Coach Hire and Minibus Hire Across the UK
By placing a booking with Green Metro Coaches Ltd, the Customer and/or Hirer confirms that they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
Nothing in these Terms and Conditions is intended to exclude, restrict or affect any statutory rights which cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.
For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions:
The Company provides transport booking and management services and works with appropriately licensed operators where required. The Company manages the booking process, allocation of services and overall service standards.
Where a third-party Operator is used, that Operator is responsible for providing vehicles and Drivers that comply with all applicable licensing, safety and regulatory requirements together with the Company’s service standards.
These Terms and Conditions apply to all Bookings accepted by the Company, whether the Booking is arranged verbally, electronically or in writing.
A contract shall be formed when the Company accepts the Booking and issues or otherwise confirms the Booking through its booking system.
The Hirer is responsible for the conduct, acts and omissions of all passengers travelling under the Booking, whether or not the Hirer personally travels.
Any reasonable additional costs incurred by the Company as a consequence of the actions or omissions of the Hirer or passengers may be charged to the Hirer.
Unless otherwise stated, quotations issued by the Company are valid for 7 days from the date of issue and remain subject to vehicle availability.
A quotation does not guarantee vehicle availability until the Booking has been accepted and confirmed by the Company.
Prices may be revised where circumstances outside the Company’s reasonable control materially increase the cost of providing the service. These circumstances may include, without limitation:
Any amendment to the original quotation or Booking may result in a revised price.
This includes, but is not limited to:
Additional services or expenses including trailers, child restraints, tolls, ferries, airport parking and similar costs may be charged where they were not included in the original quotation.
Where an obvious administrative, typographical or pricing error has occurred, the Company reserves the right to notify the Customer promptly and provide a corrected quotation.
Where the Customer does not accept the corrected price, the Company may cancel the affected Booking and refund any monies paid in respect of that Booking.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, a deposit of 25% of the total Booking value is payable when the Booking is confirmed.
The deposit is refundable where the Booking is cancelled 14 days or more before the scheduled date of travel, subject to Clause 10.
The remaining balance must be paid in full no later than 7 days before the scheduled date of travel, unless alternative payment terms have been expressly agreed by the Company in writing.
If full payment is not received by the payment deadline, the Company reserves the right to cancel the Booking.
Where payment has not been received within the agreed timescale, the Company may also be unable to guarantee the original quoted price where the cost of fulfilling the Booking has subsequently increased.
Where a refund is due by bank transfer, the Customer may be required to provide:
Any refund issued by the Company shall not exceed the amount actually paid to the Company in respect of the affected Booking.
Where the Company has expressly agreed to provide the Customer with a credit account or other credit arrangement, invoices shall be issued in accordance with the agreed account terms.
Applicable credit, card processing or other payment charges may be included where lawfully agreed and disclosed.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, invoices must be paid within 7 days from the date of invoice.
Any invoice query should be raised in writing within 7 days of the invoice date wherever reasonably possible.
Failure to raise a query within that period will normally be treated as acceptance of the invoice, without affecting any statutory rights which cannot lawfully be excluded.
The Customer is responsible for checking the Booking Confirmation immediately upon receipt.
The Customer must ensure that all information is accurate, including:
Any discrepancy must be reported to the Company as soon as reasonably possible.
An amendment to a Booking shall only become effective once:
Until an amended Booking Confirmation or written confirmation is received, the original Booking Confirmation shall continue to apply.
Drivers are not authorised to amend the Customer’s contract with the Company.
Any request made directly to a Driver for additional stops, route changes, additional waiting or other services shall remain subject to operational feasibility, legal requirements and any applicable additional charges.
Verbal discussions with a Driver must not be regarded as confirmation that the Company’s contractual Booking has been amended.
Customers should allow sufficient time when arranging travel to:
The Company cannot guarantee journey times where delays result from traffic, accidents, road closures, adverse weather or other circumstances outside its reasonable control.
Subject to applicable law, the Company shall not be responsible for the cost of missed flights, trains, events, performances, accommodation, tickets or other consequential expenses arising solely from circumstances outside the Company’s reasonable control.
The Company operates procedures intended to monitor and improve service quality.
Booking records and communications may be retained, and telephone calls may be recorded where appropriate, in accordance with applicable data protection legislation and the Company’s Privacy Policy.
Complaints should be submitted in writing as soon as reasonably possible and preferably within 30 days from the date of travel.
Submitting a complaint promptly allows the Company to:
Complaints submitted substantially later may be more difficult to investigate fully.
Nothing in this clause removes any legal right the Customer may have to make a claim within an applicable statutory limitation period.
Any complaint regarding the cleanliness, condition or facilities of a vehicle should, wherever reasonably possible, be supported by photographic or video evidence taken at the time.
