- What these terms cover. These are the terms and conditions on which we supply services to you. Any application/booking will be deemed as acceptance of these Terms and Conditions. The company reserve the right to delay an offer of transport or refuse an application regardless of completion of an application or acceptance of payment.
- Why you should read them. Please read these terms carefully before you submit your order to us. These terms tell you who we are, how we will provide services to you, how you and we may change or end the contract, what to do if there is a problem and other important information.
- Who we are. We are John Dix Travel Limited a company registered in England and Wales. Our company registration number is 09389139 our address is Unit 2, Old Airfield Farm, Moreton Valence, Gloucester, GL2 7NG.
- How to contact us. You can contact us by telephoning our customer service team on 01452 886633or by writing to us at schools@johndixtravel.co.uk or Unit 2, Old Airfield Farm, Moreton Valence, Gloucester, GL2 7NG.
- How we may contact you. If we have to contact you we will do so by telephone or by writing to you at the email address or postal address you provided to us in your order.
- When we use the words “writing” or “written” in these terms, this includes emails.
- By submitting your order, you are agreeing to subscribe to our school bus service for the entirety of the academic year (September to July) and, for the avoidance of doubt, any request for a fare reduction on the basis of a period of reduced use will not be considered. There is no option for a part year subscription. The parent/guardian who made the application is responsible for paying the full years fee regardless of personal circumstances such as but not limited to the student leaving the education establishment, passing their driving test or using an alternative mode of transport.
- Where to find the price for the service. The price of the service will be the price indicated on the order pages when you placed your order. We take all reasonable care to ensure that the price of the service advised to you is correct. Additionally, all current prices our listed on the John Dix Travel website.
- If you cease to use the service part way through the academic year, you remain liable for all amounts unpaid by you in respect of the total price for the entire academic year. In agreeing to these terms, you accept that a loss will be caused to us by your failure to pay any Instalment (as defined below). The place on the school bus could have been sold to another person, resulting in full payment to us. All damages sought will, therefore, be liquidated damages.
- How we will accept your order. Our acceptance of your order will take place when a valid order ID is provided to you following a non-refundable deposit payment. At this point a contract will come into existence between you and us. All applications must be made online as we do not accept paper or e-mail applications. A space is not secure until the deposit payment has been successfully received.
- How long do I have to change my mind?You have 14 days after the day you submit your order to cancel. However, once we have commenced the services and your child has used them, you cannot change your mind, even if the period is still running. In the event of cancellation by the parent/guardian at any time during the academic year, for any reason, the company reserves the right to charge the full years travel costs and admin fees.
- Payment for the services we are to provide is split into ten monthly instalments payable by Direct Debit on the 1stday of each month (each an “Instalment”). The service will run for the entire academic year. The first Instalment shall be due on 1st September and the final Instalment on 1st Any request to change a payment plan must be made in writing to us and may be subject to additional fees. The company does reserve the right to refuse the payment option requested by a parent/guardian if previous agreements have been unfulfilled.
- Failure to make payment of any Instalment shall result in the withdrawal of your child’s bus pass with immediate effect and until payment is up to date (including any interest due under clause 14) in full. If you do not make any payment to us when it is due, and you still do not make payment within 14 days of us reminding you that payment is due, we may elect to terminate the contract. Clause 9 will continue to apply in these circumstances.
- If your monthly direct debit fails or bounces back, a recollection fee of 1.25% + 20p will be applied to your next payment. The Company also reserves the right to refer unpaid accounts to County Court for judgement if required.
- We can charge interest if you pay late. If you do not make any payment to us by the due date we may charge interest to you on the overdue amount at the rate of 4% a year above the base lending rate of Lloyds Bank plc from time to time. This interest shall accrue on a daily basis from the due date until the date of actual payment of the overdue amount, whether before or after judgment. You must pay us interest together with any overdue amount.
- By agreeing to these terms, you acknowledge that you are fully liable to us for any damage caused by your children to any of our vehicles and their furnishings and you hereby agree to fully indemnify us in this respect. The company will not accept liability for any loss or damage incurred by passengers who fail to follow the instructions given by the driver or school.
- We reserve the right to terminate the bus pass of any children involved in behaviour that we and/or the relevant schools deem as unacceptable, including, without limitation, bullying, violence, bad language, not remaining in the seat whilst in transit and refusal to wear a seat belt. In this situation, we may elect to terminate the contract. Clause 8 will continue to apply in these circumstances
- Children should not have on their person any items or substances that are illegal or dangerous, including without limitation tobacco, vapes, alcohol, sharp items, replica weapons and fireworks. Any child found to be carrying such items shall be refused travel. Clause 14 may also be instigated in such a situation.
- Children must be at their allocated bus stop 5 mins prior to the designated departure time. The vehicles will not leave in advance of the scheduled time. The bus will not wait for late arrivals and in the rare occurrence of the bus being late, students are expected to wait at their bus stops until they have received SMS from the company. The SMS will advise how long to wait and what to do. John Dix Travel admin team also contact the relevant Schools to make them aware, so it does not affect your child’s attendance record, but ultimately this is down to the school’s discretion.
- At the end of a school day, children must be on the bus by the scheduled departure time from the school, as the bus will not be able to wait for late arrivals.
- Whilst we will endeavour to adhere to the timetable and take punctuality very seriously, occasionally, circumstances beyond our control arise that affect our ability to remain on time. We cannot be held responsible for adverse weather, traffic congestion or road traffic incidents or any other issues which occur that may delay our services, and we will not be liable for delays caused by such events. No compensation will be provided for breakdowns, traffic delays/congestion and other delays outside of our control.
- Home to School Transport timetables are subject to change at any time and this will be communicated in writing. We reserve the right to make changes to students allocated routes at any time and reserve the right to remove any bus stop listed on the timetable.
- The company reserve the right to not serve a bus stop which is considered too dangerous during inclement weather. Decisions on this matter may not be made until an attempt is made to access a planned stop.
- Passes must be carried and presented to the driver every time a student boards. In the event of a pass being lost, a replacement will be issued at a cost of £5.00. Your child will have two days grace before a new bus pass is required to board.
- If you require dual usage for different bus services we provide, you will need to submit your request in writing and the company will confirm/decline by the start of September. If permission is granted, the bus pass will expire as normal at the end of the academic year, and you will need to submit a new request for the following year.
- The driver is responsible for the safety of the vehicle and as such, may remove or prevent students from boarding whose conduct is deemed unacceptable.
- The company and driver will not accept liability for loss/damage to passengers property, personal items and luggage left.
- We may transfer this agreement to someone else. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to another organisation. We will always tell you in writing if this happens and we will ensure that the transfer will not affect your rights under the contract.
- You need our consent to transfer your rights to someone else. The service is personal to your child who shall have their name printed on their bus pass. You may only transfer your rights or your obligations under these terms to another person if we agree to this in writing.
- If a court finds part of this contract illegal, the rest will continue in force. Each of the paragraphs of these terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.
- Even if we delay in enforcing this contract, we can still enforce it later. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaking this contract, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date. For example, if you miss a payment and we do not chase you but we continue to provide the services, we can still require you to make the payment (and to pay interest) at a later date.
- These terms are governed by English law and you can bring legal proceedings in respect of the services in the English courts.
- Any complaint should be made in writing to John Dix Travel.