Apply for a regular service permit within the Interbus area

Regular services mean passenger transport services that are open to all, subject to compulsory reservation where appropriate.

Regular service permits are issued to carriers by name and cannot be transferred to other carriers. However, a carrier who has been issued a regular service permit can operate the service through a subcontractor with Traficom's consent. In this case, the name of the subcontractor must be included in the permit, meaning that the intention to use a subcontractor must be indicated in the permit application. 

The permit is valid for a maximum of five years. The period of validity may be shorter either at the request of the applicant or by mutual consent of the competent authorities of the Contracting States within whose territory passengers are picked up or set down.

Except in the event of force majeure, the operator of a regular service must, until the permit expires, take all measures to guarantee a transport service that fulfils the standards of continuity, regularity and capacity and complies with the other conditions laid down by the competent authority in the permit.

The carrier must present the route of the service, the bus stops where passengers are picked up or set down, the timetable, the fares and the conditions of carriage in a way that ensures the availability of such information to all users, for example, on a website. The carrier must also comply with other provisions laid down in the Interbus Agreement and its Protocol on regular services, the Finnish Act on Transport Services (320/2017) and other applicable provisions.

A carrier applying for a regular service permit must hold a valid Community licence for the carriage of passengers or, in the case of a non-EU applicant, a license in accordance with the legislation of their home state that entitles them to operate passenger road transport services.

An application for a regular service permit within the Interbus area must include a timetable with the time slots for controls at relevant border crossings, a map showing the route and stops where passengers are picked up or set down and a driving schedule that allows verification of compliance with the international rules on driving times and rest periods. For a Finnish carrier, the Community licence for the carriage of passengers is checked from the transport licence system, which means that a copy of the operating licence does not have to be delivered. For subcontractors established elsewhere, a copy of the license must be attached. 

Fill in the application and submit it with the appendices to Traficom's registry at kirjaamo@traficom.fi or alternatively by post to Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, PO Box 320, FI-00059 TRAFICOM, Finland.

Traficom is obliged to issue a decision on the matter within six months of receiving the carrier's application. The permit is issued in agreement with the authorities of all Contracting States within whose territories passengers are picked up or set down. This means that the internal approval process in other Contracting States may affect the length of the processing time. However, the Contracting States whose approval has been requested must respond to the request within four months.

The permit can be delivered to you, or you can pick it up at a Traficom location, depending on your choice on the application. International regular service permits are issued at two Traficom locations: in Helsinki and in Lappeenranta.