Cookies are small bits of data stored on the device you use to access our websites or apps, which are used to recognise repeat users.

We use cookies to collect data about visitors to our websites and apps, which optimises the functionality of these services.

We use Cookies for the following main reasons:

• Collecting data about how users interact and use our services
• Make our websites and apps easier to use e.g. staying signed in for when you revisit the site
• Security reasons e.g. to authenticate your identity
• Improve our services

You can choose to remove or disable Cookies through your browser settings at any time.

The Cookies we use are:

Category	Name	Description
Internal	PHPSESSID	Anonymous cookie to help keep track of a user’s session
Cloudflare ID	__cfduid	This is used to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. For example, if the visitor is in a coffee shop where there are a bunch of infected machines, but the specific visitor’s machine is trusted (e.g. because they’ve completed a challenge within your Challenge Passage period), the cookie allows us to identify that client and not challenge them again. It does not correspond to any user ID in your web application, and does not store any personally identifiable information.
Visitor Tracking	_ga _gat_gtag_UA_* _gid	Used by Google Analytics to preserve user sessions.
Cookie Message	cookie_message_viewed	Determines if the user has seen the cookie warning.

This policy sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it.

About Us

For the purposes of the laws governing data protection in the UK, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR) the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable data protection laws that may come into force in the UK from time to time, the controller of any personal data we process about you is The Association of Local Bus Managers, Monometer House, Rectory Grove, Leigh-On-Sea SS9 2HL.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact us at: [email protected] or alternatively at our registered office address provided above.

You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.

 

About the site

The website albumbus.co.uk/ and conference.albumbus.co.uk/ may include links to third-party websites. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our Site, we encourage you to read the privacy notice of every website you visit.

Information we may collect about you

We may collect and process the following data about you:

• Information that you provide by filling in forms on our Site. This includes information provided at the time of registering to use our Site, filling out application forms or requesting further services. We may also ask you for information when you report a problem with our Site. The information we collect and process may include information about your identity and your contact details.
• If you contact us, we may keep a record of that correspondence.
• We may also ask you to complete surveys that we use for research purposes, although you do not have to respond to them.
• Details of your visits to our Site including, but not limited to, the IP address you use to access our Site, usage and traffic data, location data, weblogs and other communication data, (“Technical Data”) whether this is required for our own billing purposes or otherwise and the resources that you access.
• Information about your marketing and communications preferences.

It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if the personal data which you have provided to us changes during your relationship with us.

We also collect, use and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data. Aggregated Data may be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. For example, we may aggregate your usage data with that of other visitors to our Site to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific website feature. However, if we combine or connect Aggregated Data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used in accordance with this Privacy policy.

We do not collect any Special Categories of Personal Data about you (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health and genetic and biometric data). Nor do we collect any information about criminal convictions and offences.

How we collect your personal data

We use different methods to collect data from and about you, including through:

• direct interactions, when you provide us with information by post, phone, email, through social media or otherwise.
• automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with our Site, we may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies. We may also receive Technical Data about you if you visit other websites using our cookies. Please see below for more information on cookies IP addresses and cookies.
• third parties or publicly available sources. We may receive personal data about you from various third parties and public sources as set out below:
  • Technical Data from analytics providers such as Google, advertising networks; and search information providers;
  • contact, and financial data from providers of technical, payment and delivery services where required for investigative purposes (e.g. pursuant to a query);
  • identity and contact data from publicly availably sources such as Companies House and the Electoral Register.

IP address and cookies

We may collect information about your computer, including where available your IP address, operating system and browser type for system administration. This is statistical data about our users’ browsing actions and patterns, and does not identify any individual.

For the same reason, we may obtain information about your general internet usage by using a cookie file which is stored on the hard drive of your computer. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive. They help us to improve our Site and to deliver a better and more personalised service. They enable us:

• To estimate our audience size and usage pattern.
• To store information about your preferences, and so allow us to customise our Site according to your individual interests.
• To speed up your searches.
• To recognise you when you return to our Site.

You may refuse to accept cookies by activating the setting on your browser which allows you to refuse the setting of cookies. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Site. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you log on to our Site.

