Terms & Conditions

Introduction
Welcome to Busphoto Club ("the Site", "we", "us", or "our") — a bus and coach enthusiast photo club with a database and a community space for transport enthusiasts on an ad-free, non-commercial, thematic platform.
Accessing and using the Site means agreeing to these Terms and applicable legislation.

Our vision
The Site aims to:

• Create a global archive of bus photos, thanks to transport photo enthusiasts.
  
• Maintain an up-to-date vehicle database based on published images, information from open sources, observations and user-submitted corrections, where possible.
  
• Form a community of transport enthusiasts and photographers for communication and information exchange about existing, historical, and under-development buses and related topics.
  
• Be the only transport website without commercial advertising, supported solely by a community of transport enthusiasts interested in preserving photos and data for future generations.
  

Acceptance of Terms
Using the Site means you accept these Terms.  
Changes to Terms take effect immediately after posting.

Registration

• Provide a valid email address, username, and password. (After registration, you will receive Profile activation link, so, use valid email address)
  
• You are responsible for the security of your account.
  
• Creating multiple or shared accounts is prohibited.
  

Important Registration Information
By registering, you agree to create only one account and not attempt to register again.  
The system will automatically detect any re-registration attempts, and your account and any linked to it will be immediately banned.  
One profile. Forever.  
For the same reason, deactivated profiles remain stored in encrypted form.
 
Mandatory actions after registration:

• Within one month of registration, you must complete at least one of the following:
  • Comment on a photo.
    
  • Submit a correction for the database.
    
  • Upload a photo.
    
• If none of these actions are performed, your account will be automatically deactivated by the system without the appeal option.
  

Prohibited Actions
Users are prohibited from:

• Uploading materials without permission from the copyright holder.
  
• Posting offensive, discriminatory, or illegal content.
  
• Using the Site for commercial purposes, advertising, selling, fundraising, or political activities without permission.
  
• Adding watermarks or links to photos unless they confirm your as an original author.
  

Disclaimer of Liability
The Site is provided "as is." We are not responsible for:

• Interruptions in content display and your inability to access any section at any given moment.
  
• While we strive to regularly update software to prevent data leaks and do not store public data in unencrypted form, we are not responsible for widespread internet network failures and subsequent public information leaks.
  
• Misuse of content by third parties.
  
• Errors in user-submitted data. All public information displayed on the site is submitted by users and is considered accurate at the time of publication.
  We do not guarantee that the information on the site is accurate at the present time.
  

Account Termination
We reserve the right to suspend or delete an account without prior notice for violating the Rules.

• Account suspension can be of two types:
  • Automatic: The system may automatically suspend an account if the user violates the Rules, for example, by using multiple profiles or engaging in actions so severe that, after scanning violations reported by moderators, the system deactivates the account.
    In this case, appeals are not possible.
     
    
  • Manual: If the user's behavior leads to the transfer of their profile from the moderators to the site administrator, who after reviewing all the data decides to part the ways with the user, and the decision is final.
    Accounts are always suspended strictly for violating the Rules, and suspensions are never based on claims like "I didn't do anything."
    Appeals are also not possible in this case.
    

Upload Review
All uploaded photos are checked for quality and compliance with the rules.
Uploaded materials may be under consideration for some time, but we usually try to check and publish photos within a few minutes if they meet the requirements.
 
Size Requirements for 2025:

• Minimum size: 1200x800 pixels.
  
• Ideal size: 1400x980 pixels.
  
• Maximum file size: up to 800 KB.
  

Photos taken between 2019 and 2025 must meet these size requirements. In rare cases, if a truly historical or unique vehicle is pictured, we may accept uploads from 800x500 pixels, but never smaller.
If you are the original author of the photo, resizing and cropping should not be a problem. If you struggle with preparing the photo, we may have questions regarding your authorship.
Photos must depict buses only. Transport infrastructure and route maps are accepted only in designated galleries and as an exception.
Photomoderators have the right to reject uploaded photos without explanation, although we usually try to indicate the reason for rejection.
 
Full upload rules are available here. Please review them carefully to avoid disappointment or complaints.

License Agreement

• By uploading photos, you grant us a non-exclusive, free license to use them for educational and non-commercial purposes.
  
• Uploaded photos remain your property, but you grant a non-exclusive license for their use to illustrate the condition of the vehicle.
  
• You also grant permission to display your photos when publishing links on social media platforms, through previews generated by validators and distributor site cards.
  
• In rare cases (for example, if the author switches to a commercial license or due to other legal reasons requiring a license change), you may request the removal of your uploaded photos.
  

Editor Responsibilities

• Editors are appointed by the administration, either by application or on the recommendation of existing users.
  
• Editors are responsible for regular (but only at their spare time):
  • Reviewing and correcting the accuracy of the existing database.
    
  • Processing user submissions and corrections.
    
  • Identifying and rejecting deliberately false information.
    
• Editors are not responsible for searching missing information for users. If a submitted vehicle profile lacks sufficient data, editors have the right to reject the submission without completing it.
  
• Repeated submission of incomplete or empty profiles by a user may result in account deactivation.
  
• Editors are constantly monitored by the administration.
  
• If an editor is found to be intentionally damaging the database, submitting false information, or excessively rejecting valid user contributions, their editor rights will be revoked, up to and including full account deactivation.
  

3.3. Database Structure:
 
Vehicles are linked to the primary carrier and country of registration (based on license plate), regardless of branches or temporary transfers.

• Branches and Subdivisions:
  Carrier branches (e.g., "Carrier_A: Cities A, B, C") are not tracked.
  All vehicles always belong to the parent organization ("Carrier_A").
  Transfers between branches are not recorded but may be noted in remarks.
   
