TRAIN TRAVEL Passenger Rights

Transcription

1 TRAIN TRAVEL Passenger Rights

2 Contents This brochure gives you information on passenger rights for journeys on regional, national and international trains to/from other countries in the European Union. 4 4 INTRODUCTION WHAT HAS BEEN INTRODUCED BY THE REGULATION: Field of application Information Tickets Hand luggage Bicycles Train cancellations and delays 7 MEDIUM AND LONG DISTANCE NATIONAL TRAVEL AND INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: In the event of departure delays or delays during your journey In the event of arrival delays Assistance 8 REGIONAL TRAVEL COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGES TO PERSONS AND LUGGAGE LIABILITY FOR PASSENGER DEATH OR INJURY GUARANTEES FOR PERSONS WITH REDUCED MOBILITY: Indemnity for mobility equipment or other specific equipment 11 COMPLAINTS: Trenitalia Conciliation Published January

3 Introduction The European Union has taken steps to protect the rights of railway passengers. The EC Regulation no. 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and Council of 23 October 2007 (Regulation) establishes the introduction of new passenger rights and obligations for railway travel within Europe, providing information obligations towards passengers and specific rights, particularly in the event of delays, service cancellations and missed connections. Trenitalia's General Conditions of passenger travel are available on the website at ticket offices and travel agents. What has been introduced by the Regulation Field of application The Regulation applies to journeys made on regional trains, medium and long distance trains and international trains. Each ticket is considered a single and separate travel contract for the route to which it refers. As a result, the protective measures guaranteed by the Regulation are granted to passengers with reference to the single contract used, and are, therefore, not extended to other subsequent and/or previous services purchased by passengers to complete their journeys, as said subsequent or previous journeys are covered by other separate contracts. Nevertheless, to the benefit of its passengers, Trenitalia has decided that its medium and long distance national services are to be considered the object of a single travel contract, even if more than one train is taken and if more than one ticket is issued at the same time. Information The railway company has the obligation of providing information to passengers, both before their journey (for example, conditions of sale and services offered, timetables and conditions for faster/cheaper travel, access conditions and on-board availability of infrastructures for disabled or reduced mobility persons) and during their journey (for example, on-board services, next stop, any delays). Particular attention is given to hearing or visually challenged persons. Tickets For medium to long distance trains: Passengers must only board trains if they have a seat booking and, therefore, only with a ticket or another travel permit (season ticket, ticket book, etc.) valid for the relationship, the train, the class and the service they use. For regional travel trains: The ticket must be appropriately validated before the train departs so that it does not need to be adjusted by train staff, thus incurring the relative fine. Trenitalia offers various possibilities and methods for ticket purchase: station ticket offices and travel agencies in accordance with their opening hours, other authorised resellers, self-service, online ticket office ( and telephone ticket office from our Call Centre 82021* without prefix; Medium to long distance tickets can also be purchased from our Call Centre ** or *** for telephone lines not enabled for 1. A ticketless electronic ticket purchase option is also available for medium to long distance trains (on the website in authorised travel agents, by calling Trenitalia's Call Centre or on your mobile phone with the Pronto Treno service), which allows passengers to board the train with a booking code (PNR) without needing a paper ticket. Passengers can also book or purchase their tickets through the Postoclick service, whereas or reduced mobility passengers can use the Posto Blu service. For anti-fraud policy reasons and because of the booking requirement, purchasing a standard ticket on-board a train is not permitted. This possibility is only for passengers who depart from stations that do not have a ticket office or self-service machine, or where these services are out of service and is only limited to certain types of tickets. Without prejudice to regional laws regarding the specific services they regulate, failure to hold a ticket will result in payment of the full price and a fine of EUR Failure to pay the fine owed within 15 days constitutes an offence pursuant to Presidential Decree (D.P.R.) 753/180 and will lead to the application of administrative fines established by the laws in force. If passengers immediately pay the amount owed on-board the train, said fine will be reduced to EUR The same reduction is foreseen, excluding the fines issued on-board regional trains, if payment is made within 3 days following receipt of the fine notice (issued on the train if possible or via letter in other cases) at any Trenitalia ticket office (in accordance with public opening hours) or by using the specific bank account transfer form. The fine will be cancelled following a payment of 5.00 for administrative fees in the event of a failure to show a valid season ticket, excluding season tickets for regional trains. If the fine is paid within 15 days from the notice received on board the train or from the responsible offices, the amount will be reduced to EUR In the event of abuse, a fine of three times the value of the ticket will be applied, with a minimum of EUR In this case the fine cannot be reduced in accordance with the time of payment. (*) Costs: for calls from landlines, the cost is of 0.30/call connection charge and 0.54 per call minute, VAT inclusive; from a mobile network, the cost is established by the rate plan applied by the network operator. The rates in force at this time may be subject to change. (**) Costs: the rate from landlines is of 0.01 per minute VAT inclusive, without a call connection charge; from a mobile network, the cost is established by the rate plan applied by the network operator. The service is predominantly provided through recorded messages and is subject to limitations. (***) The rate of reference is the city or suburban rate established by the customer's network operator. TICKET 4 5

