One of the coach companies affected by the EU Drivers’ Hours regulations.

In April last year, the EU Drivers’ Hours regulations were introduced featuring a new rule stating that coach drivers can only work six consecutive days on the road before taking a weekly rest period.

Previously, coach drivers could take their rest at the beginning of one week and at the end of the following week, thus giving them a maximum of 12 consecutive days, known as the ‘12-day rule’.

In response to this new rule, a survey was conducted by the European Tour Operators Association, which has revealed a negative impact on coach drivers’ livelihood, profitability in the coach tourism industry and road safety as a result.

More than 20 leading European inbound tour operators were surveyed and results show that 86% of them believe that the new legislation has hindered their business. It has meant that tour companies have had to re-plan popular itineraries and has also resulted in coach operators having to hire local drivers abroad or send a second company driver to take over the driving.

Results of the survey also show that the legislation has impacted on road safety because groups have taken to hiring minibuses, instead of one large coach, as these are exempt from the legislation.

In April, the Council of Ministers, a legislative institution of the EU, will make the decision whether or not to re-instate the 12-day rule.

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