Any goodwill payment, credit or other discretionary remedy offered by the Company shall not constitute an admission of liability.
Customers are encouraged to contact the Company and allow it a reasonable opportunity to investigate and resolve any dispute before seeking external remedies.
Where the matter cannot be resolved directly, the parties may agree to use an appropriate independent mediation or alternative dispute resolution service.
Unless otherwise agreed, each party shall bear its own costs and any mediator’s fee may be shared equally.
Nothing in these Terms and Conditions prevents a Customer from exercising any lawful rights available through their bank, card issuer, alternative dispute resolution service, regulator or the courts.
Unless expressly included in the quotation, the Booking price does not include:
These costs shall be the responsibility of the Hirer unless otherwise agreed in writing.
Where requested, the Company may arrange third-party services on behalf of the Customer.
Where it does so, the Company may act as the Customer’s booking agent and the relevant third-party supplier’s terms relating to payment, cancellation and refunds may also apply.
The Company will not normally commit to a third-party service until the required payment has been received from the Customer.
Unless otherwise stated, quotations are generally based on the use of one Driver.
Depending on the length, timing and nature of the journey, applicable Driver’s Hours regulations may require:
Where this becomes necessary after the original quotation has been provided, the Company reserves the right to revise the price.
Where reasonably possible, the Company will advise the Hirer of such additional costs in advance.
Where Driver accommodation is required, the cost shall be payable by the Hirer.
Where the Hirer arranges Driver accommodation directly, each Driver must normally be provided with:
The Company’s operations team will advise when accommodation is required.
Where the Hirer or passengers request or cause changes which increase the cost of performing the Booking, those additional reasonable costs shall be payable by the Hirer.
This may include additional:
The Hirer shall be responsible for reasonable costs arising from damage or excessive soiling caused by the Hirer or members of the Hirer’s party.
Where the condition of a vehicle following a Booking prevents it from operating a subsequent service and the Company reasonably needs to arrange another vehicle or Driver, the responsible Hirer may also be liable for the reasonable additional costs directly resulting from that situation.
Photographs, illustrations and descriptions of vehicles displayed on the Company’s website, social media, quotations or other marketing material are provided as a general guide.
Unless a specific vehicle has been expressly guaranteed in writing, the actual vehicle supplied may differ in:
The Company will nevertheless endeavour to provide a vehicle appropriate for the passenger capacity and service type booked.
The vehicle allocated to the Booking will be selected based upon the passenger numbers and luggage requirements provided by the Customer.
The Customer must provide accurate information at the time of booking.
Any material change in passenger numbers or luggage requirements must be notified to the Company as soon as reasonably possible.
The Company cannot guarantee that additional passengers or luggage not previously disclosed can be accommodated.
Passenger numbers must never exceed the lawful seating capacity of the vehicle.
All cancellations must be made in writing.
A cancellation shall only be treated as received when the Company has received the written cancellation request.
Customers are strongly advised to obtain written acknowledgement from the Company confirming that the Booking has been cancelled.
The Company cannot accept responsibility for a cancellation request which was not successfully delivered or received.
Subject to applicable law and the Company’s reasonable losses arising from cancellation, the following cancellation charges normally apply:
14 days or more before scheduled travel:
No cancellation charge – full refund.
8 to 13 days before scheduled travel:
25% of the total Booking value.
7 days or less, but more than 24 hours before scheduled departure:
50% of the total Booking value.
Less than 24 hours before scheduled departure:
Up to 100% of the total Booking value.
Cancellation charges are intended to reflect the Company’s costs and losses arising from the cancellation, including committed vehicle, Driver, administration and supplier costs and the reduced opportunity to rebook the vehicle.
Where the Company’s actual recoverable loss is lower than the stated cancellation charge and applicable consumer law requires an adjustment, the charge shall be limited accordingly.
Where the Company is able to reduce its loss by reallocating the vehicle or otherwise mitigating its loss, this may be taken into account where required by law.
Any refund, future-booking credit or transfer offered outside the above entitlement may be made at the Company’s discretion.
Cancellation of:
does not automatically cancel the coach Booking.
The Customer must separately cancel the Booking in accordance with this clause.
The applicable cancellation provisions shall then apply.
Where the amount already paid is less than the applicable cancellation charge, the balance may become immediately payable.
Unpaid amounts may be pursued as a debt.
The Company reserves the right to recover reasonable debt collection expenses, interest and legal costs to the extent permitted by law.
Where the Company becomes unable to provide the booked vehicle due to:
the Company shall use reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable replacement vehicle or alternative transport solution.
This may include subcontracting the Booking to another appropriately licensed Operator.
If the Company is unable to provide the booked service or a reasonable alternative, the Customer shall be entitled to a refund of monies paid to the Company for the part of the service which the Company is unable to provide, subject to applicable law.
