Terms & Conditions

1. Definitions and Interpretations

1.1

Swift Cars Billericay is a subsidiary of the Basildon Taxis Limited Group of companies. Basildon Taxis Ltd trades as A&B Taxis, Mayflower Car Services, Swift Cars Billericay and United Taxis Basildon, in this document to be known as "The Provider".

1.2

In these conditions:- "These conditions" means the standard terms and conditions of sale set out in this document and (unless the context otherwise requires) includes any special terms and conditions agreed in writing between the passenger and the Provider; "The Passenger" means the person who accepts a quotation or offer of the Provider for the sale of Services or whose order for the Services is accepted by the Provider; "The Provider" is a limited company registered in England and Wales under number 8156631 whose registered office is at Unit 16 Olympic Business centre, Paycocke Road, Basildon SS14 3ET "The Contract" means the contract for the provision of airport taxi and general taxi services under these conditions; "The Service" means the service of transport to or from the required collection or destination (including and instalment of the service or any multiple services) which the Provider is to supply in accordance with these conditions;

1.3

Any reference in these Conditions to a statute or a provision of a statute shall be construed as a reference to that statute or provision as amended, re-enacted or extended at the relevant time.

1.4

The headings in these conditions are for the convenience only and shall not affect their interpretations.

2. Conditions

2.1

The Provider shall sell and the Passenger shall purchase the Service in accordance with any quotation or offer of the Provider which is accepted by the Passenger, or any reservation of the Passenger which is accepted by the Provider, subject in either case to these Conditions, which shall govern the Contract to the exclusion of any other terms and conditions subject to which any such quotation is accepted or purported to be accepted, or any such reservation is made or purported to be made, by the Passenger.

2.2

A contract will only come in to being upon the acceptance of the Provider of the reservation and the following conditions shall be deemed to be incorporated in the contract. The passenger accepts these terms & conditions by placing a reservation, booking with the Provider via but not limited to the providers; web site (https://www.swiftbillericay.co.uk), via the telephone, or via any representative agent.

2.3

The Contract will be subject to these conditions. The Provider reserves the right to revise these terms & conditions at any time without prior notice at its sole discretion. Any revised terms & conditions will be posted on the provider's web site and will come into effect 1 hour after posting.

2.4

No reservation submitted by the passenger shall be deemed accepted by the provider unless and until confirmed in writing by email telephone or otherwise by an authorised representative of the provider.

2.5

The specification for the services shall be those set out in the providers sales documentation unless expressly in the passengers reservation (if accepted by the provider). The service will only be supplied as stated in the provider's price list. Reservations received other than these will be adjusted accordingly. Illustrations, photographs or descriptions whether in the web site, brochures price lists or other documents issued by the Provider are intended as a guide only and the contents shall not be binding on the Provider.

2.6

The Provider reserves the right to make any changes in the specification of the services which are required to conform with any applicable safety or other statutory or regulatory requirements or, where the services are to be supplied to the Providers specification, which do not materially affect their performance.

2.7

No variation to these Conditions shall be binding unless agreed in writing by email, telephone or otherwise between the authorised representations of the passenger and the provider.

2.8

Sales literature, price lists and other documents issued by the provider in relation to the service are subject to alteration without notice and do not constitute offers to sell the service, which are capable of acceptance. A reservation placed by the passenger may not be withdrawn cancelled or altered prior to acceptance by the Provider. No contract for the service shall be binding on the Provider unless the Provider has issued a quotation which is expressed to be an offer of service; or has accepted a reservation placed by the passenger, by whichever is the earlier of:-

2.9

The Providers written acceptance

2.9.1

Delivery of the service;

2.10

Any typographical, clerical or other accidental errors or omissions in any sales literature, quotation, price list, acceptance offer, invoice or other document or information issued by the Provider shall be subject to correction without any liability on the part of the Provider.

2.11

The price of the Service shall be the price listed in the Providers published price list current at the date of acceptance of the passenger's reservation or such other price as may be agreed in writing by the Provider and the passenger.

2.12

Where the provider has quoted a price for the service other than in accordance with the Providers published price list the price quoted shall be valid for 24 hours only or such other time as the Provider may specify.

2.13

The Provider reserves the right, by giving notice to the Passenger at any time before delivery, to increase the price of the service to reflect any increase in the cost to the provider which is due to any factor beyond the control of the Provider (such as, without limitation, any foreign exchange fluctuation, currency regulation or alteration of duties, any change in delivery dates, quantities or specifications for the service which is requested by the passenger to give the Provider adequate information or instructions.

