In the grand duchy, the Fédération luxembourgeoise des exploitants d'autobus (Luxembourg Federation of Bus Operators) has 25 member companies, representing almost all the country’s private operators, with around 3,850 employees. It recently invited its German-speaking counterparts--the federations of Germany (BDO), Austria (WKO Fachverband Bus) and Switzerland (Astag/Car Tourisme Suisse)--to discuss, as they do every year, the major issues and difficulties facing the sector, with one objective: “to reduce bureaucratic obstacles and improve the framework conditions for a Europe that is conducive to travel.”
Industry professionals have identified a number of bureaucratic obstacles. And when progress is supposed to improve their daily lives, bureaucracy complicates matters, in their view. This is the case, for example, with the measures put in place on driving times and rest periods for drivers engaged in passenger transport. Last April, the European Council aimed at improving the working conditions of coach drivers. The aim of this legislation was to introduce clearly defined elements of flexibility, and to adapt the sector to the specific rhythm of passenger transport. It should, for example, allow occasional drivers to divide up their breaks and rest periods as they wish. A step forward in itself, but one whose implementation is failing “due to excessive bureaucracy and non-uniform control practices in the member states.”
More generally, at the level of the European Union, several initiatives have been launched, notably by the European Commission and the European Parliament. These include the various mobility packages, which aim to harmonise the rules on rest periods and combat social dumping. But industry professionals say that their interests “are currently not sufficiently taken into account.”
They also mentioned the tightening of obligations linked to the “green logbook.” This makes it possible to distinguish between regular and occasional services. But for the representatives of the federations, this green logbook would no longer be comprehensible in a context of digital control. The associations are therefore calling for it to be abolished, and for control practices to be harmonised at European level.
This article was originally published in .