Terms and Conditions

1. Agreement to these Terms

1. These Terms and Conditions (the "Terms") are a legally binding agreement between you and [Registered company name (Pvt) Ltd] ("CityBus.lk", "we", "us", "our").
2. They apply every time you access or use the CityBus.lk website, the CityRide mobile app, or any related service we provide (together, the "Platform").
3. By creating an account, ticking the acceptance box, tapping "Continue", or making a booking, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy.
4. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.
5. These Terms are concluded electronically. Under the Electronic Transactions Act, No. 19 of 2006 (as amended by Act No. 25 of 2017), electronic acceptance of this kind is legally valid and enforceable in Sri Lanka. We record the date, time and version of the Terms you accepted.

2. Who we are

• Legal entity: [Registered company name (Pvt) Ltd]
• Company registration number: [PV number]
• Registered address: [Street, City, Sri Lanka]
• Email: [support@citybus.lk]
• Telephone: [+94 XX XXX XXXX]
• VAT registration number: [if registered]

"CityRide" is the name of our mobile application. It is operated by the same company and is part of the same service.

3. Definitions

• Booking — a request you submit through the Platform for one or more seats on a specific service.
• Booking Fee — the service charge we take for operating the Platform, shown separately from the Fare before you pay.
• Fare — the amount charged by the Operator for carrying you, exclusive of the Booking Fee.
• Operator — the independent bus company, permit holder or transport provider that actually operates the service you book.
• Platform — the CityBus.lk website, the CityRide mobile app, and our related systems.
• Ticket — the digital ticket, ticket number and booking reference issued to you after a Booking is confirmed and paid.
• Transport Contract — the contract of carriage between you and the Operator.
• You — the person using the Platform and, where you book for others, each passenger you book for.

4. Our role: we are a booking agent

1. CityBus.lk is a technology platform and booking intermediary. We are not a bus operator, carrier, or transport service provider, and we do not own, lease, operate, maintain or crew any vehicle.
2. When you complete a Booking, two separate contracts come into existence:
   • a Transport Contract between you and the Operator, under which the Operator agrees to carry you; and
   • a booking services contract between you and us, under which we arrange the Booking, take payment and issue your Ticket.
3. We act as the Operator's disclosed agent for the purpose of collecting the Fare and issuing the Ticket. The Operator's name is shown to you before you pay.
4. The Operator is solely responsible for the journey itself, including departure and arrival, the condition, roadworthiness and cleanliness of the vehicle, the conduct and licensing of its drivers and crew, its insurance, and its compliance with the Motor Traffic Act, the National Transport Commission Act, No. 37 of 1991 and any applicable provincial passenger transport regulations.
5. Each Operator sets its own terms of carriage, including rules on luggage, boarding times, refunds, children and accessibility. Those terms apply to you in addition to these Terms and to our baseline Conditions of Carriage. We display or link to them before you pay, and you should read them.
6. We take reasonable steps to verify that Operators listed on the Platform hold valid permits and insurance, but we cannot guarantee an Operator's ongoing compliance, and we do not warrant the quality or safety of any particular service.

5. Eligibility and age

1. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or make a Booking. Under the Age of Majority Ordinance (as amended by Act No. 17 of 1989), 18 is the age of majority in Sri Lanka and the age at which a person has full contractual capacity.
2. You may book on behalf of a person under 18, and a minor may travel on a Ticket you have purchased. You remain responsible for the Booking, for payment, and for ensuring the passenger complies with these Terms and the Operator's rules.
3. If we become aware that an account has been opened by someone under 18, we may close it and cancel any pending Bookings.
4. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
5. You must have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract and must not be barred from using the Platform under any applicable law.

6. Your account

1. You register using a Sri Lankan mobile number. We send a one-time password (OTP) to that number to verify it and to sign you in. You do not set a password.
2. Anyone with access to your mobile number and the OTP can access your account. You must keep your device and SIM secure and must not share OTPs with anyone, including anyone claiming to be from CityBus.lk. We will never ask you for your OTP by phone, email, SMS or social media.
3. You are responsible for all activity carried out through your account, unless it results from our own failure to keep the Platform secure.
4. You must give accurate information and keep it up to date, in particular your name and email address, since we send your Ticket and journey notices to them.
5. One account per mobile number. Accounts are personal to you and may not be sold, shared or transferred.
6. You must tell us immediately at [support@citybus.lk] if you lose control of your mobile number or suspect unauthorised use of your account.
7. A session stays active for up to one year, and ends earlier if you are inactive for three months or if you sign out. We may end a session at any time for security reasons.

