How we can help
If your journey was outside of London or Northern Ireland, happened in the last 12 months and you’ve already contacted the operator, we can help.
For complaints about journeys in London contact London TravelWatch
For Northern Ireland contact the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland
Bus Users UK employs eight ADR officials including five case handlers and three managers. They are employed on a permanent basis after a rigorous interview process to ensure competency.
Our ADR team can help with complaints on most aspects of a registered bus or coach journey, from the attitude of the driver, to the condition of the vehicle, accessibility issues or personal injury.
We can’t help with commercial or policy decisions, complaints from pedestrians or other road users, nor any complaint subject to legal action. If you’re under 16, we’ll need the consent of a parent or guardian.
Our complaints service is free to use and there is no financial limit on cases.
We use mediation to resolve complaints and we follow all relevant codes of practice and meet the requirements of passenger rights and other prevailing laws.
What you need to know
Before we can get involved, you need to contact the bus or coach operator with your complaint, giving them 14 working days to respond.
If you don’t receive a response or you’re not happy with the response, you can get in touch with us or make your complaint online
What happens next?
- We’ll send you confirmation that we’ve received your complaint
- If we can’t help, we’ll let you know within 14 working days
- If we can help, we’ll issue a complaints’ reference number
- We’ll forward your complaint to the operator for investigation – they’ll have 14 working days to respond
- If you’re happy with the proposed solution, the operator will have 14 working days to honour the agreement
- If that happens, we’ll close the case
- Should they fail to offer a satisfactory solution, eligible cases can be taken to the final appeal panel
- The panel will make its decision within 60 days
- The average resolution time for a complaint handled by Bus Users UK once we have all the relevant information is 12 days
Your rights
You can seek legal advice at any point, although it isn’t necessary in order to pursue a complaint.
We’ll keep you informed of progress at every stage and you can withdraw a complaint from Bus Users UK whenever you choose.
If you’re not happy with the way Bus Users UK has handled your complaint, please email complainaboutbususers@bususers.org
See our full ADR Complaints Process