Travelling with public transport
Problem med resa i kollektivtrafiken - Engelska
If you are affected by delays or cancelled journey in public transport, such as when travelling with the metro, tram and city bus, you may be entitled to compensation.
Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.
Before reading:
Here, you will find information on what applies when you travel by metro, tram and city bus, for example. If you travelled farther by bus or train (more than 150 km), you will find information on the pages on bus and train travel:
More information on bus travel
More information on train travel
Delayed or cancelled journey
If your journey with public transport is delayed by at least 20 minutes, you can demand compensation. You have a right to get back:
50% of the ticket price if the journey is delayed by more than 20 minutes
75% of the ticket price if the journey is delayed by more than 40 minutes
100% of the ticket price if the journey is cancelled or delayed by more than 60 minutes
Contact the travel company, preferably in writing, and present your demands for compensations.
What applies for period tickets?
You can demand a price reduction even if you travel with, for example, a monthly ticket, as long as you planned to travel with the train that is delayed or cancelled.
The price deduction should be calculated based on the price of a single ticket. If you have used a ticket that involves a discount compared to a single ticket, the carrier may reduce the price deduction proportionally to the discount.
When the train operator does not need to compensate you
You are not entitled to compensation for the delay if:
you received information about the delay before purchasing the ticket for the specific journey, or
if the timetable was already changed three days before your departure.
The train operator does not need to compensate you if they can prove that the delay was caused by circumstances not related to the operation of public transportation and that they could not have avoided even if they had done everything they could.
Right to damages for expenses
It is not possible to demand any compensation because, for example, you missed a flight, lost work income or missed an event because of the delayed train.
Compensation for using own transport instead of taking the delayed train
If your journey is expected to be delayed by more than 20 minutes, you can demand compensation for having to arrange your own transportation. You have an obligation to keep the costs down to the extent possible. The compensation you demand shall correspond to the cost of the actual transportation, but you can demand a maximum of 1/40 of a price base amount, which in 2024 is around SEK 1432.
You can also demand this if, for example, you have a monthly pass as long as you planned to travel with the train.
The train operator has the right to deduct from the compensation if you have not paid for the train ticket yet. In that case, you can only get back the money you spent on your own transportation, minus the actual ticket price.
Cancel or rebook a ticket
When you buy a ticket for a journey, you have no legal right of withdrawal. This means that you cannot change your mind about the purchase and get your money back. Nor can you demand to rebook the trip.
Time-based passes and changed timetables
If you have a time-based pass with a travel company that made major changes to its timetable, you may be entitled to revoke the purchase of the time-based pass. What “major changes” are is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
If the changes mean that you can no longer use your pass, contact the travel company and tell them why you want to revoke the purchase.
Present a valid ticket or pay a surcharge
When you travel by public transport, it is your responsibility to present a valid ticket for the entire journey. If you cannot do so, the travel company can demand that you pay a surcharge or ask you to disembark.
Even when you travel with, for example, an SMS ticket, you are obliged to be able to present a valid ticket during the entire journey. If your telephone for some reason does not work, you may need to pay a surcharge.
The size of the surcharge can vary, but must be stated by the company’s travel terms and conditions.
If you think that you have been issued an incorrect surcharge, you can contact the company’s customer service to find out how you can appeal. The main rule is that you are obliged to pay the surcharge if you cannot present a valid ticket.
Source: Konsumentverket
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