Rail Passenger Rights of Persons with Disabilities or Reduced Mobility

Regulation (EU) 2021/782 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations (hereinafter the Regulation), which has applied since 7 June 2023, establishes the main rights of persons with disabilities and reduced mobility when travelling by rail: 

- The right to transport and non-discriminatory conditions. Reservations and tickets must be offered at no additional cost. A railway undertaking shall not refuse to accept a reservation from or issue a ticket to a person, nor require that such a person be accompanied by another person, except where this is strictly necessary in order to comply with access rules. 

- The right to receive information in accessible formats on the accessibility of railway stations and rail services, as well as access conditions and available facilities. 

- The right to assistance free of charge when boarding and alighting from trains and when transferring to connecting rail services. Where a railway undertaking requires a passenger to be accompanied on board, the accompanying person is entitled to travel free of charge and, where practicable, to be seated next to the person in need of assistance. An assistance dog is also entitled to accompany the passenger. 

The need for assistance must be notified at least 24 hours before assistance is required. Where no prior notification has been made, all reasonable efforts must nevertheless be made to provide the assistance needed. 

Assistance is provided on condition that the person arrives at the designated point at the time stipulated by the railway undertaking or station manager. That time may not be more than 60 minutes before the published departure time. Where no time has been stipulated, the person must arrive at the designated point at least 30 minutes before the published departure time. 

- The right to compensation for the loss of or damage to mobility equipment or assistive devices or injury to an assistance dog. 

The Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration is the designated body responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Regulation, and the State Consumer Rights Protection Authority is the designated body that, under the Regulation, handles consumer complaints through out-of-court dispute resolution. The contact details of these bodies are:  

• Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (Lietuvos transporto saugos administracija), Švitrigailos g. 42, 03209 Vilnius, tel. +370 5 278 56 01, e-mail: [email protected]  

• State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (Valstybinė vartotojų teisių apsaugos tarnyba), A. Goštauto g. 12, 01108 Vilnius, tel. +370 5 262 67 60, e-mail: [email protected]