We follow the national travel guarantee for express boat transport, which was introduced on 1 January 2021.
We hope the travel guarantee for will be of benefit to customers who experience disruptions on journeys by express boat, as well as for us who will process travel guarantee claims.
A recommended industry standard for travel guarantees for express boats operating under our auspices will lead travel guarantee claims being treated equally throughout the country.
1. Introduction
This travel guarantee gives you a summary of your rights pursuant to Regulation EU no. 1177/2010 concerning the rights of passengers travelling by sea and the Norwegian Maritime Code and considered by the Norwegian Consumer Authority and NHO Sjøfart.
In addition, the travel guarantee gives you extended rights on certain terms, if the departure is cancelled/delayed, or if the boat is delayed in port. The rights mentioned in the travel guarantee apply to passenger transport by express boat. The scheme differentiates between whether you travel from “port” or “port terminal”. The travel guarantee only mentions rights when travelling from port.
2. Information
Our travel guarantee commits us to do our utmost to ensure you arrive on time.
However, in the event of delays or cancellations in the express boat service, we will (if possible):
- provide you with information about the delay or cancellation no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time, as well as the time for delayed departure/arrival or next departure/arrival
- give you information about other alternative transportation
- The information about the above must be made available as text and sound, e.g. as text to speech, in a simple and understandable way.
3. Ticket refunds and new itinerary
In the event of a cancelled departure or delay of more than 90 minutes, you should receive either:
- a) refund of your ticket within seven days, or
- b) new itinerary at the same fare and on the same contract terms (travel terms)
- c) information about the new itinerary within 30 minutes. If you don’t receive this, you can instead choose alternative transport and have the expenses covered in accordance with the rules in point 5 below.
4. Compensation for delayed arrival
In the Regulation concerning the rights of passengers travelling by sea, Article 3 (j) and (k), “port” is defined as “a place or a geographical area made up of such improvement works and facilities as to permit the reception of ships from which passengers regularly embark or disembark”. “Port terminal” is defined as “a terminal, staffed by a carrier or a terminal operator, in a port with facilities, such as check-in, ticket counters or lounges, and staff for the embarkation or disembarkation of passengers travelling on passenger services or on a cruise”.
Travel by express boat takes place mainly from what is defined in the regulation as “port”, since those places don’t have their own permanent service for the embarkation or disembarkation of passengers.
In the event of a delayed arrival at your final destination, you can claim compensation for the ticket price, without losing the right to transport, which shall be 25% of the ticket price in the event of a delay of at least:
a) One hour for a journey with a fixed duration of up to four hours
b) Two hours for a journey with a fixed duration of more than four hours, but not more than eight hours
If you are travelling with a period ticket, and you have been affected by delayed arrival more than three times in a month, you will receive compensation according to the rules above. The calculation shall be based on the value of the period ticket divided by the number of validity days. Compensation under NOK 50 will not be paid.
If the delay is more than double than what is stipulated in a) and b) above, the compensation shall amount to 50% of the ticket price.
5. Coverage of costs for alternative transport
If we cannot offer you a new itinerary, cf. point 3 c) above, we will cover the cost of a taxi or other alternative transport if you are delayed for more than:
- 30 minutes on journeys under one hour: reimbursed up to NOK 750
- 60 minutes on journeys between one and three hours: reimbursed up to NOK 1,000
- 90 minutes on journeys over three hours: reimbursed up to NOK 1,500
If you drive a private car or boat, you will be covered for the trip according to the State’s rates for driving allowance. Only one person receives the driving allowance per trip.
Please ensure that you use the current timetable and information about the public transport service. Separate timetables often apply during Christmas, Easter and school holidays.
This point applies for journeys by express boat and with the exceptions arising from point 6 below.
You must allow adequate transition time, in addition to any walking time, if there is not regular correspondence. The travel guarantee does not apply if there is 30 minutes or less until the next departure as described on our timetables.
6. Exceptions
The rights mentioned in point 5 above don’t apply:
- to consequential damages or loses resulting from delays, e.g. that you miss a dental appointment, business meeting or flight departure, unless such liability arises from general law of damages
- if information about the delays or cancellation has been published on the carrier’s website, or other suitable place, prior to the departure time. This includes, for example, conditions such as the announced relocation of the port of call or major events that may affect the express boat traffic.
The rights in points 3 and 4 concerning compensation don’t apply if the carrier can prove that the departure has been cancelled or delayed due to weather conditions which make it difficult for the vessel to operate safely, or other extraordinary circumstances which prevent passenger transport from taking place and which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.
Examples of extraordinary circumstances which prevent passenger transport from taking place include:
- frozen fjords
- strong winds and currents
- accidents for which the carrier cannot be blamed
- nationwide strikes
- public injunction and prohibitions
- pandemics
7. Deadline for submission of claims
Remember to contact us as soon as possible and no later than two months after the incident. If you have paid for alternative transport etc., we need the receipt showing the price, VAT, license number and receipt number for the taxi, to process your travel guarantee claim. We will respond to your claim request as soon as possible and no later than one month after receiving it. If you disagree with the outcome, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Public Transportation Complaint Handling Body. The complaint must be lodged no later than one year after you have submitted your written claim.
Apply for travel guarantee here