Where we store your personal data

All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers.  Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our Site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our Site and any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

How we use your information

We have set out below, in a table format, a description of all the ways we plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. We have also identified what our legitimate interests are where appropriate.

Note that we may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data.

Purpose/Activity	Type of data	Lawful basis for processing including basis of legitimate interest
To register you as a new user on our Site, and to make available any interactive content you choose to access on our Site to you	Identity and contact details	Performance of a contract with you
To manage our relationship with you which will include: (a) notifying you about changes to our terms or privacy policy (b) asking you to leave a review or take a survey	Identity and contact details, and information about your marketing and communications preferences	(a) Performance of a contract with you (b) Necessary to comply with a legal obligation (c) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to keep our records updated and to study how visitors use our Site)
To administer and protect our business and this website (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data)	Identity and contact details, information about your marketing and communications preferences, and Technical Data	(a) Necessary for our legitimate interests (for running our business, provision of administration and IT services, network security, to prevent fraud and in the context of a business reorganisation or group restructuring exercise) (b) Necessary to comply with a legal obligation
To deliver relevant website content and advertisements to you and measure or understand the effectiveness of the advertising we serve to you	Identity and contact details, information about your marketing and communications preferences, and Technical Data	(a) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to study how users use our Sites, to develop our Site, and to inform our strategy); and (b) on the basis of consent obtained from you.
To use data analytics to improve our Site and user experience for visitors to our Site	Technical Data	Necessary for our legitimate interests (to define types of users for our Site and products, to keep the Site updated and relevant, to develop our business and to inform our marketing strategy)
To make suggestions and recommendations to you about services that may be of interest to you	Identity and contact details, information about your marketing and communications preferences, and Technical Data	Necessary for our legitimate interests (to develop our products and services and grow our business)

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If you wish to get an explanation as to how the processing for the new purpose is compatible with the original purpose, please contact us at [email protected].   If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.

Marketing

We may also use your data, or permit selected third parties to use your data, to provide you with information about goods and services which may be of interest to you, and we or they may contact you about these by telephone.

Before we collect personal data from you which we might subsequently use to allow us or any third party to contact you for marketing purposes, we will give you the opportunity to indicate your marketing and communication preferences.

Disclosure of your information

We may disclose your personal information to any member of our group, which means our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries, as defined in section 1159 of the UK Companies Act 2006.

We may disclose your personal information to third parties:

• in the event that we sell or buy any business or assets, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective seller or buyer of such business or assets.
• if The Association of Local Bus Managers or substantially all of its assets are acquired by a third party, in which case personal data held by it about its customers will be one of the transferred assets.
• if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, or in order to enforce or apply our terms of use or terms and conditions of supply and other agreements; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of The Association of Local Bus Managers, our members, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

How long we keep your information

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

In some circumstances you can ask us to delete your data. For further information, see “Request erasure of your personal data” below under the section “Your rights”.

In some circumstances we may anonymise your personal data (so that it can no longer be associated with you) for research or statistical purposes in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you.

Your rights

You have the right to ask us not to process your personal data for marketing purposes. We will usually inform you (before collecting your data) if we intend to use your data for such purposes or if we intend to disclose your personal data to any third party for such purposes. You can exercise your right to prevent such processing by checking certain boxes on the forms we use to collect your data.

In addition you have the right to:

• Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
• Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you corrected, though we may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us.
• Request erasure of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your personal data unlawfully or where we are required to erase your personal data to comply with local law. Note, however, that we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.
• Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on our legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your personal data which override your rights and freedoms.
• Request restriction of processing of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of your personal data in the following scenarios: (a) if you want us to establish the data’s accuracy; (b) where our use of the data is unlawful but you do not want us to erase it; (c) where you need us to hold the data even if we no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; or (d) you have objected to our use of your data but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.
• Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party. We will provide to you, or a third party you have chosen, your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.
• Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain services to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us at [email protected]

No fee usually required

You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.

What we may need from you

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.

Time limit to respond

We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you within one month of receiving your request together with the reasons for the delay and keep you updated.

Changes to our privacy policy

Any changes we may make to our privacy policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you by e-mail.

