A comprehensive 2026 analysis of Regulation (EU) 2024/1258: New flexibilities for occasional and regular passenger transport.
Passenger road transport operates under a logic vastly different from goods transport. The need to adapt to tourist schedules and irregular itineraries led the European Union to approve Regulation (EU) 2024/1258, which modifies Regulation (EC) 561/2006 to offer greater operational flexibility for coach drivers.
In 2026, understanding these nuances is vital to avoid heavy penalties. A bus driver applying standard cargo rules might lose crucial operational flexibility that determines the profitability of a tour route. The use of second-generation smart tachographs now allows these times to be monitored with unprecedented precision, linking the data directly to the .DDD file for auditing.
This is the cornerstone exception for long-distance tourism. It allows drivers to postpone their weekly rest period until the end of a single occasional international service.
For a coach driver to drive up to 12 consecutive days without a weekly rest, they must meet:
If driving occurs during night hours (22:00 to 06:00), the uninterrupted driving period is reduced, or a second driver is required in multi-manning to ensure passenger safety.
Unlike goods transport, where the 45-minute break can only be split into 15+30 minutes in that specific order, occasional bus drivers now hold a competitive edge in 2026.
The updated regulation allows splitting the 45-minute break into two periods of at least 15 minutes each (e.g., three 15-minute breaks), provided the total adds up to 45 minutes within the 4.5-hour driving window. This is ideal for brief stops at monuments or landmarks that don't reach the mandatory 30 minutes required in freight transport.
It is crucial that during these short stops, the driver correctly uses the activity selector. If the driver leaves the bus to assist with luggage, they must mark "Other Work." If they are simply resting while passengers visit a site, they must mark "Rest/Break."
For a bus company, a tachograph infringement is more than just a fine; it affects the Risk Rating System (ERRU). If the rating exceeds certain thresholds, the company may lose its "Good Repute" and, consequently, its license to operate.
| TYPE OF OFFENCE | SEVERITY | CONSEQUENCE |
|---|---|---|
| Exceeding 12 days without rest | Very Serious | €2,001 fine and loss of good repute. |
| Incorrect use of Manual Records | Serious | €1,001 fine per period without data. |
| Failure to register V2 border crossing | Very Serious | Automatic sanction under the Mobility Package. |
It entered into force on 22 May 2024 and amends Articles 4, 7, 8 and 10 of Regulation 561/2006. It applies only to occasional passenger transport — not to goods, and not to regular services. There are three changes, and they solve different problems.
A driver may split the mandatory break into two breaks of at least 15 minutes each, keeping the 45-minute total and taking them within the 4.5-hour driving period. Two. Not three, and not whatever fits.
The contrast with goods transport is genuine: there the split is 15 + 30, in that order, and nothing else. Coach work gets flexibility because a tour does not run in half-hour blocks — a viewpoint stop is twenty minutes, a site visit is forty.
The least-discussed change and the one that rescues the most itineraries. A driver on a single occasional service lasting at least six consecutive 24-hour periods may take the daily rest within 25 hours of the end of the previous one, provided total accumulated driving that day does not exceed seven hours.
It can be used twice where the service runs for at least eight consecutive 24-hour periods. Note the seven-hour condition carefully: this is not a longer working day. It is a shifted rest window on a light driving day.
Postponing the weekly rest for up to twelve consecutive 24-hour periods used to be international only. It now extends to single occasional domestic services as well. The conditions stand: a full rest beforehand, and the compensating rest once the cycle closes.
Worth settling the starting point, because this gets muddled too.
The distinction that decides everything is regular versus occasional. All the flexibility above belongs to occasional work only. An operator running a scheduled route and private hire cannot carry rules across from one to the other — which is precisely what happens most often in mixed fleets.
The bus sector is arguably the one that benefits most from strict tachograph data control. The flexibility allowed by law is only safe if it can be proven during an inspection. TachoTools provides the necessary tools to validate that your drivers are making the most of the "12-day rule" and split breaks without crossing the line into illegality.
Check if your international services comply with Regulation 2024/1258.
Visualize driver rest periods and 12-day exceptions centrally with TachoTools.
Plans for Passenger Fleets