Terms of booking

1. Who we are

Gatecab is a licensed private hire operator. We accept bookings and allocate them to licensed private hire drivers in licensed vehicles. A private hire vehicle must be booked in advance through a licensed operator and cannot be hailed in the street or take a fare at a rank.

2. Making a booking

A booking is made when you complete the booking form and receive a journey number. We record every booking before the journey takes place, as our licence requires. Please check the details on your journey ticket as soon as you receive it, particularly the date, the pickup time and the addresses.

3. Prices

The price shown when you book is the price you pay. It includes the vehicle, the driver, airport parking where the pickup is at an airport, and the free waiting time set out below.

Traffic, a longer route, or a driver having to divert do not change the fare. The fare will change only if you change the journey, for example by adding a stop, changing the destination, or bringing more passengers or luggage than the vehicle class you booked can carry.

Where a journey enters the central London Congestion Charge zone during charging hours, that charge is shown as a separate line on your quote before you book. It is never added afterwards.

4. Waiting time

Airport pickups: one hour of waiting is included, timed from when your aircraft actually lands rather than from your booked pickup time. We track the flight number you give us, so a delayed flight does not cost you the booking.

All other pickups: fifteen minutes of waiting is included from the booked time.

Beyond the included period, waiting is charged in fifteen-minute blocks at the rate shown on your quote. If we cannot reach you and you have not made contact within a reasonable period after the free waiting time ends, the journey may be treated as a no-show under clause 6.

5. Changes

Contact us with your journey number to change a booking. Changes made more than 24 hours before the pickup time are free. Later changes are subject to availability, and a change that materially alters the journey may be repriced.

6. Cancellations and no-shows

• More than 24 hours before pickup: cancel free of charge, refunded in full.
• Within 24 hours of pickup: we may retain a charge reflecting costs already committed.
• No-show: where a passenger does not appear and does not make contact within the waiting period, the full fare may be charged.
• Cancelled flights: tell us as soon as you know. Where a flight is cancelled by the airline we will move or refund the booking.

7. Passengers and luggage

Each vehicle class states how many passengers and suitcases it carries, and those limits are set by law and by the space in the vehicle. They are not guidance. A driver may decline to carry more passengers or luggage than the vehicle is licensed and built for, and in that case the fare remains payable.

Tell us in advance about oversized items such as skis, golf clubs, musical instruments or a pushchair so we can allocate a suitable vehicle.

8. Children and child seats

Licensed private hire vehicles are treated differently from private cars under child restraint rules: where a correct child seat is not available, a child may travel in the rear, and a child aged three or over must wear the adult seat belt.

We would rather fit the right seat. Add one when booking and tell us the child's age and approximate weight so the correct type is fitted before we arrive.

9. Conduct

Smoking, including vaping, is not permitted in our vehicles. A driver may end a journey where a passenger behaves in a way that is unsafe, abusive or unlawful, and the fare remains payable. Where a vehicle requires cleaning as a result of soiling, a cleaning charge may apply.

10. If something goes wrong

We aim to arrive on time for every journey. Where we fail to provide a booked journey, you are entitled to a full refund of the fare. Beyond that, our liability is limited to losses that were reasonably foreseeable at the time of booking.

We do not accept liability for missed flights or connections where a booking was made without reasonable time for the journey, or where a delay was caused by events outside our control. If you are travelling to catch a flight, please build in a sensible margin. We will always advise on a departure time if you ask.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else which cannot be limited by law. Your statutory rights as a consumer are not affected.

11. Lost property

Items found in a vehicle are logged against the journey and held for collection. Contact us with your journey number as soon as you notice something missing.

12. Complaints

Our complaints procedure sets out how to raise a complaint, what we do with it and how long each step takes.

13. Data

How we handle your information is set out in our privacy notice. As a licensed operator we are required to keep booking records for at least twelve months.

14. Law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction.