Terms of Service

1.1 These Terms of Service ("Terms") apply whenever you use DriveBuddy: our website at drivebuddy.uk, our web app, and our iOS and Android apps (together, the "Platform"). They are a legally binding agreement between you and DriveBuddy Group Ltd.

1.2 Our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy also apply and form part of these Terms. You must accept all three before you can use your account.

1.3 Please read these Terms carefully, especially section 11 (cancellations, no-shows and refunds), section 12 (bundles) and section 22 (our liability). If you do not agree to them, do not use the Platform.

1.4 Some sections apply only to Learners or only to Instructors. Those sections say so.

1.5 If you are a consumer, nothing in these Terms affects your legal rights. Where the law gives you a more generous right than these Terms, the law applies.

3.1 DriveBuddy is run by DriveBuddy Group Ltd, a company registered in Northern Ireland with company number NI736130. Our registered office is 19 Hillhall Park, Lisburn, Northern Ireland, BT27 5DE.

3.2 You can contact us at info@drivebuddy.uk. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under number ZC165164.

4.1 DriveBuddy is an online platform. It helps Learners find, book and pay approved driving instructors. It gives Instructors tools to run their business, including scheduling, enrolments, payments, messaging, lesson notes, progress tracking and finance reports.

4.2 We are not a driving school. We do not provide driving lessons, employ instructors, or control how Lessons are taught.

4.3 The contract for each Lesson is between the Learner and the Instructor. Instructors are independent businesses, not our employees, workers, agents or partners. Each Instructor is responsible for the quality and safety of their Lessons, their vehicle and insurance, and for complying with the law and the conditions of their ADI registration.

4.4 We act as each Instructor's commercial agent to accept payments for Lessons and Bundles on their behalf. When you pay us for a Lesson through the Platform, that counts as paying the Instructor. We pass the Lesson Fee to the Instructor once the Lesson has been delivered, as set out in sections 10 to 12.

4.5 Your separate contract with us covers your use of the Platform: the Booking Fee for Learners, and the Membership for Instructors.

4.6 We do not guarantee that any Instructor will be available, accept you as a Learner, or that you will pass a driving test.

5.1 You must be at least 16 to create a Learner account.

5.2 If you are 16 or 17, you can use the Platform with extra protections. We do not send you marketing emails or push notifications, location sharing is off by default, and your profile visibility is restricted. Any card or wallet used to pay for your Lessons must belong to someone aged 18 or over, such as a parent or guardian. That person agrees to these Terms for the payments they make.

5.3 To register as an Instructor, you must hold a current ADI registration with the DVA (Northern Ireland) or the DVSA (Great Britain). Trainee licence holders (PDIs) cannot register as Instructors at this time.

5.4 You choose your role, Learner or Instructor, when you sign up.

5.5 You must give accurate information when you sign up, including your name, email address, phone number and date of birth, and keep it up to date. You may have only one account, and must not use anyone else's.

5.6 Keep your password and login codes secure. You are responsible for activity on your account. Tell us straight away at info@drivebuddy.uk if you think someone else has accessed it.

5.7 When we update these Terms, the Privacy Policy or the Cookie Policy, we may ask you to accept the new version before you can carry on using your account.

*This section applies to Learners.*

6.1 You must hold a valid provisional or full driving licence for the vehicle you are learning in, and give us your licence number before your first Lesson. You must meet the legal requirements to drive under instruction, including the eyesight standard.

6.2 You can ask to enrol with an Instructor. Instructors decide whether to accept, decline or waitlist you, and set their own availability. They must not discriminate unlawfully.

6.3 Search results are based mainly on your location or the area you enter, and on Instructor availability. We do not rank Instructors by teaching quality, and showing an Instructor is not an endorsement.

6.4 For each Lesson you must:

• be at the agreed pick-up point on time
• carry your licence
• be fit to drive, and not under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• wear glasses or contact lenses if you need them to drive
• follow your Instructor's safety instructions

6.5 Your Instructor may refuse to start or continue a Lesson if it would be unsafe, for example if you appear unfit to drive. Section 11 sets out what happens to payment.

*This section applies to Instructors.*

7.1 Verification

7.1.1 You cannot take Bookings until we have verified you. We check your ADI certificate, which you upload as a photo, against the DVA or DVSA register. Stripe verifies your identity through Stripe Connect. A member of our team reviews your application.