2.14

The Provider reserves the right to use the services of contractors or sub-contractors (herein known as third parties) to provide services to Passengers. Where appropriate details i.e. names, addresses of any such third parties will be provided by the Provider upon any reasonable request and at the discretion of the Provider.

2.15

A maximum time of 15 minutes for address collections & 1 hour for airport collection will be allocated whereupon non-contact with passengers will classify the reservation to be a no show and will be subject to clauses 3.2 and 4.33

2.16

We would like to confirm that passengers can not be collected from on the road outside the terminal at London City Airport, it is monitored by APNR cameras and is a drop off area only. please do not request drivers to collect from outside as this can incur a £400 fine. Drivers will have to politely refuse and request all passengers walk to the meeting point is in the short stay car park, it is a very short distance.

2.17

In regard to cash and credit card customers, when collecting from outside of the Billericay area all pickups must be prepaid, all collections from Main line stations and Airports must be prepaid by either cash on the outward journey or credit card. If credit card payment links are sent from either the company Stripe or Adelante secure platforms, confirmation of payment must be received before the vehicle is despatched.

3. Terms of Carriage

3.1

The Providers prices are based on Passengers being ready to travel at the booked time. Passengers must book their airport transfer in accordance with check in times and guidelines provided by the relevant airline.

3.2

Extra waiting time accrued will be charged at £36 per hour for all 4 seated vehicles and £50.00 per hour for 5 seats and above, and will be on a per minute basis.

3.2.1

For airport journeys, a grace period of 60 minutes is offered for domestic and international flights before waiting time is accrued after the reported arrival of your flight by the airline. After this period, you will be liable to pay a waiting time fee from the 61st minute for domestic and international flights. Extra waiting time will be charged as described in section 3.2. However if you wish to delay the pickup time to negate waiting time charges please do so at the time of booking.

3.2.2

For non-airport journeys, waiting time charges apply immediately from the scheduled booking time. For ASAP bookings, waiting time begins from the time the vehicle arrives at the pickup location. For pre-bookings, waiting time begins from the booked journey time.

For wait-and-return journeys, continuous journeys to multiple locations, and multiple pickups and drop-offs on the same journey (not including those already described in sections 3.2 and 3.2.1), all quoted prices exclude waiting time unless expressly stated otherwise. Waiting time is calculated continuously across all stops.

Any additional waiting time will be added to the original quoted cost. As the duration of waiting time at any stop cannot be determined at the start of the journey and can only be calculated once the journey is completed, any additional waiting charges will be applied after the event.

When making a booking through the Swift Cars Billericay booking app, you are required to confirm that you have read and accepted these Terms & Conditions before completing registration and completing your booking.

Where payment is made by debit card, credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, you authorise Swift Cars Billericay to charge the original payment method used to make the booking for any additional charges that become payable in connection with the booking or journey. This may include, but is not limited to, additional waiting time, parking or airport charges, amendments to the journey, additional stops, changes to the vehicle type or any other applicable charges notified or provided for under these Terms & Conditions.

Where a refund or partial refund is due, you also authorise Swift Cars Billericay to process the refund back to the original payment method used at the time of booking.

By completing and confirming a booking through any of the Swift Cars Billericay portals, you acknowledge and agree to this payment authorisation.

3.2.3

We politely request that passengers being held more than an hour by HM Customs keep in contact with the driver or the office on a regular basis during the new stringent procedures, if contact is not made for more than 1 hour , and subsequently if the office try to call and the passengers do not answer the vehicle may be returned to other duties, and cancellation charges will still apply. It can be a stressful time for anyone when travelling so we need your cooperation to help us fulfil our duty of care and attention to passengers and drivers alike. We would like to confirm that passengers can not be collected from on the road outside the terminal at City Airport, it is monitored by APNR cameras and is a drop off area only. Please do not request drivers to collect from outside as this can incur a £400 fine. Drivers will have to politely refuse and request all passengers walk to the meeting point which is in the short stay car park, it is a very short distance.

3.3

Fares quoted are flat rates. Any diversions, additional set down or pickups by passengers can at the provider's discretion incur added charges to the agreed rate, these charges will be agreed and verified before travel or at the provider's discretion after completion.

