Minimum breaks and rest periods in occasional road passenger transport [EU Legislation in Progress]

Written by Monika Kiss (3rd edition, updated on 11.06.2024).

Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 on minimum breaks and rest periods for road freight and passenger transport drivers does not take into account the nature of occasional bus and coach services or the specific needs of their drivers. To address this situation, the European Commission has proposed amendments to this legislation in order to introduce more flexible rules regarding the splitting up of breaks and the scheduling of daily and weekly rest periods.

In the European Parliament, the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) was responsible for the file. The TRAN report was adopted in committee on 16 November 2023 and voted in plenary on 12 December 2023. Interinstitutional negotiations resulted in a provisional agreement, which was approved in the TRAN committee on 14 February 2024 and voted during Parliament’s March plenary session. The final act was signed on 24 April and the regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 2 May 2024.

Versions

• June 2024: ‘Minimum breaks and rest periods in occasional road passenger transport‘ (3rd edition)