TERMS & CONDITIONS
These Terms & Conditions apply to all direct bookings made with Journeys by Tom.
By confirming a booking and paying the booking fee, you agree to the terms set out below.
Journeys by Tom provides pre-booked private hire journeys from, to and around Edinburgh, including airport transfers, train station pickups, hotel transfers, business travel, appointments and long-distance journeys across mainland UK.
This is a pre-booked private hire service only. It is not an on-demand taxi service and I do not accept street pickups, taxi rank pickups or immediate hire requests.
1. Licensed private hire service
Journeys by Tom is operated by a City of Edinburgh Council licensed private hire driver using a fully licensed and insured private hire vehicle.
The vehicle is licensed for private hire use and bookings must be arranged in advance.
All journeys are subject to availability, licensing conditions, road conditions and the safe operation of the vehicle.
2. Booking process
To request a booking, please provide the following details:
pickup location
destination
date of travel
exact pickup time
number of passengers
full luggage details
flight number, where relevant
Once these details have been provided, I will send a fixed-price estimate.
A booking is not confirmed until the booking fee has been paid and written confirmation has been sent.
For early morning airport transfers, I may send a confirmation message the evening before travel and a further message when I am on my way or have arrived at the pickup location.
3. Fixed prices
All confirmed journeys are quoted in advance with a fixed price agreed before the booking is accepted.
The price does not change because of live traffic demand, surge pricing or the time of day.
The price may change if the customer requests a change to the agreed journey, including a different pickup point, different destination, additional stop, additional passenger, additional waiting time or extra luggage not declared at the time of booking.
Any significant change to the journey may require a new quote and may not always be possible.
4. Booking fee
A booking fee of 25% of the total journey price is required to secure a reservation.
The booking fee forms part of the total journey price. It is not an additional charge.
Once the booking fee has been received, the booking is treated as accepted and confirmed.
The remaining balance is payable before the journey begins, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
5. Payments
Payment can be made by secure payment link, contactless card payment, Apple Pay, Google Pay or cash.
The booking fee must be paid in advance through a secure payment link.
For longer-distance journeys, full payment may be required before the vehicle leaves for the pickup location.
Digital receipts and payment confirmations can be provided electronically. Printed invoices are available on request, but must be requested before the journey.
CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY
6. Customer cancellations
You may cancel your booking by WhatsApp, text message or email.
The cancellation time is based on when the cancellation message is received.
7. Cancellations more than 24 hours before pickup
If you cancel more than 24 hours before the agreed pickup time, the booking fee will be refunded in full.
8. Cancellations less than 24 hours before pickup
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the agreed pickup time, the booking fee will not normally be refunded.
This is because the time has been reserved for your journey, other work may have been declined and it may not be reasonably possible to replace the booking at short notice.
9. Same-day cancellations
Same-day cancellations are treated as cancellations made less than 24 hours before pickup.
The booking fee will not normally be refunded.
If full payment has already been made, the amount above the booking fee will normally be refunded, unless reasonable costs have already been incurred, such as parking, waiting time, airport access charges, tolls or travel already undertaken to reach the pickup location.
10. No-shows
A no-show occurs when the passenger does not attend the agreed pickup location, cannot be contacted, or does not commence the journey within the included waiting time.
For standard pickups, I will wait up to 10 minutes from the agreed pickup time unless otherwise agreed.
For Edinburgh Airport pickups, up to 20 minutes of waiting time from the actual landing time is included.
For pickups from other airports or out-of-town locations, up to 45 minutes of waiting time from the agreed pickup time is included.
After the included waiting time has passed, the booking may be treated as cancelled by the customer.
In the event of a no-show, the booking fee will not be refunded. Any additional parking, waiting or access charges already incurred may also be charged where reasonable.
11. Waiting time charges
The agreed price includes the waiting time stated above.
Once the included waiting time has passed, additional waiting time may be charged at:
£10 for every started 15-minute period
This means that once the included waiting time has expired, any part of the next 15-minute period may be charged as a full 15-minute period. Yes, because unfortunately time still moves forward even when someone is “just coming now”.
Additional waiting time is subject to availability and may not always be possible if I have another confirmed booking afterwards.
Parking, airport pickup charges, access charges or other costs caused by additional waiting time may be charged separately.
12. Flight delays and diverted flights
Please provide your flight number when booking an airport pickup.
Where possible, I will monitor incoming flights and adjust the pickup time based on the actual landing time.
For pickups from Edinburgh Airport, up to 20 minutes of waiting time from the actual landing time is included in the agreed price.