3.4

The Provider nor any of its contracted or sub-contracted drivers will accept responsibility for loss or damage to luggage. The providers representative will be responsible for ensuring that their luggage is loaded/unloaded securely into the vehicle at all times. The Provider and or its contracted or sub-contracted drivers have the right to refuse any passenger or to make the journey due to the passenger having excess luggage which would result in the vehicle being unsafe whilst in motion.

3.5

Vehicles are booked by the Passengers as requested. Saloon and Estate cars carry a maximum of 4 passengers and luggage. Vehicles to carry a larger no. of passengers, Wheelchairs and luggage are available and are to be booked as required, (for luggage limitations and vehicle types and relevance view vehicles).

3.6

The provider or providers representative have the right to refuse to make the journey if the appropriate child or booster seat is not supplied by the passenger for under aged children in line with current government regulations. https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules/when-a-child-can-travel-without-a-car-seat

3.7

The provider or provider's representative reserve the right to refuse to make the journey if the passenger or passengers are in an intoxicated state that would cause for concerns of safety during the journey

3.8

The provider or provider's representative reserves the right to refuse to make the journey if the passenger or passengers are abusive or aggressive in any way that would cause for concerns of safety during the journey.

3.9

Contractual Agreements: We the provider in this statement outline any additional charges that may be incurred after the original booking has been agreed between the provider, and the client. It's essential that the client review any agreements they have accepted as part of the confirmation of the booking by both parties. On providing your Collection Address, Destination Address and selecting the Vehicle, you will receive a quotation showing the amount of the Charges for the requested journey. These Charges are based on our chosen route between your Collection Address and Destination Address (via any other pick-up or drop-off points you specify at the time of making the Booking)

Additional Charges shall be payable if:

• If any passenger changes the Collection Address and / or Destination Address or Vehicle type after agreeing to the original booking.
• If any passenger asks the Driver or provider partner , and the Driver or provider partner agrees, to make any additional pick-ups or drop-offs
• if any passenger requires the Driver or provider partner to take any variation of or follow a different route from our chosen route.
• If the client requires the vehicle to carry more passengers than indicated when making the original booking.
• If any passenger requires the Driver or provider partner to wait between the stops of a Return Journey, or at any stop.
• If any passenger, or animal contaminates or damages a Vehicle, a cleaning fee minimum of £50 shall be levied.
• All tolls or road related charges are payable in relation to the original Booking, however if the route is changed by any passenger after the original booking is agreed, any extra cost for tolls and road related charges are levied.
• Any Parking Fee, Waiting Time Fee, Drop Off Fee and/or Cancellation Fee may be applicable if changes are made to the original Booking on completion of the journey.

Once the original contract has been made any additional already indicated charges the provider, the driver or provider partner will incur after subsequent changes were made on behalf of the client or any passengers will be levied. When the client provides debit card or credit card details as payment for the original booking the client by acceptance of the booking agrees that the extra charges indicated can be taken from the original card details supplied after the completion of the journey. If the original booking is made on a cash basis the Driver or provider partner , will ask for the balance at the end of the journey, and can be paid in cash or by credit/debit card in the vehicle.

The client does retain their consumer rights. If unsure the client should familiarize themselves with local consumer protection laws. These laws provide the client with rights in case of what said client may deem to be unjust charges. In the case of dispute resolution situation brought about by the client believing extra charges were applied inappropriately, the first line of action by the client is to request the reason for the additional charges from the provider. If we the provider cannot come to an agreement with the client in relation to these additional charges, then the client may wish to escalate it to their bank or a consumer protection agency, who could act as an arbitrator between the provider and the client.

Additional Charges shall be payable if:
Passenger behaviour during the provision of your booking, you and all your Passengers must:

• not smoke, including electronic cigarettes;
• not play any musical instrument or broadcast any recorded music;
• not consume alcohol nor be intoxicated;
• wear a seatbelt at all times whilst in the Vehicle;
• not engage in excessive physical contact;
• not behave in a disorderly, inappropriate, threatening or abusive manner, or be a nuisance, distraction or a danger to the Driver or other road users;
• unload and load your own luggage (including any bicycle or pet). Drivers may assist at their discretion and at your sole risk; and/or
• not film or record inside the Vehicle at any time.

