Terms and conditions

These terms apply to bookings accepted by Big Yellow Taxi Co (Scotland) Ltd. Any special arrangements, including payment requirements, will be explained before your booking is accepted.

1. About us

1.1 Big Yellow Taxi Co is the trading name of Big Yellow Taxi Co (Scotland) Ltd, registered in Scotland under company number SC712945. Our registered office is Dreel House, Pittenweem, Anstruther, Fife, KY10 2RX.

1.2 When we accept your booking, your contract is with Big Yellow Taxi Co (Scotland) Ltd.

1.3 Your journey may be carried out by us, St Andrews Taxis or another appropriately licensed operator on our behalf. Big Yellow Taxi Co (Scotland) Ltd remains responsible for fulfilling your booking under these terms.

1.4 Contact us on 01334 600 600 or at hello@bigyellowtaxi.co.

2. Making and confirming bookings

2.1 Your booking is accepted when we confirm it by telephone, email, WhatsApp or another method of communication.

2.2 Website submissions are booking requests and remain pending until we confirm acceptance. An automated acknowledgement of your request is not a booking confirmation.

2.3 Please provide accurate collection dates, times, addresses, destinations, passenger numbers, luggage requirements and contact details. Tell us about any assistance or specific vehicle requirements when booking.

2.4 Please check any written confirmation and contact us promptly if anything is incorrect.

2.5 Changes are subject to availability. We will explain any change to the fare before you agree to it. The original arrangements remain in place unless we agree otherwise.

2.6 If you book for someone else, please give them the collection details and these terms. Responsibility for payment will be agreed when booking.

3. Vehicles, passengers and luggage

3.1 We will provide a vehicle suitable for the passenger numbers and luggage requirements agreed when booking. Every child, including an infant, counts as a passenger.

3.2 A particular vehicle, colour or model, including the yellow taxi, is guaranteed only where we expressly confirm this when accepting your booking.

3.3 If a specifically confirmed vehicle becomes unavailable, we will contact you as soon as reasonably possible and offer a suitable alternative. If you do not accept the alternative, you may cancel the affected service and receive a refund for it.

3.4 Please tell us about golf clubs, bicycles, pushchairs, large luggage or other unusual items when booking. We cannot carry items that cannot be loaded or secured safely.

3.5 We will not exceed a vehicle's licensed capacity. If your requirements differ from those agreed, a larger or additional vehicle may be needed, subject to availability and an agreed additional charge.

4. Fares and additional charges

4.1 Airport transfers are charged at the fixed price confirmed when booking. This covers the agreed route, passenger numbers, luggage requirements and collection arrangements, including the airport pickup-zone allowance described in section 8.

4.2 For other journeys, we will explain whether the fare is fixed, estimated or charged according to the applicable metered tariff. An estimate indicates the likely cost and is not a fixed price.

4.3 A fixed fare will not increase simply because the agreed journey takes longer due to traffic. Changes you request, including additional stops, a different destination or additional services, may affect the price. We will explain any additional charge before you agree to the change.

4.4 Any separate waiting charge or other foreseeable additional charge must be disclosed before we accept your booking. Additional airport pickup-zone charges are governed by section 8.

4.5 Prices quoted to consumers include applicable taxes.

5. Payment and deposits

5.1 We accept cash, debit and credit cards, bank transfers and other payment methods agreed with us. We do not accept cheques.

5.2 Airport pickups, weddings and other bookings identified as requiring advance payment must be paid by the deadline notified before we accept your booking.

5.3 Deposit amounts and payment schedules vary according to the booking. We will explain the amount, due dates and any balance payable before you commit.

5.4 For other journeys, payment is due on completion unless we agree otherwise.

5.5 If a required payment is overdue, we will contact you and give you a reasonable opportunity to pay before cancelling the booking.

5.6 Business accounts are subject to approval. Invoice deadlines and account arrangements will be agreed separately in writing.

6. Cancellations and refunds

6.1 You may cancel without charge by giving us at least 24 hours' notice before the agreed collection time or start of hire. Any deposit or advance payment for the cancelled service will be refunded.