Contact

Questions, comments and requests regarding this privacy policy are welcomed and should be addressed to [email protected]

Alternatively, please write to our registered office at The Association of Local Bus Managers, Monometer House, Rectory Grove, Leigh-On-Sea SS9 2HL

1.0 Introduction

1.1 This document outlines the purpose of Association of Local Bus Managers Limited (“ALBUM”), its activities, membership and governance, and provides details of key contacts within ALBUM.

1.2 This document complements and summarises the Articles of Association (‘Articles’) and nothing in this document should be seen as changing or limiting those Articles. Should a conflict arise the Articles will always prevail.

1.3 A list of defined terms used in this document is at Appendix A.

 

2.0 ALBUM Limited’s Incorporated Status

2.1 ALBUM was incorporated as a private company limited by guarantee without share capital on 6 May 2021. This structure is commonly used by not-for-profit groups that want to limit the personal liability of Members while entering into contracts, employing staff and managing finances in a formal way.

 

3.0 Activities Undertaken by ALBUM

3.1 ALBUM exists to support the vitally important municipally-owned and independent SME bus sector in the UK.

3.2 ALBUM’s Articles state that its objects are ‘To better promote and further public education of the bus and coach industry by establishing, founding, co-operating and likewise working with other organisations, trusts, firms, trade associations, individuals or bodies corporates (whether or not owned by ALBUM) so as to assist in better co-ordination of their work and activities.’ As currently structured ALBUM focuses on the bus sector.

3.3 ALBUM advocates for the municipal and SME sector in respect of Government policy, responds to government consultations affecting the bus industry, shares information and best practice with the aim of encouraging more people to travel by bus, and provides networking opportunities for managers in the industry.

3.4 Whilst the municipal/SME sector does not have the scale of resources found in the larger transport groups it is acknowledged that companies who employ ALBUM Members are a key part of local communities, and often use local supply chains.

3.5 There is much to be gained from sharing experience and knowledge, so ALBUM’s membership is willing to work together and with stakeholders (eg CPT, national and local government departments, suppliers and the third sector) to maintain and improve the delivery of attractive and successful bus networks.

3.6 The following is a list of ALBUM’s main activities with some of the reasons why it undertakes these tasks.

• a. ALBUM offers knowledge and experience to many outside bodies such as the Department for Transport and the Traffic Commissioners, both directly to officials and through public consultations. ALBUM speaks about our experiences of government policies and the potential outcomes from proposed changes in transport legislation and funding.
• b. In addition to ALBUM’s Board of Directors (‘Board’), ALBUM has interest groups that meet to share knowledge and analyse current and topical issues in the bus sector. At present these groups include the Managing Directors Group, Engineering Group, Commercial and Operations Forum and Marketing Group.
• c. ALBUM holds an annual conference. The conference is an opportunity for attendees to hear from expert speakers and to assess/discuss changes and challenges within the bus sector, as well as being an important networking and social event.
• d. ALBUM supports the UK Bus Awards and Euro Bus Expo and is pleased to work in partnership with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), ROSCO, Urban Transport Group (UTG), Bus Users UK, Women in Bus & Coach and many other stakeholders.
• e. ALBUM promotes the benefits of a healthy municipal/SME bus sector.

 

4.0 Membership

4.1 ALBUM is an organisation whose membership largely consists of bus industry managers that work in a range of managerial disciplines for small and medium size bus operators, or local-authority owned companies (referred to as ‘municipals’ in this document but increasingly referred to as ‘LABCOs’) in the UK.

4.2 A person may join ALBUM provided they hold a position of responsibility within the bus industry and are not employed by a company or group of companies that operates more than 1,000 buses. Approval of membership applications is a function of the Board.

4.3 ALBUM charges annual subscription fees. Member subscription fees vary according to employment status of the Member in question – Owner/CEO/MD, Director or Senior Manager. It is expected that at least one Member from a represented operating company will subscribe to ALBUM at the Owner/CEO/MD rate.

4.4 Members are requested to pay subscription invoices promptly to reduce administration costs.

4.5 Memberships are personal regardless of who ultimately pays the subscription fee.

4.6 In addition, ALBUM welcomes industry suppliers who want to be Associate Members as this helps foster good relations and better understanding within the bus industry. Associate Membership is corporate (as opposed to personal) and separate subscription fees apply.

