Terms and Conditions of Carriage

Diamond Bus Ltd, Diamond Bus (North West) Ltd, Diamond Bus (East Midlands) Ltd and Hallmark Connections Ltd (t/a Diamond Bus South East)

These Terms and Conditions of Carriage (“Terms and Conditions”) are an important document. They are deemed to be incorporated into and to be conditions of your travel on our buses and your use of our products and services. They may change from time to time and the latest version shall apply.

Diamond Bus values your custom and will endeavour to ensure you travel safely and in comfort on a clean, reliable bus service. This policy contains the Conditions under which we carry you and applies to anyone who travels with us. Our Conditions are consistent with the relevant statutory regulations, including those relating to the conduct of passengers and lost property and do not affect your statutory rights. Conditions may vary on certain services operated on behalf of other organisations. Any variations will be publicised locally. Entrance into any of the company’s vehicles or premises confirms acceptance of these conditions.

General Conditions

We aim to provide a safe, reliable and punctual service but there are occasions when we are simply unable to run as advertised due to factors outside our control such as road works, diversions, exceptional traffic congestion, major events, extreme weather conditions and other unforeseen operating circumstances.

Wherever possible, we will take reasonable steps to advise you of any disruption to services but, in the event of cancellation, delay, diversion or termination of any service or the service being unavailable to you as a result of the vehicle being fully loaded or for any other reasons, we shall not be liable for losses, damages, cost or inconvenience that you suffer as a result.

We reserve the right, for operational or other reasons, to alter, suspend or withdraw services, conditions or fares at any time.

We do not guarantee that services will connect unless we specifically advertise a guaranteed connection.

We do not in any way exclude or limit our liability for death or personal injury resulting from our negligence nor are your statutory rights as a consumer affected.

Entrance into any of our premises or vehicles confirms acceptance of these conditions.

Conduct of Passengers

Traveling by bus means you share the space with other people. You must therefore do nothing which endangers or causes discomfort to any other person on the bus. We reserve the right to refuse you entry, or require you to leave our buses or premises at any time, should we have reason to believe that your behaviour jeopardises the safety, security and comfort of others.

When traveling with us:

  • You must not smoke – either conventional tobacco products or any form of electronic cigarettes or personal vapourisers
  • You must behave in a manner that is not abusive or threatening and does not cause offence to other customers or staff.
  • You must refrain from eating and drinking on the vehicle.
  • No alcohol may be consumed on our vehicles, and you must not bring opened bottles, cans or other containers of alcohol onto our vehicles.
  • For guidance purposes: prohibited articles shall include but are not limited to the following: food and drinks or other fluids in non-spill proof or open containers; opened bottles or other containers of alcoholic drinks (ie; unopened alcoholic drinks can be carried on condition that they remain unopened during transit, alcoholic drinks that have been opened may not be carried at all); drugs or other illegal substances.
  • Refrain from leaving rubbish or discarded items on the bus.
  • You must not be wearing soiled working clothes or carrying any soiled items which might stain the seats etc
  • Follow the instructions of our staff and act in a manner which shows due regard for the safety and comfort of other customers and company employees, including not standing adjacent to emergency exits, the vehicle entrance, next to the driver or sitting in gangways, on staircases or standing upstairs on a double deck vehicle.
  • Notify a member of staff immediately if you sustain an injury whilst boarding, travelling on or getting off a bus.
  • Follow the directions of staff concerning the maximum number of standing passengers that a bus is permitted to carry. All of our vehicles contain clear signage setting out their standing capacity.
  • Except in an emergency, you must not talk to the driver whilst the bus is moving, obstruct the driver’s vision or otherwise distract him.
  • Have due regard at all times for the needs of our elderly, young and disabled customers and, in particular, vacate seats and spaces designed for the elderly and disabled when requested.
  • You must not distribute leaflets, papers or other articles, or offer anything for sale or collect for charity, without our prior written consent.
  • You must not interfere with equipment fitted on the vehicle.
  • You must not deliberately damage or deface any part of the vehicle.

Intending customers who, in the opinion of the driver or other company officer, appear likely to behave in an antisocial manner may not be allowed to travel.

