Conditions of carriage and fair usage policy

General conditions

These Conditions of Carriage (from here onwards “Conditions”) set out the passenger’s rights and obligations whilst travelling on services operated by Shropshire Council (from here onwards “we” as the case maybe).

We aim to operate services as advertised but there may be occasions when journeys take longer than expected and/or services may need to be diverted or cancelled due to factors beyond our control. These factors may include, without limitation, traffic congestion, road traffic accidents, road works, road closures, major events, adverse weather conditions or other unforeseen operating circumstances.
To the extent possible, we will advise passengers of any disruption to our services. However, in the event of cancellation, delay, diversion or termination of any of our services, or of our services being unavailable to passengers as a result of the vehicle being fully loaded, at capacity or for any other reasons, we shall not be liable for direct or indirect losses, damages, cost or inconvenience that passengers suffer as a result, save to the extent that any losses are covered by fixed compensation schemes, which are specified locally.
Passengers are responsible for their own onward travel arrangements. We do not guarantee that our service will connect with any bus, train, or other service. Passengers should make appropriate allowances or alternative arrangements to ensure they are able to make any onward travel arrangements they have made.
We shall not be liable for any loss of or damage to customer property, including ‘lost property’ placed under our control, except as otherwise specified in these Conditions.
We do not in any way exclude or limit our liability for death or personal injury resulting from our negligence (or that of our employees or agents), nor for any other events our liability for which cannot be excluded (including, without limitation, pursuant to EU Regulation 181/2011 and associated national legislation).

Passenger conduct

Passengers must:

Not smoke or vape on board the bus at any time.
Not eat or drink on board the bus.
Refrain from consuming alcohol on board the bus.
Not leave rubbish or discarded items on the bus.
Not be wearing soiled working clothes or carrying any soiled items which might stain the seats etc.
Not play loud music or operate a personal device at a volume which may be heard by other passengers.
Not behave in an abusive or threatening manner. In the case of any violence towards the driver a permanent ban may be implemented against the rider once an incident number has been received from the police.
Always have regard for other passengers, including disabled and less mobile passengers, and vacate seats and spaces designated for the less mobile and disabled when required.
Notify a member of staff immediately if they sustain an injury whilst boarding, travelling, or alighting the vehicle.
Not stand forward of the driver.
Not talk to the driver whilst the vehicle is moving, obstruct the driver’s vision or otherwise distract them, except in an emergency.
Not interfere with equipment fitted on the vehicle.
Not deliberately damage or deface any part of the vehicle.
Wear a seatbelt if the vehicle you are travelling on is fitted with seat belts. This is a legal requirement.
Follow the directions of staff concerning the maximum number of standing passengers that a bus is permitted to carry. All our vehicles contain clear signage setting out their standing capacity.
Not distribute leaflets, papers or other articles or offer anything for sale or collect for charity without prior written consent.
Follow staff instructions.

The driver may refuse the carry any unsuitable, awkward, or hazardous items.

Passengers may be refused entry or required to leave the bus for reasons of safety or due to passenger(s) conduct.

Passengers may only get on or off the vehicle at designated bus stops or stopping points on the specific route on which travel is taking place.

Fares and ticketing

When boarding, passengers must:

Show the driver a valid ticket or pass if the ticket has been purchased via the app, please present the mobile ticket.
If the passenger has booked the journey indicating they are using an older person or disabled person concessionary bus pass this must be shown to the driver when boarding the vehicle or on request from the driver. If you have booked a journey indicating, you are a concessionary pass holder and cannot show the relevant pass you may be refused transport and asked to rebook. Please be advised that concessionary passes are accepted after 9.30am, Monday to Friday and all day on a Saturday.
Retain their ticket throughout the whole journey and allow authorised officials to check their ticket. Passengers paying a single fare, or a day return fare are not permitted to break their journey without payment of a further fare unless specified by Shropshire Council. Children under five years of age, not occupying a seat, and travelling with a fare paying or pass holding passenger, will be carried free of charge.

Young people under 19 years of age will be charged a discounted fare.