7. Fares, fees and taxes

1. Fares for scheduled intercity bus services in Sri Lanka are regulated. Operators must not charge more than the fare gazetted by the National Transport Commission (or the relevant Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authority) for the route and class of service concerned. We display the Fare we receive from the Operator on that basis.
2. We charge a separate Booking Fee for using the Platform. The Booking Fee is our own charge for our own service and is shown to you as a separate line, in Sri Lankan Rupees, before you are asked to pay.
3. You will always see the full, all-inclusive amount payable — Fare plus Booking Fee plus any applicable tax — before you confirm payment. We do not add charges after that point.
4. Taxes, including Value Added Tax where it applies, are charged at the rate in force on the date of the Booking and are shown separately where required.
5. All prices are in Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR) unless stated otherwise. If you pay with a card issued outside Sri Lanka, your bank may apply its own conversion rate and foreign transaction fees, which we do not control and do not receive.
6. We take care to display prices, times and availability accurately. Occasionally an error occurs. If we discover that a Booking was made at an obviously incorrect price, we will tell you promptly and give you the choice of confirming at the correct price or cancelling for a full refund. We will not simply charge you the difference.
7. We will issue you an electronic receipt for every completed payment, as required by section 28 of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, No. 9 of 2003. Your receipts remain available in your booking history.

8. Making a booking

1. Search results, prices and seat availability shown on the Platform are an invitation for you to make an offer. They are not a binding offer by us or by the Operator.
2. When you submit a Booking, we hold your seats and give you a booking reference. The seats are held for 15 minutes only. A countdown is shown on screen.
3. If payment is not completed within that 15-minute window, the Booking expires automatically, the seats are released, and no contract is formed. You will need to search and book again, and the fare or availability may have changed.
4. Starting a new Booking may cancel any earlier Booking of yours that is still awaiting payment.
5. A binding Transport Contract is formed only when we confirm payment and issue your Ticket number. Until then, no seat is guaranteed.
6. You are responsible for checking every detail — date, cities, departure time, boarding point, number of seats and passenger details — before you pay. We are not responsible for losses caused by details you entered incorrectly.
7. You may book a maximum of 10 seats in a single Booking. We may refuse or limit Bookings that appear to be for resale, that are automated, or that we reasonably suspect are fraudulent.
8. We may decline a Booking, for example where the service has been withdrawn, where the Operator cannot fulfil it, where payment is refused, or where we reasonably suspect misuse. If we decline a Booking after taking payment, we refund you in full.

9. Payment

1. Payment is taken online at the time of Booking through a payment gateway operated by a payment service provider licensed or authorised by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
2. We do not store your full card number, expiry date or CVV. Card details are entered on, and handled by, the payment provider's secure systems.
3. You confirm that you are the authorised holder of the payment method used, or that you have the holder's permission to use it.
4. Your bank or card issuer may apply its own authentication requirements. A Booking may fail if those checks are not completed within the 15-minute window.
5. Fraudulent use of a payment card or payment device is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka under the Payment Devices Frauds Act, No. 30 of 2006. We cooperate with banks and law enforcement and may suspend accounts and cancel Tickets where we reasonably suspect payment fraud or a fraudulent chargeback.
6. If a payment is reversed, charged back or fails after a Ticket has been issued, we may cancel the Ticket and recover the amount due from you.

10. Your ticket and boarding

1. Once payment is confirmed we issue a digital Ticket showing your ticket number, booking reference, route, date, departure time, bus details and number of seats. It is available in the app and sent to the email address you gave us.
2. It is your responsibility to make sure the email address you provide is correct and able to receive our messages. If you have not received your Ticket, check your booking history in the app first, then contact us.
3. You must be able to present your Ticket — on screen or printed — together with proof of identity if the Operator requires it, when boarding.
4. Arrive at the boarding point in good time. Operators commonly require passengers to board at least 15 minutes before departure and are not obliged to wait. If you miss the bus, you are treated as a no-show under clause 11.
5. Tickets are valid only for the specific service, date and passenger stated. They may not be resold, transferred for profit, or altered.
6. A Ticket that has been copied, forged or altered is void and may be refused at boarding.

11. Changes, cancellations and refunds

1. Cancelling before payment. A Booking that has not yet been paid can be cancelled at no cost, or will simply expire after 15 minutes.
2. Cancelling after payment. Whether you can cancel, by when, and how much you get back is determined by the Operator's cancellation policy for that service, which may be more generous than, but never less generous than, our baseline Conditions of Carriage. That policy is displayed to you before payment and is reproduced on your Ticket.
3. Booking Fee. Our Booking Fee covers the service we have already performed in arranging your Booking. It is non-refundable where you cancel, except where the cancellation is caused by us, by the Operator, or by a service cancellation under clause 12 — in which case we refund it in full.
4. Changes. Where the Operator permits changes to a date, time or route, you can request one through the Platform. Changes are subject to availability, any Operator change fee, and payment of any fare difference.
5. No-shows. If you do not board the service, no refund is due unless the Operator's policy says otherwise.
6. How refunds are paid. Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method. We will process our part within [X] business days of approval. The time it takes to appear on your statement depends on your bank and is outside our control.
7. Refund requests. Submit refund requests through the Platform or to [support@citybus.lk], quoting your booking reference.
8. Nothing in this clause limits any right to a refund or compensation you have under the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, No. 9 of 2003 or other applicable law.

12. Delays and cancellations by the operator

1. Departure and arrival times shown on the Platform are those advised by the Operator. They are estimates and are not guaranteed. Road conditions, traffic, weather, breakdowns and other factors affect them.
2. If the Operator cancels a service, we will notify you using the contact details on your account and will refund the Fare and the Booking Fee in full, or help you rebook onto another service where one is available.
3. Because we are not the carrier, we are not liable for delays, breakdowns, diversions, route changes, denied boarding, missed onward connections, or the standard of the journey. Claims of that kind lie against the Operator under the Transport Contract, and we will give you the Operator's contact details and reasonable assistance in pursuing them.
4. We are not responsible for consequential costs such as missed flights, missed appointments, accommodation, alternative transport, or loss of earnings arising from a delayed or cancelled service.

13. Conduct, luggage and travel rules

1. While travelling you must follow the Operator's rules and the lawful instructions of the driver and crew, and must comply with Sri Lankan law.
2. You must not board or travel while intoxicated, behave in a way that threatens or disturbs other passengers or crew, smoke on board, or carry any prohibited, dangerous or illegal item.
3. Luggage allowances, oversized items and carriage of goods are governed by the Operator's rules. Your belongings remain your responsibility at all times. We accept no liability for loss of or damage to personal property.
4. The Operator may refuse boarding, or require you to leave the vehicle, where you breach these rules. No refund is due in that case, and we are not responsible for the consequences.
5. If you have a disability, medical condition, or need assistance, contact the Operator in advance. Accessibility varies between Operators and vehicles, and we cannot guarantee any particular facility.

14. Acceptable use of the Platform

You may use the Platform only for lawful purposes and only to search for and book genuine journeys. You must not:

• access, or try to access, any part of the Platform, account or data that you are not authorised to access;
• use bots, scrapers, crawlers or other automated means to access the Platform, extract data, monitor fares, or make Bookings;
• bypass or interfere with any rate limit, security measure, authentication step or access control;
• reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the Platform, or attempt to derive its source code, except to the extent this restriction cannot lawfully be excluded;
• introduce malware, or do anything that damages, overloads or impairs the Platform or the servers and networks connected to it;
• make speculative, false or fraudulent Bookings, or block seat inventory without intending to travel;
• resell Tickets, or use the Platform to run a commercial ticketing operation, without our written agreement;
• copy, republish or commercially exploit fare data, schedules, listings or other content from the Platform;
• impersonate another person, or use another person's mobile number, identity or payment method without authority;
• submit content that is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, threatening, or infringes anyone's rights.

Conduct of this kind may constitute a criminal offence under the Computer Crime Act, No. 24 of 2007, including offences of unauthorised access to a computer (section 3) and unauthorised modification or damage (section 5). We will suspend accounts, block access, and report serious incidents to the authorities.

15. Messages we send you

1. Service messages. By registering, you agree to receive SMS, email and push notifications that we need to send to operate your Booking — OTPs, booking confirmations, Tickets, payment receipts, departure reminders, schedule changes, cancellations and refund updates. These are part of the service and cannot be switched off while you hold an active account, although you may choose to receive them by fewer channels where we offer that option.
2. Marketing messages. We will only send you promotional offers if you have separately opted in. You can withdraw that consent at any time in your account settings or by using the opt-out instructions in the message. Withdrawing it does not affect your service messages.
3. We send marketing messages in line with the rules of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, including honouring do-not-contact registrations and not sending promotional SMS outside permitted hours.
4. Standard network charges from your mobile operator may apply to messages you receive.

