General – These terms and conditions are to help clarify the relationship between you (the pupil) and me (Martin Smith, trading as Minster Driving Academy).  The aim is to be as simple and fair as possible for you and me.

Eligibility to drive – It is your responsibility to provide proof that you have a valid licence to drive before the commencement of your first driving lesson.  If you fail to provide this proof, I am entitled to refuse to conduct the driving lesson but may still charge you for such driving lesson. You will also need to satisfy the eyesight requirements for driving a car (see https://www.gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules).

Booking – All lesson bookings are subject to availability.  Bookings should be made direct with me by phone, email or other, for which you will receive a confirmation by return.  If you wish to make a recurring booking, please discuss this with me at time of booking. All recurring bookings are subject to change dependent on availability.  If a recurring booking time slot no longer becomes available, I will notify you at least 7 days before any change.

Payment –   All driving lessons must be paid for in full at least 24 hours before.  Payment can be made by BACS transfer to the following account:

   Name: M S Smith

   Bank: TSB

   Sort code: 30-95-88

   Ac no: 24869768

Your lesson may be cancelled if payment has not been received.  If you wish to pay for a block of lessons please get in touch, however I do not offer a discount.  I reserve the right to amend the price for lessons at any time but will notify you at least 7 days in advance of any change taking effect.

Cancellations and Refunds – Please notify me as soon as possible if you need to cancel your lesson: this can be done by phone, text or email. If you cancel a lesson after payment has been made, that payment will be held in credit for use against your next lesson. Three or more consecutive cancellations may result in your booking slot being released to other pupils.  Any ‘no-show’ for a lesson or lack of prior notification to cancel (24hrs notice) will result in your lesson fee being retained with no refund due.  If I have to cancel your lesson for any reason I will notify you as soon as possible by phone, text or email.

Driving Tests – Obtaining a UK driving license requires passing a Theory and Practical Driving Test. Responsibility for booking and paying for both tests lies with you and the fees are not included in any lesson payments. As part of your tuition, I will track your progress and will notify you when you are ready to take the practical driving test (you must have passed the theory test in order to book the practical).  As long as I consider you are ready to take your practical test, I will endeavour to make my vehicle available for use in the test, but I cannot guarantee this, especially at short notice. Providing my car for a test will take priority over lessons, so I may have to cancel and reschedule your lesson to enable someone else to take a test – please appreciate that this will work the same for you when it’s time for your test! Driving tests are charged at the same price as a 2hr lesson.

Adverse Weather – Whilst it is beneficial for learner drivers to experience a variety of driving conditions, I may at times consider it necessary to cancel lessons due to adverse weather such as, but not limited to, snow, ice and flooding.

Medical Information – If you have any medical conditions that you have notified to the DVLA (see https://www.gov.uk/driving-medical-conditions) or that you feel I should be aware of, please let me know before your first lesson.

Emergency Contact – In the unlikely event of an emergency during a lesson, I would like to be able to contact someone on your behalf.  If you are happy to provide this, please let me know at time of booking or at any point afterwards.

Data Protection – Your personal data (name, phone number, email address etc) will be stored securely and only used for the purposes of providing driving tuition. As soon as you cease to have driving lessons with me, your personal data will be deleted.