Concessionary pass holders must show their pass to the driver. The issuing authority determines the concessions of individual passes. Please be advised that concessionary bus passes are only accepted after 9.30am, Monday to Friday and all day on a Saturday.

Accompanied luggage

One suitcase or single package of reasonable dimensions (if such suitcase or package does not occupy or in the opinion of the driver interfere with the occupation of a seat) may be carried free for each fare paying passenger upon the vehicle in which the passenger travels, at the owners’ own risk. The driver may refuse to carry any unsuitable, awkward, or hazardous items.

Lost property

Passengers finding lost property must hand it in to the driver immediately. Property found or handed in to the driver will be handed in to their depot.

For lost property please email Shropshire Council’s Passenger Transport Group at connect@shropshire.gov.uk or call 0345 678 9013, providing a description of the missing item.

Perishable goods may be disposed of immediately; other items will be kept for one calendar month.

Wheelchairs, pushchairs and cycles

We will always try to use low-floor and/or wheelchair accessible vehicles wherever possible. However, there may be occasions when we cannot do so for technical, operational, or other reasons. We reserve the right to substitute without notice a low-floor or wheelchair accessible vehicle with another type of vehicle, at our absolute discretion.
Pushchairs are carried at the discretion of the driver, subject to the type of vehicle being used and the space available. The driver may require that the pushchair be folded, at the start of journey or part way through the journey if a wheelchair user wishes to board.
Wheelchairs will be carried on buses with facilities to carry wheelchairs if there is sufficient accommodation. Wheelchair users have priority over everyone else for the use of the designated wheelchair space since this is the only place in which they can travel safely.
Passengers are required to offer reasonable co-operation in allowing proper use of the designated wheelchair area. If someone in a wheelchair wishes to get on and there is space elsewhere on the vehicle, passengers will be asked by the driver to vacate the space provided it is reasonable for them to do so, including repositioning pushchairs where possible and folding any pushchairs and storing these in the luggage space where available. However, no-one already travelling will be asked to get off the bus to accommodate a wheelchair user.
The wheelchairs must be positioned against the backrest, facing backwards.
We cannot accommodate mobility scooters.
We cannot carry wheelchairs when, combined with the weight of the occupant, they are heavier than the safe working limit of the wheelchair ramp (in general, the safe working limit is 300kg of total weight although the driver will always have the discretion to evaluate and determine whether the maximum weight limit is likely to be exceeded in the circumstances).
We cannot accommodate non-folding bicycles or E-scooters.

Animals

Passenger Assistance dogs, such as Guide and Hearing dogs, will be carried free at all times
Other animals that are not considered a danger or nuisance to other passengers will be carried free at the driver’s discretion. The passenger taking the animal on the bus will be responsible for any damage, loss or injury arising from its presence. The animal must not travel on the seats.

CCTV

We may fit our vehicles and other property with CCTV to provide added security, monitor the conduct of passengers, monitor service quality, to assist us in the process of deterring smoking, vandalism, fraud, theft, anti-social behaviour and attacks on our employees and other individuals, and in support of relevant criminal and civil legal proceedings and complaint investigation. All CCTV equipment and its operation complies with the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 (including the ICO’s CCTV Code of Practice) and any subsequent amendments (“Data Protection Legislation”).
Images of passengers may be provided to the police, DVSA, the Traffic Commissioner or any other enforcement agency at their reasonable request, whether to be used as evidence in prosecuting criminal activity or in assisting the identification of individuals or otherwise.

Data protection

If we collect or otherwise process passenger personal data, we will always do so in accordance with the Data Protection Legislation.
The Data Protection Legislation creates a number of rights, including allowing passengers to request a copy of the data we hold on you.
For more information on passengers’ rights and how to use them, please see our privacy policy. If passengers would like to exercise any of their rights relating to personal data, including a request for us to provide passengers with a copy of their data, please contact the Data Protection Officer, via the contact methods set out in the Privacy Statement.

Security

Passengers must advise the driver immediately if any suspicious article or package is seen on or near a vehicle, or if any passenger is observed acting suspiciously, or if any person is seen to tamper with the vehicle.