16. Your personal data

1. We collect and use personal data — including your mobile number, name, email address, booking history, device information and IP address — to provide the Platform. How we do this is set out in full in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.
2. Our main lawful basis for processing is that it is necessary to perform our contract with you. We rely on consent for marketing, and on legitimate interests for security, fraud prevention and improving the Platform.
3. We share your booking details with the relevant Operator, because they need them to carry you. We also share data with our payment provider, messaging providers and hosting providers, under contract and only as needed.
4. We handle personal data in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act, No. 9 of 2022. Subject to that Act coming fully into operation, you have the right to access your data, have it corrected, request its erasure, object to processing, withdraw consent, and complain to us and then to the Data Protection Authority of Sri Lanka.
5. You can exercise these rights in the app or by contacting us at [privacy@citybus.lk].
6. We keep booking and payment records for as long as we need them to run the service, to meet tax and accounting obligations, and to defend legal claims, after which we delete or anonymise them.

17. The CityRide mobile app

1. We grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to install and use the CityRide app on a device you own or control, solely to use the service. We do not sell the app to you; we license it.
2. Your use of the app is also subject to the rules of the store you downloaded it from (Google Play or the Apple App Store). Those stores are not parties to these Terms and have no responsibility for the app or for supporting it.
3. We may release updates. Some updates are necessary for security or for the app to keep working. If you do not install them, parts of the app may stop functioning.
4. The app needs an internet connection. Data charges from your mobile operator are your responsibility.
5. The app requests device permissions only where a feature needs them, and explains why at the time. You can refuse or later withdraw a permission in your device settings, and the affected feature will stop working.
6. We may discontinue the app or any of its features. Where we do, we will give reasonable notice and will honour Tickets already issued.

18. Intellectual property

1. The Platform and everything in it — software, source code, design, layout, graphics, icons, text, databases, and the CityBus.lk and CityRide names and logos — is owned by us or licensed to us, and is protected under the Intellectual Property Act, No. 36 of 2003 and international treaties.
2. Nothing in these Terms transfers any intellectual property right to you. You get a limited right to use the Platform for its intended purpose, and nothing more.
3. You must not copy, adapt, distribute, publicly display or create derivative works from any part of the Platform without our prior written consent.
4. Operator names, logos and vehicle images belong to the relevant Operators and are used with permission for identification purposes.
5. If you send us feedback, ideas or suggestions, you grant us a free, worldwide, perpetual right to use them without obligation to you.
6. If you believe content on the Platform infringes your rights, contact us at [legal@citybus.lk] with details and we will investigate promptly.

19. Availability of the Platform

1. We aim to keep the Platform available and accurate, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation. Access may be interrupted by maintenance, upgrades, network faults or events outside our control.
2. Schedules, seat availability, amenities, boarding points and Operator details are supplied by Operators. We pass them on in good faith and cannot guarantee that they are complete, current or accurate at every moment.
3. Except as expressly stated in these Terms, the Platform is provided "as is" and "as available", and we exclude all implied warranties to the fullest extent permitted by law.
4. We may change, suspend, restrict or withdraw any part of the Platform. We will give reasonable notice where we can, and confirmed Tickets will be honoured or refunded.
5. The Platform may link to third-party websites and services. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content, security or practices.

20. Our liability to you

1. Subject to the paragraph above, our liability is limited as follows.
2. We are responsible for providing our own booking service with reasonable care and skill. We are not responsible for the acts, omissions, negligence, delays or default of any Operator, or for anything that happens during the journey itself.
3. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, business, opportunity, data, goodwill, or for missed connections, flights, events or appointments.
4. Where we are found liable to you in connection with a Booking, our total liability for that Booking is limited to the total amount you paid us for it — that is, the Fare plus the Booking Fee.
5. Where we are found liable to you otherwise than in connection with a specific Booking, our total aggregate liability in any 12-month period is limited to the greater of the total amounts you paid us in that period and LKR 25,000.
6. These limits apply to claims in contract, tort (including negligence), statute or otherwise.
7. You must notify us of any claim within a reasonable time of becoming aware of it, so that we can investigate while the facts can still be established.

21. Your responsibility to us

You agree to compensate us for any loss, damage, cost or expense (including reasonable legal costs) that we suffer as a direct result of:

• your breach of these Terms or of an Operator's terms of carriage;
• your fraudulent or unlawful use of the Platform or of a payment method;
• any inaccurate information you give us; or
• your conduct during a journey booked through the Platform.