If you or any of your Passengers do not comply with the above conditions, the Driver may refuse to commence or continue your Booking, you will be asked to leave the vehicle albeit in a safe place, and you shall be charged a Cancellation Fee, at the providers discretion

When an airport operator raises the drop-off fee (the toll charged to vehicles entering the terminal forecourt), the quoted price for the customers journey may increase for one primary reason: external operational cost pass-through.

Here is a breakdown of why this happens and how it affects your fare:

Protection of Driver Earnings
The drop-off fee is an external operational cost—similar to a bridge toll or congestion charge—that the driver must pay to the airport just to access the terminal.
If they absorbed the cost: A £5 increase in fees would mean the driver effectively earns £5 less for the same work.
The solution: To maintain their actual earnings for the trip, the company passes this cost directly to the passenger.

It Is Often a Separate Surcharge
The company structures its pricing so that the fare covers the driving (distance and time), while "extras" are added on top.
Quoted Price: When you receive a quote, the company estimates the total. If the airport raises the gate fee from £5 to £7, the company automatically updates the "airport surcharge" portion of the quote, raising the total price by exactly that amount.

"All-Inclusive" Adjustments
The company quotes are "all-inclusive" prices. However when airport fees rise significantly (as seen recently at airports like Gatwick and Heathrow), we do reserve the right to recalculate the quote. Even if the fee is not listed separately on your receipt, the company has increased the quote given to ensure the driver is compensated for the new, higher operational cost incurred.

Summary
In short, the airport charges the vehicle to enter, not the passenger. However, since the vehicle is only entering to serve you, the industry standard is to treat this fee as a passenger expense, adding it to the final bill so the driver isn't paying out of pocket to drop you off..

4. Cancellations / Cancellation Charges

4.1

No reservation which has been accepted by the Provider may be cancelled by the Passenger except with the agreement in writing, by email, telephone or otherwise of the Provider and on terms that the Passenger shall indemnify the Provider in full against all loss (including loss of profit), costs (including the cost of labour and materials used), damages, charges and expenses incurred by the Provider as a result in the cancellation.

4.2

Vehicles that are booked by Passengers that are not suitable for the purpose for which they have been booked in clause 3.5 will be subject to clause 4.3.3.

4.3

Cancellations by the passengers or passengers representative after the vehicle has been dispatched by the provider must be made immediately by Telephone 01277 757575 to "The Provider" or the Providers representatives.

4.3.1

Cancellations informed 24 hours + prior to the time of booking will incur no charge…

4.3.2

Cancellations informed less than 3 hours prior to the time of booking may incur: 25% of the quoted price for provision of service.

4.3.3

Cancellations not informed after the vehicle has been dispatched prior to the time of collection may incur: 100% of quoted price for provision of service.

4.3.4 Flight Diversions & Unnotified Schedule Changes

We actively monitor arrival times using official airport flight-tracking systems. In the event that a flight is diverted to a different airport and no official flight tracking system, airline update, or customer notification indicates the diversion prior to the driver's dispatch, Basildon Taxis ltd reserves the right to charge full or partial fare to cover the mileage, driver time, and operational costs incurred for traveling to and waiting at the original scheduled airport. If a vehicle is subsequently re-routed to the new arrival airport at the customer's request, additional mileage and waiting time charges will apply.

5. General Liability Qualification

5.1

The Provider shall not be liable to the Passenger or be deemed to be in breach of the Contract by reason of any delay in delivery or in performing, or any failure to perform, any of the Providers obligations in relation to the service, if any delay or failure was due to any cause beyond the Providers reasonable control. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the following shall be regarded as causes beyond the Providers control directly or indirectly:-

5.1.1

Act of God, explosion, flood, tempest, fire or accident;

5.1.2

War or threat of war, sabotage, insurrection, civil disturbance or requisition;

5.1.3

Acts, restrictions, regulations, byelaws, prohibitions or measures of any kind on the part of any governmental, parliamentary or local authority;

5.1.4

Traffic accidents, traffic hold ups, traffic congestion beyond the control of The Provider or The Providers representative

5.1.5

Strikes, lockouts or other industrial actions or trade disputes (whether involving employees of the Provider or a third party);

5.1.6

Flight delays, flight cancellations;

5.1.7

Power failure or breakdown in machinery including computer systems.

5.1.8

Vehicle breakdown due to tyre defect if the provider can prove the tyre was within DVLA requirements of road worthiness

5.1.9

Vehicle breakdown due to mechanical failure beyond the control of The Provider or The Providers representative.

