West of England Bus Passenger Charter 

12 bus operators, 1 set of commitments. Our plan to improve bus services in the West of England. 

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Introduction Purpose of this charter Who has signed up to this charter?  Our commitments Feedback, and what you can expect in return Scope of the charter

Introduction

Dan Norris (West of England Metro Mayor)

Buses are essential for many people. Vital to get to work, school, the doctors, the shops, or to meet up with family and friends. Millions of people across the West of England successfully travel by bus every year. 

But bus travel is not always what it should be. We have a clear plan of how we’re going to improve bus travel. However, we know we can’t change everything on our own. So, as Metro Mayor for the West of England, I am really pleased that we’ve been able to bring all 12 bus operators in both our areas together, for the very first time, to agree a set of standards that we need to achieve to make our buses better for everyone.  

Some of these are ambitious. Most will be challenging. But this is what our bus services need to deliver – and what ultimately you as passengers should be able to expect every time you wait at a stop or get on a bus in the West of England.  

This is work in progress. For example, we know buses are not as reliable or as punctual as they should be. And we can’t change everything overnight. This charter acknowledges that with realistic targets for the year ahead, plus longer-term ultimate goals. Moving forward, each year, we will set progressively tougher targets, until those goals are reached.

Councillor Mike Bell (Leader of North Somerset Council)

North Somerset communities tell us they want more reliable, frequent and affordable bus services – and that’s what we’re working together to better deliver. The new Passenger Charter is another key step forward in helping achieve this. 

For the first time, all 12 bus operators in the region have pledged to deliver an agreed set of standards, known as the Bus Passenger Charter. It clearly sets out what you can expect when travelling by bus in North Somerset or the wider West of England area and aims to improve the quality of bus travel. It also provides you with an effective way to give feedback – which will be listened to. 

Good bus services are important to us all and we have a clear ambition of how we want to improve bus services across our region. You tell us on a daily basis what went well and where we need to improve. This is our collective commitment to work together to continue to raise standards for all bus users across our region. 

We’ll continue working closely with bus operators, holding them to account on the passenger charter standards and listening and learning from your feedback to ensure our bus services better meet your needs now and into the future. 

Purpose of this charter

The purpose of this charter is to drive improvements to bus services across the West of England. It establishes a consistent standard for services to meet now, plus improvements to be made, regardless of bus company or location. It also clearly sets out how to feedback when you feel your expectations are not being met. 

The charter applies to bus journeys that take place wholly within the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and North Somerset Council regions. Together, we’ve worked with the bus operators – big or small, and local councils to agree a series of commitments to make bus travel better for everyone. 

Who has signed up to this charter? 

Our commitments

  • We commit to providing bus services that become more trusted to get you to your destination in a timely manner. That means buses that normally run no more than 1 minute early or 5 minutes late. 

    Our aims:  

    We know that punctuality is something that matters to you, and we have a stretching target to reach 95% of buses running no more than 1 minute early or 5 minutes late.   

    We know we are not near that target today, but we are committed to making changes to get there.  

    Our target for this year is 82% of services running no more than 1 minute early or 5 minutes late from timing points*. Every year we will be increasing this target.  

    To hold ourselves accountable and show our commitment to improving punctuality, we will monitor our performance and make the results publicly available every 6 months. 

    *timing points – When bus companies create their schedules, specific bus stops act as reference points to check if the bus is arriving earlier, on time, or later than expected. Public bus schedules often show only the times for these bus stops – known as “timing points”.  

  • We are committed to improving the quality of buses and bus stops; prioritising comfort, convenience, and your safety, so that you experience a positive journey from start to finish. 

    Our aims:  

    • Clean buses, inside and out, including regular removal of graffiti.
    • Comfortable buses equipped with heating and lighting systems.
    • All buses will have CCTV, for your safety and security.
    • Welcoming bus drivers, trained in customer care.
    • New bus stops and waiting areas that are assessed to ensure they are well lit, safe to walk to, and not on busy roads.
    • Damaged or vandalised bus stops and waiting areas will be fixed within 3 months of being reported, (Visit our help centre for who to contact to report an issue with a bus stop or waiting area.)
    • Bus shelters that are regularly cleaned and maintained.

  • We are committed to making bus travel as affordable and attractive as possible; ensuring fares and tickets are easy to purchase and understand.  

    Our aims: 

    • Fares that are good value for money.  
    • Fares and tickets that are easy to understand. 
    • Tickets that can be used on multiple buses and allow unlimited weekly and monthly travel.  
    • Comprehensive fares information available on WEST. Visit our bus fares page to find out more.  
    • Contactless payment facilities available on all buses, with the option remaining to pay by cash (except metrobus). Please note that not all buses will be able to offer change.  

  • We are committed to trying to keep you informed with increasingly accurate, up-to-date information to support you making your journey.  