If you are in breach of these and other statutory regulations you will be obliged to give your name and address to a company officer or may be restrained or removed from the bus or our premises by a company officer, a police officer or a community support officer and refused further travel without refund. We also reserve the right to take any other measures we consider necessary to protect the safety and comfort of our customers and staff including temporarily or permanently banning you from travelling with us following an incident of misconduct.

Buses and premises may be fitted with audio CCTV to provide added security for our customers and staff. Appropriate signage will be in place where audio CCTV is in use and the video and sound recordings used solely for the monitoring of safety, security, service quality and in support of relevant criminal and civil legal proceedings and complaint investigation. Images of you may be provided to the police, VOSA, the Traffic Commissioner or any other enforcement agency at their reasonable request.

Whilst we will do everything we reasonably can to control conduct of other customers, we cannot be held responsible for their conduct.

Getting on and off the bus

In most urban areas, buses will normally pick up and set down passengers at marked bus stops. In busy areas, certain stops will be allocated to specific services. If you are waiting for a service, we recommend you to indicate to the driver as the bus approaches. This shows the driver that you wish to board that service and ensures that the driver has clearly seen you and can safely stop.

You must not attempt to board or alight from a moving bus or from a bus which is stationary at a point which is not a designated bus stop such as traffic lights and road works etc.

You must not attempt to board a bus once it has left its designated stand in any bus station.

You must not use the emergency exits on any vehicle except in a genuine emergency.

In certain areas there are no designated bus stops (the timetables will highlight these areas as Hail and Ride) and, in those areas, buses will stop on request where it is safe to do so. You should always pick a point away from parked cars, road junctions, etc and give a clear signal in good time to the driver of the approaching vehicle.

When you come to alight, please ring the bell once in good time to alert the driver. Whenever possible, you should remain seated FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY until the bus stops.

Carriage of Wheelchairs, Small Prams and Buggies

We are constantly investing in updating our fleet to improve access and space for disabled passengers in wheelchairs, disabled buggies and for passengers traveling with young children in small prams and buggies.

All our buses are wheelchair accessible and have an access ramp at the entrance, if you require the ramp to be lowered when you board or alight the bus, please ask your driver for assistance.

All of our buses have a dedicated wheelchair space. Non-motorised and Electric Wheelchairs must be positioned within the dedicated wheelchair space, with the brakes on and with the back of the chair against the backrest, aisles and gangways must be kept clear at all times, If the dedicated wheelchair space is already occupied by another wheelchair user, we would be unable to carry another wheelchair user on that vehicle.

Electric Wheelchairs are permitted onboard providingthe passenger is able to access the vehicle using the self-propulsion of the unit and the unit can be safely positioned within the dedicated wheelchair area. Motorised Mobility Scooters are not permitted on our vehicles.

Subject to space being available and the discretion of the driver, we will carry small prams and unfolded buggies within the designated area but only when it is not required by a passenger in a wheelchair. Prams and buggies must not block the aisle of the vehicle at any time.

You are, however, required to ensure that the designated wheelchair space is made available if a customer wishes to board with a wheelchair or a disabled buggy.

You are required to co-operate in allowing proper use of the designated wheelchair space by vacating this space if it is required by a customer in a wheelchair or disabled buggy including repositioning small prams, folding any buggies and storing them in luggage space. Failure to comply with this requirement will comprise a breach of “Conduct of Passengers” above and may lead to further action as set out in that Section.

Carriage of Bicycles and Scooters

Non-folding bicycles are not permitted on Diamond Bus vehicles. Folding bicycles, safely and securely stowed in the designated luggage area in a suitable bag or box, may be carried on all vehicles.

Non-motorised scooters may be carried on vehicles providing they are securely stored in the lower deck luggage area. Non-motorised scooters may not be carried on the upper deck of double deck vehicles.

E-bikes and E-Scooters are not permitted to be carried on any Diamond Bus vehicle

Luggage

In the interests of the safety and comfort of all of our customers, we restrict the size, type and quantity of luggage or other belongings which you can bring onto our buses and reserve the right to refuse permission for you to bring any item onto our buses.

