FAQ on intercity passenger bus flights

An analogue tachograph disc with recorder-recorded information (charts below and to the right)

- I arrived at the stop 2 minutes before departure according to the timetable and waved my hand to the departed bus. What to do?

If you are at the bus station or bus station, then get a note about the fact that the bus left earlier, and then go to the carrier for a refund. Usually this is quickly and simply solved by a call directly or by contacting the duty officer of the carrier. There are cases when the station does not put a mark, then you need to call where the ticket was purchased. If you are just standing at the bus stop in the field, then you will need to contact the carrier later. Each bus is legally equipped with a tachograph, and the carrier can easily set up when the bus left your stop.

- What is this tachograph on every bus?

Previously, it was something like a clockwork connected to a speedometer. The most modern tachographs are an independent battery, a storage device (usually an onboard flash), a GPS / Glonass receiver, an accelerometer, sensor inputs (fuel level, cabin temperature), an integration module for the CAN bus. Increasingly, they are equipped with GSM-modems with M2M-SIM cards for remote data acquisition by the carrier (the main log in real time if there is a network on the route or detailed unloading at the final point). Tachographs are constantly being improved, as well as knowledge of drivers on how to deceive them. The task of the tachograph is to fix violations of the work schedule, to see when the driver drove to the dacha on a service bus or made a “left” flight, to know the exact fuel consumption.

- Are there any buses with lying places - is it possible to go lying?

We have a passenger and a driver on the traffic rules while driving while seated. Therefore there are no buses with lying places. More precisely, occasionally there are "stove benches", but they are designed to rest the drivers between flights. And, for example, in China, Thailand and India there is a sleeping bus - as a rule, night flights where you can boot and sleep before you arrive.

- Do you need a passport to buy a ticket?

On adjacent interregional routes, a passport is not needed, but when buying online passport data will be needed. If you are traveling from a region to a region, it is already needed anyway. That is, inside one subject of the Federation, you can buy a ticket and move without any documents at all. That does not exclude the possibility that you will be asked to present them for inspection on the way.

- And who has the right to stop the bus to check passengers?

On the territory of the bus station the bus and documents of the passengers have the right to check the administration of the station. On the way, they can check both the carrier and passengers. MIA or FSB can search for criminals, check baggage for drugs and transportation of weapons and so on. Further, the usual rules, as if the staff approached you on the street. It may be that the bus was detained by the police, and passengers will have to get on their own.

“If the police took me off the bus, will they compensate me for the losses?”

If removed legally, then do not compensate. And the carrier in this case is not responsible. If removed with violations from the internal organs, then, of course, it is necessary to go to court further.

- And if I did not get to the end of the route because of an accident, for example?

Usually the carrier in this case sends an additional bus to pick up passengers who have broken down. If the continuation of the route is not possible, then according to the standard, the remaining segment of the path is compensated by money. For example, 6.5 rubles per kilometer. Yes, you can stay somewhere in the steppe at night and get 200 rubles compensation later, and yes, an additional bus can arrive in 6 hours.

- Arrived at the final destination of the route 2 hours later, will I receive compensation?

Usually not. If, all of a sudden, you have lost something important because of a violation by the carrier, you can try to sue with evidence of the damage caused to you (for example, the missed flight of an aircraft). If it was not an accident, not a traffic jam and not something else like a passenger who suddenly became ill, and you took him to the hospital directly from the route, there are chances. But usually such things are decided in the pretrial order with the carrier. Simple filing "moral damage" usually does not lead to success. There is no standard insurance covering lateness.

- We went to the steppe, there was a toilet "toilet" type, and I completely used the route receipt for hygiene needs. Can they land me now?

The ticket must be kept by the passenger until the end of the trip according to the law. In theory, if the controlling authorities stopped the vehicle for inspection, and the passenger does not have a ticket and cannot prove that he is a passenger, and the carrier cannot provide a list or landing list where the passenger is entered, it means he is a stowaway.

In the second situation, when you have a ticket, and the driver does not have a list or landing list, this is his problem. The main thing is to have a ticket.