6.2 If you cancel with less than 24 hours' notice or fail to attend your collection, we may charge an amount reflecting the reasonable net loss directly caused by your cancellation, up to the agreed fare for the cancelled service.

6.3 When calculating this charge, we will take account of costs already incurred, lost profit, costs saved and any replacement work obtained. We will take reasonable steps to reduce our loss and explain the charge on request. We will not recover the same loss twice.

6.4 Please telephone us on 01334 600 600 for cancellations within 24 hours of collection. Earlier cancellations may be made by telephone or email. Please call if you have not received an acknowledgement.

6.5 Deposits are not automatically forfeited. Any advance payment exceeding the cancellation charge will be refunded without undue delay, normally to the original payment method.

6.6 If we cancel and cannot provide a suitable alternative acceptable to you, we will refund payments for the service we cannot provide. Your other legal rights remain unaffected.

7. Collections, waiting and no-shows

7.1 Please be ready at the agreed collection place and time and keep your contact telephone available.

7.2 For collections other than airport arrivals, the driver will wait for up to 10 minutes after the agreed collection time, or the driver's arrival if later, unless we agree otherwise.

7.3 Any waiting charge and the basis on which it is calculated will be explained before we accept your booking.

7.4 If we cannot find you, we will make reasonable attempts to contact you. If you have not arrived or contacted us within the waiting period, we may release the vehicle and treat the booking as a no-show.

7.5 No-show charges will be calculated under section 6. Any waiting charge already paid will be taken into account to prevent double recovery.

7.6 Airport arrivals are subject to the separate collection arrangements in section 8.

7.7 We will make reasonable adjustments for disabled passengers and will not charge extra for assistance we are legally required to provide.

8. Airport and station transfers

8.1 Please provide accurate flight or train details, the arrival date, terminal or station and a working contact number.

8.2 We monitor airport flights using available flight information and adjust collection arrangements where reasonably practicable. Please notify us directly about changed flights, missed connections or cancellations.

8.3 Once you have collected your luggage and are ready to proceed to the designated pickup zone, please contact your driver. The driver will enter the zone when you confirm that you are heading there. Please follow the meeting instructions provided.

8.4 Your fixed airport fare includes up to £15 of airport pickup-zone charges. If these charges exceed £15 because you are delayed after asking the driver to enter, you will pay only the actual amount above £15. We do not add a markup and will provide evidence of the charge on request.

8.5 You will not be charged additional pickup-zone costs caused by the driver entering prematurely, our error, or a delay attributable to us or the operator carrying out your journey.

8.6 A flight delay does not by itself increase your fixed fare or trigger additional pickup-zone charges. If a substantial delay means we cannot accommodate the revised collection, we will contact you to discuss alternatives. If we cannot provide the service or an alternative acceptable to you, we will refund the affected transfer.

8.7 If you change your flight, airport, destination or other agreed requirements, we will confirm availability and any revised price before accepting the change.

8.8 For departures, please allow sufficient time for travel, foreseeable traffic, check-in and security. We can advise on a suitable collection time, but journey times remain estimates.

8.9 If your driver has not arrived at the agreed time, please telephone us promptly.

9. Weddings, events and tours

9.1 We will confirm the agreed itinerary, hire period, vehicle requirements, price and payment arrangements when accepting your booking.

9.2 Please allow realistic travel time between locations. Itinerary changes and extensions to the hire period are subject to availability and an additional charge agreed with you.

9.3 Admission tickets, meals, accommodation and other third-party services are excluded unless expressly included in your booking.

9.4 The cancellation arrangements in section 6 apply to weddings, events and tours.

10. Accessibility, children and pets

10.1 We welcome disabled passengers. Please tell us about any assistance or vehicle requirements when booking so we can prepare. Advance notice helps us make arrangements but does not remove your statutory rights.

10.2 If you need to remain seated in a wheelchair during the journey, please request a suitable wheelchair-accessible vehicle. We will confirm availability and suitability before accepting that requirement.

