School transport provider curtailed for failing to provide Bus Open Data
Following a Public Inquiry held in Cambridge, the Traffic Commissioner for the East of England, Richard Turfitt, has curtailed the operator licence held by Ashwood Travel Ltd and considered the repute of former transport manager, Darren Thomas Murphy.
The inquiry examined concerns about the operator’s compliance on a variety of issues, including vehicle maintenance, driver hours, tachograph use, and governance arrangements. One of the issues considered was the operator’s compliance with the Public Service Vehicles (Open Data) (England) Regulations 2020, which require operators of registered local bus services in England (outside London) to publish open data on timetables, fares, and vehicle locations. These obligations stem from the Bus Services Act 2017, and full compliance has been mandatory since 7 January 2023. The Office of the Traffic Commissioner contacted all relevant operators six times between February 2021 and June 2022.
The operator, Ashwood Travel Ltd, was individually alerted to the BODS requirements by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner in June 2024. Darren Murphy initially responded, claiming some services were private and not subject to BODS. Under current regulations, closed school services are not automatically exempt, and operators are required to assess and comply with BODS obligations as set out in the legislation. Despite repeated reminders in June, September, and October 2024, the operator failed to provide the required data.
After Mr Murphy’s departure, Mrs Baker, one of the directors, and later Mr Raja, the new transport manager, took steps to rectify the situation, but compliance was significantly delayed. By September 2025, the operator had registered routes and was providing timetable and vehicle location data via BODS.
The inquiry also heard that internal disputes between directors had undermined governance and compliance. Evidence highlighted instability in the company’s management structure and failures in oversight of transport operations. Mr Murphy admitted he had not fulfilled his statutory duties and invited the Commissioner to make an adverse finding against his repute.
Commissioner Turfitt said “I considered the appropriate approach to an operator which was largely compliant by the date of the Public Inquiry. I balanced the fact that this was the first Public Inquiry and the many positive gains… following the appointment of Mr Raja against the repeated breach of conditions which, in effect, misled me to a point where the trust I had in this operator was seriously undermined. Repute is severely tarnished by these circumstances.”
Ultimately, while compliance was achieved by the time of the inquiry, historic failings led to a curtailment of the licence by three vehicles for two weeks from 18 December 2025 as a deterrent and Mr Murphy has been disqualified from relying on his Certificate of Professional Competence unless and until he can demonstrate capability to a Traffic Commissioner.
For full details of the decision, visit the Traffic Commissioner Regulatory Decisions page
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Email : pressoffice@otc.gov.uk