Transport ministers in Brussels have endorsed a proposal that lets Austria modify its 1958 bilateral road-transport accord with Switzerland so cross-border coaches may pick up and set down passengers inside defined Austrian and Swiss frontier districts. The Council’s 24 February 2026 decision grants Vienna a narrow derogation from the EU’s exclusive competence over international road services.(2eu.brussels)
Under the forthcoming amendment, Swiss-licensed buses will be able to perform cabotage runs serving commuters and school pupils between Bregenz, Dornbirn and Feldkirch in Vorarlberg and neighbouring St. Gallen and Graubünden, while Austrian operators will enjoy mirror rights across the border.
If cross-border commuters or visiting passengers need help navigating visa or residency formalities, VisaHQ offers an efficient solution. Through its dedicated Austria page (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) the service provides streamlined online applications, expert checks and real-time status updates, ensuring that both EU and non-EU nationals can sort out any required travel documentation quickly and compliantly before boarding one of the new coach services.
![EU Gives Austria Green Light to Allow Limited Swiss Coach Cabotage in Border Districts]()
Cabotage rights will be capped at 40 seats per vehicle and require electronic passenger manifests, ensuring the measure remains a “targeted, proportionate response” to daily mobility needs rather than a back-door liberalisation of the entire market.
For employers the change promises more frequent, lower-cost coach links between Swiss industrial hubs and Austrian labour catchment areas. Alpine factories recruiting shift workers from Vorarlberg—and tech firms in Lake Constance recruiting Swiss coders—stand to benefit from cheaper commutes versus rail. Austrian operators gain access to lucrative Swiss ski-transfer traffic, subject to local VAT registration.
The Federal Ministry for Climate Action (BMK) says implementing legislation and route licensing guidelines will be issued by June so services can launch with the winter timetable (13 December 2026). Corporate travel programmes using contracted shuttles should watch for new tender opportunities and revise duty-of-care assessments to include Swiss cabotage operators that will now fall under Austrian passenger-rights enforcement.
Under the forthcoming amendment, Swiss-licensed buses will be able to perform cabotage runs serving commuters and school pupils between Bregenz, Dornbirn and Feldkirch in Vorarlberg and neighbouring St. Gallen and Graubünden, while Austrian operators will enjoy mirror rights across the border.
If cross-border commuters or visiting passengers need help navigating visa or residency formalities, VisaHQ offers an efficient solution. Through its dedicated Austria page (https://www.visahq.com/austria/) the service provides streamlined online applications, expert checks and real-time status updates, ensuring that both EU and non-EU nationals can sort out any required travel documentation quickly and compliantly before boarding one of the new coach services.
Cabotage rights will be capped at 40 seats per vehicle and require electronic passenger manifests, ensuring the measure remains a “targeted, proportionate response” to daily mobility needs rather than a back-door liberalisation of the entire market.
For employers the change promises more frequent, lower-cost coach links between Swiss industrial hubs and Austrian labour catchment areas. Alpine factories recruiting shift workers from Vorarlberg—and tech firms in Lake Constance recruiting Swiss coders—stand to benefit from cheaper commutes versus rail. Austrian operators gain access to lucrative Swiss ski-transfer traffic, subject to local VAT registration.
The Federal Ministry for Climate Action (BMK) says implementing legislation and route licensing guidelines will be issued by June so services can launch with the winter timetable (13 December 2026). Corporate travel programmes using contracted shuttles should watch for new tender opportunities and revise duty-of-care assessments to include Swiss cabotage operators that will now fall under Austrian passenger-rights enforcement.