5.2.0

Subject as expressly provided in these Conditions, the Provider shall not be liable to the passenger by reason of any representation, or implied warranty, condition or other term, or any duty at common law under statute, or under the express terms of the Contract, for any direct or consequential loss or damage sustained by the Passenger (including, without limitation, loss of profit or indirect or special loss), costs, expenses or other claims for the consequential compensation whatsoever (and whether caused by the negligence of the Provider, its servants or agents or otherwise) which arise out of or in connection with the supply of the services.

5.3

If the clause 4.2 applies without prejudice to any other right or remedy available to the Provider, the Provider shall be entitled to cancel the Contract or suspend ant further deliveries under the contract without any liability to the Passenger, and if services have been delivered but no paid for the price shall become due immediately due and payable notwithstanding any previous agreement to the contrary.

5.4

The Passenger undertakes to the Provider that:-

5.4.1

the Passenger will regard as confidential the Contract and all information obtained by the Passenger relating to the business and/or products of the Provider and will not use or disclose to any third party such information without the Providers prior written consent provided that this undertaking shall not apply to information which is in the public domain other than by reason of the Passengers default;

5.4.2

The Passenger will use all reasonable endeavours to ensure compliance with this condition by its employees, servants and agents. This condition shall survive the termination of the contract.

6. Miscellaneous

6.1

No waiver by the Provider of any breach of the contract by the passenger shall be considered as a waiver of subsequent breach of the same or any other provision.

6.2

If any provision of these conditions is held by any competent authority to be invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part the validity of the other provisions of these conditions and the remainder of the provision in question shall not affected thereby.

6.3

The contract shall be governed by the laws in England and Wales.

Privacy Policy We are committed to protecting your privacy. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully (in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR).

Minimum Age Policy You need to be at least 18 years old at time of booking you will also need to have the legal capacity and authority to book a taxi.

7. Chip and Pin Credit card payments in vehicles supplied by the Provider

The Provider in the later part of 2018 provided all our vehicles with a Chip and Pin device linked to our systems for totally secure debit card, credit card for your convenience. This is new technology to our systems and Cordic our dispatch system provider is constantly updating the speed and connectivity of this payment method. When you go to your statements SUMUP *BASILDON will appear for every transaction taken through the Swift Cars Billericay system. The payment taken will be the same as the fare shown on the meter, there are no extra charges for using the contactless chip and pin payment method in the vehicles.

Please Note that some drivers have their own similar credit card devices which they use to accept payment from customers, these transactions will not appear on your statement as above and will have the drivers account details.

8. Private Hire Drivers taking private bookings, customer warning

Local licensing conditions state that any person accepting or offering to accept bookings for a private hire vehicle must themselves hold a private hire operator's licence or must pass said booking on to a person with an private hire operator's licence issued by the Licensing Authority

There has always been an issue with drivers taking private bookings from customers in their vehicle that had previously booked with The Provider , and without the knowledge of Swift Cars Billericay. Yet the customer may be unaware that the driver in this case does not have the backing or support of The Provider , because all private hire bookings must be made through a licenced Operator, most drivers do not have an operators licence and passengers booking journeys through drivers without the knowledge of Swift Cars Billericay do so at their own risk.

8.1

The Provider accept no liability for any passengers that book through drivers without the knowledge of the company.

8.2

The Provider private hire vehicle driver:

• Must not pick up any person who has not pre-booked through the Provider as the operator;
• Must not book the vehicle for any passengers unless the passenger is asking for a continuation of the current booking previously made with The Provider as the operator, and the subsequent booking is passed back to The Provider as the operator.
• Must not act in any way which makes people believe that they can hire the vehicle without booking through the Provider as the operator.
• Must not offer any other vehicle for hire to people who have not pre-booked through the Provider as the operator;
• Must not accept a passenger who walks up to the vehicle and then confirm the booking with the Provider as the operator before commencement of the journey or at a later date.

9. Basildon Taxis Ltd Operator Licences and sub-contracting policy

9.1

The Provider holds a Private Hire Operator Licence with Basildon Council. Basildon Taxis Ltd will only use drivers and vehicles that are licenced by the same Licensing Authority from which the Operator licence is issued.

9.2

The Provider holds a Private Hire Operator Licence with Castle Point Council. Basildon Taxis Ltd will only use drivers and vehicles that are licenced by the same Licensing Authority from which the Operator licence is issued.

