Day trip terms & conditions

1. Acting Agents. All arrangements made for meals, visits, theatre, etc. and any other form of transport operated by persons or bodies other than ourselves, are made by us as agents for and on behalf of our passengers and on the express conditions that we will not be responsible for any loss, damage, injury, delays or inconvenience caused to or sustained by passengers other than by the negligence of Shaws and its employees who are under our direct control.  Any terms and conditions imposed by outside contractors shall be binding on passengers as if they had directly contracted such services. The allocation of theatre and event seats is at our discretion and maybe subject to change. We cannot guarantee specific locations and theatre castings always remain subject to change. No refunds can be given in the event of anyone not appearing.

2. Animals. Assistance dogs are welcome on board (with advance notice) but other animals are not allowed.

3. Breakdowns & Delays. In the event of a breakdown or delay we shall make every effort to continue the journey as quickly as possible. We cannot guarantee the completion of any journey in any specific time and will not be liable for losses, delays or inconvenience incurred by any passenger due to circumstances beyond our control.

4. Cancellations & Amendments by us. We reserve the right to withdraw any excursion due to lack of support. Any such cancellation would usually be made no later than one week before departure and either a credit note or a refund of the full fare that you paid would be the limit of our liability. It is always our intention to operate an excursion in accordance with the published itinerary, but we reserve the right to amend any excursion, should circumstances make this necessary, either prior to or during an outing. Refunds will not be given for any insignificant changes, although we will always try to let you know of any such changes, e.g. seat changes, timing alterations, etc.

We cannot accept liability for cancellations that are made necessary by events or actions by persons beyond our control (including, without limitation, acts of God, military operation, terrorism, a pandemic). We may offer a credit note for the full amount paid, a free transfer to a rearranged date or a refund of the fare paid. Refunds will only be sent to the person that paid for a booking or their personal representative.

5. Cancellations & Amendments by you. You may cancel your booking at any time, subject to the following conditions and charges.

Cancellations must be made in writing (either by post or by email) and cancellation charges will be determined from the time at which your written notification is received. Communications that are sent outside of office hours will be accepted from the day and time at which our office next opens (Monday to Friday, 09:30-17:00, excluding bank holidays).

Cancellation charges are as follows:

Up to 48 hours prior to departure: 20% of total paid

Less than 48 hours prior to departure: 50% of total paid

Less than 24 hours prior to departure: No refund

Please note that you will not receive a refund for any prepaid items that are included in the ticket price and not recoverable by us (e.g. a meal, theatre ticket, admission charge, etc.). In these instances, any refund due to you will be based on the fare element of your ticket only.

On most tours, if your cancellation is made more than four weeks before departure, we may be able to offer a transfer to another day tour on payment of an amendment fee of £2 per person per transfer. You are also welcome to pass on your ticket to a friend at no extra charge but you must let us know if someone else will be travelling in your place. You remain liable for the payment of non-recoverable services for which we have prepaid.

6. Child Fares. Usually apply from ages 3 to 16 inclusive, but may vary on some tours. Children under 3 can usually travel free provided they are sat on an adult’s lap and that we are notified at the time of booking. Under 16’s must be escorted by an adult.

7. Coach Seating. Seat numbers are usually allocated in order of booking but we hold two front seats for customers who have a registered disability or hold a Blue Badge. We reserve the right to alter seating arrangements and vehicle allocation.

Click here to view our typical seating plans.

8. Coach Tickets. Please show your eTicket or printed Travel Ticket to the driver when you board. Your driver will normally give you admission tickets for shows, concerts, etc. during the journey.

9. Complaints. We very much hope that you will enjoy your day out with us but if you have a complaint please inform your driver in the first instance so that he/she may do his/her best to assist you. If you wish to make further representation on your return, please write to us no later than 14 days after the date of travel. We will not respond to any complaints received later than this time and we only respond to written complaints (via email or post).

