01Fares and payment
Let Rides takes 0% of your fares, and in return the fare a rider sees is the fare they pay. Nothing is added at the kerb, by anyone.
Charge exactly what the app shows. On a fixed price, the price the rider confirmed is the price, and only the paid waiting the app itself adds can change it. On a metered trip, the fare is what the app's meter shows at drop-off, never less than the start price and never more.
WhyRiders choose Let Rides because the price is the price. Every quote we give is a promise you're keeping.
In Glasgow City the Taxi class runs on the council's taxi tariff, which is a legal maximum. You may charge less, never more. The app already includes the tariff's night and festive extras where they apply, so there is nothing to add by hand.
WhyCharging above the council tariff is a breach of your licence conditions, not just of our rules.
Never charge more for paying by card, prepaid balance, Ride Tab or a household tab. No "card fee", no minimum spend, no different price for cash, no rounding up. The fare is the fare, however it is paid.
WhySince 13 January 2018 it has been unlawful in the UK to add a surcharge to a consumer's card payment. On Let Rides the same rule covers every way of paying, and card, balance and tab fares are paid to you at 100% like any other.
The law on card surcharges is the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012, as amended from 13 January 2018. We cite it as a general fact, not as legal advice.
Never demand cash, and never take a trip off the app. Don't refuse, cancel or delay a ride because it is paid by card, balance, Ride Tab or a household tab. Never ask a rider to cancel in the app and pay you cash instead, and never agree a private price for a trip that came through Let Rides.
WhyIt cheats the rider out of their receipt, their tracking link and their protection, and it is the fastest way to lose your account.
Add nothing the app didn't add. No booking fee, no fuel charge, no "airport", "late night", "extra passenger" or "luggage" charge, and no cleaning charge you decide on yourself. If a car is soiled, report it through support with photos and we will deal with it.
WhyThe rider's receipt shows the whole fare. Anything that isn't on it is an overcharge.
On a cash ride, collect the amount the app shows, give change, and mark the trip paid in the app. Website and WhatsApp bookings are cash unless the rider's balance or household tab covers them, and the app tells you which. If a rider can't pay, don't argue and don't hold on to their belongings: end the trip, report it in the app, and leave it with us.
WhyThe app's record is what settles any dispute, so it needs to match what happened.
Waiting time is the app's to add, not yours. Every rider gets free waiting minutes at pick-up, then the app charges the class's rate (on the Glasgow taxi tariff, per completed period) and shows it on the receipt.
WhyA rider who sees waiting on their receipt knows what it was for. A number you add at the door is a surprise.
Tips are welcome only when they're freely given. Never ask for one, suggest one or make a rider feel they should. A tip added in the app comes to you in full.
WhyA tip that's asked for is a surcharge with a nicer name.
What you collect, by the way the rider pays:
- Card: nothing to collect. The fare is paid to you through Stripe.
- Prepaid balance: nothing to collect. The fare comes off the rider's balance and is paid to you.
- Ride Tab or household tab: nothing to collect. It goes on the tab and is paid to you.
- Cash: the amount the app shows, at drop-off.
02Accepting and cancelling
Decide before you accept. The offer shows the pick-up, the drop-off, the class and the fare. If you can't do a trip, decline it. Once you've accepted, it's yours: go to the pick-up, do the trip and complete it in the app.
WhyThe moment you accept, the rider is told a car is coming.
No cherry-picking after accepting. Never cancel, or ask the rider to cancel, because of the destination, the length of the trip, the fare, the class or how it is paid.
WhyA short trip on a card is a trip. Taking only the ones you like is what riders left other apps to get away from.
Running late? Say so. Message or call the rider through the app and tell them. If you can't make it at all, cancel straight away so they can be matched with someone else.
WhyNothing loses a rider faster than a car that never comes and a driver who never says why.
Never ask a rider to cancel. If a trip can't go ahead, you cancel it, and say why in the app. A rider who cancels after the grace period pays a cancellation fee; a driver cancellation never costs the rider anything.
WhyAsking them to cancel moves a fee onto them for a decision that was yours.
Cancellation fees are the app's. When a rider cancels late (after the grace period since you accepted), the app charges the fee shown on the ride and pays it to you in full on card, balance and tab rides. Cash rides never carry a cancellation fee. Don't try to collect one yourself.
