Travelling with public transport

Problem med resa i kollektivtrafiken - Engelska

If you are affected by delays or cancelled journey in public transport, such as when travelling with the metro, tram and city bus, you may be entitled to compensation.

Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.

Please note:

This information applies when you travel by train and bus where the route is shorter than 150 kilometers, as well as for trips by subway, tram, and city bus in public transport.

If you have taken a longer bus or train trip (longer than 150 kilometers), you can find information on the pages about bus and train

More information on bus travel

More information on train travel

Problems with public transport – keep this in mind

  • If your journey is delayed by at least 20 minutes, you can claim compensation.

  • You usually do not have the right to cancel when you buy a ticket for public transport. However, you may have the right to cancel your purchase of a season ticket if the transport company makes significant changes to the timetable.

  • You must be able to show a valid ticket during the journey.

Your rights as a passenger

  • If your journey with public transport is delayed by at least 20 minutes, you can demand compensation. You have a right to get back:

    • 50% of the ticket price if the journey is delayed by more than 20 minutes
    • 75% of the ticket price if the journey is delayed by more than 40 minutes
    • 100% of the ticket price if the journey is cancelled or delayed by more than 60 minutes 

    Contact the travel company, preferably in writing, and present your demands for compensations.

    What applies for period tickets?

    Even when you travel with a season ticket, such as a monthly pass, you can claim compensation if the journey is delayed or canceled. Contact the transport company and ask for the cost of the journey you planned to take. Request compensation according to the same principle as if you had bought a single ticket.

    When the train operator does not need to compensate you

    You are not entitled to compensation for the delay if:

    • you received information about the delay before purchasing the ticket for the specific journey, or
    • if the timetable was already changed three days before your departure.

    The train operator does not need to compensate you if they can prove that the delay was caused by circumstances not related to the operation of public transportation and that they could not have avoided even if they had done everything they could.

    Compensation for own transport

    If you have to arrange your own transport because your planned journey has been delayed or canceled, you can claim compensation from the transport company. You are obliged to keep costs down as much as possible. The compensation you claim should correspond to the cost of the transport itself, but not exceed 1/40 of the price base amount. This is 1470 SEK in 2025.

    You can claim compensation even if you planned to travel with your season ticket.

    If you receive compensation for your own transport, you cannot claim a price reduction on the ticket.

    No compensation for delayed journey

    If you do not get to work due to the delayed or canceled journey, you cannot claim compensation for lost income. You also cannot claim compensation if you miss an event or similar due to delays in public transport.

  • When you buy a ticket for a journey, you have no legal right of withdrawal. This means that you cannot change your mind about the purchase and get your money back. Nor can you demand to rebook the trip.

  • If you have a time-based pass with a travel company that made major changes to its timetable, you may be entitled to revoke the purchase of the time-based pass. What “major changes” are is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

    If the changes mean that you can no longer use your pass, contact the travel company and tell them why you want to revoke the purchase.

  • When you travel by public transport, it is your responsibility to present a valid ticket for the entire journey.  If you cannot do so, the travel company can demand that you pay a surcharge or ask you to disembark.

    Even when you travel with, for example, an SMS ticket, you are obliged to be able to present a valid ticket during the entire journey. If your telephone for some reason does not work, you may need to pay a surcharge. 

    The size of the surcharge can vary, but must be stated by the company’s travel terms and conditions.

    Complain about surcharge

    Do you think you have received an incorrect surcharge? Contact the company’s customer service to find out how you can appeal. The main rule is that you are obliged to pay the surcharge if you cannot show a valid ticket.

  • You can file a complaint with the Swedish National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN) if you and the transport company do not agree, for example, about compensation for a delay.

    ARN will assess your case and then recommend how your dispute should be resolved. Most companies follow ARN’s recommendations.

    A normal processing time is about 6 months.

    What does it cost to file a complaint with ARN?

    It costs 150 SEK to file a complaint with ARN. In your complaint, you can request that the transport company reimburse you for the cost if ARN rules in your favor.

    Requirements for ARN to review your case

    • The transport company has denied your claims or has not responded to you within a reasonable time.
    • The amount you and the transport company disagree on is 500 SEK or more.
    • You cannot include the fee for filing with ARN.
    • You file the complaint within one year from the first time you complained to the transport company.

    File a complaint on ARN’s websiteExtern länk

Problem med resa i kollektivtrafiken

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