Trading terms

ETickets for Reading RailAir and First Essex Airport services

• These tickets are issued in the form of a unique code and journey details which are emailed to the purchaser.
• The purchaser must show the ETicket(s) to a member of staff when boarding for travel on the date or dates specified.  Where applicable a new ticket will be issued by the driver.
• The ETicket will not be valid on any alternative dates.
• Period returns are valid for three calendar months from the date on the outward ticket.
• Please ensure that your journey details are correct before you purchase your tickets. You will not be permitted to travel on alternative dates.
• Should you wish to change the travel dates on your ETickets, please contact us through the `Contact Us` form at least 3 days before travel:  https://www.firstbus.co.uk/help-and-support/help-our-apps/contact-app-support
  or alternatively email your details:
• For RailAir: railair@firstbus.co.uk
  For First Essex Airport: services: firstsouthuk@firstbus.co.uk
• Once the booking has been confirmed, cancellations and refunds will only be issued up to 5 days prior to travel.
• Refunds will not be issued to unused tickets after the date of travel has passed.
• Early Bird tickets can be purchased a minimum of 2 calendar months in advance. These tickets are non-refundable. However, amendments to travel dates are permissible so long as at least 3 days prior notice to the booked travel date is provided and the change does not contravene the 2 months in advance requirement.
• Railcard discounts are not available with Early Bird tickets.

ETickets for Glasgow Airport Express

• These tickets are issued in the form of a unique code and journey details which are emailed to the purchaser.
• The purchaser must show the ETicket(s) to a member of staff when boarding for travel on the date or dates specified.  Where applicable a new ticket will be issued by the driver.
• The ETicket will not be valid on any alternative dates.
• Period returns are valid for 28 days including the date on the outward ticket.
• Please ensure that your journey details are correct before you purchase your tickets. You will not be permitted to travel on alternative dates.
• Should you wish to change the travel dates on your ETickets, please contact us through the `Contact Us` form at least 3 days before travel or alternatively contact First Glasgow. https://www.firstbus.co.uk/help-and-support/help-our-apps/contact-app-support
• Once the booking has been confirmed, cancellations and refunds will only be issued up to 3 working days prior to travel.
• Refunds will not be issued to unused tickets after the date of travel has passed.

mTickets

Mobile Tickets (mTickets) - Terms and Conditions

Important:

The Mobile Ticket App requires a continuous data connection to work properly.  Sustained loss of data connection will cause functionality to become unavailable, including the ability to access previously purchased mobile tickets.

The Mobile Ticket App relies on the date and time settings on the Smartphone being accurate at all times. If settings are changed from ‘Automatic’ or ‘Network’, currently active tickets will be automatically expired.  

We draw your attention to the provisions of clause 5. In particular, please note that we are not liable to you for any damage or alteration to your equipment, including but not limited to computer equipment, handheld devices or mobile telephones, as a result of the installation or use of the Mobile Ticket App.

1. General

1.1.   Mobile Ticketing is promoted and operated by FirstGroup plc registered in Scotland, No.SC157176.

1.2.   Mobile Ticketing refers to bus tickets which are downloaded to Smartphones, via the First Bus App.

1.3.   Purchasing Mobile Tickets confirms acceptance of these Terms & Conditions (as amended from time to time) and any other terms & conditions referred to below.

1.4.   Boarding of vehicles using Mobile Ticketing also confirms acceptance of the relevant operating company’s Conditions of Carriage, which can be found online at http://www.firstbus.co.uk The conditions of carriage can be found under the Terms and Conditions section.

1.5.   The UK bus division of FirstGroup plc (“FirstBus”) may modify these Terms & Conditions at any time at its discretion. The most up to date Terms & Conditions will be available on our website at www.firstbus.co.uk and within the Mobile Ticketing App.

1.6.   Each provision of these Terms & Conditions (as amended from time to time) shall be construed separately, applying and surviving even if for any reason one or other of those provisions is held inapplicable or unenforceable in any circumstances and shall remain in force notwithstanding the termination of these Terms & Conditions howsoever occasioned.

1.7.   No waiver by FirstBus shall be construed as a waiver of any breach of any provision of these Terms & Conditions.

1.8.   These Terms & Conditions shall be governed by English law and the parties hereby irrecoverably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

2. Devices and Data Charges

2.1.   Mobile Ticketing is only available to UK phone numbers and you will need to register your mobile phone for this service by downloading the relevant Mobile Ticketing App.

