Service and passenger rights

As a professional driver, you are often the only person from the company that the customer or traveller meets. How you behave therefore affects how people see the whole company. YKB training covers the driver's service role and the ability to contribute to a good image of the company (direktiv (EU) 2022/2561 bilaga I, punkt 3.6). If you drive a bus, there are also EU rules on passengers' rights.

You represent the company

Whether you are delivering goods to a shop or driving a group of tourists, you are the public face of the company. A calm and professional manner makes customers want to use the company again. A conflict, on the other hand, can lead to lost contracts and a bad reputation.

Some basic principles:

• Be clear and correct. Say hello, introduce yourself and explain what is happening.
• Give information about delays. Most people find it easier to accept a delay if they are told the reason and how long it will be.
• Stay calm. If a customer or passenger gets angry, respond to the person objectively and listen. Do not try to win the argument.
• Safety first. Stress or an unpleasant passenger must never affect how you drive. The timetable is never a reason to speed.
• Be a role model. The vehicle often has the company's name on the side. Other road users notice how you drive.

Goods: the customer and the documents

If you drive goods, contact with the consignor and consignee is an important part of the job. Check that the goods match the delivery notes and transport documents, and note any damage or discrepancies before you sign for them. If something is wrong, contact your supervisor instead of sorting it out on your own. This protects you, the customer and the company.

Passengers' rights in bus and coach transport

The EU's Regulation (förordning) (EU) nr 181/2011 gives bus and coach passengers certain rights. Most of the rules apply to regular services where the scheduled distance is 250 km or more (Article 2). Some rules, especially those concerning people with disabilities, also apply to shorter routes.

People with disabilities

• A carrier may not refuse to accept a booking, issue a ticket or let someone board because of disability or reduced mobility (Article 9).
• Bookings and tickets must be offered at no extra cost (Article 9).
• Exceptions apply only for safety reasons or when the design of the vehicle or infrastructure makes the transport physically impossible (Article 10).
• The carrier must provide disability awareness training for its staff, including drivers (Article 16).
• If a wheelchair or other mobility equipment is damaged or lost, the carrier is liable. The compensation must correspond to the cost of repairing or replacing it (Article 17).

Delays and cancelled services

On routes of 250 km or more the following apply:

• Information: If a departure from a terminal is cancelled or delayed, passengers must be informed as soon as possible and no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time (Article 20).
• Delay of more than 120 minutes: If a departure is expected to be cancelled or delayed by more than 120 minutes, or if the bus is overbooked, the passenger must immediately be offered the choice between continuing the journey or re-routing at no extra cost, or a refund of the ticket price (Article 19).
• Long journeys: On journeys scheduled to last more than three hours with a delay of more than 90 minutes, passengers must be offered snacks or meals and, if necessary, a hotel room (Article 21).

This is usually handled by the company and the terminal, but as the driver you are often the first person the passengers meet. That is why you need to know the rules and who to contact.

Seat belt information is also service

On a bus, passengers must be informed that they must wear a seat belt, by announcement or recorded message and by stickers. On private hire services (beställningstrafik) and regular services with few stops, the information must be repeated after every stop where passengers get on. For passengers under 15, you and other staff must take suitable measures so that they wear a seat belt (Traffic Ordinance (trafikförordningen) 4 kap. 10 c §).

Help on board

Give passengers time. Wait before driving off until elderly people and people with reduced mobility have sat down. Use the bus's kneeling system (nigningssystem) and ramp when needed. Help wheelchair users to secure their wheelchair. This is both good service and part of your safety responsibility.

The environment as part of the service

Customers and travellers care more and more about the environment. The share of electric vehicles is growing. According to Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration), 28 per cent of newly registered buses in Sweden in 2024 were electric buses, and 7 per cent of new heavy lorries were electric. Whatever vehicle you drive, you can contribute by driving economically, avoiding idling and following the rules in the municipalities' low-emission zones (miljözoner). In practice, only heavy lorries and buses meeting Euro VI may now be driven in a class 1 low-emission zone, because the exceptions for older Euro V vehicles have expired.

Remember

• You are the public face of the company. Be calm, clear and professional.
• Give information about delays and contact your supervisor if there are problems.
• Bus passengers with disabilities may not be refused travel and must not pay extra.
• The carrier is liable for damaged wheelchairs.
• On routes over 250 km: information no later than 30 minutes after the departure time and the right to re-routing or a refund for a delay of more than 120 minutes.
• Children under 15: the driver must take suitable measures so that they wear a seat belt.
• Economical driving and Euro VI vehicles are also part of good service.