This does not apply to the extent the loss was caused by our own breach or negligence.

22. Suspension, closure and deletion

1. You can close your account at any time. Use the "Delete my account" option in the CityRide app, or the account deletion page on citybus.lk, or email [support@citybus.lk]. You do not need to install the app to make the request.
2. When you delete your account, we delete or anonymise your personal data, except records we are required to keep for tax, accounting, fraud-prevention or legal-claim purposes. Our Privacy Policy explains what is retained and for how long.
3. Deleting your account does not automatically cancel or refund Tickets you have already bought. Cancel or use them first, or contact us.
4. We may suspend or close your account if you breach these Terms, if we reasonably suspect fraud or unlawful activity, if we are required to by law, or if your account has been inactive for an extended period. Where it is lawful and practical to do so, we will tell you why and give you a chance to respond.
5. If we close your account without cause, we will refund amounts paid for Tickets not yet used.
6. Clauses that by their nature should survive termination — including clauses 18, 20, 21, 23 and 27 — continue to apply.

23. Complaints and disputes

1. Talk to us first. Email [support@citybus.lk] with your booking reference and what went wrong. We aim to acknowledge within [2] business days and to resolve within [14] business days.
2. If your complaint is about the journey rather than the booking, we will pass it to the Operator and give you their contact details, and we will follow up on your behalf where we reasonably can.
3. If we cannot resolve it, you may refer the matter to the Consumer Affairs Authority of Sri Lanka. Nothing in these Terms restricts that right, and you do not have to go through us first. Complaints to the Authority about goods or services must generally be made in writing within three months, and warranty complaints within one month, so do not delay.
4. You may also complain to the Data Protection Authority of Sri Lanka about how we handle your personal data.
5. Where a dispute cannot be resolved, both of us may agree to mediation before starting court proceedings. Neither of us is obliged to do so, and neither of us gives up the right to go to court.
6. You bring claims in your own name. Claims may not be brought as a representative or class action.

24. Changes to these Terms

1. We may update these Terms to reflect changes in the service, in our business, or in the law.
2. We will post the updated version here with a new effective date and version number.
3. Where a change materially affects your rights, we will give you at least 14 days' notice by email, in-app notice or on the Platform before it takes effect.
4. Continuing to use the Platform after the effective date means you accept the updated Terms. If you do not accept them, stop using the Platform and close your account.
5. The Terms that apply to a Booking are the ones in force when you made it. Changes are not applied retrospectively to Tickets already issued.

25. Events outside our control

Neither we nor an Operator is liable for failure or delay in performing obligations caused by events beyond reasonable control, including natural disasters, floods, landslides, extreme weather, epidemics, fire, war, civil unrest, terrorism, strikes, road closures, government or regulatory action, curfews, fuel shortages, and failures of power, internet or telecommunications networks. Where such an event prevents a journey, we will refund the Fare and Booking Fee or help you rebook.

26. General terms

1. Whole agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and the Operator's terms of carriage, form the whole agreement between us about your use of the Platform.
2. Severability. If any clause is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the rest continues in full force, and the offending clause is treated as modified to the minimum extent needed to make it valid.
3. No waiver. If we delay in enforcing a right, we do not lose it.
4. Assignment. You may not transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our written consent. We may transfer ours to a successor or acquirer of our business, provided your rights are not reduced.
5. No third-party rights. Except for Operators in respect of clauses 4, 12, 13 and 25, no one other than you and us has any right to enforce these Terms.
6. Notices. We contact you using the mobile number and email address on your account. You contact us using the details in clause 28. Electronic notices are valid and effective.
7. Language. These Terms are written in English. If we publish a Sinhala or Tamil translation, it is provided for your convenience; in the event of any inconsistency, the English version prevails.
8. Headings are for reference only and do not affect interpretation.

27. Governing law and jurisdiction

1. These Terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them, are governed by the laws of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
2. The courts of Colombo, Sri Lanka have jurisdiction over any dispute, subject to clause 27.3.
3. If you are a consumer, this clause does not deprive you of the protection of any mandatory provision of Sri Lankan consumer law, nor of your right to complain to the Consumer Affairs Authority or to bring proceedings in a court that would otherwise have jurisdiction over you.
4. You should be aware that legal claims are subject to time limits under the Prescription Ordinance. Bring any claim promptly.

28. Contact us

Last updated: [date] · Version 1.0