2.2.   FirstBus Mobile Ticketing is supported on Smartphones using either Apple iOS, (verions 9 or higher) or Google Android (version 7 or higher).

2.3.  Mobile Ticketing should not be used on tablets, iPads, iPods, notebooks or any  other wi-fi only device.

2.4.   Our Mobile Ticketing App is free for you to download, however, data charges may be incurred to you by your network provider. You are responsible for any such costs. FirstGroup will not take responsibility for any connectivity issues you may experience.

2.5.   The Mobile Ticket App requires a continuous data connection to work properly.  Whilst temporary loss of connection such as a signal blackspot is accommodated, sustained loss of data connection will cause functionality to become unavailable, including the ability to access previously purchased mobile tickets.

2.6.   The Mobile Ticketing application relies on the date and time settings on the Smartphone being accurate at all times. If settings are changed from ‘Automatic’ or ‘Network’, currently active tickets will be automatically expired.  Such expired tickets dues to ‘Clock Tampering’ will be reissued (within reason) upon the customer contacting our Customer Support service.  Reoccurrences may result in the customer being asked to revert to paper tickets.

3. Use

3.1.   Mobile Tickets must be purchased through the App in advance of travel. Purchasing Mobile Tickets requires either a WiFi or cellular data connection in order to complete payment and download of the ticket(s) to your Smartphone.

3.2.   Our drivers and ticket inspectors may ask for personal identification matching the passenger name shown on the Mobile Ticket. Additional ID may be required as proof of eligibility of student, young person or child tickets, as advised at the time of purchase.

3.3.   Purchased Mobile Tickets which have been activated are non-refundable and cannot be altered.

3.4.   FirstBus accepts payment through the Mobile Ticketing App using VISA and Mastercard debit and credit cards.

3.5.   Once purchased, Mobile Tickets must be activated prior to boarding and the ticket will be displayed on your Smartphone’s screen. This will need to be presented to the driver, or if a barcode is displayed, to the reader on the ticket machine. Your device must have sufficient battery charge to be able to display the ticket upon boarding and if requested to a FirstBus official throughout your journey, otherwise the cash fare for the journey will be payable.

3.6.    In case of any difficulty, the cash fare for the journey should be paid. Full details of any problems should be reported to FirstBus by using the contact form here: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/help-and-support/help-our-apps/contact-app-support

3.7.  All Mobile Tickets downloaded to your Smartphone must be used within 90 days of purchase (unless an alternative duration is mentioned in the ticket description) after which they will automatically expire.

3.8.   Mobile Tickets are locked to the registered smartphone to which they are downloaded.  At FirstBus’s discretion, they may be transferred to another device, owned by the same customer to accommodate a permanent change of handset.

3.9.   Mobile tickets may not be shared between users and FirstBus reserves the right to terminate without refund any Mobile Ticketing user account which we believe is being misused.

3.10.   Certain child and young person’s ticket may be transferred, prior to activation, by means of the Share function within the app.  These tickets are excluded from clauses 3.8 and 3.9.

3.11.   Mobile Tickets which have been activated accidentally or which have been downloaded to smartphones which have subsequently been lost or stolen are non-refundable.

3.12.   Multiple passengers cannot board with simultaneously activated tickets on one device.

4. Mobile Ticket Types and Validity

4.1.   The ticket types are subject to change – FirstBus may vary the type, price and validity of tickets available at any time.  Any changes will be notified through the App and on our website, www.firstbus.co.uk.

4.2.   To avoid confusion, the validity of mobile tickets is the same as for traditional paper variants.  i.e. the first day of validity refers to the remainder of the day of activation and a period of grace is given beyond midnight to allow local services to complete, and not a 24 hour period from the point of activation.  Similarly, a FirstWeek ticket is valid for the remainder of the day of activation, plus six further days and then a period beyond midnight on the final day, and so on for tickets of longer durations.

4.3.   The safekeeping of the Mobile Ticket is your responsibility.  In the event that the ticket or mobile phone is lost, stolen or damaged, we will be unable to provide a duplicate or replacement ticket and a new ticket will need to be purchased.