For pickups from other airports, up to 45 minutes of waiting time from the agreed pickup time is included in the agreed price.
After the included waiting time, additional waiting time may be charged at:
£10 for every started 15-minute period
If a flight delay exceeds 120 minutes, the booking may need to be cancelled or re-quoted depending on availability and any other confirmed bookings.
If your flight is diverted to another airport, this is treated as a change of pickup location. I will do my best to help, but a new quote will be required and availability cannot be guaranteed.
13. Cancellations by Journeys by Tom
If I need to cancel a confirmed booking due to vehicle breakdown, illness, safety concerns, licensing restrictions, severe weather, road closures or another reasonable cause outside my control, I will contact you as soon as possible.
Where possible, I may suggest an alternative arrangement.
If I cancel the booking and no suitable alternative is provided, any booking fee or advance payment already paid will be refunded in full.
Journeys by Tom is not responsible for additional losses such as missed flights, missed appointments, hotel costs or replacement travel costs, unless required by law.
14. Refund times
Approved refunds will be processed back to the original payment method where possible.
Refund processing times may depend on the payment provider or bank.
15. Changes to bookings
Reasonable changes may be possible, but they are not guaranteed.
Changes to pickup location, destination, pickup time, number of passengers, luggage, additional stops or route may affect the price.
Major changes may require a new quote.
If the requested change cannot be accommodated, the original booking terms still apply unless the booking is cancelled under the cancellation policy above.
16. Passenger and luggage capacity
The vehicle can carry up to 4 passengers.
For longer journeys, 1-2 passengers is usually more comfortable.
Luggage space is limited because the vehicle is a Hyundai Ioniq hybrid.
As a general guide, the vehicle can usually accommodate:
2 medium suitcases plus 2-3 pieces of hand luggage
or up to 4 passengers travelling with hand luggage only on shorter journeys
Large, unusual or excessive luggage must be declared before booking.
Passenger luggage cannot be carried loose inside the passenger cabin. If the declared luggage cannot be safely accommodated in the luggage compartment, the journey may not be possible.
17. Passenger conduct
Passengers must behave in a safe and reasonable manner.
I may refuse or end a journey where a passenger is abusive, threatening, heavily intoxicated, smoking, vaping, carrying dangerous items, attempting to use the vehicle for an illegal purpose or behaving in a way that may damage the vehicle or affect safety.
Smoking and vaping are not permitted in the vehicle.
Seat belts must be worn where legally required.
18. Children and child seats
Child seats are not provided.
Passengers travelling with children are responsible for providing a suitable child seat where required.
Any child seat provided by the passenger must be fitted by the passenger or accompanying adult.
19. Pets and assistance dogs
Pets may be accepted by prior agreement only.
Please mention any pets when making an enquiry so suitability can be confirmed before the booking is accepted.
Assistance dogs are accepted in line with legal requirements.
20. Additional charges
The agreed price includes the journey as quoted.
Additional charges may apply for:
extra waiting time
parking charges
airport pickup or drop-off charges not included in the original quote
tolls or ferry charges
additional stops
change of destination
additional mileage or journey time caused by customer-requested changes
Where possible, any additional charge will be explained before it is added.
21. Route
The journey will normally be taken by the most practical route, taking into account traffic, road conditions and the destination.
If the passenger requests a specific route, I will follow it where it is safe, legal and practical to do so.
A passenger-requested route that increases the journey time or distance may result in an additional charge.
22. Lost property
After each shift, I will check the vehicle for items left behind.
If lost property is found, I will make reasonable efforts to return it to the owner.
If the item needs to be delivered to you, a reasonable charge may apply depending on distance and time.
23. Delays outside my control
I will make reasonable efforts to arrive on time.
However, Journeys by Tom is not responsible for delays caused by events outside my control, including severe traffic, road closures, accidents, police incidents, severe weather, vehicle breakdown, airport disruption or other unexpected circumstances.
Customers should allow enough time for flights, trains, appointments and other time-sensitive travel.
24. Complaints
If you have a concern about your booking or journey, please contact me directly first so I can try to resolve it.
As a licensed private hire driver operating a licensed private hire vehicle, complaints may also be made to the City of Edinburgh Council Licensing Team where appropriate.
25. Privacy
Personal information provided for a booking is used only to manage and complete the journey, process payments, issue confirmations or receipts and maintain booking records where required.
Your information will not be sold or used for unrelated marketing.
26. Agreement
By paying the booking fee or confirming a booking in writing, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted these Terms & Conditions.