  
• Rentals and Temporary Operations:
  If a bus is temporarily transferred to another carrier (rental, substitution), it remains associated with the original carrier in the database.
  Exception: If the transfer involves a change in vehicle fleet number or Reg. plate – data updates are permitted.
   
  
• Subsidiaries:
  All vehicles from subsidiaries are automatically attributed to the parent carrier, even with different names/visual branding.
   
  
• New Carrier Creation:
  A new carrier entry in the country list is only created with verified data for 5+ vehicles.
  Until then, vehicle information remains in the Various Carriers section.
  

Prohibited Content

• As we are a bus photo gallery, the following is strictly prohibited and will lead to immediate account suspension:
  • Discussion of photography style: Every author is free to shoot in their preferred style. Criticism, belittlement, or negative judgment of a user's photography approach is strictly forbidden.
    An author may shoot even while standing on their head, as long as it meets upload quality standards.
    
  • Criticism of photographic equipment: Neutral discussions about equipment upgrades and camera choices are allowed. However, criticizing or mocking the equipment used by any author is strictly prohibited. Authors may use any device if the site's upload criteria are met.
    
  • Hate speech and discrimination: Any hate speech, offensive remarks, nationalist, gender-based, religious, or racial comments are forbidden.
    Also prohibited is any form of agitation based on gender, religion, race, politics, or commercial interests.
    
  • Spam and nonsensical messages: Posting spam or meaningless messages without logical content is not allowed.
    
  • Political and territorial disputes: Discussions about territorial conflicts, disputes over symbols, orthography, heraldry, or languages that demean or promote one side over another are strictly forbidden.
    

Language Requirements
Primary languages: English and Russian.  
Use of any local languages is accepted only if the comment is also translated to English or Russian for other users to understand.

Warning System
The site operates a warning system to maintain content quality within our community. Each user begins with a 100% trust score. Every violation reduces this score. Correcting violations promptly helps maintain your standing, but repeated violations may decrease it until account suspension.

1. Warning Types
   • Comments - for communication rule violations. May result in:
     • Commenting restrictions
       
     • Mandatory pre-moderation of all messages
       
     • Complete communication ban
       
   • Uploads - for photo publication violations. May result in:
     • Upload quantity limitations
       
     • Mandatory review of all submissions
       
     • Complete publishing ban
       
   • General violations - for other site policy breaches. May result in:
     • Account functionality restrictions
       
     • Temporary suspension
       
     • Permanent account deactivation
       
   
   All active warnings are displayed in your profile. Restrictions are applied manually by moderators or administrators and lifted automatically. Effects of multiple warnings are cumulative. Warning history is permanently maintained.
   Important: Moderators issue warnings strictly based on these rules, with their actions monitored by administrators. Final, permanent restrictions and bans are imposed exclusively by administrators. The system automatically recalculates your trust score when warnings are issued or removed.

Voting System Rules
To motivate the publication of quality content, a content rating system has been introduced. Users can vote for Photos, Comments, and in contests.
For objectivity, negative ratings are also provided in the form of (-1) buttons for comments, as well as "Dislike this photo" and "Non-competitive photo".
Only content is evaluated!!!
 
Strict prohibitions:

• The rating system must never be used against authors
  
• Only the quality of content (photos/comments) is evaluated
  
• Negative voting based on personal attitude toward the author is prohibited
  

The administration will immediately restrict a user's voting ability if bias is suspected, up to complete account deactivation, and will restore ratings to their previous state.
All disputes are resolved through personal contact with moderators.

Private Message Rules
Private Messages (PMs) are meant for constructive communication on any topic - from discussing fleet renumbering to choosing a pet.
However, remember:

• Following lead to PM access restriction:
  • Flooding (excessive messages)
    
  • Persistent repeated messages
    
  • Inappropriate content reported by recipient
    
  
  
• Strictly prohibited:
  • Requesting money in any form
    
  • Extorting personal information
    
  • Offering illegal or commercial services
    
  → This rule applies to all users, including moderators
   
  
• Important to know:
  • Administration does not handle complaints via PM - only through ticket system
    
  • Administration never discloses any personal data
    
  • Official notifications come only through profile notifications or email messages
    

Violations may lead to account functionality restrictions.

Support Requests may only be submitted for:

• Data corrections. (Add something, remove something, review something)
  
• Technical issues. (Site or software issues, suggestions, observations)
  
• Account or status changes. (Username changes, editor applications, complaints)
  

Off-topic tickets will be closed without response and rights to use the requests will be revoked.

We may update these Terms and Conditions at any time without notice  
Changes are effective immediately upon posting. By continuing usin the Site, we automatically assume you agree to these Rules.

Questions and Inquiries:
As the site is a collaborative project of transport enthusiasts, all communication with the administration, owners, and software operators must be conducted via the Support Request and Ticket form.
Your inquiry will be reviewed by the administration or editors, and a response will be provided accordingly.
We reserve the right not to review or respond to communications sent through other channels and do not guarantee a reply through alternative methods.

In addition to these Terms, there is a separate legal section — which, we understand, most users rarely read. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend that you review it: https://busphoto.club/help/
 
This section contains important information about:

• Your rights as an author and user
  
• Personal data protection
  
• Use of cookies and tracking
  
• Copyright and photo licensing
  
• Our responsibilities and liabilities
  
• Our policy on content theft and enforcement of author rights
  

In the event of any complaints, disputes, or legal matters — the information provided in that section will be considered the official basis of our agreements and terms of use. It serves to protect both your rights and our position as a non-commercial, community-driven platform.
 
Your continued use of the Site constitutes full and unconditional acceptance of all stated policies.