PRESS RELEASE : Failure to comply with Bus Open Data regulations leads to financial penalty for operator Thandi Red [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 4 May 2023.

At a recent public inquiry, PSV operator Thandi Red Ltd were found to have failed to comply with the Public Service Vehicles (Open Data) (England) Regulations 2020, in particular having failed to provide location data for the vehicles operating the registered services.

The Traffic Commissioner for the West Midlands, Miles Dorrington, imposed a financial penalty under section 155 of the Transport Act 2000 of £1500, based on a £100 penalty for each of the vehicles authorised on the operator’s licence.

This case is one of the first referred to a traffic commissioner that includes a failure to comply with regulations that have required data to be provided since 2021. Operators of local services should ensure they meet all obligations in running local services and seek the help from the BODS Helpdesk who can be contacted at:

Email: bodshelpdesk@kpmg.co.uk​

Phone: 0800 028 0930​

The traffic commissioner also considered serious matters related to the maintenance arrangements of the company and said “The repute of the operator is badly tarnished and that of the transport manager is hanging by a thread.” as he reduced the authorisation of the operator’s licence from 20 vehicles to 15 vehicles for 14 days.