4 Suggestion: if the ticket office is closed or if the self-service machines are out of service, we would recommend you read the notices in the station if available which will give you information on alternative purchase methods and will indicate the closest points of sale. Purchase on board the train and validation without incurring in a fine are only admitted if: travelling on Espressi, IC, ICN, ES*, Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca trains or couchette services, VL departing from stations in which there is no ticket office or self-service machine or the latter are out of service; travelling on Regional trains departing from stations in which there is no ticket office, and there are no alternative points of sale and for holders of Concession III (vision impaired persons); holding a non-validated ticket for departures from stations where there are no validation machines or if the latter are out of service; other particular cases provided in full in the "Trenitalia General Conditions of Passenger Travel", which can be consulted in specific stations and on the website - section Trenitalia - Customers Area - Travel Conditions. Seat allocation is also permitted without a fine if passengers, following departure of their booked train and within the limits prescribed by the type of ticket, board another train of the same type and railroad line at a station where there is no ticket office or self-service machine or if the latter are out of service. To be eligible for this special term, the train staff must be informed as passenger is boarding the train. Hand luggage Dangerous or toxic items are not permitted for travel. Hand luggage must be transportable and must not constitute an obstacle. Suggestion: We would recommend that you read the General Conditions of Passenger Travel to check which types of luggage can be transported. Bicycles Bicycles can travel on all trains for free as long as they are contained in a bag no larger than 80x110x40cm and do not pose danger or discomfort to other passengers. Bicycles not contained in bags can travel on specially marked regional trains depending on space availability and at the times indicated by the specific pictogram, by paying a supplement of EUR 3.50 (or a fully priced second class ticket with the same characteristics as the ticket held by the passenger). Due to unavailability of suitable compartments, bicycle travel on medium to long distance trains is permitted only if folded and packed as aforementioned. Damages Delays can cause missed hotel bookings or connections with other carriers. Train cancellations and delays Passengers have the right to compensation or, in specific cases, to reimbursements in the event of delays of at least 60 minutes. Following are the specific terms applied for long distance national/international travel and regional travel. Please note: railway companies are not liable. 6 Medium and long distance national travel and international travel In the event of departure delays or delays during your journey Trenitalia informs its passengers of delays and the cancellation of trains as soon as this information becomes available. If an arrival delay of at least 60 minutes is foreseen, the passenger can choose immediately from one of the following options: a) reimbursement of the ticket price, without any deduction: - for the stretch of the journey not travelled; - for the entire journey (including the stretch already travelled) if continuing the journey is no longer useful in relation to the initial schedule and the passenger asks to return to the point of departure as soon as possible. b) continuing the journey until the final destination: - as soon as possible, with the replacement travel services made available or with the first train available, even of a higher service category (excluding Executive class, couchette service, VL and Excelsior), or by following an alternative itinerary without paying any price difference; - at a later date, after a note has been made on the ticket by the Customer Care Office, if the passenger decides to travel the next day or within a maximum of 48 hours. If the passenger intends to travel after such time, Trenitalia will issue a reimbursement for the ticket held by the passenger without deduction. In the event of arrival delays If the passenger has not requested a reimbursement in the cases provided above, he or she is entitled to an indemnity of: - 25% of the ticket price for an arrival delay of between 60 and 11 minutes; - 50% of the ticket price for an arrival delay of over 120 minutes. This indemnity is not valid if the delay is caused by circumstances that are not attributable to the railway services (e.g. fires, bad weather, flooding, landslides), is caused by third party conduct (e.g. disturbance of circulation caused by protests on the railway lines, suicides, accidents at a railway crossing, improper use of the emergency brake), or by strikes if prior information has been issued or by planned engineering works made known to passengers; or if the passenger, while purchasing the ticket, has been appropriately informed of the delay or, in opting for an alternative journey, has reached his or her destination with a delay of less than 60 minutes. The indemnity is granted for travel with national and international trains limited to the national stretch of rail through the issuance of a bonus valid for the purchase of a new ticket within 12 months from the date of travel, or in cash if chosen by the passenger. Indemnity is not granted for free tickets and is not owed if its amount is equal to or less than EUR 4.00 per passenger. The bonus allows the passenger to purchase other railway tickets (excluding kilometre-based tickets or integrated season tickets), without the correspondence of change, and is also issued for tickets purchased fully or partially with another bonus. More than one bonus can be used 7

