Your stories: Facebook fans write about public transport in the EU

These are your stories! A few days ago, just as Parliament put the finishing touches to the EU passengers' bill of rights by including public road transport, we asked our friends and readers on Facebook to post their best (or worst) experiences as passengers. The response was overwhelming. As promised, here are some of the stories that we found to best reflect the discussion. The citizen as passenger now has the floor…

In the last plenary and after long negotiations with the member states, Parliament approved the final link in the passengers' "bill of rights" giving road transport passengers rights that are not much different from those already enjoyed by air and rail travellers. But what is it like in the real world?

Some are delighted…

Andrei writes "public transport is getting better and better and I love it a lot. I think it's one of the greatest experiences anyone can have. It's a way to meet new and unique people", while Boerge adds that "travelling from Britain to Denmark by train, four countries are visited within an afternoon, and I feel pretty European while in Belgium waiting for a train from France to Germany after arriving from Britain".

And then there is Lucien who wrote that "in the US, there are two ways to get around: drive or fly. In the EU, it's amazing to be able to get around via rail. It's brilliant".

… but some object to the cost

Thus, Susann writes that "I love public transportation in Sweden, but when the fares are almost as expensive as taking the car, things are seriously going in the wrong direction".

Writing about Munich, Philipp explained that the transport system "is just too expensive" adding that "this is also why we very often take the car with the family as it is much cheaper in comparison". Portuguese Filipa adds that "I'm from Portugal and from experience, our public transport is extremely expensive for the conditions it offers".

…while others ask for more buses and trains

Claire explains that "I still don't own a car and you simply can't get to places by bus. Quite often there is only one service a day" and, from Austria, Roland adds that "I would like to use public transport, but the latest train to my town leaves is at 20:00".

On the other hand, Isabel, from Portugal was so incensed that her bus was an hour late that she refused to pay …"They took me to the police station" and lawyers had to intervene. However her protest worked as "after that we had 2 buses coming in time to pick up passengers"…

And then some have problems of a different kind

Valter, for example, has a good point to make: "I think that the first right of a passenger of railways is having the railways: the real problem is the absence of the railways in northeast Italy".

As the smallest member state..."Several of the rights will not be applicable to Malta because a provision, agreed upon by member states, lays down that the majority of these rules will only apply to journeys of over 250 kilometres", Neville explained…