Federal Railway Authority

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Topic: law

Passenger rights

The Federal Railway Authority (Eisenbahn-Bundesamt - EBA) is the National Enforcement Body (NEB) for European Rail, Bus and Coach and Maritime passenger rights in Germany.

symbolic image of bus, train and ship Source: sveta / Fotolia.com

The uniform and customer-friendly rights enjoyed by passengers travelling by railway, bus and coach transport or sea and inland waterway in the EU include:

  • assistance and, in some cases, compensation and/or reimbursement if a transport service is delayed or cancelled;
  • assistance for persons with reduced mobility;
  • Your right to be informed before and during the trip

Submitting a complaint to the NEB

The Federal Railway Authority (EBA – Eisenbahn-Bundesamt) as German NEB enforces passenger rights, based on the aforementioned Passenger Rights Regulations (EU) 2021/782 (Rail), 181/2011 (Bus and Coach) and 1177/2010 (Maritime transport).

If you have already submitted a complaint to the carrier because of an incident, which occurred while travelling by train, ship or long-distance bus and the carrier has not responded satisfactorily or responded at all, you can contact the NEB.

If you have not already done so, please always contact your carrier first, as this is a prerequisite for complaint processing by the NEB.

Please note that the NEB cannot help you, for example, with general complaints about frequent delays/cancellations or pure service matters, as these concerns lie outside the scope of the passenger rights regulations.

The NEB will first examine the facts of the case. If your complaint is substantiated, the NEB will conduct an administrative procedure to ensure that the company fulfils its obligations in order to safeguard your passenger rights (e.g. payment of compensation or reimbursement).

Please note that there are currently waiting times due to the very high number of submissions.

Contact

You can reach the NEB as follows to submit your complaint

Online form via Bundesportal (only available in German)

Online-Beschwerdeformular (Annexes can be uploaded)

As this online form is currently only available in German, you can alternatively send us your complaint by post or email. Please do not forget to add a copy of your ticket and any other relevant documents. We will need some time to review your complaint, because we have to give the carriers concerned an opportunity to comment:

Eisenbahn-Bundesamt
Fahrgastrechte
Heinemannstrasse 6
D-53175 Bonn

email: durchsetzungsstelle@eba.bund.de

If you have any questions, you can also contact us by telephone.

From 09.00 to 15.00 hrs Monday to Thursday
From 09.00 to 12.00 hrs on Friday

+49 228 30795-400

Further information and complaint options

Alternatively, you may also refer to an Arbitration Board. In individual disputes with a transport company, passengers can turn to an appropriate arbitration board with the aim of settling the dispute out of court and by mutual agreement under certain conditions.

Rail and Bus and Coach

The following arbitration boards have been recognised in accordance with § 6 EU-Fahrgastrechte-Kraftomnibus-Gesetz and § 15 Eisenbahnverkehrs-Verordnung:

söp

Schlichtungsstelle für den öffentlichen Personenverkehr e.V. (söp)
Fasanenstraße 81
D 10623 Berlin

Contact

E-Mail: kontakt@soep-online.de
Internet: www.soep-online.de
Tel.: +49 30 6449933-0
Fax.: +49 30 6449933-10

SNUB

SNUB - Die Nahverkehr-Schlichtungsstelle
Postfach 6025
D 30060 Hannover

Contact

E-Mail: kontakt@nahverkehr-snub.de
Internet: www.nahverkehr-snub.de
Fax: +49 511 1668962000

Schlichtungsstelle Nahverkehr

Schlichtungsstelle Nahverkehr
Mintropstr. 27
D 40215 Düsseldorf

Contact

E-Mail: info@schlichtungsstelle-nahverkehr.de
Internet: www.schlichtungsstelle-nahverkehr.de
Tel.: +49 211 38 09-380 (Monday-Thursday 10.00 to 12.00)
Fax: 0211 38 09 678

Streitbeilegungsstelle

Außergerichtliche Streitbeilegungsstelle für Verbraucher und Unternehmer e.V.
Gohliser Str. 6
D 04105 Leipzig

Contact

E-Mail: kontakt@streitbeilegungsstelle.org
Internet: www.streitbeilegungsstelle.org

Bund

Universalschlichtungsstelle des Bundes
Zentrum für Schlichtung e.V.
Straßburger Straße 8
D 77694 Kehl am Rhein

Contact

E-Mail: mail@universalschlichtungsstelle.de
Internet: www.universalschlichtungsstelle.de

Maritime

söp

Schlichtungsstelle für den öffentlichen Personenverkehr e.V. (söp)
Fasanenstraße 81
D 10623 Berlin

Contact

E-Mail: kontakt@soep-online.de
Internet: www.soep-online.de
Tel.: +49 30 6449933-0
Fax.: +49 30 6449933-10

Streitbeilegungsstelle

Außergerichtliche Streitbeilegungsstelle für Verbraucher und Unternehmer e.V.
Gohliser Str. 6
D 04105 Leipzig

Contact

E-Mail: kontakt@streitbeilegungsstelle.org
Internet: www.streitbeilegungsstelle.org

Bund

Universalschlichtungsstelle des Bundes
Zentrum für Schlichtung e.V.
Straßburger Straße 8
D 77694 Kehl am Rhein

Contact

E-Mail: mail@universalschlichtungsstelle.de
Internet: www.universalschlichtungsstelle.de