7.1.2 We may ask for more information. If we reject your application, we will tell you why and whether you can correct it. You can appeal a decision by emailing verify@drivebuddy.uk.

7.1.3 We may contact the DVA or DVSA to confirm your registration at any time. If they tell us you are not registered, we will suspend your account immediately.

7.1.4 You must tell us straight away if your registration lapses, is suspended or revoked, or if your ADI certificate expires. We will suspend your account until you are re-verified.

7.2 Membership

7.2.1 Membership costs £10 a month. We are not currently registered for VAT. If we become registered, we will add VAT and tell you at least 30 days beforehand.

7.2.2 You can buy Membership only after your verification is approved, and only through our web app. It is not sold in the iOS app, which is a free companion to the web app for verified Instructors.

7.2.3 New Instructors get a free trial: 14 days as standard, or 3 months where we onboard you directly. Your first payment is taken at the end of the trial unless you cancel before then in the billing portal.

7.2.4 Membership renews monthly until you cancel. You can cancel at any time in the billing portal. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing month, and we do not refund part-months.

7.2.5 If a payment fails, Stripe will retry it. If it remains unpaid, we may pause your access to instructor features until it is paid.

7.2.6 We will give you at least 30 days' notice of any price change. Promotion codes apply only on their stated terms.

7.3 Prices and availability

7.3.1 You set your own Lesson Fees, Bundle prices and availability. Your listed price must be the full price for the Lesson. You must not charge Learners extra, on or off the Platform, for a Lesson booked through it.

7.3.2 You can change your prices at any time. Changes do not affect Bookings already made.

7.3.3 You may decide whom you teach, but must not discriminate unlawfully.

7.4 Payouts

7.4.1 We pay you through Stripe Connect, so you must accept Stripe's Connected Account Agreement. We do not see your full bank details.

7.4.2 A Lesson Fee becomes available in your DriveBuddy balance once the Lesson is confirmed as delivered (section 10). Amounts due to you under section 11 for late cancellations and no-shows become available in the same way. You can then withdraw your balance to your bank account.

7.4.3 We do not take a commission from your Lesson Fees. \[Confirm: who bears Stripe processing costs on lesson payments.\]

7.4.4 We may hold funds while a dispute, chargeback, suspected fraud or legal requirement is resolved. If a Learner's payment is reversed, we may recover the Lesson Fee from your balance or future payouts.

7.5 Tax

7.5.1 You are responsible for your own tax, National Insurance, VAT and records.

7.5.2 The law may require us to collect information about you, such as your tax reference, and report your earnings through the Platform to HMRC. You must give us accurate information when we ask.

7.6 Your obligations

You must:

• hold insurance that covers driving instruction, and keep any vehicle you teach in roadworthy, taxed and insured, with dual controls
• follow the law, the Highway Code and the conditions of your ADI registration
• take appropriate care when teaching Learners under 18
• record the outcome of every Lesson accurately and on time (section 10)
• keep lesson notes and progress records accurate
• comply with data protection law for the lesson notes you keep, for which you are the data controller and we are your processor
• not ask Learners to pay outside the Platform for Lessons or Bundles booked through it

7.7 How we rank and treat Instructors

7.7.1 Search results are ranked mainly by distance from the Learner's location and by availability. You cannot pay for a higher ranking. \[Confirm: any other ranking factors, such as reviews.\]

7.7.2 If we restrict, suspend or close your account, we will give you our reasons as set out in section 19.

8.1 Before you pay, checkout shows the Lesson Fee, the Booking Fee and the total. The price is fixed when you pay. Later changes by the Instructor do not affect your Booking.

8.2 When you start checkout, we hold the slot for about 15 minutes. It is not a Booking until your payment succeeds and we confirm it. If payment fails or the hold runs out, the slot is released.

8.3 You can pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Payments are processed by Stripe. We do not store your full card number or security code; saved cards are held by Stripe.

8.4 By saving a payment method, you authorise us to charge it for Bookings you make.

8.5 Some Instructors accept cash for single Lessons. For a cash Lesson, you pay the Booking Fee online when you book, and pay the Lesson Fee to the Instructor in person. Cash cannot be used for Bundles.