    Our aims: 

    • Accurate information provided on bus stop timetables, leaflets, maps, Traveline, WEST website and apps. 
    • Real time information will be improved and added to more stops. 
    • To inform you in advance of network and timetable changes, and planned disruption. Visit our travel updates page to find out about travel related disruptions, services changes, roadworks, and closures. 
    • Bus timetables will only be changed twice a year, except in situations where long-term roadworks and road closures occur. 

  • We are committed to improving the accessibility of bus services. We will work to remove barriers so that more people can use our services comfortably and safely. 

     

    Our aims 

    • Bus drivers trained in disability awareness, who will assist if you have additional access needs. 
    • A dedicated space for a wheelchair on the bus.  

Feedback, and what you can expect in return

  • Feedback from you, good or bad, helps us to make bus services better. This could be suggestions on how to improve, comments on the bus frequency or network, or a complaint if we get something wrong.  

     

    We are committed to: 

    • providing you with an appropriate and timely response to any feedback you share with us. 
    • responding to any complaints appropriately, either by investigating the issue, explaining why the issue occurred or letting you know what action has been taken to ensure the problem does not happen again.  
    • resolving any complaints in a timely, fair, and efficient manner. 

    Our aim:  

    Feedback and complaints will be acknowledged as soon as possible, and we will provide a response or resolution within 15 days.  

    Who to contact 

    If you are not satisfied with how a complaint has been handled, you can ask for an independent review by:  

     

    If you are not satisfied with the conduct or the handling of a complaint by the local authorities, you can contact: 

    The Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman, website: lgo.org.uk 

  • We know how frustrating it can be when your bus journey doesn’t go to plan, therefore, you can make a travel claim for an equivalent free journey ticket for the instances outlined below:  

    • A service that departs from a timing point* more than 3 minutes early. 
    • A service that departs from a boarding stop more than 20 minutes late for reasons within the operator’s control. 
    • Failure to operate an advertised service for reasons within the operator’s control.  
    • A service that breaks down while you are travelling on it.  

    Reasons that are within the operator’s control include leaving the bus station early/late, staff shortages, vehicle shortages and breakdowns.  

    Unfortunately, traffic congestion, road accidents, extreme weather conditions and emergency road works and closures are common reasons for buses being late. We are aiming to address these issues, but we cannot offer a free ticket under these circumstances. 

    To be eligible for the free travel you must provide details of your attempted journey (date, time, location/bus stop, service number and direction of travel), and proof of a ticket purchase for the journey in question where a ticket was held prior to boarding. You can claim by visiting the website of the operator you were travelling with. (visit our service feedback page to find your operators contact information)

    *timing points – When bus companies create their schedules, specific bus stops act as reference points to check if the bus is arriving earlier, on time, or later than expected. Public bus schedules often show only the times for these bus stops – known as “timing points”. 

  • Bus companies will always try to ensure the last bus of the day runs. If, for some reason, the last bus of the day on a route has not shown up after 20 minutes, you will be entitled to claim the cost of a reasonable, alternative method of transport home on proof of receipt and details of the cancelled journey. You can claim the cost back by contacting the operator who was running the service.

  • We commit to measuring our performance and letting you know. Every 6 months, we will report on progress towards targets in the Bus Service Improvement Plan, including our aims to improve bus journey times, punctuality, passenger satisfaction, passenger numbers and decarbonisation of the bus fleet. 

    The charter will be reviewed and updated on an annual basis. If you have any comments or queries about it, please contact [email protected] or  [email protected].  

Scope of the charter

  • No single organisation is responsible for every commitment in this charter. It represents the collective commitments of all those who have signed up to it. The Feedback section explains more about where responsibilities lie. If you would like to know more about who is responsible for a specific area of the charter, please contact: [email protected]  or [email protected] 
  • Personal data will be handled in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation. 
  • The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities. 
  • The charter does not affect your legal rights in any way. Each bus operator has their own conditions of carriage which can be found on operators’ websites. 

Please note that the following types of service are not covered by the charter: 

  • Long distance coaches  
  • Community buses  
  • Those that consist of no more than two timetabled journeys per day  
  • Those not available to the general public  
  • Those to schools and colleges outside the area  
  • Special services to sporting and other events 
  • Those that cross into neighbouring areas and do not carry local passengers in the West of England area. 

WESTlink: This passenger charter does not currently apply to WESTlink while the service is in its trial period. However, we continue to work with the operators to ensure they stick to standards of punctuality, cleanliness, accessibility and providing up-to-date information to passengers. If you would like to share any feedback on WESTlink, please email [email protected] or call 0117 457 8561.   

Footnote

This charter is available in other formats on request, including accessible formats. For more information, please contact [email protected]  or [email protected], or call 0117 374 1265.