Terms of use

Terms and Conditions

(updated 20 September 2024)

General terms of use

For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions, MCard is the West Yorkshire Ticketing Company Ltd (WYTCL), Metro is the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and the Ticket Purchaser is you (You) or in limited cases, your employer.

Purchasing terms and conditions: 

1. Before Travelling

1.1. By purchasing an MCard ticket You accept the Terms & Conditions set out herein.

1.2. By travelling on an individual operator's vehicle or rolling stock, You accept the terms and conditions of travel/terms of carriage that may apply, as set by the individual operator concerned.

1.3. You must ensure that your ticket is valid for the date, times of travel, modes of transport and the intended journey route.

1.4. MCard tickets may not be used in advance of the starting date or following the expiry date.

1.5. The MCard smartcard and/or ticket should not be defaced or damaged in any way.

1.6. Ticket Purchasers who are buying a discounted ticket, such as an Under 19 or Under 26 ticket, may be required to produce identification to prove their age entitlement. Accepted proof of identity is either a current MCard Under 19 or 19-25/Student photocard, a current passport, current driver’s licence or current NUS card that shows a full-face passport type photograph, name and date of birth or expiry date.

1.7. Ticket Purchasers who are mature students can buy a 19-25/Student Bus & Rail Weekly or Monthly ticket but must show their current 19-25/Student smartcard as proof of identity and status.

1.8. It is the responsibility of the Ticket Purchaser to ensure the details on the MCard PhotoCard are correct in every respect. Failure to do so could result in later confiscation of the MCard, the issue of an Excess Fare and/or prosecution.

2. During Travel 

2.1. The MCard smartcard, paper ticket or QR/Aztec code must be shown on request to the driver when boarding any bus and/or to any authorised person engaged in revenue enforcement, including when passing through a train station barrier or to the train conductor/manager on the train.

2.2. The MCard must also be shown for inspection on request by employees of Metro/the West Yorkshire Combined Authority or participating operating companies. Photocards and paper tickets must be surrendered if an irregularity is observed and the appropriate fare paid.

2.3. Activated tickets on an MCard Mobile account are for the use of the account holder only. They may not be shared between devices or used by multiple users.

2.4. MCard Mobile accounts may be suspended or terminated where fraudulent activity is suspected and may be reported to the relevant authorities, without any obligation to pay or reimburse any costs resulting from this action being undertaken.

3. Price changes

MCard reserves the right on behalf of participating operators to alter the MCard prices and conditions of use at any time. MCard reserves the right, on behalf of participating operators, to make alterations to MCard prices and conditions of use at any time. Any alterations will be published on the MCard website at least seven (7) working days prior to coming into effect.

4. Services & Destinations

4.1. You can use your MCard bus ticket to travel by any bus within West Yorkshire.

4.2. You can use your MCard bus and train tickets to travel by any bus or any train throughout West Yorkshire.

4.3. All MCard tickets are valid until the end of the operational day at 0359 am. (Day tickets are not valid for 24 hours from the time of first use or activation.)

4.4. All tickets are valid on all ordinary stopping bus services for journeys taken wholly within West Yorkshire. Exceptions are football or concert specials, long distance coaches, excursions, tours, contract, chartered or other privately hired bus or train services.

4.5. If your bus journey destination is outside of West Yorkshire, You must state your destination to the driver upon boarding and You will be asked to pay the additional fare to your destination from the last bus stop located in West Yorkshire.

4.6. If your train journey destination is outside of West Yorkshire, You need to buy a ticket for the onward journey to your destination from the last station in West Yorkshire where your train stops. Failure to buy a ticket before boarding may result in a penalty fare from the train operator.

5. Ticket Durations

5.1 WY DaySaver Bus and MyDay Bus tickets are valid at any time of the day from first service till 0359 the following day.

5.2 WY Off-Peak Bus & Rail DaySaver tickets are valid all day at weekends and public holidays, but on Mondays to Fridays, they are only valid on any bus from 0930 and on any train from 0930 to 1601, and from 1830 until 0359 the following day.

5.3 Weekly tickets are valid for 7 subsequent days.

5.4 Monthly tickets are valid for a calendar month. A calendar month is the period starting on a specific day of a month and ending with the day before the following month. When purchasing Monthly MCards over a 12 month period, customers purchase 7 monthly tickets with 31 days, 4 monthly tickets with 30 days and 1 month ticket with 28 days.

