operators. In many cases, an incident on one of the legs leaves the consumer unprotected because the transport contracts are fragmented and each company limits its responsibility solely to its part of the journey.
With this reform, the European Commission aims to strengthen travelers' confidence in multimodal transport and promote more sustainable alternatives to the use of private vehicles or short-haul flights. The goal is for a passenger to be able to plan an international trip combining train, bus, and ferry with the same ease and guarantees with which they currently book a single commercial flight.
Furthermore, Brussels also wants to promote greater competition in the digital ticket sales market, where numerous platforms report difficulties in accessing commercial and availability data from large national railway companies. According to the Community Executive, the lack of interoperability and transparency limits the emergence of new digital operators and reduces users' ability to compare prices and routes on equal terms.
Another of the key elements of the proposal is the creation of a common information framework for passengers. Platforms will have to clearly explain who is responsible in case of delay, cancellation or loss of connection, avoiding situations where the consumer does not know which operator should bear the costs arising from an incident. Brussels considers that this lack of clarity has generated legal uncertainty and numerous claims in recent years.
The initiative will still have to be negotiated by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU before its final adoption, in a debate where the interests of large national transport companies will predictably clash with digital platforms and consumer associations, which for years have been demanding greater protection for European passengers.