10.3 Assistance dogs are carried without additional charge in accordance with our legal obligations. Where a driver has a lawful exemption, we will explain this and seek suitable alternative arrangements.

10.4 All pets are welcome. Please tell us when booking so we can allocate a suitable vehicle. Animals must be safely controlled or carried in a suitable carrier where appropriate.

10.5 Child seats can be provided for longer journeys by prior arrangement, subject to availability. Please provide the child's age and any information needed to select a suitable seat. A seat is reserved only when we confirm it.

10.6 All passengers must travel in accordance with applicable seat-belt and child-restraint rules. Please discuss any questions about travelling with children before booking.

10.7 Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult unless we have expressly agreed otherwise.

11. Passenger conduct, cleaning and damage

11.1 Passengers must behave safely, wear seat belts where required and follow reasonable safety instructions.

11.2 Smoking and vaping are prohibited. Food and drink require the driver's permission, subject to reasonable disability-related needs.

11.3 We may refuse or end a journey where behaviour creates a genuine safety risk, including violence, threats, serious abuse or deliberate damage. Passengers will be asked to leave only where it is safe to do so.

11.4 A £50 soiling fee applies where a passenger or their pet causes soiling requiring cleaning beyond normal cleaning between journeys. The charge will not exceed the reasonable cleaning costs and associated losses incurred.

11.5 Where a passenger causes damage, we may seek reasonable, evidenced repair costs and other reasonably foreseeable losses for which that passenger is legally responsible. We will explain the basis of any claim and will not recover the same cost twice.

11.6 If a journey ends because of unsafe passenger behaviour, charges will reflect the service provided and reasonable losses caused. Unused advance payments will not automatically be forfeited.

12. Delays, breakdowns and liability

12.1 We will provide our services with reasonable care and skill and take reasonable steps to meet agreed collection times.

12.2 Traffic, severe weather, road closures and other disruption may affect journeys. If we become aware of a significant delay, we will take reasonable steps to contact you and discuss available options.

12.3 If a vehicle breaks down or becomes unavailable, we will take reasonable steps to arrange suitable alternative transport. If we cannot provide the agreed service, we will refund the part not provided. Your other legal rights remain unaffected.

12.4 We are responsible for reasonably foreseeable loss or damage caused by our breach of contract or failure to use reasonable care and skill. We are not responsible to the extent that a loss is caused by incorrect information you provide or your failure to follow agreed arrangements.

12.5 We will take reasonable care of belongings we handle. Please keep valuables with you and check the vehicle before leaving. This does not exclude our responsibility where we are legally liable for loss or damage.

12.6 Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. Your statutory rights are unaffected.

13. Lost property and complaints

13.1 Please report lost property promptly, providing the journey details and a description of the item. We will make reasonable efforts to locate it.

13.2 Found property will be handled in accordance with applicable licensing requirements and the law. Collection can be arranged with us. Any postage or delivery charge will be agreed beforehand.

13.3 Complaints should be sent to hello@bigyellowtaxi.co, including your booking details and an explanation of the issue.

13.4 We aim to acknowledge complaints within four working days and provide a substantive response within ten working days of receipt. Working days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and Scottish bank holidays. If an investigation takes longer, we will explain why and keep you informed.

13.5 You may also raise relevant licensing concerns with Fife Council. Our complaints process does not restrict your statutory rights or access to other remedies.

14. Privacy and applicable law

14.1 We use personal information to manage bookings, provide transport, process payments and administer our business, as explained in our Privacy Policy. Necessary booking details will be provided to any operator carrying out your journey on our behalf.

14.2 The terms made available when we accept your booking apply to that booking. Later website updates will not retrospectively change an existing booking unless agreed with you.

14.3 If a provision is unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply so far as legally possible.

14.4 These terms are governed by Scots law. Disputes may be brought before the Scottish courts. Consumers living elsewhere retain any mandatory legal protections and rights to bring proceedings in another court available under applicable law.