A tourist bus driver was fined 150 euros in Vienna for allegedly driving too slowly

A 68-year-old tour bus driver was fined €150 in Vienna for allegedly driving too slowly and obstructing traffic. The man, who transports groups of tourists around the Austrian capital almost every day, says the penalty is absurd and intends to contest it.

The incident occurred on Opernring, near the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The driver was approaching an intersection when the traffic light was red and he slowed down. According to his account, a police officer allegedly signaled for him to speed up, but he was stopped and fined shortly afterward.

In the penalty notice, the authorities stated that he had allegedly been driving too slowly, thereby causing traffic to become blocked. The driver says nothing like this had ever happened to him in more than 40 years of driving.

He explains that during tours, he cannot constantly drive at 50 kilometers per hour because tourists need to be able to see the sights, while he provides them with information about the city. He also claims that electric tourist vehicles frequently travel along the Ringstrasse at speeds of just 10–20 kilometers per hour.

The driver further points out that, at the time he was fined, the bus was heading toward a red traffic light, so reducing speed was natural. He will contest the fine, also citing the fact that the official report does not specify the speed at which he was actually traveling.