Responsibilities and activities

Simple, cost-free, and commission-free - The apf's mission is to assist passengers in obtaining their rights and compensation without resorting to legal proceedings. The Agency for Passenger Rights (apf) is the statutory arbitration body for rail, bus, ship and air transport.

In railway transportation, apf can assist with almost any matter related to a transportation contract. This includes, in particular:

• Disputes regarding compensation for delays and train cancellations.
• Single tickets: 25 percent compensation for delays exceeding 60 minutes, 50 percent for delays over 120 minutes.
• Compensation for weekly and monthly tickets is determined by each company.
• Penalty payments
• Refund of single and time tickets
• Handling complaints about response times, etc.
• Damaged or lost luggage
• Poor quality of food, car materials, or other services, etc.
• Lack of passenger information regarding their rights and publication of schedules.
• Non-compliance with the rights of persons with disabilities and limited mobility. Timely assistance must be provided to mobility-impaired travelers when requested, both at the station and during boarding and disembarkation
• Passengers who have purchased their tickets from a railway company or transport association based in Austria or an Austrian-operating railway company are eligible for apf's services.
• apf is available by phone from Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 12:00 at +43 1 5050 707 710

In bus transport, apf can provide support in the following cases:

• Compensation for late arrivals
• In bus transport, upwards of 120 minutes, the passenger has either a claim to
• im Busverkehr hat der Fahrgast ab 120 Minuten Verspätung entweder Anspruch auf:
• alternative carriage
• refund of the fare If the passenger is not offered this choice
• he/she has an additional claim on 50 percent of the ticket price.
• Reimbursement and compensation in case of outage or cancellation of bus trips
• Lack of information on passenger rights and claims to various different assistance and care services (e.g. claim to meals/refreshments, lodgings if further travel is not possible, telephone calls, free return trip or rebooking)
• Failure to comply with rights of persons with handicaps and limited mobility. Travelers with limited mobility who advise on this on time, must be offered free assistance to the railway station and when boarding or alighting the bus.

In ship transport, apf can provide support in the following cases:

• Compensation for delays In ship transport, upwards of an arrival delayed for over 60 minutes, 25 percent or 50 percent on the ticket price is compensated (this depends in any specific case on scheduled length of the trip and the actual delay)
• Reimbursement and compensation in case of outage or cancellation of travel by ship 
• assistance and care services (e.g. claim to meals/refreshments, lodgings if further travel is not possible, telephone calls, free return trip or rebooking) 
• Failure to comply with rights of persons with handicaps and limited mobility. Travellers with limited mobility who advise on this on time, must be offered free assistance to the terminal of harbour and when boarding or alighting the ship.

IIn air travel, apf can provide support in the following cases:

• Compensation for delays (starting from a three-hour arrival delay).
• Refunds and compensation for flight cancellations.
• Refunds and compensation for denied boarding (e.g., due to overbooking).
• Compensation for downgrading.
• Lack of information about passengers' rights and entitlement to various assistance and support services (e.g., meals/refreshments, accommodation if onward travel is not possible, phone calls, alternative transportation, etc.).
• Non-compliance with the rights of individuals with disabilities and reduced mobility (e.g., replacement of mobility aids damaged or lost by the airline).
• Passengers of an airline with its headquarters in Austria
• Passengers who initiate or arrive on flights at airports within Austria. For arrivals from non-EU countries, this applies only if the airline is headquartered in the EU.