5.5 MyTerm 1 ticket is valid from 1 September to 31 December

5.6 MyTerm 2 ticket is valid from 1 January to 31 March

5.7 MyTerm 3 ticket is valid from 1 April to 31 July

5.8 MyAcademic Year ticket is valid from 1 September to 31 July

5.9 Annual tickets are valid for 12 months

6. Group or Family Travel

6.1. The WY DaySaver Group Bus & Train ticket covers off-peak bus and train travel for groups of up to 5 people. The Group can consist of adults, children or other concessionary passengers to a maximum of 5 people.

6.2. The WY DaySaver Family Bus & Train ticket covers off-peak bus and rail travel for groups of up to 2 adults and up to 3 concessionary travellers, or for 1 adult and up to 4 concessionary travellers. Two adults may also use this ticket. Concessionary travellers can be children under 19 or Senior or Disabled PhotoCard holders. Please note, older children should carry an Under 19 photocard or alternative age-related ID for proof of age and other concessionary travellers should carry their entitlement PhotoCards.

6.3. Only one ticket will be issued to Groups or Families travelling with a DaySaver ticket, therefore the group must travel together.

7. Concessionary Entitlement

7.1. If You look older than 18, it is advisable to apply for a free Under 19 PhotoCard in case You are challenged for proof of ID, alternatively You can show a valid passport, driver’s licence or NUS card. To apply for an Under 19, 19-25/Student or ENCTS PhotoCard please visit passes.wymetro.com or your local Bus Station Travel Centre.

7.2. All Under 19 tickets (Under 19 single, MyDay, MyWeek, MyMonth, MyTerm, MyAcademicYear and MyYear) can only be used if You are under 19 for the entirety of the ticket validity.

7.3. Customers using an Under 26 bus and train ticket must show proof of age i.e. an Under 19 or 19-25/Student PhotoCard, a valid passport, driver’s licence or NUS card. Mature students over the age of 26 years old must have a valid 19-25/Student PhotoCard. You can only apply at a Bus Station Travel Centre and will need an official document to prove You are in full-time education (16 hours or more per week).

7.4. Other Concessionary travellers (Senior, Disabled or MetroRover PhotoCard holders) must be able to prove entitlement to a concessionary ticket by being in possession of a valid entitlement PhotoCard issued by West Yorkshire Combined Authority or any other suitable authority charged with the issuance of travel entitlement passes. West Yorkshire residents can apply for their Metro English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) PhotoCards at passes.wymetro.com or at a local Bus Station Travel Centre.

7.5. Failure to present a valid ticket or evidence of valid entitlement could result in You being charged an additional fare and/or prosecution.

8. Refunds of Unused and Unactivated Tickets

8.1. No refunds can be given for lost weekly or monthly smartcard tickets.

8.2. Bus drivers will only be able to refund an unused ticket bought on the bus if this is brought to their attention immediately after purchase.

8.3. You may request a refund for unused or unactivated tickets (whether it is a scratch-off paper ticket, smartcard top-up or QR coded app ticket), within 14 days of purchase. You must retain your receipt of purchase. An administration fee of up to £10.00 may be applied. Example - If You purchase a carnet of 10 tickets (£45) and You have used 3 tickets and requested a refund within 14 days, the refund would be £20. This is £45 - £10 admin fee - 3 x full-price DaySaver tickets (£15) = £20.

8.4. For QR coded ticket refund requests, please call MetroLine. For smartcard top-up/load to card or scratch-off ticket refund requests, please go to your local Bus Station Travel Centre with your smartcard/ticket and receipt of purchase.

9. Refunds for Part-used Tickets

9.1. No refunds can be given for activated or part-used MyDay, DaySaver, Under 19 MyWeek or other weekly MCard tickets.

9.2. If You wish to cancel your part-used Month, Term or Annual MCard ticket while it is still valid, You can apply for a refund. Refunds are not calculated on a daily pro-rata basis, but calculated by deducting full priced weekly and monthly tickets from the purchase price. Refund requests may incur an administration fee of up to £10.00, and can only be paid to the Ticket Purchaser.

9.3. Annual MCards with less than 3 months remaining cannot be refunded.

9.4. If You have an Annual MCard and wish to cancel within the first nine months of the issue date, your refund amount will be calculated by deducting full-priced weekly and monthly tickets from the purchase price plus an administration charge of up to £10. Example - If You purchase an Annual Bus only ticket and then wished to cancel the card after two months, your refund would be calculated as follows: £930 (Your purchase price for the Annual bus ticket) - £186 (2 x full monthly price) - £10 (admin charge) = £734.

9.5. If You bought an Annual MCard yourself and want a refund, please ring Metroline or visit your local Bus Station Travel Centre. Note: Bus Station Travel Centres will refund to your debit card/bank account as large cash refunds are not possible.

