Following the adoption of the regulation by EU Ministers on 31 January, there was much speculation as to how some European Parliament political groups would vote on 15 February during the last plenary vote, so EBU organised a final lobbying of MEPs ahead of the vote to ensure as much support as possible. This was achieved as 504 MEPs supported the regulation in plenary on 15 February, while 63 voted against and 89 abstained.
The EU regulation will come into force on 1st March 2013. Following a strong EBU campaign, disabled people will have a right to accessible travel information throughout their journey on all buses and coaches and bus operators will have to organise mandatory disability-awareness training for all drivers. Minimum rights will also include information about passenger rights in terminals and online and a complaint handling mechanism, with independent national bodies to enforce the regulation and issue penalties.
In addition, disabled people will have new rights on coach journeys of 250 km or more - these rights will also apply if passengers travel on a small part of such a journey. These new rights for long distance travel include free assistance at terminals and on board, and, where necessary, free transport for a companion. To get assistance, a 36 hour notice will be needed when booking bus/coach travel. Member States will be allowed to postpone the introduction of some of the provisions, notably the disability-awareness training of drivers, so EBU members will have to continue lobbying their governments in order to make sure that they do not postpone the introduction of these new rights.
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