We reserve the right, at the discretion of the driver, to refuse any large, unsuitable or awkward packages or an excessive amount of personal hand luggage.

You remain responsible for any items you bring. You may not be allowed to travel if, for example, the available space for carriage of luggage is already full or, if, in the opinion of the driver, your luggage or belongings will block gangways and access to emergency exits on the bus.

We cannot be held responsible for any loss or inconvenience to you if you are refused travel under these circumstances.

We reserve the right to request that you open any article of luggage for inspection by the driver or other company officer in your presence if, for reasons of security, it is considered necessary to do so.

Fragile items such as electronic goods, portable televisions, computers, radios etc will only be carried if they are of reasonable size and securely packed. We will not be responsible for damage to such items however caused.

Paint may only be carried in original and properly sealed containers of 5 litres or less.

Certain items cannot be carried under any circumstances in the interests of safety. These include accumulators, explosives, ammunition, weapons and combustible or otherwise hazardous materials including petrol.

Animals

Guide dogs, hearing or assistance dogs accompanying registered disabled persons are carried free of charge at any time. Assistance dogs should wear their harness or identification jacket when traveling.

Accompanied, well behaved dogs or other small animals which will not be a danger or a nuisance for other customers or our staff may be allowed to travel with you on our buses at the discretion of the driver who may reasonably decide where on the bus the animal is best carried.

Dogs that are permitted travel must be kept on a harness or a lead at all times and where appropriate should be muzzled in accordance with the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Other small animals may be permitted to travel but they must be fully under your control by being caged, boxed or kept on a lead. Animals must not be allowed to sit on the seats and should not block the aisles of exits of the vehicle.

If you bring an animal onto a bus, you will be held responsible for any damage, loss or injury arising from its presence on the bus. You should also be aware that the driver will have full control of the situation and can at any time refuse travel, including if a passenger makes the driver aware of an allergy to any animal being carried on the service. If requested the animal and owner should leave the vehicle.

For the avoidance of doubt, livestock and any other large animals may be refused travel.

Lost Property

We will do all that we reasonably can to locate and return any property left on our premises or on one of our buses to its owner. If lost property is not claimed within a month, we will become the owner of the property and will dispose of it appropriately.

If you find lost property on a bus, you must hand it to the driver. Providing the item is not perishable or objectionable, we will keep it for 4 Weeks. If you claim any item of lost property, you will be required to satisfy us that the item belongs to you, give us your name and address and you may be charged an administration fee.

If the lost property is perishable and is not claimed within 24 hours of being found, we will dispose of it as we think fit. If perishable property is, or becomes, objectionable or a health risk before the end of the 24 hour period, we reserve the right to destroy or dispose of it at any time.

If the lost property is contained in a package, bag or other container, we may open it and examine it in order to trace the owner or identify the nature and value of the lost property.

To reclaim lost property, you should contact Diamond Bus or Diamond Bus North West. Contact details for our regional operations can be found at www.diamondbuses.com

Under normal circumstances, you will need to collect the lost property from the depot at which the lost property is being stored (usually the depot which operates the service on which the property was found). You will need to pay the cost of postage and packaging in advance if we agree to post the property back to you. Our arrangements comply with the relevant legislation.

Fares and Ticketing

Fare information is available on our website at www.diamondbuses.com.

Whenever you board a bus you must either:

Show the driver a valid prepaid ticket, pass, M-ticket or other form of authority to travel.

When traveling with a Smartcard, magnetic pass or QR Code, it must be presented to the reading equipment so that its validity may be checked and your journey recorded.

Or:

Pay the fare for the journey you intend to take to the driver whether specifically requested to do so or not.

Where you make payment to the driver, you should ensure that you are given a new ticket issued from the ticket machine which corresponds with the amount you have paid and is valid for your entire journey.

We do not accept payment by cheque, credit card or foreign currency on our buses. However, contactless payment debit cards are accepted on Diamond Buses for the purchase of any ticket(s) up to the value of £45.00. Apple Pay and Google Pay are also accepted on-board. Tickets and passes may be purchased online from our website at www.diamondbuses.com or from our mobile tickets app.

