Apply for a scheduled service permit within the EU area

Scheduled services mean passenger transport services that are open to all, subject, where appropriate, to compulsory reservation.

Scheduled service permits are issued to carriers by name and cannot be transferred to other carriers. However, a carrier who has been issued a scheduled service permit can operate the service through a subcontractor with Traficom’s consent. In this case, the name of the subcontractor must be included in the permit, meaning that the intention to use a subcontractor must be indicated in the permit application. 

The permit is valid for up to five years. The period of validity may be set at less either at the request of the applicant or by mutual consent of the competent authorities of the Member States on whose territory passengers are picked up or set down.

Save in the event of force majeure, the operator of a scheduled service shall, until the permit expires, take all measures to guarantee a transport service that fulfils the standards of continuity, regularity and capacity and complies with the other conditions laid down by the competent authority in the permit.

The carrier must display the route of the service, the bus stops where passengers are picked up or set down, the timetable, the fares and the conditions of carriage in such a way as to ensure that such information is readily available to all users, such as on a website. The carrier must also comply with other provisions laid down in Regulation (EC) 1073/2009, the Finnish Act on Transport Services (320/2017) and other applicable regulations.

A carrier applying for a scheduled service permit must hold a valid Community licence for the carriage of passengers.

An application for a scheduled service permit within the areas of the EU, EEA and Switzerland must include as appendices a price list, a map showing the route and stops where passengers are picked up or set down and a driving schedule making it possible to monitor compliance with Community legislation on driving and rest periods. In addition to these, if the application is being submitted for the purpose of launching a new service, it must include appendices detailing the nature and expected volume of the service. If the application is being submitted to renew an existing permit, it must include appendices detailing the nature and volume of the operated service.

Fill in the application and submit it and any appendices to Traficom’s registry at kirjaamo@traficom.fi or alternatively by post to the address Liikenne- ja viestintävirasto, PL 320, 00059 TRAFICOM.

Traficom is obliged to issue a decision on the matter within four months of receiving the carrier’s application. The permit is issued in agreement with the authorities of all the Member States in whose territories passengers are picked up or set down. This means that the processing time of the application is affected by the internal approval processes of other Member States. However, the Member States whose agreement has been requested must respond to the request within two months. 

The permit will be delivered to you using the delivery method that you specified on the application. The options are delivery by post or pick-up at a Traficom location. International scheduled service permits are issued at two Traficom locations: Helsinki and Lappeenranta.