8.6 For a cash Lesson, the Lesson Fee is not paid through the Platform, so we cannot collect a late cancellation or no-show charge. The Booking Fee is not refunded in those cases. \[Confirm: cash no-show handling.\]

8.7 All prices are in pounds sterling. We email a receipt for every payment.

8.8 If you have a problem with a payment, please contact us before raising a chargeback with your bank. We may suspend your account while a chargeback is investigated.

9.1 Learners pay a Booking Fee on each purchase. It is a percentage of the total Lesson Fees in that purchase:

The minimum Booking Fee is £2.00 per purchase.

9.2 We are not currently registered for VAT. If we become registered, VAT will be added to the Booking Fee and shown at checkout.

9.3 The Booking Fee pays for your use of the Platform and the handling of your payment. It is refunded only where section 11 or 12 says so, or where the law requires.

9.4 Instructors pay for Membership (section 7.2).

10.1 After each Lesson's scheduled end time, the Instructor must record what happened within 72 hours: the Lesson was delivered, the Lesson did not take place, or the Learner did not show.

10.2 A Learner no-show means the Learner did not attend at the agreed time and place, or was unfit to drive, so the Lesson could not go ahead. Before recording a no-show, the Instructor must wait at least 15 minutes and try to contact the Learner through the Platform. \[Confirm: 15-minute wait.\]

10.3 We will ask the Learner to confirm the Instructor's record. The Learner has 72 hours to confirm it or dispute it. If the Learner does not respond within 72 hours, the Instructor's record stands.

10.4 Once a Lesson is confirmed as delivered, the Lesson Fee is released to the Instructor.

10.5 Lessons are never marked as delivered automatically. If the Instructor does not record an outcome, we will contact both of you and may review the Lesson under section 13.

10.6 You can rearrange a Lesson through the Platform. If both of you agree a new time, it is not a cancellation and no charge applies. If you cannot agree, the original Booking stands and section 11 applies to any cancellation.

11.1 All times are UK time and are measured from the Lesson's scheduled start.

11.2 An Instructor may cancel a Lesson for safety reasons, such as severe weather or a vehicle fault. This counts as an Instructor cancellation, and you get a full refund.

11.3 Refunds go back to the original payment method. They usually arrive within 5 to 10 working days, depending on your bank.

11.4 If a Learner repeatedly cancels late or does not show, the Instructor may decline further Bookings and we may restrict the account.

11.5 If you have a legal right to cancel and receive a refund that is more generous than this section, that right applies.

12.1 Instructors can offer Bundles: prepaid credit for a set number of Lessons, up to 20, with that Instructor, at a price they set. A Bundle is a one-off payment. It is not a subscription and does not renew.

12.2 Bundles can be paid for by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay only, not cash.

12.3 Buying a Bundle does not book any Lessons. You book each Lesson afterwards, subject to the Instructor's availability.

12.4 A Bundle expires 70 days after you pay, or on an earlier date shown at checkout if our payment provider requires it. The expiry date is shown when you buy and in the app. Lessons booked before the expiry date still go ahead.

12.5 We hold the Bundle payment and release each Lesson Fee to the Instructor after that Lesson is delivered.

12.6 Sections 10 and 11 apply to each Lesson booked from a Bundle. \[Confirm: whether amounts due back after a late cancellation return as Bundle credit or to the card.\]

12.7 We refund unused Lessons when:

• the Bundle expires with Lessons unbooked
• the Instructor is suspended, rejected or leaves DriveBuddy
• you ask for a refund of unused credit, after cancelling any booked Lessons
• your account is permanently deleted (section 20)

The refund is what you paid for the unused Lessons, including their share of the Booking Fee, less the card processing cost for those Lessons. Delivered Lessons are not refunded.

12.8 If you cancel a Bundle within 14 days of buying it, we refund in full for every Lesson not yet delivered, with no deduction.

12.9 We aim to pay Bundle refunds within 14 days of the event that triggers them.

13.1 If you disagree about whether a Lesson took place, a no-show, or a charge, raise it through "Report an issue" in the app within 72 hours of the attendance record.

13.2 We hold the funds for that Lesson while we review. A member of our team looks at what both of you send us, and at Platform records such as messages, timestamps and lesson route data where available.

13.3 We then decide how the held funds are paid: a full refund to the Learner, payment to the Instructor, or a split between them. We aim to decide within 14 days.

13.4 Our decision settles how funds held on the Platform are paid out. It does not stop either of you using your legal rights against the other.

