Expresslines Limited aim to provide quality passenger transport
services that meet the needs of our customers. To do this we aim to
ensure that:
1. Applications
These conditions apply whether a contract has been made verbally or
in writing. The Hirer acts on behalf of all the passengers travelling
on the vehicle. The Hirer is responsible for the actions and
decisions of all the passengers on board including any additional
costs incurred in performing the contract, whether or not they
actually travel with the party.
2. Quotations
A. Quotations are given on the basis of the most direct route and on
information given by the hirer. The route used will be at the
discretion of the Company unless the Hirer has requested a particular
route, which will be specified on the confirmation of booking.
B. The giving of a quotation does not guarantee the availability of
vehicles or drivers.
C. Quotations are valid for three months from the date of enquiry.
3. Use of Vehicle
The hirer cannot assume use of the vehicle between outward and return
journeys, nor for the vehicle to remain at the destination for the
Hirer’s use unless this has been agreed with the Company in advance.
4. Route and Time Variation
A. Should the vehicle be detained by the Hirer, or taken on a longer
journey than contracted for, the Company reserves the right to make
an additional charge.
B. The vehicle will depart at the times agreed with the Hirer and the
Company shall not be liable for any loss or injury sustained by any
passengers who fail to join the vehicle at the appointed time.
5. Drivers’ Hours
The hours agreed with the Company must be strictly observed (other
than in the case of serious emergency or diversion) so that
regulations governing drivers’ hours and rest periods can be
complied with. The Company reserves the right to curtail or otherwise
alter any Hire that does not comply with the relevant regulations.
Neither the Hirer nor any passengers shall delay the departure of a
vehicle or otherwise interrupt the journey so putting the driver at
risk of breaching the regulations relating to drivers’ hours of work
and duty. The Hirer will indemnify the Company against any extra
expenses which the Company may incur including, but not limited to,
the cost of providing a replacement driver.
6. Seating Capacity
The Hirer shall not load any vehicle beyond the number of passengers
for which it is legally able to carry.
7. Conveyance of Animals
On a private hire, no animals (other than guide dogs and hearing dogs
notified to the Company in advance) may come on the vehicle without
prior agreement from the Company.
8. Confirmation
Written confirmation by the Company is normally the only basis for
the acceptance of a booking.
9. Payment
Any deposit requested must be paid in order to secure the booking.
The outstanding balance must be made on or before the day of travel
unless the Company agrees terms of credit. Customers will be charged
a minimum 10% administration fee if the outstanding balance is not
paid to terms. Late credit account payments are charged as follows:
1st reminder letter – no charge; 2nd reminder letter - £15.00; 3rd
reminder letter - £15.00; final reminder letter - £30.00.
10. Cancellation by Hirer
If the Hirer wishes to cancel a booking, the following charges will
apply per vehicle. These charges will also apply if cancellation is
due to inclement weather conditions, or cancellation due to any other
factor outside of the control of the Company:
Days prior to Hire Charge
21 days+ No Charge
7 – 21 Days £50
2 – 6 Days 50% up to a max. of £150
1 Day 75% up to a max. of £200
Day of Hire 75% up to a max. of £250
Arrival of coach at Departure point 100% of Hire
11. Cancellation by the Company
In the event of any emergency, riot, fire, civil commotion, strike,
lock out, stoppage or restraint of labour, or on the happening of an
event over which the Company has no control (including adverse
weather and road conditions), or in the event of the Hirer taking any
action to vary agreed conditions unilaterally, the Company may, by
returning all money paid and without further or other liability,
cancel the contract. The Company reserves the right to cancel any
booking giving 14 days notice.
12. Vehicle to be provided
A. The Company reserves the right to provide a larger vehicle than
that specified, at no additional charge, unless any extra seats are
used.
B. The Company reserves the right to substitute other vehicles
(including those of other operators) or ancillary facilities for all
or part of the hire subject to such substitutes being of at least
equivalent quality.
C. Equipment in coaches (including air conditioning, audio, visual &
public address systems) is provided at the discretion of the Company
unless the quotation and hire specifies that any such facilities will
be available. Whilst every endeavour will be made to comply with the
Hirer’s subsequent requests, the Company cannot guarantee to meet
any such requests.
