DIAMOND Buses have appealed a decision to hit them with a £9,075 penalty for the poor punctuality of services to passengers in Wyre Forest.

The Traffic Commissioner for the West Midlands, Nick Denton, has today granted a stay of his decision on the Diamond Bus Ltd public inquiry, pending an appeal by the company.

This means that his decision will not come into effect while a separate tribunal considers the company’s appeal.

Diamond Bus Ltd is appealing on the basis that the Traffic Commissioner was wrong to reject some of the company’s arguments for a “reasonable excuse” for late or cancelled services.

A spokesman for Mr Denton said: “The Upper Tribunal, which considers appeals against traffic commissioner decisions, is a separate jurisdiction.

“As such, the Office of the Traffic Commissioner will not comment further on the case while appeal proceedings are underway.”

Earlier this month, Mr Denton delivered his verdict following a public inquiry held earlier this year.

In his conclusions, he said people in the area has been “poorly served” by the company.

As well as the financial penalty, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency was to continue to monitor Diamond’s performance in the area.

Following the decision, a spokesman for Diamond said the company was considering appealing the penalty.