Services Standards: Defining the Core Consumer Elements ... - ANEC

Hans-W. Micklitz
Monitoring and
inspection in
binding law
Monitoring and
inspection in coregulation
and
self-regulation
Public
passenger
transport –
Service quality
definition,
targeting and
measurement
EN 13816
4. requirements
of service
quality
(management,
inter alia
customer
satisfaction
Annex C).
Goods
transport
chains, Code
of practice for
the provision
of cargo
transport
services
EN 13876
7. Impact on standardisation of services
Public
passenger
transport -
Basic
requirements
and
recommendati
ons for
systems that
measure
delivered
service quality
EN 15140
Business Plan
Transport –
Logistics and
services
CEN TC 320
The review of the consumer related technical standards in the field of public
transport reveals that standard-making is largely made without taking the
consumer perspective into account, at least not if one accepts the six core
consumer elements to be used as a yardstick. The major reason might be that
public transport is still public, that means it is subject to statutory regulation. In
such a perspective public transport appears as a service that has to be supplied
by public bodies, mainly by municipalities. The consumer here is the customer
in the proper sense of the word. He has no choice, he has to accept what is
offered to him. If this understanding is true, there is still room for the elaboration
of technical standards, on quality and safety requirements as well as complaint
handling and dispute settlement.
VII. Comparative analysis of the review
Reviewing the analysed EC directives and regulations on the one hand, and the
technical standards on services on the other, there is one striking difference to
be noted: the EC directives and regulations are focussing much more on the
content of the contract, on minimum content, and in particular on rights and
remedies. The same cannot be said for technical standards. The closer the
standards approach the content of the contract, the more vague they become.
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