13. Breakdowns and Delays
The Company gives its advice on journey times in good faith, however,
in the event of a breakdown or traffic congestion, beyond the
reasonable control of the Company, journeys may take longer than
predicted, and in those circumstances the Company will not be liable
for any loss or inconvenience suffered by the Hirer as a result.
14. Passengers’ Property
A. All vehicles hired by the Company are subject to restrictions on
carrying luggage for statutory safety reasons. The Hirer accepts that
the driver shall be the sole judge as to whether and to what extent
passengers’ property is carried. Large bulky items may not be able
to be carried, and the Hirer should take all steps to notify the
Company in advance of any such requirements.
B. The Company accepts carriage of any personal property of the Hirer
and their passengers, without liability, on the understanding that it
will take all reasonable steps to avoid loss or damage. The Hirer
should notify the Company if items of exceptional value are to be
carried on the vehicle. It is the Hirer’s responsibility to minimise
the risk to any property left unattended.
C. All articles of lost property will be held at the Company’s
premises and will be subject to the current Public Service Vehicle
(Lost Property) regulations.
15. Conduct of Passengers
A.The Driver is responsible for the safety of the vehicle. Any
passenger whose conduct is in breach of statutory regulations may be
removed from the vehicle, or prevented from boarding, on the
Driver’s authority. The Hirer will be responsible for the conduct of
passengers and for any damage or theft relating to the vehicle during
the Hire. The current Public Service Vehicle (Conduct of Drivers,
Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) Regulations apply at all time.
A. Unless a vehicle is licensed for standees, the Company does not
accept any liability for passengers walking or standing whilst the
vehicle is in motion.
B. Where appropriate, Hirers should acquaint themselves with the
current Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol) Act 1995 and the
condition of entry to racecourses as laid down by the Race Course
Association Ltd.
16. Complaints
In the event of a complaint about the Company’s services, the Hirer
should endeavour to seek a solution at the time by seeking assistance
from the driver or the Company. If this does not resolve any matter,
complaints should then be submitted in writing and within 14 days of
the date of the Hire. Complaints will be acknowledged within 14
working days and the Company will aim to resolve any complaint within
28 days of it being made.
17. Notices
No bill, poster or notice is to be displayed on the vehicle without
the consent of the Company.
18. Refreshments, Alcoholic Drinks & Smoking
Other than on a vehicle fitted expressly for that purpose, food and
drink (excluding still water, but including alcoholic beverages) may
not be consumed on the vehicle. No smoking is permitted on our vehicles.
19. Surcharges
Once a confirmation has been issued to the Hirer, providing there are
at least 30 days to the date of Hire, the Company reserves the right
to pass on to the Hirer increases in the cost of fuel or other
increased costs resulting from Government action or other factors
beyond the Company’s control. No surcharges will be levied within 30
days of departure. On notification of any such surcharges, the Hirer
may cancel the booking subject to the scale of cancellation charges
as set out in paragraph 10.
20. Airport Arrangements
A. The Company will make efforts to ensure that any flights they are
meeting at airports are on time before setting off. However, if
flights are delayed the Company may levy charges for waiting time and
or (when delays are exceptional) additional journeys. All charges
will be at current rates. Customers should not assume that the
Company is getting accurate information in the event of any delays.
It should not be assumed that the Company is able to meet any new
arrival time. The Company will endeavour to meet any altered arrival
times at the first available opportunity after the flight has landed.
Customers may need to contact the Company in such circumstances.
B. For security reasons certain procedures must be followed when
picking up at major airports. Drivers are unable to leave their
vehicles to look for passengers at the arrivals terminal. Also,
coaches may still be held in the coach park area when passengers come
out of arrivals. If this is the case most airports have either
information points and/or marshals to co-ordinate coaches and
passengers.
These additional costs may be incurred on Private Hires
Basic rate of £25.00 per hour or part thereof. (Chargeable after the
first 30 minutes from the booked departure time). £35.00 per hour if
unsocial hours (01.00 Hrs to 06.00 Hrs)
£2.00 per added mile.
£2.00 per stop in Bedford/ Kempston area.
£3.00 per stop in large town/city.
At cost.
Minimum of £40.00. *
At cost of repair/replacement. *
If a vehicle can no longer operate due to soiling and/or damages then
further charges may be levied for loss of the vehicle and/or a
replacement vehicle. These charges will be based on cost.