14.1 You keep ownership of your Content. You give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to host, store, copy, display and format it to run and improve the Platform. For reviews, this includes showing them on Instructor profiles and in search. The licence ends when the Content is deleted, except where we must keep it for legal reasons or as set out in 14.6.

14.2 You are responsible for your Content. It must be lawful and accurate. You must not post anything that:

• harasses, threatens, bullies or discriminates against anyone
• is sexual, violent or hateful
• shares someone else's personal information without their permission
• infringes anyone's copyright or other rights
• is spam or advertising
• arranges payment outside the Platform for a Lesson or Bundle booked through it

14.3 Messaging supports text and images, including group chats for an Instructor's enrolled Learners. We may review messages when someone reports them, or to investigate safety concerns, fraud or a breach of these Terms. Messages are kept as set out in our Privacy Policy.

14.4 Learners can review an Instructor after at least one completed Lesson with them. A review is a rating from 1 to 5 stars with up to 200 characters of text, and must reflect your genuine experience. Instructors can reply publicly. Instructors must not review themselves, or offer anything in return for a review.

14.5 We moderate reviews. We may remove a review that breaks these Terms or the law. We do not remove reviews just because they are negative.

14.6 If a reviewer's account is permanently deleted, we remove the review text and keep the star rating without their name.

14.7 You can report Content in the app or by emailing info@drivebuddy.uk. We will look at reports promptly and may remove Content or restrict accounts.

14.8 Lesson notes and progress records are kept by the Instructor. The Instructor is responsible for them, and we store them on the Instructor's behalf.

15.1 Instructor search uses your location if you allow it, or an area you enter.

15.2 Instructors can choose to turn on route tracking for a Lesson. While it is on, the app records GPS route points from the start to the end of the Lesson, including in the background on Android. The route is stored with the Lesson record and may be used in a dispute review. Our Privacy Policy explains how we use this data.

15.3 You control camera, photo, calendar, location and notification permissions in your device settings. Turning them off may limit some features. You are responsible for any mobile data charges.

16.1 DriveBuddy's progress tracking, GDL-style tracking and Programme of Training features are tools to help Instructors and Learners. They are not the official DVA logbook or any other official record, and have no regulatory status.

16.2 Instructors are responsible for the accuracy of what they record. Learners are responsible for meeting the official logbook and training requirements.

16.3 Progress shown on the Platform is not a guarantee that you are ready for, or will pass, a driving test.

17.1 If you download our app from the Apple App Store or Google Play, their terms also apply. They are not responsible for our app or its support.

17.2 If you use our iOS app:

• these Terms are between you and us, not Apple, and we alone are responsible for the app
• Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the app
• Apple is not responsible for any claims about the app, including product liability, legal or regulatory claims, or claims that it infringes someone's rights
• Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them against you

17.3 Payments for Lessons and Bundles are for real-world driving tuition. They are processed by Stripe, not as in-app purchases. Instructor Membership is not sold in the iOS app.

17.4 We may update the app, including automatically. Some features may need the latest version or a supported operating system.

You must not:

• break the law, or use the Platform for any purpose other than finding, booking, paying for or providing driving lessons
• give false information or pretend to be someone else
• create more than one account, or use someone else's
• scrape, crawl or data-mine the Platform, or copy its data in bulk
• copy, reverse engineer or decompile our software, except where the law allows
• interfere with the Platform's security, or introduce viruses or other harmful code
• harass, abuse or discriminate against other users
• misuse the reporting or dispute process
• avoid our fees by moving payment for a Booking off the Platform

19.1 You can stop using the Platform at any time and delete your account (section 20). Instructors cancel Membership in the billing portal.

19.2 We may restrict, suspend or close your account, or remove Content, if:

• you break these Terms
• we reasonably suspect fraud, illegal activity or a risk to anyone's safety
• an Instructor's verification fails or ADI registration lapses
• Membership fees are unpaid
• the law or a regulator requires it

19.3 We will tell you why, unless the law or a safety concern prevents us.

19.4 For Instructors, we will give at least 30 days' notice before closing your account permanently. We do not have to give notice where the law requires us to act, where there is a safety risk, or where you have seriously or repeatedly broken these Terms. You can challenge our decision through our complaints process (section 26).