The Company will provide as much notice as reasonably practicable in the circumstances.
Nothing in this clause excludes any statutory rights or remedies that the Customer may have where the Company fails to provide the contracted service with reasonable care and skill.
The Company must be informed at the time of booking where the journey is connected with:
The Customer must provide accurate information regarding the nature of the journey.
Where material information has deliberately or materially been withheld and this affects the Company’s ability lawfully or safely to perform the Booking, the Company may treat this as a material breach of contract.
Where reasonably necessary, the Company may cancel the Booking.
Any refund entitlement will depend upon the circumstances of the cancellation, costs already reasonably incurred and applicable law.
Neither party shall be liable for failure or delay in performing its obligations where the failure or delay results from circumstances genuinely beyond that party’s reasonable control.
Such circumstances may include:
The affected party shall use reasonable endeavours to minimise the consequences of the event.
Where the Booking cannot be performed at all, the parties’ rights regarding payments or refunds shall be determined by applicable law and the extent to which services have already been provided or irrecoverable costs have reasonably been incurred.
Unless expressly included in the Booking Confirmation, the Hirer must not assume that the vehicle:
Additional mileage or time beyond the agreed Booking may result in additional charges.
Passengers must not assume that luggage or other personal belongings can remain on the vehicle between journeys unless this has been agreed with the Company or Driver.
The Customer is responsible for ensuring that passengers are ready to depart at the confirmed time.
Where passengers are late, the Company may incur additional costs, including:
These reasonable additional costs may be charged to the Hirer.
Where departure takes place within 10 minutes of the scheduled pick-up time, no overtime charge will normally apply.
Where departure takes place 10 minutes or more after the scheduled pick-up time, waiting/overtime charges may be applied from the scheduled pick-up time at:
£5.00 + VAT per 15 minutes.
The Hirer is responsible for managing the group’s departure times and should not rely upon the Driver to provide advance warnings each time additional waiting, mileage, cleaning or other charges begin to accrue.
Where the Customer provides a scheduled flight arrival time, the Company will normally allow approximately 30 minutes after the scheduled arrival time for passengers to:
Where the Customer specifically requests a fixed collection time, that agreed fixed time shall apply instead.
Flight delays beyond the agreed allowance may result in waiting charges or may affect the Driver’s ability to continue waiting.
Unless otherwise agreed, a Driver will normally wait for up to 30 minutes after the scheduled collection time.
A shorter waiting period may be necessary where continued waiting would:
If passengers fail to arrive within the available waiting period, the Company may be unable to provide the original service.
Where reasonably possible, the Company will endeavour to arrange an alternative solution, with additional costs payable by the Customer.
Where significant delays affect the Company’s ability lawfully or operationally to fulfil the Booking, the Company cannot guarantee continued availability of the original vehicle or Driver.
The Company reserves the right to subcontract all or part of a Booking to another appropriately licensed Operator.
The Company may also substitute the originally intended vehicle where reasonably necessary for operational reasons.
The replacement vehicle should provide an appropriate lawful seating capacity for the number of passengers booked.
Where a larger vehicle is provided for operational reasons, no additional charge shall apply solely because of the increased vehicle size.
Where the Customer subsequently increases the number of passengers or otherwise changes the original requirements, additional charges may apply.
Unless a specific route has been expressly agreed, the route taken shall be determined by the Company and/or Driver having regard to:
No price reduction shall arise merely because the Driver did not use the geographically shortest route.
All requested pick-up and drop-off points must be:
The Driver has final responsibility for determining whether a location can safely and lawfully be accessed.
Where a requested location is unsuitable, the Driver may use the nearest reasonable alternative location.
The vehicle may be required to stop to enable the Driver to take legally required breaks and rest periods.
The Hirer is responsible for ensuring passengers return to the vehicle at the specified departure time.
The Company shall not be liable for loss suffered by a passenger who fails to return to the vehicle at the agreed time.
Any route change, unscheduled stop or additional drop-off requested during the journey shall be subject to:
The Company may provide estimated journey durations in good faith.
Journey times cannot be guaranteed.
Delays may occur as a result of circumstances including:
If a Company or Operator vehicle suffers a breakdown, reasonable efforts will be made to:
Customers travelling to time-sensitive events or connections are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient contingency time and obtain appropriate travel insurance where relevant.
Nothing in this clause excludes liability where loss is caused by the Company’s negligence or where liability cannot lawfully be excluded.
Driver’s Hours, working time, breaks and mandatory rest periods are governed by applicable UK and international transport legislation.
Depending upon the nature of the journey, this may include:
The Hirer accepts that journey timings may need to be adjusted to ensure legal compliance.
Neither the Hirer nor passengers may require or pressure a Driver to:
Where Customer delays or requested changes require:
in order to remain legally compliant, the Hirer shall be responsible for the reasonable additional costs arising from those changes.
