Terms and conditions for every MCH booking

01General provisions

Every booking between the client and Manchester Chauffeur Hire (MCH), a trading name of Chauffeur Service Network Ltd is governed by these terms. By booking a chauffeur service through our website, by phone, by email, on WhatsApp or through any other approved channel, the client accepts them.

By placing a booking, the client confirms that they are at least 18 years old and legally able to enter a binding contract.

The client is responsible for making sure every booking detail is complete, accurate and final when the booking is confirmed. That includes the collection time and address, the destination and final drop-off, the number of passengers, the luggage, the vehicle choice and any other important requirement.

If anything about the booking is unclear, such as the price, the luggage, the waiting time, the route, cancellations or changes, the client should ask us before confirming.

We may change these terms at any time by updating this page, and the latest published version applies to future bookings.

02Responsibilities and liability

MCH will use reasonable skill and care in providing its services. However, we are not liable for delays, or for missed flights, trains, cruise departures, events, hotel check-ins or onward connections, where the cause is outside our reasonable control. That includes traffic, bad weather, road accidents, vehicle restrictions, airport congestion, security incidents, police activity, diversions and road closures.

Clients should allow enough time for their journey, especially where flights, check-in times, security screening, event start times or onward travel are involved.

We are not responsible for loss caused by incorrect or incomplete information from the client or booker. Examples are a wrong booking time, a wrong address, luggage that was not declared, stops that were not mentioned, or a final destination that was not given when it affects the price and the route.

Clients are strongly advised to take out suitable travel insurance where appropriate.

03Booking and cancellation

We encourage clients to book at least 24 hours ahead. We accept last-minute bookings only where a vehicle and chauffeur are available.

All pick-up dates and times must be given in UK local time unless we agree otherwise in writing.

If a client cannot find their chauffeur, they must contact MCH or the chauffeur, using the details sent with the booking, before making other travel arrangements.

We do not issue refunds where the chauffeur arrived as booked and the client did not wait at the agreed collection point, or chose other transport without contacting us first, unless the law requires otherwise.

If there is a significant delay, whether to a flight or for any other reason, the client must tell us as soon as possible. We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate delays, but we cannot guarantee it. Where contact is not kept up, where the delay seriously affects our operations, or where the service can no longer reasonably be carried out, we may treat the booking as a passenger no-show or as a materially changed booking, and extra charges may apply.

Standard transfers have a 24-hour cancellation and amendment window, unless the booking confirmation says otherwise. Requests made within 24 hours of the pick-up time may not be accepted and may be charged in full. Once we have taken payment and allocated a chauffeur and vehicle to a booking, a refund is not available after that point.

Peak dates, large events, hourly hire, bookings with several vehicles, specialist services, multi-day travel and bespoke quotes may have longer cancellation periods, payment conditions and minimum hire rules. For private tours, golf tours and similar itineraries, the notice needed may be several days. The quote or booking confirmation states the terms that apply.

04Hourly hire and its limits

Hourly chauffeur hire has a minimum booking length. Unless we confirm otherwise in writing, the minimum is 3 hours.

For some events, concerts, sporting fixtures, busy dates, private aviation movements and bespoke bookings, a different minimum may apply, and we state it when we quote.

Hourly bookings include 20 miles for every booked hour. Miles beyond that allowance are charged by vehicle type and operating needs, typically from £2.50 to £4.00 per mile.

Hourly hire is meant for a car that stays with the client within the same general area. Some travel in and out of that area is possible, but the service should normally finish in the same general district unless we quote otherwise in writing.

If a client wants to use hourly hire for a city-to-city transfer, a one-way long-distance journey or a trip that ends well outside the area, hourly hire may not be the right way to price it, and it can cost much more than a direct transfer quote.

The client must give the intended final drop-off before the booking is confirmed. If it is left out, changed later or differs materially from the original plan, we may recalculate the fare and add any further operating, mileage or vehicle return charges.

Any request to extend an hourly booking depends on the chauffeur and vehicle being available. Extra time is charged at the hourly rate for the vehicle booked.

05Vehicle return charges

Where a transfer or hourly booking ends outside the chauffeur’s usual operating area, or outside the area reasonably expected when we quoted, a vehicle return charge may apply.

The charge reflects the distance, time, operating cost and lost availability involved in bringing the vehicle and chauffeur back to base or to the next suitable operating area.

Where it applies, the return charge is included in the quoted price or shown as part of the final price. If the client did not give an accurate final drop-off before confirming, we may apply the right return charge once the real requirement is known.

