Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions apply when you request, book, pay for, or travel on a private hire journey provided by GEM Rides. They also govern your use of our website, customer account, booking links, and related customer services.

GEM Rides is a trading name of Baltic Standard Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 08833134. We are licensed by Transport for London as a private hire vehicle operator under licence number 11710.

When we accept a booking, Baltic Standard Ltd contracts with the person making the booking as principal to provide the journey. We may fulfil a journey using an appropriately licensed driver and vehicle from our own network or another licensed provider acting on our behalf, but we remain responsible for the booking contract.

1. Making a booking

You must provide complete and accurate booking information, including the pickup and destination, date and time, passenger and luggage requirements, contact details, and any relevant flight, accessibility, child-seat, or meet-and-greet information. Please check your confirmation and tell us promptly if anything is incorrect.

A quote or booking request is not a guarantee of availability. A booking is accepted when we issue a booking confirmation or otherwise confirm acceptance. We may decline a request where we cannot safely or lawfully provide the journey, suitable capacity is unavailable, payment is not completed when required, or the information supplied is incomplete or inaccurate.

If you book for another passenger, you confirm that you are authorised to do so, that you will give them the relevant booking information and these Terms, and that they will comply with the passenger responsibilities below.

2. Quotes, fares, and additional charges

Unless we state otherwise, the confirmed fare is based on the journey information supplied at the time of booking. The fare may include applicable taxes and disclosed booking supplements. Material changes requested after booking may require a revised quote.

Reasonable additional charges may apply where they arise from:

• extra stops, route changes, waiting time, parking, tolls, or congestion charges;
• requirements or passenger numbers not disclosed when the booking was made;
• damage, specialist cleaning, or excessive soiling caused by a passenger; or
• other costs that we explain and that are reasonably connected with the journey.

Estimated travel times are not guaranteed. Traffic, road closures, security procedures, weather, and other circumstances outside our reasonable control may affect the route and journey time.

3. Payment

Where online payment is available, we provide a secure Stripe-hosted payment link. By completing payment, you authorise the charge shown at checkout. Stripe processes your card or other payment credentials; Gem Rides receives payment status and transaction information but does not receive or store your full card number.

Payment is due at the time stated in your confirmation or invoice. A journey may be cancelled or withheld if required payment has not been received. If a payment is reversed, disputed, or fails, you remain responsible for any properly due fare and agreed additional charges.

Corporate account, invoice, or other agreed payment arrangements are subject to any additional written terms provided to the account holder.

4. Cancellations, no-shows, and refunds

You may cancel through your customer account where that option is available, or by contacting us using the details below. A cancellation is effective when it is recorded in your account or acknowledged by us.

• Cancellations received at least 24 hours before pickup are free of charge.
• Cancellations received less than 24 hours before pickup may be charged up to the full confirmed fare.
• A no-show may be charged at the full confirmed fare. A booking may be treated as a no-show where the passenger cannot be contacted or does not meet the driver within the communicated waiting period.

We will return any amount due to the original payment method. Banks and payment providers control how quickly a refund appears. These cancellation terms do not limit any refund or other remedy that you are entitled to by law.

If we cancel because we cannot provide the journey, we will refund amounts paid for the affected service unless the cancellation resulted from your breach of these Terms.

5. Airport and station pickups

Where flight monitoring or meet-and-greet is included, you must supply accurate travel details. Monitoring supports operational planning but does not guarantee that every change or disruption will be identified. Please contact us if your flight, train, terminal, or meeting instructions change.

Waiting time and parking included in a quote, if any, will be described in the booking information. Additional waiting or parking may be chargeable.

6. Passenger responsibilities and safety

Passengers must:

• follow reasonable safety instructions given by the driver;
• wear seat belts and ensure children use an appropriate restraint where required;
• not smoke, vape, consume illegal substances, or behave abusively in the vehicle;
• not exceed the licensed passenger or luggage capacity;
• take reasonable care of the vehicle and the property of others; and
• not ask the driver to speed, park unlawfully, or otherwise break the law.

A driver may refuse to start or continue a journey where they reasonably believe that safety, security, the law, or the vehicle is at risk. Where refusal results from passenger conduct or undisclosed requirements, the fare may remain payable.

Tell us before booking about mobility equipment, assistance needs, unusually large luggage, child-seat requests, or other requirements so that we can arrange a suitable vehicle and service. We provide services in accordance with applicable equality and accessibility law.

7. Delays and events outside our control

We plan journeys with care but cannot guarantee arrival times where delay or non-performance results from events outside our reasonable control, including severe traffic disruption, road closures, accidents, breakdowns, extreme weather, public emergencies, industrial action, or failures of third-party infrastructure.

We will take reasonable steps to keep you informed and, where practical, arrange a replacement driver or vehicle. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

8. Luggage and personal property

You are responsible for ensuring that your luggage is suitable for the vehicle booked and for checking that you have all belongings when leaving. Property is carried at the owner's risk, subject to liability that cannot be excluded by law.

Report lost property promptly through our lost-property service or contact details. We may charge reasonable delivery, postage, storage, or return-journey costs.

9. Customer communications

We may contact the booker or passenger by email, SMS, telephone, or WhatsApp to confirm and manage a booking, provide driver or payment information, respond to support requests, and communicate delays, changes, cancellations, or safety matters. These service messages are not marketing communications.

Please keep your contact details current and monitor the channels used for your booking. Our handling of personal information is explained in our Privacy Policy.

10. Website and account use

You must not misuse our website or services, interfere with their operation, attempt unauthorised access, submit fraudulent bookings, or use another person's account without permission. You are responsible for protecting access to your phone and customer account and for notifying us if you suspect unauthorised use.

Website content, branding, software, and design are owned by or licensed to us. You may use them only for personal or internal business use connected with our services.

11. Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of statutory rights, or any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law.

Subject to that, we are not responsible for losses that were not reasonably foreseeable when the booking was accepted, losses caused by inaccurate information or passenger conduct, or business losses arising from a consumer booking. If you book wholly or mainly for business purposes, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, revenue, contracts, or opportunity.

12. Complaints and disputes

Please raise a concern promptly through our complaints page or contact us with the booking code and relevant details. We will review the matter and may request further information.

These Terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. Consumers may bring proceedings in the courts that have jurisdiction under applicable consumer law. Business customers agree that the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.

13. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms to reflect changes to our services, operating model, payment arrangements, or legal and regulatory obligations. The version in force when a booking is accepted normally applies to that booking unless a change is required by law or agreed with you.

14. Contact us

For booking support, cancellations, or questions about these Terms, contact GEM Rides:

• Email: contact@gem-rides.co.uk
• Telephone: 020 4634 3404
• Mobile and WhatsApp: 074 6204 2378