Please note that some modern bus terminals pass to the flight on the image of an electronic ticket from the phone screen, but to print such a ticket correctly. That is, it is enough to print it at home (absolutely the same form as in the electronic ticket), often this can be done at the bus station. This is still one of the main reasons why the growth of electronic tickets in Russia is so slow. In the future, standards may change and will be like on the railway, but for now, bear with it.

- When I travel by bus from one city to another, according to the regulations of which city will I be fined, for example, for ticketless travel?

On the intercity bus, the notion of “stowaway” is generally impossible, because such a person should not be allowed on the bus in principle. But there are city routes (these are with a controller and tickets, usually you meet them inside the city), which cross the borders of the regions. But in any case, you will be fined under federal law No. 220, which is valid everywhere in Russia. City routes across the border of Russia yet.

- Who is responsible for the luggage in the lower compartment of the bus?

For passengers and luggage throughout the trip is the responsibility of the carrier. Very rarely bags in the luggage compartment are lost. But if suddenly this happened, the carrier’s responsibility is insured. Having a baggage ticket, you need to contact the carrier.

You put the luggage in the compartment yourself, take it out too. If you have perishable baggage, you cannot make any claims to the carrier. And the driver and the carrier do not have the right to demand to open the luggage before loading (but may contact the Interior Ministry for this if something suspicious happens).

If suddenly something leaked out of the bag next to your bag, ran out and bit your bag or spat acid into it - this is most often a dispute between two individual passengers, and not a passenger and carrier. But you can try to complain to the carrier.

- I have a ticket, I come to the station, and I'm not on the lists. What to do?

Two options are possible:

1. You bought a fake ticket.
2. Something went wrong somewhere, and the ticket purchase data did not reach the list.

In the second case, it makes sense to quickly contact the carrier. This can be done by direct telephone or through the attendant at the station. The duty officer will call the carrier in the same way as you would have done, but the difference is that he knows exactly who to call and he may have an internal number of the required specialist.

Do not be afraid if you call the booking service, and the staff of the bus station or carrier say that they are hearing for the first time and do not work with them. Because of this, customers often mistakenly think that tickets are not real. In fact, the chain consists of more than two links. Therefore, if you suspect that you have a fake ticket, then call where you bought this ticket.

- Is it possible to go while intoxicated?

At the discretion of the carrier. This means, among other things, that a drunken body can be landed at any stop along the route, if suddenly it began to smell, brawl or make the wrong sounds.

- My neighbor started as a sober passenger, but on the way he sucked two bottles of vodka. What to do?

Contact the driver. He decides whether or not to land this person. If he decides to land, he may try to do it himself or call the police to help. With a high degree of probability your neighbor will wake up in the office. You can also try to contact the police at the bus station directly.

- I forgot the luggage on the bus, what to do?

The luggage will reach the final destination (not the one to which you have the ticket, but the one where the whole route ends) and will be transferred there to the luggage room. It can be searched for documents, perishables and for security.

For those who have found the thing at the bus station, an act is drawn up detailing the appearance of the found things and the circumstances of their detection. One copy of the act remains at the station, one is given to the one who brought the discovered thing. For storage of luggage (except for the day trip) will have to pay. After 30 days, the bus station can recycle or sell your luggage.

If you lost your baggage, paid you money for it, and then suddenly found it, you can exchange this money back for baggage or leave the baggage to the carrier.

The same situation - this is if you did not have time for the bus at the intermediate stop, and he left without you further.

- And if I forgot a thing in the cabin, then what?

The script above is quite suitable. The thing in the cabin, in contrast to baggage, may not be seen at the turning point (for example, the route St. Petersburg - Petergof - St. Petersburg), and therefore it is worth asking her back in the storage room of the starting point. It can also be picked up by passengers, and if this is not done in order to hand it back to you, then this is already a crime. We must go to the police, they will get access to the cabin cameras (if they have been installed) or do something else to find your belongings, for example, they will try to find and interview those who were sitting next to you. It is better to contact these cameras as soon as possible.

- What you need to know about the stop?

Schedules indicate local time. Schedule changes must be announced within 10 days. Schedule should be at every bus stop. Some stops may be obligatory, and some may be on request (but they must all be indicated on the route, so the driver can and should ignore the request “stop at the post”, but you must stop at your request at the stop if there is no one there, but she indicated as optional). And he has to warn you in advance about such a stop. “Is someone coming out at the tower?” Is quite a normal warning. There are stops without landing - for example, the final for disembarking passengers.