19.5 If an Instructor's account is suspended or closed, their upcoming Bookings are cancelled and Learners get a full refund. Unused Bundle credit is refunded under 12.7. Instructors are paid for Lessons already delivered, subject to any holds under 7.4.4.

19.6 Sections that by their nature should continue, such as 13, 14.1, 21, 22, 23 and 25, continue after your account closes.

20.1 You can delete your account in the app, in the web app, or at drivebuddy.uk/delete-account.

20.2 Learners must cancel upcoming Lessons first, and section 11 applies to those cancellations. You cannot delete your account while a Lesson is in progress.

20.3 Instructors must deal with upcoming Lessons and record outcomes for past Lessons first, and cancel Membership. \[Confirm: Instructor deletion steps.\]

20.4 After you ask to delete, your account is kept for 30 days in case you change your mind. Logging in during that time restores it.

20.5 After 30 days, we permanently delete or anonymise your data. We keep the records we must keep for legal, tax, accounting and dispute purposes, as our Privacy Policy explains. Unused Bundle credit is refunded at that point, and your reviews are handled as in 14.6.

21.1 We own, or have licences for, the Platform, including its software, design, the DriveBuddy name and logo.

21.2 We give you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Platform, and to install our apps on devices you own or control, for their intended purpose under these Terms. We may end this licence if your account is suspended or closed.

21.3 You must not use our name or logo without our written permission.

21.4 If you send us feedback or ideas, we may use them freely.

22.1 Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else the law does not allow us to limit. This includes your rights as a consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

22.2 We provide the Platform with reasonable care and skill. We cannot promise it will always be available or free of errors, and we may pause it for maintenance.

22.3 We are not responsible for:

• how Lessons are taught, or for an Instructor's conduct, vehicle, insurance or compliance with ADI rules
• accidents or incidents during Lessons
• driving test results
• Content posted by other users
• services run by others, such as Stripe or the app stores, except where we are at fault

22.4 *If you are a Learner:* we are responsible for loss you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking these Terms or failing to use reasonable care. We are not responsible for business losses. Our total liability to you is limited to the greater of £100 and the Booking Fees you paid us in the 12 months before your claim. This does not limit any refund owed to you under these Terms.

22.5 *If you are an Instructor:* we are not liable for loss of profit, revenue, business, goodwill or data, or for indirect or consequential loss. Our total liability to you in any 12-month period is limited to the Membership fees you paid us in the 12 months before your claim. This does not limit our obligation to pay you amounts due under section 7.4.

22.6 We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control, such as outages at our service providers, internet failures, natural disasters or government action.

*This section applies to Instructors only.*

You will reimburse us for claims, losses and reasonable costs arising from Lessons you deliver, your breach of these Terms, your tax affairs, or your handling of personal data as a data controller.

24.1 We may update these Terms to reflect changes in the law, our services or how we operate. The version number and effective date are shown at the top.

24.2 We will tell you about important changes by email or in the app at least 14 days before they take effect, or 30 days for changes affecting Instructors. You may need to accept the new version in the app.

24.3 If you do not agree to a change, you can stop using the Platform and delete your account before it takes effect. Instructors can cancel Membership in the billing portal.

24.4 Changes do not affect Bookings you have already paid for.

24.5 We may change, add or remove features of the Platform.

25.1 These Terms are governed by the law of Northern Ireland, and the courts of Northern Ireland have jurisdiction. If you are a consumer living elsewhere in the UK, you can also bring proceedings in your local courts.

25.2 We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to another organisation. We will tell you if this affects you. You may not transfer yours without our written consent.

25.3 No one other than you and us has any right to enforce these Terms, except Apple under 17.2.

25.4 If a court finds part of these Terms invalid, the rest still applies.

25.5 If we do not enforce a right straight away, we can still enforce it later.

25.6 These Terms, with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, are the whole agreement between you and us about the Platform.

25.7 We will contact you by email or through the app.

26.1 For questions, support or complaints, email info@drivebuddy.uk. To appeal an Instructor verification decision, email verify@drivebuddy.uk.

26.2 Please include your account email and what happened. We aim to acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and respond in full within 14 days.

26.3 If you are a consumer and we cannot resolve your complaint, you can get free advice from Consumerline, Northern Ireland's consumer advice service, or from Citizens Advice elsewhere in the UK. You can also go to court.

26.4 For questions about your personal data, see our Privacy Policy.