5 in the new ticket purchase phase. Indemnity for delays is also granted for season ticket holders both in the form of a bonus, to be used within 12 months from date of issuance to purchase another season ticket, or in cash if chosen by the season ticket holder. This indemnity will be granted in proportion to the percentage of trains that recorded delays of longer than the thresholds provided above, during the period of validity of the season ticket for the line and category of train indicated on the season ticket itself. In this case again, indemnity is not granted if its amount is equal to or less than EUR Assistance If a departure or final destination arrival delay resulting from the travel contract of more than 60 minutes is foreseen for the journey, passengers will be offered meals and drinks free of charge in reasonable quantity, on the train, if available, or in the station if they can be reasonably provided. If the journey cannot continue on the same day due to cancellation, delay or a missed connection and it is not possible to ensure continuation of the journey with travel replacement services (bus or taxi), Trenitalia will arrange medium quality accommodation and reimbursement of the necessary expenses to inform friends and family of the delay in arrival, if possible, without prejudice to the exemption of liability for the railway company (fault of passenger, third party conduct and force majeure). Regional travel The protection measures for regional travel passengers are applied in accordance with the procedures established by the service contracts and with regard to the specifications of individual tickets and regional season tickets. In summary, these are: 1) indemnity for delays, for certain types of one-way tickets in which the origin and destination are both indicated (excluding tickets purchased online), of 25% of the ticket price for delays of between 60 and 11 minutes, and 50% of the ticket price for delays of over 120 minutes. This indemnity is not valid if the delay is caused by circumstances that are not attributable to the railway services (e.g. fires, bad weather, flooding, landslides), by third party conduct (e.g. disturbance of circulation caused by protests on the railway lines, suicides, accidents at a railway crossing, improper use of the emergency brake), or by strikes, if prior information has been issued, or by planned engineering works made known to passengers or if the passenger, at the time of departure, has been appropriately informed of the delay in order to claim the indemnity. The one-way ticket must always be validated at the departure station and the arrival station; 2) the possibility, upon request by the passenger, to obtain payment of the indemnity for the delay in cash or with kilometre-based tickets; 3) an indemnity for the delay is paid within one month following the request; 4) the establishment of a minimum threshold of EUR 4.00 for the indemnity amount, under which no indemnity for delay is foreseen; 5) a full reimbursement for certain types of tickets of the price paid in the event of a departure delay of at least 60 minutes. The following cases do not foresee reimbursement: tickets purchased with bonuses, for the part regarding the sum of the bonus itself; one-way tickets purchased online (excluding strikes or mistaken purchase); bicycle supplement tickets; kilometre-based tickets; adhesive coupon tickets; tickets declared as lost, destroyed or stolen. Compensation for damages to persons and luggage The railway company is not liable for damages to persons and luggage if the damage is attributable to causes that do not depend on the company itself. As a general rule, care of luggage is the responsibility of the passenger and, therefore, any loss or damages remain the passenger's responsibility, unless said damages have been caused by a railway accident for which the railway company is liable. Trenitalia is not liable under any circumstances for items of value that are contained in luggage items, such as cash, valuable papers, art items and antiques, precious items and the like. Liability for passenger death or injury In the event of passenger death or injury, Trenitalia will pay a suitable sum to cover the immediate economic needs within 15 days, of at least EUR 21,000.00, in the event of death. Said sum does not constitute an admission of liability and shall be returned to Trenitalia if the death or injury was the fault of the passenger or payment was issued to an ineligible person. Guarantees for persons with reduced mobility Disabled or reduced mobility persons are persons who have reduced mobility due to a physical disability (sensory or motor, permanent or temporary), a mental disability or any other disability, as well as age-related conditions or if their condition requires appropriate care in using railway transport. 8