Our drivers are not issued with a cash float, and so in some circumstances may not be able to give the correct change if you are unable to pay the precise fare. In the event that our drivers do not have sufficient change at the time of disembarking, the driver will write the value of the amount owed on the back of your ticket, along with their driver number and bus number. You should then contact our Customer Services department to reclaim your change.

Certain Vouchers or Warrants may be used instead of cash. Appropriate details are normally set out on the Voucher or Warrant.

You must retain your ticket, pass or other relevant documentation for inspection by a Company Official on demand throughout your journey. If you are unable to show this, or if it has expired or been altered or tampered with, you will be liable to pay a fare for the journey which may be a Standard Fare depending on the circumstances. We will not refund you this fare if you later find the missing ticket or other document. We reserve the right to refuse travel to anyone who presents a ticket which has been obtained fraudulently or which is damaged.

When you complete the journey for which you have paid or the validity of your pass or other relevant documentation expires, you must leave the bus or pay a fresh fare to your intended destination.

It is your responsibility to have a valid ticket for the whole journey and to carry any associated identification required for the purchase of the ticket you hold, such as student ID, proof of age etc, with you whilst traveling.

You are liable to prosecution if you do not hold a valid ticket, pass or other relevant documentation, or your ticket is found to have been used fraudulently.

Single or return fares purchased on bus are normally calculated with reference to fare stages. If you board a bus at a location which is not a fare stage, you will be charged from the previous stage. Similarly, if you alight at a location which is not a fare stage, you will be charged to the subsequent fare stage. In certain areas a number of stops may be grouped together as one fare stage.

You may not break your journey when traveling on a single or return fare.

Where available, return tickets are valid only on the day of purchase, unless clearly advertised otherwise, and sometimes have time restrictions as to their validity. It is your responsibility to check the validity conditions of a return ticket. Return tickets should be purchased from the driver of the bus on the outward journey and presented to the driver of the bus on the return journey for validation. They are valid for one single journey in each direction.

Child Fares apply to children of five years and above, but under 16 years of age.

There is no charge for up to 2 children under 5 years of age when traveling with a responsible adult passenger, providing they do not occupy a seat to the exclusion of a fare paying passenger or are seated in a buggy in an appropriate space on the vehicle. Additional children will be charged as if they were aged 5 or over.

We have a range of travel products. Full details of availability, price, validity and terms and conditions can be found on www.diamondbuses.com.

M-Tickets

Selected tickets and passes are available on the Diamond Bus Mobile App as M-tickets. These tickets are stored within your app wallet on your mobile phone and must be presented on your phone to the driver for validation when boarding. Following visual validation by the driver the M-ticket QR Code should be presented to the Ticket Machine scanner to record your journey.

It is the customers responsibility to ensure you have sufficient Internet Data and Phone Battery levels to ensure you can access your M-ticket at all times during your journey. If you are unable to produce a valid M-ticket during your journey you will be liable to pay the full fare for your journey.

As a security measure Diamond M-tickets require internet access when being used. The QR Code data within the M-ticket will refresh on a regular basis to validate the ticket and ensure it is not being used fraudulently. A live, activated and valid M-ticket must be shown at all times. Screen shots or photographs of M-tickets are NOT accepted as valid forms of tickets.

Diamond M-tickets require the upload of a photograph of the pass holder for the purpose of authenticating your ticket. You are requested at the time of purchase to confirm that your ticket profile image is a True Likeness image as this will be used by the driver and inspectors to validate your ticket.

If the photo ID presented on your Diamond M-ticket is not a true likeness, you may be refused travel and requested to purchase an additional ticket to undertake your journey. If your ticket is examined by an inspector and found to be showing an inappropriate photograph, your ticket number will be recorded and your bus pass suspended until a correct image is uploaded to your account.

Regular monitoring exercises will be undertaken on M-tickets by Diamond Inspectors, any M-tickets found to be used fraudulently on the network will be electronically cancelled and customers notified via the email address registered to their M-ticket Account.

Refund Policy

Decisions on applications for ticket, travel or smartcard refunds will only be made at our entire discretion, without precedent, and any refund agreed may be subject to a reasonable administration charge.