Complaints

Passengers wishing to make a comment or complaint about the Connect on Demand service should contact Shropshire Council by telephoning 0345 786 9013 or emailing connect@shropshire.gov.uk

Limitation of liability

Journeys may take longer than expected or may need to be diverted or cancelled. Where possible, Shropshire Council will advise passengers of disruptions.
We shall not be liable for direct or indirect losses, damages, cost or inconvenience that passengers suffer as a result of cancellation, delay, diversion or termination of any of our services, or of our services being unavailable to passengers as a result of the vehicle being fully loaded, at capacity or for any other reasons, save to the extent that any losses are covered by fixed compensation schemes, which are specified locally.
These Conditions do not affect passenger’s statutory rights as a consumer that cannot be excluded as a matter of law.

Miscellaneous

The contract between Shropshire Council and passenger is limited to travel upon Shropshire Council’s own services and liability (if any) will be limited accordingly. Shropshire Council will not be liable for any loss, consequential loss, damage, or inconvenience arising from the communication of information in good faith by any of Shropshire Council’s employees
The restrictions of liability contained in these Conditions are considered by Shropshire Council to be reasonable in all circumstances. However, should any provision of these Conditions be deemed to be invalid or unenforceable this shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions.
Without prejudice to all rights and claims otherwise available to Shropshire Council, in the event that passengers breach any of the Conditions, or any other condition implied or duties owed as a matter of law (howsoever such conditions or duties arise) Shropshire Council has the right to recover compensation for all loss, injury and damage suffered by Shropshire Council a result of such breach, including but not limited to costs incurred in repairing or replacing damaged property and loss of revenue.
The governing law for these Conditions shall be the laws of England and Wales and the Courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

Fair usage policy

Issue: Customer repeatedly fails to turn up for booking (i.e. without cancelling a trip they no longer require).
Number of occurrences: More than once a week.
Remedial action: We'll contact the customer to offer support on how to cancel journeys that are no longer required. We may also advise the customer that further action may be taken (in the form of a suspension from travel) if they repeatedly fail to cancel a booking they no longer need.

Issue
Number of occurrences: More than five times in four weeks, after the customer has been contacted about the issue previously.
Remedial action: If a customer continues this pattern of behaviour, we will impose a seven-day suspension from travel.

Issue
Number of occurrences: Customer continues this pattern of behaviour after being given a travel suspension.
Remedial action: If a customer continues this pattern of behaviour after an initial suspension, we will impose a 30-day suspension from travel.

Issue: Customer repeatedly booking a journey and cancelling it at short notice (i.e. less than five minutes before booked pick up time).
Number of occurrences: More than once a week.
Remedial action: We will contact the customer to inform/remind them that bookings that are no longer required must be cancelled at least five minutes before the agreed pick-up time. We may also advise the customer that further action may be taken (in the form of a suspension from travel) if they repeatedly fail to cancel a booking they no longer need within the cancellation time.

Issue
Number of occurrences: More than five times in four weeks, after the customer has been contacted about the issue previously.
Remedial action: If a customer continues this pattern of behaviour, we will impose a seven-day suspension from travel.

Issue
Number of occurrences: Customer continues this pattern of behaviour after being given a travel suspension.
Remedial action: If a customer continues this pattern of behaviour after an initial suspension, we will impose a 30-day suspension from travel.

Issue: Customer violence, abuse or aggression toward our driver(s). Connect on Demand has a zero-tolerance policy on abuse, threats, aggression or violence towards its drivers.
Number of occurrences: Connect on Demand has a zero-tolerance policy on abuse, threats, aggression or violence towards its drivers.
Remedial action: An immediate suspension of travel will be imposed on the customer while an investigation takes place. In the case of any violence towards our drivers, a permanent ban may be implemented against the customer once an incident number is received from the police.

* Disclaimer: We reserve the right to impose a permanent ban on passengers who continue to abuse the Connect on Demand Fair Use Policy after an initial suspension has been lifted.