4.4.   Student tickets are subject to purchasers proving eligibility through an online validation process. Anyone purchasing a student ticket will have 30 days to provide an official university or college email address to validate their student status. Anyone failing to do so within 30 days will be notified in writing that their ticket will be withdrawn and a charge made for usage within the 30 day validation process. The charge levied will be the equivalent to the geographically relevant FirstMonth price. An additional admin charge of £10 will also be deducted to cover the cancellation and administration process. A refund of any remaining funds will be made to the customer within 14 days after the 30 day validation process. 

5. Liability

5.1.   In no event will FirstGroup / First Bus be liable for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, exemplary or consequential losses or damages of whatsoever kind arising out of your use or access to the Mobile Ticketing App, including loss of profit or the like whether or not in the contemplation of the parties, whether based on breach of contract, tort (including negligence), product liability or otherwise.

5.2.   FirstGroup is not liable to you for any damage or alteration to your equipment including but not limited to computer equipment, handheld device or mobile telephones as a result of the installation or use of the Mobile Ticketing App. Nothing in these terms and conditions shall exclude or limit FirstGroup’s liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation or any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
 

6. Privacy & Security

6.1.   FirstBus and its agents will only use the information you supply to process your purchases and maintain your account. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003. You confirm that you will only enter information about yourself and that such information is true.

6.2.   Payment card details are stored securely and will never be disclosed to anyone for purposes other than for Mobile Ticketing mobile payments initiated by you.

7. Materials, Ownership and Restrictions on Use

7.1.   The Mobile Ticketing App is owned and operated by FirstGroup and any data, text, graphics, images, audio and video clips, logos, icons, software and links and any intellectual property and other rights relating thereto, are and will remain the property of FirstGroup.

7.2.   Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may not copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit or distribute the Mobile Ticket App or any of its content without FirstGroup's prior written permission.

7.3.   Use or downloading of the mobile ticketing app is conditioned on acceptance of the terms and conditions of this agreement. By using or downloading the mobile ticketing app, you agree to such terms and conditions.

FirstStudents (Bristol and Somerset & Avon area only)

General Terms & Conditions for the issue of FirstWeek, FirstMonth & FirstSixMonths

1. Season Tickets are available from

1. Internet - www.firstbus.co.uk - payment by credit/debit card
2. Travel Shop, Bristol Bus Station, Marlbrough Street - Debit & Credit card facilities available)
3. Wells Bus Station
4. Weston-super-Mare travel shop
5. Participating local agents

2. Terms Of Use

A season ticket is issued subject to the Company's Regulations and Conditions, which may be viewed at any Company booking or enquiry office, and also subject to the following special conditions.

1. A valid First Photo ID card must accompany Child, Young Person and Student Season Tickets.
2. The Season Ticket is valid only in the specific area, up to and including the expiry date shown.
3. For each journey taken a season ticket must be produced. The ticket is not transferable.
4. Passengers not in possession of a valid season ticket and matching Photo card (if applicable) for the journey being undertaken may be liable to pay a standard fare of £30.00 and the ticket may be withdrawn.
5. The ticket remains the property of First and the company reserves the right to refuse to issue, renew or withdraw any season ticket, at any time.
6. An expired, defaced, illegible or altered season ticket is not valid and will be withdrawn.
7. The card does not provide any priority of place over any other passenger whether on the bus or in the queue, nor any right to travel on any particular journey.

3. Lost/Stolen/Damaged Tickets

1. No replacements will be made. Stolen or lost tickets will be replaced at full cost.
2. Defaced or damaged tickets will only be replaced on production of the old ticket and receipt (First Year or First Term) and an administration charge of £10.00 will be payable.
3. Student Photo Cards will be replaced on receipt of £10.00.
4. Child Photo Cards will be replaced on receipt of £5.00.

4. Refunds

1. There will be No refunds on the unused portion of First Week or First Month tickets.
2. In special circumstances, First Term and First Year tickets may be refunded at our discretion on production of the card and receipt.
3. Refunds will be subject to a £20.00 administration charge and will base on the number of weeks or months used at the current First Week and/or First Month price less any initial discount you may have received. As the cost of the season ticket has been calculated to allow for annual holidays, the validity period will not be extended for periods of non-use due to holidays or sickness.