Where cash/cheque/card refunds are not available, we will provide customers with a promo code to redeem against their next pass purchase on the Diamond Bus App, alternatively we may provide 'gifted' replacement tickets through our website, which can be opened and used via our app to travel.

Customers who request a refund for paper tickets purchased on bus or via a Travel Shop, will be requested to provide proof of purchase of their original ticket.

Pausing M-Tickets

Customers are reminded that unactivated M-tickets can remain unactivated in their app wallet until required, therefore please do not activate your m-ticket unless you know you will travel for its full duration.

We have a new facility available on the Diamond Bus App for us to be able to Pause customers m-tickets if they are affected by being unable to use their passes at this time.

For customers who currently find they are unable to use their m-tickets to go to work, school or college you can now contact us and request that your M-ticket is paused until you are able to travel once again. We hope that this new function will significantly help those whose jobs and schooling have been affected by lockdowns.

If you have an activated ticket that you will be unable to use, please contact our customer services department by email, you will need to provide us with some information in order for us to pause your ticket for you:

  • Full name & email address of the person the m-ticket is registered to.
  • The ticket ID number. 

Our customer services team will then be able to pause the ticket for you. 

In order to use your M-ticket when you are ready to travel again, simply log into your account on the Diamond Bus app, you will see that your ticket has been paused in your tickets wallet and you can simply click on “Resume” to make your ticket live again.

To pause your ticket, please email the above details to:

Diamond Midlands: comments@diamondbuses.com
Diamond North West: commentsdiamondbusnorthwest@rotala.co.uk 
Diamond South East: Comments-DiamondSE@rotala.co.uk

Please note, it is only possible to pause and reactivate a ticket once and when re-activated it cannot be paused a second time. This facility is available on week, month or annual passes it is not available on day tickets or multi-journey tickets. We are currently unable to pause and reactivate Termlink passes as they have set term-time expiry dates.

Unactivated m-tickets can remain in your app wallet unactivated for up to a year (unless otherwise specified), therefore if you have not activated your ticket you do not need to contact us to pause the ticket for you.

Concessionary Travel Schemes

Concessionary travel schemes for many categories of passenger are operated by all local authorities in England, the Scottish and Welsh Governments.

The terms, conditions and rules applying to these schemes are the responsibility of the pass issuing authority.
When traveling on Diamond Bus vehicles, concessionary passengers must additionally comply with all aspects of these Conditions.

Complaints

We welcome suggestions and complaints because they help us to improve our services and put things right when they have gone wrong. We want people to contact us rather than just stop using our services. We will handle complaints with tact and consideration. When we have failed, we will offer a sincere, speedy apology and a genuine commitment to avoiding a repetition.

Information on how to contact our Customer Services department is available on buses, in timetables and information leaflets and on our website www.diamondbuses.com.

All suggestions and complaints whether in writing, by email, in person or by telephone will be investigated and dealt with.

We will provide a response as quickly as possible, even if this is initially to explain what investigation needs to take place and how long this will take. A full investigation can take some time to complete, but we always aim to respond back to you within 28 days. Our full Customer Care Policy is available at here.

When comments or complaints are about matters outside our control, we will forward them to the relevant organisation and explain that we have done this.

The Bus Appeals Body in England and Wales is a non statutory committee offering an independent review of complaints arising from the operation of local bus and scheduled coach services. If you are not satisfied with our response you are able to forward your complaint to them for further investigation.

Data Protection

In any circumstances where we collect your personal data, in connection with a retail transaction, a customer survey or other purpose, we will only collect and process your data in accordance with the principles contained in the Data Protection Act 1998. Our Privacy Policy can be viewed here.

Amendments

These Conditions may be amended at any time and any revision will be advertised on www.diamondbuses.com.

Legal Notice

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.

Should any provision of these Conditions be invalid or unenforceable this shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions.

These Conditions constitute the entire agreement between Diamond Bus Ltd, Diamond Bus (North West) Ltd, Hallmark Connections Ltd (t/a Diamond Bus South East) and its customers. None of our employees are entitled to alter or vary any of the provisions of these Conditions.