4.7 All Members and Associate Members are Guarantors of ALBUM but the Articles state that ‘the liability of each Member is limited to £1, being the amount that each Member undertakes to contribute to the assets of ALBUM in the event of its being would up while he is a Member or within one year after he ceases to be a Member…’. The limited liability provision primarily exists to protect Members rather than indicate a level of responsibility. All Members implicitly agree to this by the virtue of their membership.

4.8 Annual subscription fees are set by the Board and communicated to Members and Associate Members in advance of implementation. Current subscription rates are at Appendix B.

4.9 ALBUM’s privacy policy is available at www.albumbus.co.uk and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

 

5.0 Limitations of ALBUM’s Actions

5.1 ALBUM does not permit Members to use any of its meetings or events to discuss or exchange commercial information with the purpose of colluding together.

5.2 ALBUM does not give general or specific advice to its Members regarding commercial or legal matters.

5.3 ALBUM and its Members will always work in ways that are compliant with competition law.

 

6.0 Powers and Responsibilities of the Board of Directors

6.1 ALBUM’s management is primarily undertaken by the Board with appropriate delegated authority normally given to the Board’s Chair and ALBUM’s Administrator to action its decisions.

6.2 If a conflict arises between the guidance in this Handbook and previous decisions by ALBUM’s Executive, then the Board does not necessarily consider itself bound by those precedents or resolutions.

6.3 The Board has the responsibility to represent ALBUM to third parties. It can, and often does, delegate this authority to the Chair or another nominated individual.

6.4 There are no delegated authorities to ALBUM’s specific interest groups because their main purpose is to act as forums for the exchange of information and knowledge and to assist the Board to develop strategies and policies.

 

7.0 Composition of the Board of Directors

7.1 The Board comprises a minimum of three and a maximum of 12 Directors:

• Up to a total of three Directors shared between the Smaller (up to 50 operating licences) and Larger Operating Company Members (more than 50 operating licences).
• One Director from the Commercial and Operations Group.
• One Director from the Marketing Group.
• One Director from the Engineering Group.
• One Director from the Scottish Operators.
• One Director from the Welsh Operators.
• One Director representing Associate Members.
• Any additional Directors the Board wishes to appoint up to the maximum.

7.2 Additional Directors may be co-opted to the Board if they are judged to have particular experience and knowledge which would be useful to the Board.

7.3 Appointment is normally by a simple majority of Members present at a general meeting. Members will receive notice and agenda of a general meeting at least fourteen days before it is held.  The date, time and location of a general meeting is at the discretion of the Board.

7.4 Directors hold office for three years and may be reappointed.

7.5 ALBUM Directors receive no remuneration and Director’s expenses will not be reimbursed except in exceptional circumstances with the approval of the Chair.

7.6 ALBUM Directors are covered by ALBUM’s Director and Officer Liability Insurance as may exist from time to time.

7.7 Further details will be found in ALBUM’s current Articles (at the time of writing dated 6 May 2021).

7.8 For administrative convenience reasons only not all Directors will be registered as such at Companies House. Those who are not registered at Companies House will be called ‘Shadow Directors’ where it is necessary to delineate, but it is important to note that any such delineation does not affect the title, status or responsibilities or Director and Officer Liability Insurance of individual ALBUM Directors.

7.9 A list of current Directors is at Appendix C.

 

8.0 Responsibilities of Directors

8.1 The Articles place the onus of responsibility for the effective management of the organisation on its Directors and makes their powers and responsibilities clear.

8.2 All Directors

Process of Appointment: Members elect by resolution at an AGM for a three year term.

• Present a report at each Board meeting of the issues affecting those bus operators/Associate Members that the Director represents.
• Directors covering Scottish and Welsh operators are expected to represent those operators to the relevant outside bodies.
• Collaborate with other Directors to carry out ALBUM’s business.
• Collect information from Members and make representations to outside bodies when issues arise (eg DfT questionnaires and consultations).
• Work with the host of the annual conference to ensure that the event is a success.