6 Special guarantees and specific duties of assistance by station managers and railway companies have been established. More specifically, disabled or reduced mobility persons are guaranteed the following services: - assistance in all movements inside the station, from the designated Meeting Point to the departure platform and vice versa, in boarding the train and reaching the assigned seat and in getting of the train, in transporting luggage to the designated location and from the train to the Meeting Point; - free use of wheelchairs to reach the train is available in certain stations, or, upon arrival, to reach a connecting train or to reach the station exit (and always within the perimeter of the station) or to make a journey by train from one station to another, if equipped with assistance services for persons of reduced mobility. These services are offered by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana S.p.A.. - on-board assistance: restaurant service delivered to the seat, if requested and available; assistance for movements on-board and to open the door as the train arrives, if possible; sending required information to avoid risks caused by the disability or motor difficulty in getting of the train. This service is offered by Trenitalia. Disabled or reduced mobility passengers can request the assistance service from 7.00 to 21.00: - in person at RFI s Sale Blu; - by telephone, by calling the exclusive national RFI number - station manager * - by telephone, by calling Trenitalia's Call Centre ** (option 7) or *** for telephone lines not enabled for 1. - via ****. The notice periods required are: - for assistance in the 14 stations with a Sala Blu***** and in Palermo Centrale station: at least 1 hour prior to travel for assistance services between 08:00-22:00 at least 12 hours prior to travel for assistance services between 22:01-7:5. - for assistance in one of the other stations of the Network: at least 12 hours prior to travel, always taking into account the opening hours of the Sale Blu (07:00-21:00). For international journeys, assistance requests must be submitted at least 24 hours prior to travel from Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 21:00 at the Sala Blu of reference in the stopping stations for the pre-chosen international trains, or at the Sala Blu of Roma Termini station. (*) Costs: for calls from landlines, the cost is of 0.612/call connection charge and per call minute, VAT inclusive; from a mobile network, the cost is established by the rate plan applied by the network operator. (**) Costs: the rate from landlines is of 0.01 per call minute VAT inclusive, without call connection charge; from a mobile network, the cost is established by the rate plan applied by the network operator. The service is predominantly provided through recorded messages and is subject to limitations. (***) The rate of reference is the city or suburban rate established by the customer's network operator. (****) Requests made by must be sent at least 24 hours prior to departure. The address can be found on the website (*****) Main stations of the assistance network: Torino P.N.- Genova P-P.- Milano C.le - Venezia S.L.- Verona P.N - Trieste C.le - Bologna C.le - Firenze S.M.N. Ancona -Roma T.ni - Bari C.le - Napoli C.le - Reggio di Calabria C.le - Messina C.le. To benefit from assistance services, eligible passengers must be at the designated Meeting Point at least 30 minutes prior to train departure and must conform with all the regulations of the staff of RFI's Sale Blu. 10 Travel or the assistance service can be refused if: - the size of the train makes it physically impossible for the passenger to access the train or for the train to transport persons with disabilities or reduced mobility; - boarding and getting off the train in stations not attended by qualified staff. In this case, alternative journeys will be suggested, and failure to accept these solutions will result in the passenger renouncing the journey. If RFI's Sale Blu and Trenitalia's Call Centre operators have established the need of accompaniment for a non self-sufficient reduced mobility person, said passenger shall be asked to be accompanied by a person able to provide him or her with the assistance required. If travel or assistance service is refused or if the person needs to be accompanied, RFI or Trenitalia (depending on the channel of request used by the passenger) shall provide a written response containing the reasons of said decision upon request by the passenger and within 5 working days. Indemnity for mobility equipment or other specific equipment There are no limits to the amount of compensation owed for mobility equipment and other specific equipment for persons with disabilities or reduced mobility, if said equipment has been damaged or destroyed for a fact attributable to Trenitalia. Complaints The passenger may submit complaints and information: through the website - section "Customers Area - Complaints and Customer Assistance" or by using the appropriate online form; by using the appropriate forms available from the Customer Care Office and Trenitalia's ticket offices at the main stations. Within one month from receipt, Trenitalia shall issue a response or, if not possible within said date, shall inform the passenger of the date - no more than three months from complaint submission - within which a response can be expected. Suggestion: keep the original ticket to be entitled to an eventual reimbursement; if submitting the complaint via post, send the complaint to the addresses provided on the official "In Treno" timetable and on the website - section Customers Area - Travel Conditions - Traveller's Guide, in order to reduce response times. Trenitalia Conciliation If your complaint has not received a satisfying response or has not received any response within 60 days from submission, you can use Trenitalia Conciliation. The application for conciliation must be sent by completing the appropriate application form through the signatory Associations or directly to the Trenitalia Conciliation office - Piazza della Croce Rossa, Rome, Fax , or via conciliazioni@trenitalia.it. The conciliation procedure is for complaints regarding journeys travelled with both origin and destination located within Italian territory, on trains as for the list published on the website - Customers Area. The conciliation application form, the conciliation procedure and all information regarding methods of access to the procedure are available on the website - section Customers Area Conciliation Procedure, from the Customer Care Offices and from the signatory Consumers' Associations and relative websites. 11

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