Transport Act 2000

Bus services: ticketing schemes

135 Joint and through ticketing schemes

(1) A local transport authority, or two or more such authorities acting jointly, may make a ticketing scheme covering the whole or any part of their area, or combined area, if they consider that the proposed scheme—

(a) would be in the interests of the public, and

(b) would to any extent implement the policies set out in their bus strategy.

(2) A ticketing scheme may not be made unless the authority or authorities have complied with the notice and consultation requirements imposed by section 136.

(3) A ticketing scheme is a scheme under which operators of local services of a class specified in it are required to make and implement arrangements under which persons may purchase, in a single transaction, a ticket (or tickets) of any of the descriptions which may be covered by a ticketing scheme and to which the scheme applies.

(4) The descriptions of tickets which may be covered by a ticketing scheme are—

(a) tickets entitling the holder to make more than one journey on particular local services or on local services of a class specified in the scheme (whether or not operated by the same person),

(b) tickets entitling the holder to make a particular journey on two or more local services (whether or not operated by the same person),

(c) where a particular journey could be made on local services provided by any of two or more operators, tickets entitling the holder to make the journey on whichever service the holder chooses, and

(d) tickets entitling the holder to make a journey, or more than one journey, involving both travel on one or more local services and travel by one or more connecting rail or tram services.

(5) A connecting rail or tram service, in relation to a ticketing scheme, is a service for the carriage of passengers by railway or by tramway (or by both) which runs between—

(a) a station or stopping place at or in the vicinity of which local services stop and which serves any part of the area to which the ticketing scheme relates, and

(b) any other place.

(6) Different arrangements may be specified in a ticketing scheme for different cases.

(7) In carrying out their functions under this Part in relation to ticketing schemes, local transport authorities must co-operate with one another.

(8) In considering whether to make a ticketing scheme, a local transport authority must have regard to the desirability, in appropriate cases, of making a scheme jointly with another authority.

136 Notice and consultation requirements

(1) If an authority or authorities propose to make a ticketing scheme, they must give notice of the proposed scheme in at least one newspaper circulating in the area to which it relates.

(2) The notice must specify the date on which the scheme is proposed to come into operation.

(3) After giving notice of the proposed scheme, the authority or authorities must consult—

(a) all operators of local services who would, in the opinion of the authority or authorities, be affected by it,

(b) such organisations appearing to the authority or authorities to be representative of users of local services as they think fit, and

(c) the traffic commissioner for each traffic area covering the whole or part of the area to which it relates.

137 Making of scheme

(1) If the authority or authorities decide that it is appropriate to make the scheme, they may make it as proposed or with modifications.

(2) If the scheme applies to tickets within section 135(4)(d), it may only be made with the agreement of the operators of the connecting rail or tram services concerned.

(3) The scheme must specify the date on which it is to come into operation, which must not be earlier than three months after the date on which it is made.

(4) Not later than 14 days after the date on which the scheme is made, the authority or authorities must give notice of it—

(a) in at least one newspaper circulating in the area to which it relates,

(b) to the traffic commissioner for each traffic area covering the whole or part of that area,

(c) to all operators of local services or services for the carriage of passengers by railway or by tramway (or by both) who would, in the opinion of the authority or authorities, be affected by it,

(d) to the Strategic Rail Authority if it applies to tickets within section 135(4)(d), and

(e) in such other manner, or to such other persons or class of person, (if any) as the appropriate national authority may prescribe by regulations.

(5) The notice must set out the terms of the scheme and the date on which it is to come into operation.

(6) The authority or authorities may vary or revoke the scheme; and the variation or revocation is subject to the same procedure as the making of the scheme, except to the extent that that procedure is modified by regulations made by the appropriate national authority.

138 Effect of scheme

During any period in which a ticketing scheme is in operation, operators of local services to which the scheme relates must make and implement the arrangements required by the scheme.