10. Confirmation & Payment. The issue of a Travel Ticket following receipt of payment is the only basis for acceptance of a booking. The person who makes the booking acts as agent and accepts these conditions on behalf of all passengers for whom payment is made. Telephone or email reservations will be held for 5 days or any other period specified at the time of reservation. If payment has not been received by the expiration of this period we will cancel the reservation and no liability will be accepted in these circumstances. For trips departing within 5 days of reservation, full payment must be made at the time of booking.

11. Health. You may wish to consult your doctor, before undertaking a coach journey of more than 3 hours, if you have ever had DVT or pulmonary embolism; a family history of clotting conditions; an inherited tendency to clot; cancer, or treatment for cancer in the past; undergone major surgery in the last 3 months; had hip or knee replacement within the last 3 months; ever suffered from a stroke, heart or lung disease.

12. Health & Safety. If you wish to bring any items other than normal hand luggage or suitcases, please check with us at the time of booking.  We will refuse a booking or terminate a passenger’s journey in the event of unreasonable conduct and/or if believe that they have any items or equipment that will be detrimental to the health and safety of our staff and/or other customers. Our drivers are not allowed to do anything that may put at risk their health, safety, welfare or compromise any legal requirements.

13. Insurance. Customers are responsible for insuring those risks for which, save for negligence, the Firm’s liability is limited, such as delay or luggage.

14. Meeting Friends. May we suggest that you plan to meet at a well-known landmark or café and also exchange mobile phone numbers in case arrangements for set down points have to be changed unexpectedly?

15. Mobile Phones. If you need to use a mobile whilst on the coach, please keep your conversation as quiet and as brief as possible to avoid distracting your driver and to minimise disturbance to other passengers. Please turn your phone to silent/vibrate if possible.

16. Passenger Property. Unless previously agreed in writing, the driver has discretion as to the carriage and storage of passengers' property. We will not accept liability for any damage to or loss of any property left in a vehicle unless due to the negligence of our employees. All articles of lost property recovered from a vehicle will be held at our Maxey depot for an appropriate period of no longer than one month.

17. Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Your privacy is important to us. Click here to view our privacy policy, and click here to view our cookie policy. Alternatively we can post copies upon request.

18. Refreshments. Other than on a vehicle fitted expressly for that purpose, food and drink, except for small items of confectionary, may not be consumed on board. Smoking (including E-cigarettes) and alcohol are not permitted on board.

19. Senior Fares. Apply to all customers aged 65 or over.

20. Special Care For Disabled Customers. We reserve two front seats for the use of customers who have a Registered Disability or a Blue Badge (and their companion) but our coaches do not have lifts so you must be able to use the entrance steps.  Some excursions may involve long journeys or long walks and there may be accessibility issues at some visitor attractions (especially theatres). If you tell us about your disability before you book, we will do our best to check that a tour is suitable for you. At your own risk, we are happy to carry a limited number of mobility aids but cannot be held responsible for any damage to them. Wheelchair and scooter users must be accompanied by someone who is able to take charge of the chair (or scooter) and, where appropriate, dismantle and reassemble it, disconnect any batteries and load it into the luggage area.  No individual piece of equipment should weigh more than 15 kgs and Schedule 3 scooters are not permitted under any circumstances. Our drivers are happy to provide general assistance but cannot provide help that extends to the lifting and carrying of any passenger or their wheelchair or scooter, nor to act as carers.

21. Special Offers. These may also be subject to additional rules and conditions.

22. Surcharges. We reserve the right to pass on any increase in costs, which are outside of our control (eg. VAT).

23. Timings. During the journey, please take careful note of the instructions and timings that our driver will announce. If you are late, we will have to leave without you and we will not be liable for any costs that you incur.  If you have given us your mobile phone number we will try to contact you whenever possible but may we also suggest that you keep a note of our phone number (01778 342224) so that you can contact us in the event of any problems (our office number offers an alternative emergency number if you are calling out of hours).

Updated 23 Aug 2022.