8.3 Chair of the Board (Director)

Process of Appointment: Members elect by resolution at an AGM. No specific term set for Chair role.

• The Chair works with ALBUM’s Administrator to call Board meetings, set the meetings’ agenda, allocates time for contributions (written and verbal), where appropriate summarizes the options for a decision and if necessary, holds votes to identify the Board’s preferred option.
• Represents ALBUM to third parties at the request of the Board.
• Represents ALBUM to outside bodies when ALBUM joins consultations.
• Can appoint a Director to investigate allegations of misconduct by a Member.
• Works with the host of the annual conference to ensure that the event is a success.

8.4 Treasurer (Director)

Process of Appointment: Members elect by resolution at an AGM. No specific term set for Treasurer role.

• The Treasurer ensures payment of invoices and reimburses expenses in accordance with the schedule of invoice authorization and bank mandate.
• Manages and reconciles ALBUM’s bank account, keeps accurate records, adheres to the bank mandate and ensures ALBUM can meet its financial obligations.
• Prepares and files the VAT return.
• Prepares relevant accounts/reports for Board meetings, forecasts of financial performance and annual budgets.
• Prepares statutory accounts, obtains audit compliance and ensures Companies House deadlines for filing accounts are met.
• Coordinates with other Directors to carry out ALBUM’s business.
• Works with the Chairs and Secretaries of ALBUM’s groups to maintain accurate information regarding potential income and costs from their activities.

 

9.0 Responsibilities of Company Secretary

9.1 Process of Appointment: Members elect by resolution at an AGM. No specific term set.

9.2 The Company Secretary is responsible for legal compliance, corporate governance and advisory functions within ALBUM.

9.3 ALBUM’s Administrator will assist the Company Secretary with many of these tasks.

9.4 The current Company Secretary is identified at Appendix C.

 

10.0 Responsibilities of Officers

10.1 ALBUM currently has two part-time officers, namely Administrator and Policy Advisor.

10.2 Administrator to ALBUM (Advisor to the Board)

Process of Appointment: Members elect by resolution at an AGM. No specific term set.

• The Administrator works with the Chair to give notice of Board meetings, draft meeting agendas, distribute written reports, draft minutes and record decisions.
• Supports the Company Secretary.
• Advises the Board of Directors on procedural matters.
• Works with the Chairs and Secretaries of ALBUM’s sub-committees to maintain accurate and timely records of their meetings and activities.
• Arranges and records meetings of Managing Directors.
• Oversees external communications/marketing/finance consultants.
• Responsible for all administrative matters of ALBUM including membership records, subscription issues, financial aspects, liaising with the Treasurer.
• Keeps ALBUM’s financial and statutory records in good order, liaising with the Treasurer.
• Reporting of all relevant matters to the Board.

10.3   Policy Advisor (Advisor to the Board)

Process of Appointment: Members elect by resolution at an AGM. No specific term set.

• The Policy Advisor advises the Board and MDs on policy matters, including writing policy papers.
• Represents ALBUM and its Members’ interests in front of DfT ministers and officials and influence policy and application of policy
• Represents ALBUM and its Members’ interests to other stakeholders eg CPT, UTG.
• Seeks to promote the value of municipal and SME companies within the UK bus industry through the trade press.
• Reporting of all relevant matters to the Board and MDs groups.

10.4 ALBUM Officers receive remuneration and expenses as agreed by the Board.

10.5  ALBUM Officers are covered by ALBUM’s Director and Officer Liability Insurance as exists from time to time.

10.6  A list of current officers is at Appendix C.

 

11.0 ALBUM Groups

11.1  The Board values the advice it receives from the broadest possible range of expertise possessed by ALBUM’s membership.  There are currently four groups, viz:

• Managing Directors’ Group – the Managing Directors of municipal and SME bus operators have knowledge and insights about their companies’ operations and local trading conditions. Working with this Group helps the Board hear what is happening in the bus market and in-turn, brief its membership with news from the Department for Transport and the progress of ongoing consultations and current discussions. Please refer to Appendix E for meeting attendance and practice policy.
• Engineering Group – the Engineering Group is a forum to share experience of maintenance-related issues and technologies with other engineering managers and bus manufacturers.

