Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

The Rapporteur welcomes the Commission proposal and recognises that the proposal is needed due to the specific characteristics of the occasional passenger transport sector.

The Rapporteur notes that as Regulation (EC) 561/2006 on driving and resting times has been reviewed as recently as 2020, this regulatory update should remain limited in scope, namely to occasional passenger services. The objectives of the rules should remain the same - harmonizing the conditions of competition while improving working conditions and road safety. Attention should be paid to proper enforcement and control of existing rules, both in freight and in passenger transport.

However, simultaneously a slight adaptation of existing rules is justified to better serve the specific needs of the occasional passenger transport sector. A degree of additional flexibility is needed, without jeopardizing road safety, working conditions and enforceability of the rules.

With regard to the rules on breaks, the Rapporteur notes that the currently applicable rules are often not well aligned with the natural stops on occasional passenger journeys. In order to be able to provide quality occasional passenger transport services, drivers need to be able to adapt to changing circumstances.

With regard to the rules on daily rests, the Rapporteur supports the possibility for postponing the start of the daily rest by one hour in certain situations. Unlike freight transport or regular passenger transport, occasional passenger transport services are characterized by longer distances driven at the beginning and the end of the tour, and by a shorter duration of driving time at the place where the touristic activities mostly take place. The possibility of postponing the taking of the daily rest by one hour twice during the tour, without exceeding regulatory driving time and without reducing daily rest, would bring the rules closer to the actual needs of the passenger groups.

Finally, the Rapporteur supports the Commission’s proposal to allow drivers to postpone their weekly rest period by up to 12 days (24-hour periods) on national journeys, as is already the case for international journeys. This alignment of the rules for national and international services is justified for the proper functioning of the single market and for streamlining enforcement and control.

Transparency register:

FinMobility

Autoliikenteen Työnantajaliitto ry

European Transport Workers' Federation ETF

Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications

European Commission, DG MOVE

International Road Transport Union IRU