9.6. If You have a Corporate Annual MCard and want to cancel your ticket, the same refund policy rules as in 9.4 apply but the refund must be requested by the Ticket Purchaser i.e. your employer. Please contact your Employer’s Travel Scheme Coordinator and they will request the refund and amend your salary deduction accordingly.

9.7. No cancellations or extensions will be given for portions of unused tickets due to illness of any kind.

Ticket Type	Unused / Unactivated	Part-Used	Refund Issuer
			For Corporate Tickets	For QR coded tickets bought via the app	For tickets loaded to a smartcard / scratch-offs
Single*	Full refund within 14 days from date of purchase, whether bought as a smartcard top-up, app QR coded ticket or scratch-off paper ticket.	N/A	Contact your Employer’s Travel Scheme Coordinator.   Corporate Scheme employers should contact MetroLine.	Contact MetroLine	Visit your local Bus Station Travel Centre.   Take your purchase receipt and smartcard/ticket.   Refunds are made to the Ticket Purchaser only.
MyDay* / DaySaver*		N/A
Multiple MyDay / DaySaver tickets		N/A
Week*		N/A
Month		Calculated by deducting full priced weekly and monthly tickets from the purchase price. A small administration charge of up to £10 may be incurred.
Term
Academic Year / Annual
* Bus drivers will only be able to refund a ticket bought on the bus if this is brought their attention immediately after purchase.

10. Cancellation of Train Services

10.1. Train companies operating within West Yorkshire will make every reasonable effort to maintain services, but will not be liable for any loss, expense, claim damage, injury or inconvenience that passengers may sustain arising directly or indirectly from failure to operate a particular service. Subject to the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.

10.2. MCard tickets are multi-modal zonal products that allow the holder to travel on all buses and trains participating in the multi-operator ticketing scheme (excluding football and concert specials) and are not part of the Delay Repay scheme. The Delay Repay scheme applies to rail operator only tickets. Information of the Delay Repay Scheme can be found at nationalrail.co.uk.

10.3. Refunds are not made for a withdrawal or interruption of rail services but operators may consider claims on their merits as part of their passenger charter commitments. You may be requested to provide proof of the MCard product You purchased and must state You are applying for compensation under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

11. Cancellation of Bus Services

11.1. Bus companies operating within West Yorkshire will make every reasonable effort to maintain services, but will not be liable for any loss, expense, claim damage, injury or inconvenience that passengers may sustain arising directly or indirectly from failure to operate a particular service. Subject to the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.

11.2. Refunds are not made for a withdrawal or interruption of bus services but operators may consider claims on their merits as part of their passenger charter commitments. You may be requested to provide proof of the MCard product You purchased and must state You are applying for compensation under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

11.3. As part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Bus Passenger Charter, should You not be happy with your journey or your last bus of the day is cancelled, You can claim a free travel voucher from either: First, Arriva or Transdev. You will need to contact the appropriate operator and they will arrange for a free journey voucher to be sent out to You, for use on a future date.

11.4. If your last bus of the day doesn’t arrive within 20 minutes of the scheduled time, you can call a taxi, save the receipt and claim the cost back from either First, Arriva or Transdev.

11.5. Operator contact details for claiming free journey vouchers and taxi refunds:

Arriva
Transdev - York and Coastliner
Keighley Bus Company
Harrogate Bus Company
Team Pennine
Flyer
First - please select your area to contact First

12. Customer Service Support

12.1. For all general customer service enquiries, please consult our Frequently Asked Questions. If You cannot find the answer to your question, please telephone MetroLine on 0113 245 7676 (0700 - 2000 Monday to Saturday and 0800 - 2000 on Sunday and Bank Holidays, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day) or email: metroline@westyorks-ca.gov.uk. Alternatively, customers can visit a Bus Station Travel Centre. Travel Centre locations and opening hours

12.2. If under unusual circumstances, You encounter a problem with your MCard Mobile app transaction, please contact MetroLine on 0113 245 7676.

12.3. To make a complaint, please fill in WYCA’s online complaints form.

12.4. To contact operators directly: Bus operators - list of contacts, Train operators - list of contacts

12.5. To leave feedback / suggestions, email: customerfeedback@westyorks-ca.gov.uk

13. Jurisdiction

13.1. These Terms and Conditions will be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes between a Ticket Purchaser and West Yorkshire Combined Authority arising from purchase of a MCard ticket. Failure by West Yorkshire Combined Authority to exercise any right under these Terms and Conditions will not constitute a waiver of such right unless expressly stated as being a waiver by West Yorkshire Combined Authority in writing.