• Commercial and Operations Forum – this Group seek to understand how the demand for bus services is changing by assessing the internal and external factors that affect both commercial and non-commercial operations. It is a key aspect of ALBUM’s objectives to share how the delivery of bus services can meet customer needs and expectations.

• Marketing Group – the Marketing Group is concerned with the range of channels through which bus operators can reach stakeholders and customers with information that encourages them to promote and use bus services.

11.2   Participation in ALBUM groups is limited to Members or Associate Members unless the organiser of a group makes a specific exception, which should first be approved by the Board. Group organisers may limit participation at specific meetings or events where necessary eg at the request of the host of a factory visit

11.3 Members who are willing to manage the administration of arranging venues and running online and/or in-person meetings are welcome to propose to the Board the formation of new groups covering relevant issues.

11.4 A list of contacts pertinent to the above is at Appendix C.

 

12.0 ALBUM Retired Section

12.1   ALBUM’s Retired Section supports retired managers from the municipal and SME sector of the UK bus industry. Many will have been Members of ALBUM previously through this is not a condition of ALBUM Retired Section membership.

12.2 The Retired Section organises social events and communicates with members via a magazine (‘Vintage Bus’) and emails.

12.3 ALBUM supports the Retired Section financially but the Section is administered separately from ALBUM.

12.4 The Retired Section has a cordial relationship with Phoelix, an equivalent group for retired National Bus Company and Scottish Bus Group directors and managers.

 

13.0 ALBUM Conference

13.1   The host operator of ALBUM’s annual conference has substantial discretion regarding the choice of the specific conference venue, the trade stand facilities, delegates’ accommodation, dining facilities for delegates, the conference’s speakers and any charities supported though ultimate responsibility for all these aspects lies with the ALBUM Board.

13.2   The host will be expected to deliver an agreed financial surplus from the organisation and running of the conference to support ALBUM’s activities during the financial year concerned.

13.3   Given the level of responsibility, the Chair will seek a potential host operator at least a year before the event is due to be held.  The appointment of the event’s host will be made by the Board and the Chair asked to monitor the host’s preparations for the event.  The host of the conference is expected to:

• Submit to the Board within a month of appointment a timetable with key milestones for monitoring preparation of the conference.
• Submit a budget to the Board within two months of appointment showing the host’s assumed attendance numbers, income from the major revenue channels, costs by expense category and surplus.
• Report to each Board meeting progress made against the key milestones and a forecast against the budget.
• Within three months after the conference, provide a financial statement that corresponds to the budgeted revenue and cost categories.

13.4   ALBUM is able to provide administrative and financial systems support including accountancy and conference website. Details to be agreed between conference host and ALBUM at an early stage of conference planning.

13.5 All accounts, including the transfer of any monies between the conference host and ALBUM, relating to the Conference should be complete by 30 September of the year in which the Conference is held.

13.6 ALBUM will reimburse the host operator if a deficit is incurred, provided this was previously agreed by the Board and shown in either the budget or forecasts.

13.7 Details of hosts of upcoming conferences are at Appendix D.

 

14.0 Member Involvement

14.1 ALBUM’s attractive subscription rates reflect the fact that ALBUM only has a small administration set up which means that Members themselves do much of the proactive work to make their membership worthwhile.

14.2   ALBUM encourages its Members to engage with ALBUM meetings and other events, help recruit more members and assist in organizing events and in any other way that they can.

 

15.0 More Information and Useful Contacts

15.1   More information about ALBUM is available at albumbus.co.uk.

15.2   Details of useful contacts within ALBUM are at Appendix C.

 

Appendix A – List of Defined Terms Used in this Document

This handbook is intended as a reference for easy usage by Members so the following list, presented in broadly alphabetical order, may be helpful:

• “Advisor” – An attendee at Board meetings who is not a Director but present to advise the Board.
• “Articles” – the Company’s Articles of Association. A copy can be obtained from ALBUM’s Administrator.
• ALBUM” or “Association” – the Association of Local of Bus Managers Ltd, a company limited by guarantee with a maximum liability of £1 per Member and established on 6 May 2021.
• “Board” – the Board of Directors of ALBUM.
• “Director” – A director of ALBUM. For administrative convenience reasons only not all Directors will be registered as such at Companies House. Those who are not registered at Companies House will be called ‘Shadow Directors’ where it is necessary to delineate, but it is important to note that any such delineation does not affect the title, status or responsibilities of individual ALBUM Directors.
• “Executive” – Refers to ALBUM’s management arrangements prior to ALBUM becoming a limited company. Replaced by the Board from 6 May 2021.
• “Group” – A subcommittee of Members that meets to discuss specific bus industry issues and/or topics, and informs the Board as appropriate.
• “Guarantor” – All Members and Associate Members are Guarantors of ALBUM but ‘the liability of each Member is limited to £1, being the amount that each Member undertakes to contribute to the assets of ALBUM in the event of its being would up while he is a Member or within one year after he ceases to be a Member…’. The limited liability provision primarily exists to protect Members rather than indicate a level of responsibility.
• “Member” – A person who has been accepted by the Board as holding a position of responsibility within the bus industry and not employed by a company or group of companies that operates more than 1,000 buses.
• “Associate Member” – a business that supplies goods or services to the bus sector, is represented by a person which the Board a accepts as holding a position of responsibility in that business and has paid the appropriate annual subscription. An Associate Member has the same status as a Member including voting rights.

 

Appendix B – Details of Current Subscription Rates

Annual subscription rates valid from 1 June 2026 until further notice (rates will be reviewed from 1 June 2027)

Operator memberships

Owner/CEO/MD-level membership                          £315 plus VAT (£378 total)

Director-level membership                                        £77.50 plus VAT (£93 total)

Manager-level membership                                       £50 plus VAT (£60 total)

Associate membership

Corporate membership                                                £350 plus VAT (£420 total)

Operator memberships are not transferable between persons. Where a Member moves to a different employing company, the Board reserves the right to determine whether that Member may remain a Member of ALBUM.

Associate Memberships are corporate, not individual.

While Members may terminate their membership with seven days’ notice to the Administrator, subscription fees will not be refunded in whole or part for any reason.

 

Appendix C – ALBUM Company Secretary, Directors & Officers

During 2025 it was agreed to reduce the number of ALBUM Directors registered at Companies House purely for administrative reasons. Various statutory Directorship ‘resignations’ were processed between 18 December 2025 and 21 May 2026 with the position from 21 May 2026 shown below.

‘Shadow Directors’ are not registered as Directors at Companies House but it is important to note that this is purely for administrative convenience and does not affect the title, status or responsibilities or Director and Officer Liability Insurance of individual ALBUM Directors.

ALBUM Companies House-registered Company Secretary & Directors from 21 May 2026

No	Companies House Records	Role	Date of Appointment	End of First Term of Office	End of Second Term of Office
	Robert Hicklin	Company Secretary	23 February 2026	Not Applicable	Not Applicable
1	David Astill	Director – Large Operating Company, Chair	6 May 2021	5 May 2024	25 April 2027
2	Robert Hicklin	Director – Large Operating Company, Treasurer	6 May 2021	5 May 2024	25 April 2027
3	William Hiron	Director – Large Operating Company	26 April 2023	5 May 2024	25 April 2027
4	Gareth Stevens	Director – Welsh Operators	1 December 2022	30 November 2025	1 December 2028
5	Sarah Boyd	Director – Scottish Operators	25 April 2024	25 April 2027	Not Applicable
6	Tom Quay	Director – Associate Member representative	23 July 2024	23 July 2027	Not Applicable

 

ALBUM ‘Shadow Directors’ from 21 May 2026

No	Companies House Records	Role	Date of Appointment	End of First Term of Office	End of Second Term of Office
7	Michael Bishop	Director – Small Operating Company	6 May 2021 (resigned on Companies House 21/01/2026)	5 May 2024	25 April 2027
8	Anthony Carver-Smith	Director – Marketing Group	6 May 2021 (resigned on Companies House 02/02/2026)	5 May 2022	14 May 2028
9	Nicholas Hornsby	Director – Small Operating Company	6 May 2021 (resigned on Companies House 18/12/2025)	5 May 2024	25 April 2027
10	Ben Wakerley	Director – Large Operating Company	25 April 2024 (resigned on Companies House 21/01/2026)	25 April 2027	Not Applicable
11	Robert Williams	Director – Large Operating Company	20 April 2026	19 April 2029	Not Applicable