- What are the requirements for the bus to enter the route?

The bus must be in good condition, and the driver must be fit. The first is checked by a mechanic at the initial and final points in the pre-trip and post-trip examinations (this can be done in the carrier’s fleet in this city, and not at the train station), the driver must have the permission of doctors that he is healthy, sober and able to drive. The dispatcher of the station also checks his waybills to see if he has been resting for a long time between flights. In case of a number of violations, the carrier, bypassing the station manager, may decide to start the flight. If a violation is detected on the road, the passengers will be disembarked, the bus will be sent to the park, the driver and carrier will be fined. If the driver refuses to do so, he will also be put.

If a drunk driver is allowed on the flight, a medic will be put in prison. If a broken bus is allowed on the flight, a mechanic will be put in. It's serious. If the flight is "white" , of course.

- I did not go, can I return the ticket and get some of the money back?

On domestic flights there are general rules for return:
- Two hours before the flight or more - 95% of the ticket price (there is no commission included);
- Between two hours and the time of departure of the flight - 85%;
- Less than 3 hours after departure - 75%;
- More than 3 hours after departure, the refund is no longer done, because later, the cashiers can no longer mark for entry into the system.
In addition, carriers and partners have their own additional rules for the return of tickets.

The easiest way after a call to a carrier (or aggregator) is at the box office of the bus station. If they don’t give cash there immediately, then you need to put a refund mark on the ticket. They need the date and time of return, the name of the cashier, the seal of the bus station, the signature of the cashier. But it only works with printed tickets. If the ticket is purchased online, then the cashier will not print it and, accordingly, put a mark too.

Ticket exchange is done by returning one and buying another.

- That is, there are no non-refundable tickets?

Yes. Any ticket purchased for any promotion can be returned according to the rules above. Please note that this does not apply to cross-border flights (going outside the state) - there the rules will be different and often established by the carrier itself.

- If the bus does not arrive, then I get the money back?

Yes, if the bus is delayed for more than an hour, you can make a full refund. The same if the flight is canceled.

- How is the passenger insured?

On all regular flights, the carrier is obliged to have OSGOP - compulsory insurance of the carrier’s liability for causing harm to passengers. However, if the passenger has enough Kondraty during the trip and it will not be in any way connected with the actions of the carrier, then they may not compensate.

- Is it possible to travel without a toilet for 12 hours?

At the discretion of the carrier, there is no standard. But according to reviews we can say that the stops at the “toilet and smoke” are quite frequent.

- These are the belts on the bus - are they needed?

Yes. There are normal traffic rules. According to the traffic rules, passengers should be fastened all the time, they should not walk in the cabin. If the child is small, it should be carried on hands. There are no special children's belts.

- Can I go to the toilet for free at the end point?

On the territory of the bus station for a ticket you must be allowed to go to the toilet for free before the trip and 2 hours after the trip at the final destination (measured from the actual arrival). And no one will chase you at the same time from the waiting room. The same applies to intermediate stops, but the toilet there must be officially according to the documents - then it is free for you on the ticket. In reality, you can meet the toilet from the next room, a cafe, for example.

- When do they stop selling tickets?

Long-distance tickets are no longer sold 5 minutes before the scheduled departure of the bus . You may be denied ticket sales if the capacity of the bus is over (for example, there is no place to put luggage, for example), but we don’t know such practical cases. But we know the case when a person bought an online ticket, and then it turned out that all the seats are already taken. The so-called overbooking. In this case, the passengers are refunded in full, but not all carriers provide assistance in transplanting.

- What are the standards worth studying?

• Resolution of February 14, 2009 No. 112 "On approval of the rules for the transport of passengers and baggage by road and urban land electric transport".
• Resolution of September 14, 2016 No. 924 “On approval of requirements for ensuring transport security ...”.
• Federal Law of February 9, 2007 No. 16-ФЗ “On Transport Security”
• Federal Law of 8 November 2007 No. 259-ФЗ “Charter of Automobile Transport and Urban Ground Electric Transport”