There are clear rules

Companies must pay a fine for arriving early

The Upper Austrian Transport Association attaches great importance to punctuality.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

A bus company recently received an invoice for 258 euros. The reason: a driver had left a few stops a minute early. However, the Upper Austrian transport association has clear rules for such scenarios.

"In Upper Austria, a questionable penalty practice by the Upper Austrian Transport Association (OÖVV) is causing outrage. A bus company was fined a hefty penalty of 258 euros - the reason: "A driver left some stops just one minute too early," says an annoyed boss.

Punctuality is a valuable asset
The "Krone" asked the transport association whether it is justified to impose fines for just one minute? "Punctuality and reliability are a very valuable asset in public transport. Cases of early arrivals are particularly critical for us as a client, as they can mean that a passenger who arrives at the bus stop on time may find that the bus has already driven away," responds Klaus Wimmer, Managing Director of OÖ Verkehrsverbund Gesellschaft.

Reliability is a decisive factor in whether people decide to use public transport services or not.

Klaus Wimmer, OÖVV-Geschäftsführer

Penalties regulated by contract
Penalties are regulated in the contracts with the companies and are graded according to the impact on passengers. But what if a driver really does speed through traffic? "Drivers are required to wait for any delays at the next stop. Only in exceptional cases, if it is not safe to wait at a stop (e.g. no bay on a busy road), may they continue to the next safe waiting point," is the clear rule.

Five lines are closely monitored every day
But being late can also be expensive. Penalties are imposed for delays of 15 minutes or more for which the bus is at fault (e.g. technical problems on the bus). If a journey is started more than three minutes late through no fault of its own, it is penalized as a cancellation. Compliance is assessed on a random basis. Five lines are selected at random every day and evaluated in detail. In the fourth quarter of 2024, 8527 journeys were checked, 87 of which were found to have poor timetable compliance.