 

Notes to the above:

• Barrons Limited resigned as Company Secretary on 23 February 2026. Barrons was appointed as Company Secretary on 6 May 2021.
• Jane Cole resigned as a Director on 21 May 2026. She was appointed as a Director on 6 May 2021 and commenced her second term of office on 5 May 2024.
• Richard Telling resigned as a Director on 10 February 2026. He was appointed as a Director on 25 April 2024 and was removed from Companies House register of Directors on 18 December 2025.

List of ALBUM officers

Administrator – Andrew Halliday ([email protected])

Policy Advisor – Alex Perry ([email protected])

Associate Member Representative – Tom Quay ([email protected])

Finance Officer – Michelle Briley-Downes ([email protected])

Key ALBUM contacts

Chair                                                         David Astill, [email protected]

Administrator                                         Andrew Halliday, [email protected]

Policy Advisor                                         Alex Perry, [email protected]

Associate Member Representative     Tom Quay, [email protected]

Finance                                                     Michelle Downes, [email protected]

Managing Directors’ Group                 Andrew Halliday, [email protected]

Engineering Group                                Ian Bates, [email protected]

Commercial & Operations Group       Ian Bieniowski, [email protected]

Marketing Group                                   Anthony Carver-Smith, [email protected]

Retired Section                                  Steve Burd, [email protected]

Communications Partner               NCT, Anthony Carver-Smith, [email protected]

 

Registered address

Effective 23 February 2026, the registered address for ALBUM is:

Nottingham City Transport

Lower Parliament Street

Nottingham

NG1 1GG

 

Appendix D – Locations of future ALBUM conferences

Reading Buses will host the 2027 ALBUM Conference. Dates to be advised.

Nottingham City Transport will host the 2028 ALBUM Conference. Dates to be advised.

 

Appendix E – MD meeting attendance and practice policy

• It is expected that at least one Member from a represented operating company will subscribe to ALBUM at the Owner/CEO/MD rate.
• The Owner/CEO/MD will be entitled, and is encouraged, to participate in ALBUM MD’s online and in-person meetings and receive and engage with ALBUM MD Group correspondence. Contents of MD’s meetings and ALBUM MD Group correspondence must be treated as confidential.
• If the Owner/CEO/MD is not be able to attend an MD’s meeting personally they may request that a substitute attends in their place on up to 3 occasions in each ALBUM subscription year (1 June to 31 May). A substitute must be a senior manager employed by the Owner/CEO/MD’s company, will ideally be the same person on each occasion that the Owner/CEO/MD is not able to attend, and must be approved in advance of each meeting by the ALBUM Administrator ([email protected]) on behalf of the ALBUM Directorate. The ALBUM Directorate have the right to refuse a substitute request and, if necessary, will communicate that via the ALBUM Administrator.
• If neither the Owner/CEO/MD or an approved substitute are available for a specific meeting, brief notes of each meeting are circulated are to all members of the MD’s Group and the Owner/CEO/MD may contact relevant ALBUM officers or meeting chair to request more information on any of the subjects discussed.
• Given the nature of some of the topics discussed and views shared at ALBUM MD’s meetings it is required that all participants are clearly identified by their own name when entering an online meeting and that AI recording tools are not used (save that the ALBUM Administrator may use AI/recording tools for the purpose of creating meeting notes).
• The ALBUM Administrator will remove any ineligible person or AI tool from an online meeting or ask an ineligible person to leave an in-person meeting or cease recording same.
• MD’s meeting invitations will not be sent to anyone who is not in possession of a current Owner/CEO/MD ALBUM subscription or accepted as a substitute for a specific MD’s meeting.
• MD Group correspondence will not be sent to anyone who is not in possession of a current Owner/CEO/MD ALBUM subscription.
• The ALBUM Directorate will review the appropriateness of the above from time to time or if a particular circumstance requires this.