06Waiting time

For airport transfers, the first 60 minutes of waiting from the booked time shown on the booking confirmation are included, unless we state otherwise in writing. Flight tracking may let us adjust the collection where we can, but it does not change the free waiting allowance.

Once the free waiting period ends, waiting charges may apply, typically from £50 to £70 per hour, depending on the vehicle, the type of service and the effect on our operations.

For other collections, including hotel, train station and standard address pickups, the first 30 minutes of waiting from the booked time are included. Waiting beyond that is charged at the waiting rate for the vehicle, typically from £50 to £70 per hour.

Waiting time is charged in line with the operating time lost, the vehicle allocated and the chauffeur’s availability.

Once the free waiting has ended, we can extend and charge for waiting only where that is operationally possible. If more waiting would harm the chauffeur’s schedule or other commitments, we may be unable to continue, and the booking may be treated as a passenger no-show.

07Luggage

Unless we agree otherwise, the standard luggage allowance is one standard suitcase and one piece of hand luggage per passenger. Luggage space varies by vehicle, so clients must choose a car that suits their passengers and luggage.

Oversized or extra luggage, sports equipment, child seats, pushchairs, wheelchairs and any unusual load must be declared when booking.

If a client is unsure whether the car they have chosen is big enough, our general advice is to book a larger vehicle, such as a Mercedes V-Class, to reduce the risk of running short of space.

Failing to declare extra or oversized luggage may cause delays, a need to upgrade to a larger vehicle, extra charges, or an inability to carry out the transfer if no suitable vehicle is available.

The chauffeur may refuse to carry a load where the booked vehicle is clearly unsuitable for the passengers and luggage presented and safe transport cannot be provided. In that case the booking may be treated as a passenger no-show or a materially changed booking where the service cannot go ahead because of incorrect or incomplete information from the client.

08Additional charges

We may add charges where the scope of the booked service changes after confirmation. These may include, but are not limited to:

• extra waiting time
• stops requested by the client
• route changes or itinerary changes once the journey has begun
• extra mileage beyond the included allowance
• parking, tolls, drop-off fees and similar third-party charges where they apply
• vehicle return charges caused by a materially different end location
• extra cleaning, damage or exceptional valeting costs where reasonably needed

09Pricing

Our prices depend on the type of journey, the vehicle, the number of passengers, the timing, the mileage, the waiting time, the route and our operating needs.

Prices published on our website are guide prices or starting prices. They may apply only to certain areas, journey types or operating periods, and your written quote confirms the exact figure.

Transfers outside Manchester, specialist event bookings, long-distance travel, private aviation, journeys with several vehicles and bespoke itineraries may cost more.

Hourly hire prices depend on the minimum booking period and the mileage allowance.

Unless we say otherwise, quoted prices do not include VAT where VAT applies.

10Payment and account terms

When a client sends a booking request, we save their card details securely through our payment provider. We then accept or decline the booking, and once it is accepted we usually take payment about 24 hours before the journey, and sooner for same-day, multi-day and multi-journey bookings. Unless we agree otherwise in writing, payment must be received in cleared funds before the service.

Corporate clients without agreed account terms are sent a pro-forma invoice, and payment must be received in cleared funds before the service.

We offer account or credit terms only at our discretion, after a working relationship has been established, and any agreed terms must be confirmed in writing.

If payment cannot be collected, authorised or cleared before the service, we may be unable to provide it.

11Changing a booking

A 24-hour policy applies to standard bookings unless the booking confirmation says otherwise. Changes or cancellations requested within 24 hours of the pick-up time may not be accepted and may be charged in full.

Peak dates, large events, hourly hire, bookings with several vehicles, multi-day travel, tours and bespoke services may have a longer deadline for changes or cancellation. The quote or booking confirmation states it.

Clients should settle all travel details before the 24-hour window begins. Once it starts, the booking is treated as operationally committed.

We may treat a late change request as a cancellation and a new booking where operational changes materially affect the original service.

This section works alongside the booking and cancellation terms above, and the two should be read together as one policy.

12Service communications

We may use the contact details given with a quote or booking to send service messages by phone, email, SMS or WhatsApp where reasonably needed to run the booked service. These can include booking confirmations, collection instructions, chauffeur and vehicle details, arrival updates and changes to the plan.

Clients who book for someone else are responsible for making sure the passenger’s contact details are accurate and that they are allowed to share them for service messages.

Marketing messages are separate from service messages and are sent only where the law allows. We handle personal information as set out in our privacy policy.

13Governing law

These terms are governed by, and read in line with, the laws of England and Wales.

14Contact

For questions about these terms or an existing booking, please contact Manchester Chauffeur Hire using the details below.