The Company and Driver may alter, interrupt or discontinue a journey where reasonably necessary to comply with applicable law.
The carriage of luggage is subject to vehicle capacity and all applicable safety requirements.
The Driver shall have final authority to determine whether luggage or another item can be safely carried.
Unless a different allowance has been specifically agreed, where the vehicle is fully occupied each passenger should normally be limited to:
Small personal items carried inside the passenger compartment must be safely positioned and must not:
Larger baggage must be capable of being safely stored in the vehicle’s luggage compartment.
Where spare passenger seats are available, baggage may only be placed on a passenger seat where the Driver considers that it can be appropriately secured.
Customers must disclose significant baggage requirements when making the Booking.
This is particularly important for:
Where passengers arrive with substantially more baggage than was declared, the Company cannot guarantee that all items can be carried.
The Driver may refuse any item that cannot be transported safely or lawfully.
Passenger and Driver safety shall take priority over the carriage of baggage.
Passengers remain responsible for their own belongings.
While reasonable care will be taken, the Company does not accept responsibility for loss or damage to personal property except where such loss or damage results from negligence for which the Company is legally responsible.
Passengers should not leave:
unattended on a vehicle.
Property found following a Booking may be retained at the relevant operating base for up to 30 days.
The Hirer or passenger is responsible for arranging collection.
Any reasonable postage, courier, storage or transportation costs incurred in returning lost property shall be payable by the owner.
The Hirer is responsible for ensuring that passengers behave in a reasonable and appropriate manner.
The Driver is responsible for the safety of:
The Driver may refuse boarding to, or require a passenger to leave the vehicle where the Driver reasonably considers that passenger to be:
The Driver may discontinue the journey where passenger behaviour creates a material risk to safety.
Where practicable, the journey may continue once the person responsible for the unacceptable behaviour has been removed.
Where serious passenger misconduct causes the Booking to be terminated, the Company may also cancel any remaining journey connected with that Booking.
Any refund entitlement shall be determined having regard to the circumstances, services already provided, losses reasonably incurred and applicable law.
The Hirer shall be liable for reasonable costs of repairing damage deliberately or negligently caused to the vehicle by the Hirer or members of the Hirer’s party.
The Company may provide evidence of the damage and associated repair or cleaning costs where appropriate.
Smoking is prohibited on all vehicles in accordance with applicable law.
Unless expressly authorised in writing, opened alcoholic drinks and glass drinking containers are not permitted on the vehicle.
The use, possession or consumption of illegal drugs is strictly prohibited.
Passengers must comply with any reasonable instruction from the Driver concerning:
Failure to comply may result in:
Where a journey is terminated because of serious passenger misconduct, the Customer shall remain responsible for charges and losses reasonably incurred by the Company, subject to applicable law.
Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes or limits liability for:
Subject to the above and to applicable law, the Company’s liability for direct loss arising from a Booking shall normally be limited to the total price paid or payable for the affected Booking.
The Company shall not be liable for losses which were not reasonably foreseeable when the Booking was made.
Where legally permitted, the Company shall not be liable for indirect or consequential business losses, including:
For business Customers, additional limitations permitted by law may apply.
Nothing in these Terms affects the Customer’s obligation to pay properly incurred Booking charges or Additional Charges.
Recognised assistance dogs are permitted where required by applicable law.
Customers travelling with an assistance dog are encouraged to notify the Company when making the Booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
Other animals are not permitted unless the Company has provided written approval in advance.
Permission should normally be requested at least 3 working days before travel.
Where permission is granted, the Company may impose reasonable safety requirements regarding:
The Company may refuse or discontinue carriage of an animal where it creates a genuine safety, welfare or legal concern, subject always to the Company’s obligations concerning disabled passengers and assistance animals.
If any provision or part of a provision within these Terms and Conditions is found by a court or competent authority to be unlawful, invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be treated as modified or removed only to the minimum extent necessary.
The remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
These Terms and Conditions and any Booking made with Green Metro Coaches Ltd shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
Subject to any mandatory consumer rights concerning jurisdiction, the courts of England and Wales shall have jurisdiction over disputes arising from or relating to the Booking.
Where the Customer is acting as a consumer and applicable law gives the Customer the right to bring proceedings in another part of the United Kingdom or another competent jurisdiction, nothing in this clause is intended to remove that right.
By confirming a Booking, paying a deposit, making full or partial payment, or otherwise instructing Green Metro Coaches Ltd to proceed with the Booking, the Customer confirms that they have had the opportunity to read these Terms and Conditions and agree to be bound by them.
Green Metro Coaches Ltd reserves the right to update these Terms and Conditions from time to time. The Terms and Conditions applicable to a Booking will normally be those provided or made available to the Customer when the Booking was confirmed, unless a change is required by law.