9.3

The Provider reserves the right to sub-contract prebooked journeys to any other Private Hire Operator outside the Basildon District Council Area who hold a current Operators licence with their local Licensing Authority, the sub-contracted Operator will only use vehicles and drivers licenced by the same local Licensing Authority from which the Operator Licence is issued. Prebooked journeys will be sub-contracted to another Operator if the Provider deem it as being beneficial, favourable or advantageous to the customer in the situation where there may not be a vehicle immediately available or Basildon taxis ltd may not be able to honour the booking at the time requested.

9.4

Swift Cars Billericay Customers have the right to request that we do not sub-contract any of their bookings to another company.

9.5

The Provider's customers that call and expect a driver and vehicle licenced by Basildon licensing Authority can request that we only send vehicles and drivers licenced by Basildon Licensing Authority.

9.6

The Provider's customers that call and expect a driver and vehicle licenced by Castle Point licensing Authority can request that we only send vehicles and drivers licenced by Castle Point Licensing Authority.

9.7

The Provider's pricing structure will be carried through to any Operator a prebooked journey may be sub-contracted to, our price pledge is that customers will not pay more, this only applies when the prebooked journey sub-contracted to another operator does not change from the original prebooked route with the Provider . Any proven accidental increase in fare will be refunded by request.

10. Lost Property

The Provider accepts no responsibility for private property on our premises, including accepting any liability should lost property be returned for any reason to someone who is not its owner. The Provider accepts no responsibilty if someone makes a false representation to the ownership of property. Property that is left on the premises will be kept for a period of three months, after which it will be disposed of. In order for property to be reclaimed, a detailed description of the item(s) and/or proof of ID (identity), and date that the item was left will be required. While every effort will be made to identify the possible owner of lost property (which is likely to involve searching of the item) and then make contact with them, Swift Cars Billericay will not return the property to that person unless they provide the details set out in the previous paragraph. Swift Cars Billericay will not mail/courier or insure during transit any reclaimed found property back to the presumed owner unless they send the appropriate fees to cover packing and postage, and any insurance during transit stipulated by the claimant. All items will be sent at owner's risk.

10.1

Basildon Council licensing conditions state that at the end of every journey the driver should make every reasonable effort to search the vehicle to ensure the passenger has left nothing behind. If property is found in the licensed vehicle the driver should take it to Basildon Council Offices within 72 hours where it will be held by the Licensing Office. If lost property is not claimed at the end of three months it will be returned to the driver who found it. Provided you have reported your lost property, you will be notified if it is handed in to Basildon Council. On claiming your lost property you will be liable to pay 5% of the value of the property, or the fare for the driver's journey to the offices; whichever is the greater.

11. Luggage Allowances

11.1

The company will make all endeavours to ensure that the size of vehicle supplied will be able to accommodate the clients luggage, however it is the clients responsibilty to ensure that all information is given at the time of booking so that the correct size vehicle is supplied. This may include supplying the size of articles or cases being carried. If incorrect information is given at the time of booking the company reserves the right to change the size of vehicle to accomodate the luggage which could at the companies discretion increase the costs to the client.

11.2

The company requests that 1 - 2 Persons should select the saloon car with a maximum of 2 medium sized Suitcases of 20kg each, 2 small cabin bags may be included.

11.3

The company requests that 3 - 4 Persons should select the estate car with a maximum of 4 medium sized Suitcases of 20kg each, 2 small cabin bags may be included.

11.4

The company requests that 5 - 8 Persons should select the Minibus with a maximum of 8 medium sized Suitcases of 20kg each, 4 small cabin bags may be included.

11.5

No luggage can be carried in the seating area of the vehicle, all must be stored in the boot section.

11.6

If a vehicle is despatched to the airport or any location outside of the basildon District area for a collection and on arrival it is apparent that the luggage can not be accommodated in the size of vehicle requested by the client, the company will instruct the driver to only take the permitted allowance and another vehicle will be supplied to the client on request and at the clients expense. One of the passengers will need to remain with the luggage until the second vehicle arrives.

11.7

The company deems it is the responsibilty of the client to ensure all articles including luggage are stored in the boot section of the vehicle with the drivers assistance. The company accepts no reponsibilty for luggage left at any location.

