Thank you for choosing UK Private Tours. These Terms & Conditions apply to all services we offer, including Airport Transfer to Cruise Ship & Cruise Ship to Airport Transfers and City and Daily Tours (together, “tours”, “services” or “bookings”). By making a booking with us you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to these Terms & Conditions. If anything is unclear, please contact us before you book—we are happy to help with any question.
If you have not visited the UK before, we are pleased to share travel tips to make your trip smooth and stress-free.
UK Private Tours provides private driver-guide services and transfers for individuals, families and small groups. We serve all London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Southend) and major cruise ports (Southampton, Tilbury), with longer journeys available to and from Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow airports by agreement. We also run private City and Daily Tours across London and wider Britain (for example Stonehenge, Oxford, Bath, the Cotswolds, Dover, Sussex, the Lake District, and more).
Enquiries may be made by phone, e-mail or the contact form on our website.
We will provide a clear quotation based on your route, date, pick-up time, group size and vehicle type. Unless stated otherwise, quotes exclude attraction tickets, meals and personal costs.
A booking is confirmed when we send written confirmation (e-mail) with your itinerary and payment terms.
Payment schedule (standard private bookings):
50% payment is required up to 7 days before the service date.
The remaining balance (to 100%) is due no later than 48 hours before the service date.
Bookings made within 48 hours of the service date require full payment at the time of booking.
Payment methods:
We accept UK bank transfer and commonly used card payments. Card or third-party processing fees may apply and will be disclosed before you pay.
Cash payments on the day are not accepted unless explicitly confirmed in writing.
If we agree to hold a booking while you arrange payment, the hold will expire at the stated deadline if funds have not been received.
Currency:
All prices are in Pounds Sterling (GBP) unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing.
Your right to cancel (standard private bookings):
14+ days before the service date: full refund of amounts paid, minus any non-refundable third-party costs (e.g., prepaid attraction tickets).
7 to 13 days before: refund of amounts paid minus 50% of the total booking value and minus any non-refundable third-party costs.
48 hours to 6 days before: amounts paid become non-refundable.
Less than 48 hours before / no-show / failure to be ready at pick-up: no refund.
Changes you request:
We do our best to help with date/time or route changes. Changes are subject to availability and may affect the price. If changes involve non-refundable third-party items already purchased (e.g., timed tickets), those costs remain payable.
Our right to cancel or amend:
We may cancel a booking before it begins if we reasonably believe it cannot be delivered safely or as planned (e.g., severe weather, safety concerns, force majeure, driver illness). If you have paid us, you will receive a full refund of the amount paid to UK Private Tours for the cancelled service. No further compensation is due.
We may change drivers or vehicles at any time if needed. Vehicle category will remain appropriate for your group and luggage.
We allocate vehicles according to group size and luggage volumes you provide. Please share accurate luggage details.
For larger groups (e.g., minibus/coach), extra terms may apply (vehicle supplier terms, payment timings, cancellation windows). We will set these out in writing before you pay.
Included (unless stated otherwise):
Private vehicle and professional driver-guide
Fuel, tolls, standard parking and London congestion/ULEZ charges where applicable
Door-to-door pick-up and drop-off within the agreed area
Basic bottled water in the vehicle (when available) and child seats on request
Not included (unless stated otherwise):
Entry tickets, venue audio guides or on-site guided tours
Meals, drinks, gratuities, and any costs of a personal nature
Additional waiting beyond the agreed allowance, extra stops or route extensions (available by agreement and may be chargeable)
If you wish your driver-guide to enter an attraction with you, please note some UK sites do not admit driver-guides. In that case, your guide will brief you outside and meet you at a set time and place.
You may book your own attraction tickets. We can advise on time slots and links once your tour is confirmed.
If you ask us to source tickets on your behalf, we will bill you for the exact ticket price plus a small handling/admin component where applicable. These tickets are non-refundable once purchased, belong to you, and are subject to the venue’s own terms.
UK Private Tours is not liable for venue changes, closures, delays, staff shortages or any alteration made by third parties.
Typical day tours depart between 08:00–09:00; we will confirm your exact time and meeting point in advance.
Please be ready at the agreed location at the agreed time. Late arrival may shorten the tour so that we can keep to timed entries or legal driving limits.
Final drop-off times vary by route and traffic. We always plan reasonable buffers, but live conditions can change; we will choose the safest and most efficient route on the day.
For transfers, we track flights and ships and adjust pick-up within reason.
If your arrival is significantly delayed, we will do our best to accommodate the new timing; extra waiting or re-dispatch fees may apply.
Missed connections or delays caused by airlines, ports or immigration are not our liability; please allow sensible buffers.
If you wish to extend your service (e.g., dinner after a tour, theatre drop-off, extra sightseeing), this is subject to driver hours, safety rules and availability.
Extra time is billed at an agreed hourly rate confirmed in writing before the extension begins.
You are responsible for ensuring that you and your party are fit to travel and able to take part in the planned walking and site visits.
Please follow your driver-guide’s instructions at all times, wear suitable clothing/footwear, and mind local conditions (weather, steps, uneven surfaces).
Seat belts must be worn by all passengers when the vehicle is moving.
We may refuse service or end a tour without refund if behaviour is unsafe, abusive, illegal or likely to cause damage, distress or danger to the driver, vehicle, other road users or the public.
You agree to take reasonable care of the vehicle. If the vehicle is damaged by your party, we may charge you for reasonable repair or professional cleaning costs (for example, in the event of illness in the vehicle). We will provide a receipt or invoice for any such cost.
Luggage is carried at your own risk. Please keep valuables with you. UK Private Tours is not responsible for the loss, theft or damage of personal items.
If we find property after your service ends, we will try to contact you and agree a return method and any postage/courier cost.
UK Private Tours holds appropriate motor and public liability cover for our operations.
We strongly recommend that all clients arrange personal travel insurance to cover cancellations, medical needs, delays, missed connections, lost property and any other risks of travel.
Prices are provided per service and reflect route, duration, vehicle type and group size.
Where applicable, card or third-party processing fees will be shown before you pay.
Any local taxes, tolls or official charges known at the time of quotation are included; if government charges change, we will inform you as soon as possible.
We handle personal data only for the purpose of delivering your booking (e.g., contact details, flight/ship times, accommodation addresses).
We do not sell your data. For full details, please see our Privacy Policy (available upon request).
We are not liable for delays, curtailment or failure to perform caused by events beyond our reasonable control (including but not limited to severe weather, accidents, road closures, strikes, public events, police orders, epidemics, industrial action, power cuts, venue closures). We will act with care to propose safe alternatives or new timings where possible.
If you have a concern on the day, please tell the driver-guide immediately so we can try to resolve it.
If still unresolved, please e-mail us at info@ukprivatetours.co.uk within 7 days of the service date with your booking details and a clear summary. We aim to reply promptly and fairly.
These Terms & Conditions and any dispute or claim arising from them shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction.
We may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time. The version that applies to your booking is the version in force on the date we issue your written confirmation.
50% payment required up to 7 days before the service date.
Full payment required no later than 48 hours before the service date.
(If your booking is made within 48 hours of service, full payment is due at booking.)
