Your bus is off the road. Your ferry is still at sea. Your train has gone off track. Your plane is grounded. What do you do when your trip gets tripped up?

You may not know that you can claim refunds for delays or cancellations, or how to do it.

That should hopefully change under an update to EU passenger rights agreed last month, which aims to make it easier to request a refund and deal with problems.

A 2024 Eurobarometer survey said rail and air passengers are more likely to know about their rights – possibly because many of them (47% for rail and 30% for air) say they've experienced a problem in the last year.

Only 27% of long-distance bus and 13% of ferry passengers know about their rights, but these modes of transport also tend to have fewer passengers and see far fewer delays.

The updated rules set out one form that all sea, air, and bus passengers in the EU will be able to use to file for compensation if a company doesn't offer one; rail passengers already have their own form. There will also be clearer rules on getting reimbursement from a travel agency, including a seven-day limit to get your money back. Similarly to rail, bus and sea passengers will have three months to file a complaint and can go to the authorities if there's no response.

Flight passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility will be able to bring a companion with them for free if they need that person to help them travel; they already have that right for bus, train, or ship travel.

Authorities in charge of passenger rights will have more power to intervene without waiting for a passenger complaint: they'll be able to inspect or interview transport companies proactively.

These changes still need to be formally approved by the EU, so it's unclear when exactly they'll go live; but it won't be ready for this summer.

Overall, most European holiday trips are unaffected by the new rules, as more than half are by car. Unfortunately, there's no compensation for lengthy traffic jams on the long road to the sun and sea.

If you need a quick overview to prep for any travel hiccups this summer, here are your current rights for delays and cancellations for air, rail, bus, and ship passengers.

Ferries for the win on fewest delays and cancellations! Travel compensation aims to take the sting out of delays for passengers and incentivise transport companies to offer better service. But will it tempt more of us to ditch our cars?