11.8

Example sizes of normal cases shown below

Small 10" 15" 20"    Medium 12" 20" 25"    Large 14" 22" 28"

12. Basildon taxis Ltd trading as Swift Cars Billericay Complaints Procedure

Swift Cars Billericay is committed to delivering high-quality services and values feedback from customers, their families, and representatives. This policy outlines how complaints are handled to ensure transparency, fairness, and continuous improvement.

12.1 Feedback and Suggestions

We encourage suggestions for improvement and welcome feedback in any form. Customers and their families may:

• Speak directly with the Customer Services Manager or their Deputy.
• Use our comments or suggestion boxes.
• Send written suggestions to:
  Customer Services
  Swift Cars Billericay
  Unit 16 Olympic Business Centre
  Paycocke Road
  Basildon
  SS14 3ET

12.2 Making a Complaint

We aim to resolve complaints quickly, fairly, and confidentially. Complaints help us improve our services and are never grounds for reducing or withdrawing service.

Who Can Complain

• Any individual affected by our services.
• A representative acting on behalf of the affected person, with consent or if the individual is unable to complain themselves.
• If needed, we can help find an independent advocate to assist.

How to Complain

Complaints can be made:

• In person
• By telephone
• Through a staff member
• Via an advocate or representative
• Orally (a written record will be provided within 3 working days)
• By letter
• By email

Anonymous Complaints
We accept anonymous complaints and treat them seriously. However, providing contact details allows us to share the outcome of our investigation.

12.3 Responsibility

The Registered Manager holds overall responsibility for managing complaints. We will provide reasonable assistance to help individuals understand the complaints process or direct them to appropriate support.

12.4 Complaint Handling Process

• Complaints are investigated by a senior member of the management team.
• Acknowledgement will be sent within 3 working days, including the name and contact details of the investigator.
• We aim to resolve complaints within 28 working days, unless a different timeframe is agreed upon.
• Complainants will be kept informed throughout the process.

12.5 Confidentiality

All complaints are handled confidentially and in accordance with data protection regulations.

12.6 Declaration

Please note that all calls to our office numbers are recorded for quality and training purposes.

13. Subcontracting Policy for Basildon Taxis Ltd trading as Swift Cars Billericay

This policy sets out the terms under which Swift Cars Billericay may subcontract passenger transport bookings between its two licensed operator bases:

• Basildon Taxis Ltd trading as Swift Cars Billericay – Licensed Operator, Basildon Council
• Basildon Taxis Ltd trading as Swift Cars Billericay – Licensed Operator, Castle Point Council

The policy ensures that all subcontracting complies with UK taxi/private hire legislation and the conditions imposed by each licensing authority.

13.1 Legal Compliance

• Basildon Taxis Ltd trading as Swift Cars Billericay holds valid private hire operator licences with Basildon Council and Castle Point Council.
• Subcontracting between these operator licences is permitted under Section 55A of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 (as amended) or any equivalent legislation in force.
• Each licence must comply with the conditions imposed by its respective council.
• All drivers and vehicles must be properly licensed with the operator licence they are dispatched from.

13.2 Scope of Subcontracting

• Bookings taken by Basildon taxis Ltd trading as Swift Cars Billericay under one operator licence may, where necessary, be subcontracted to the other operator licence.
• Subcontracted bookings will only be carried out by licensed drivers and vehicles attached to the receiving operator licence.
• A booking will not be dispatched until the receiving operator base has confirmed acceptance.

13.3 Customer Service Standards

• Passengers will receive the same high standards of service regardless of which operator licence fulfils the booking.
• Basildon taxis Ltd trading as Swift Cars Billericay remains responsible for the booking under the licence that originally accepted it.
• Any complaints will be handled by the licence that took the original booking, with full cooperation between both operator bases.

13.4 Insurance & Liability

• All subcontracted work will be undertaken by drivers and vehicles with valid hire & reward insurance.
• Liability for the journey rests with Swift Cars Billericay under the licence that originally accepted the booking, but both bases will cooperate in resolving claims or enforcement issues.

13.5 Data Protection & Confidentiality

• Customer details may be shared between the Basildon and Castle Point operator bases only for the purpose of fulfilling a subcontracted booking.
• All data will be handled securely and in compliance with the UK GDPR.

13.6 Internal Recording

• Basildon Taxis Ltd trading as Swift Cars Billericay will maintain accurate records of all subcontracted bookings between its Basildon and Castle Point operator bases.
• Records will be made available to licensing officers from either council upon request.