Payment to be made by the day of travel or at departure unless by
prior agreement.
Failure to pay by agreed terms will result in a minimum charge of 10%
of the total cost of the hire to cover administration costs.
all of these systems and equipment are owned and operated by:
Expresslines Ltd
Unit 15
Fenlake Rd Ind Est
Bedford
MK42 0HB
01234 268704
Responsibility for implementing this policy rests with the directors
of expresslines ltd.
The day to day management of the CCTV equipment shall be the
responsibility of the directors and or a manager authorised by the
directors.
CCTV systems employed by expresslines are for the following purposes:
- to promote a safer working environment by deterring crime
including theft, vandalism and crimes against individuals.
-
to discourage delinquent and anti-social behaviour.
-
to aid in the investigation of road traffic accidents and various
incidents related to public transport.
-
preventing and assisting in the resolution of cases of internal
discipline.
-
to assist in the overall good management of company properties
and vehicles.
Where, in carrying out these purposes, images of members of the
public or staff committing acts which may give rise to a criminal
conviction are obtained, such images may be used as evidence in
internal disciplinary hearings, third party disciplinary hearings and/
or criminal proceedings.
These systems must not be used for general surveillance of staff or
members of the public.
Access To Data
It is important that access to and disclosure of images is restricted
and carefully controlled, not only to safeguard the rights of
individuals but also to ensure that evidence remains intact should
the images be required for evidential purposes. Therefore an
effective management of the system needs to be adhered to.
Management Of The System
Effective management of the system requires that:
- hard drives should be securely locked.
- movement of hard drives should be recorded on the ‘hard drive
movement log’.
- any downloading of the hard drives should be recorded on the
‘download report log’.
- any parties requesting access to the data must complete an
‘application to access CCTV images’ form.
Rights To Access Data
Data may only be accessed if the reason for access falls within the
stated purposes of the CCTV system. In addition, the police have
access to the data under the provisions of the ‘Police And Criminal
Evidence Act 1984’. Access may also be obtained in connection with
civil disputes by court order or be extended to lawyers acting for
defendants or victims in connection with criminal proceedings. Please
contact us for further details.
This document sets out to formalise and represent our Equality & Anti-
Discrimination Policy.
Discrimination
To discriminate is to treat one person less favourably than another
on the basis of colour, nationality or ethnic origin, religion,
gender, marital, parental or property status, disability, age,
sexuality or other such category that is irrelevant to the
individual’s right to receive fair treatment.
Discrimination can be either direct or indirect. Direct
discrimination is deliberate. Indirect discrimination is where an
act, or failure to act, intentionally or otherwise, has a
disproportionate impact on a particular group or individual.
OUR AIMS
It is the aim of Expresslines to ensure equality in all of its
activities and interactions with third parties.
Expresslines therefore aims to adhere to all current and future
legislation pertaining to Equal Opportunities and Anti-
Discrimination, including, but not limited to:
-
Equal Pay Act 1970
- Sex discrimination Act 1975
- Race Relations Act 1976
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- Employment Rights Act 1996
- Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
- Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
Responsibility For Equality & Anti-Discrimination Policy
It is the responsibility of the Directors of Expresslines to define,
promote and enforce this Policy. It is the responsibility of all
staff to adhere to this Policy.
Breaches Of Policy
If any person or persons feel that this Policy has been breached,
then they should bring this to the attention of the Director’s of
Expresslines. This may be done verbally, but preferably in writing.
It is recommended that any complaints of this nature be dealt with
through the Company Complaints Procedure.
Expresslines will accept complaints from any customers, members of
the public or any other third parties that wish to communicate their
thoughts to us.
All incoming complaints must be recorded on a complaints log sheet.
(these may be hand written or completed on pc).
Once complaints have been recorded they will then be passed to the
most appropriate person to investigate.
Customers will be requested to put all complaints in writing.
generally, only written complaints will receive a written response.
All complaints should be at least looked at superficially within 24
working hours and responded to within 7 working days.
All completed complaint logs will be kept in a central file for
future reference.
Letters of complaint should be attached to complaint log sheets, but
all staff notes must be on the complaint log sheets themselves.
**** END OF INFORMATION ****