WhyThe fee is set per class and shown to the rider before they cancel. That's what makes it fair.
If a rider doesn't show, wait the free waiting minutes at the pick-up shown, try them through the app, then cancel in the app and say why.
WhyCancelling in the app keeps the record straight and, where a fee applies, applies it properly.
Scheduled rides are a promise. If you accept a scheduled ride, be there. If your plans change, cancel as early as you possibly can.
WhyA rider who booked ahead has a flight, a shift or an appointment riding on you.
We look at cancellation patterns. A run of cancellations after accepting, or repeated "rider didn't show" cancellations that riders dispute, is treated as a breach of these rules.
03On the road
Licensed and insured, every time. Only drive with a valid council driver's licence, a licensed vehicle, hire-and-reward insurance and a current MOT, all in date. The app takes you offline when a document expires; never drive a Let Rides trip on an expired one.
WhyAn unlicensed or uninsured trip is a criminal matter for you, and it can leave the rider uninsured too.
The car and plate on your profile are the car you drive. Never turn up in a different car, even for one trip, and never let anyone else drive on your account. Video verification checks that the driver, the licence and the car match, and an account that fails it is removed.
WhyThe rider checks your plate before they get in. If it doesn't match, they are right to walk away.
One person, one account. Never share your login, and never drive on someone else's.
WhyYour licence is personal to you. So is the account that carries it.
Follow the law and the Highway Code. No phone in your hand while driving: use the app in a cradle, hands-free. No speeding, seatbelt on, and never drive tired, after drinking or after taking drugs.
WhyUsing a hand-held phone at the wheel is an offence with points, a fine and, for a professional driver, a licence at risk.
Child seats. If a rider brings a child seat, let them fit it and give them time. If there isn't one, a child may travel in a licensed taxi or private hire car without one, but only in the back: with the adult seat belt if they are three or older, and without a belt if they are under three.
WhyThat is the UK exemption for licensed taxis and private hire vehicles. Outside it, the normal child seat law applies.
Assistance dogs travel, at no extra charge. You must carry guide dogs, hearing dogs and other assistance dogs with their owners, unless you hold a medical exemption certificate from your licensing authority and display it.
WhyRefusing an assistance dog is a criminal offence under the Equality Act 2010 (sections 168 to 170), a licensing matter, and grounds for removal from Let Rides.
Help wheelchair users. If your vehicle is on your council's list of wheelchair-accessible vehicles, you must carry a rider in their wheelchair, give them reasonable help getting in and out and with their wheelchair, and charge no more for it. In any car, help with folding wheelchairs, walking aids and luggage.
WhyThe Equality Act 2010 (section 165) makes this a duty for designated vehicles. Common decency covers the rest.
No smoking or vaping in the car, by you or anyone else, on or off a trip.
WhySmoking in a taxi or private hire car is against the law everywhere in the UK. Vaping is our rule: the next rider shouldn't have to smell the last one.
Keep the car presentable and safe. Clean inside and out, no strong smells, a working seat belt for every seat, and nothing that stops a rider using a seat or the boot.
WhyFor most riders the car is Let Rides. It's the only part of us they see.
Take the sensible route. Follow the app's route or a better one you know. A rider can ask for a particular route, and that's fine. Never take a longer route to push the meter up.
WhyOn a metered trip a detour is an overcharge; on a fixed price it's just a longer trip for both of you.
Carry only the number of passengers your licence allows, everyone belted, and nobody in the front of a vehicle where your licence conditions don't allow it.
WhyYour licence conditions and your insurance both depend on it.
04Riders
Confirm the name before you set off. The rider checks your name and plate; you check theirs. Never start a trip with the wrong passenger.
WhyIt's the single most important safety check on the app, and it takes three seconds.
Be courteous. Greet the rider, keep the car at a reasonable temperature, and let them choose whether they want conversation, music or quiet.
WhyA calm, ordinary trip is what most riders want. Give them that and they will book you again.
Never discriminate. Don't refuse, cancel or treat a rider differently because of disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, age, pregnancy or maternity, or because of where they live or where they're going.
WhyThe Equality Act 2010 protects riders, and Let Rides will not carry a driver who breaks it.
No harassment, ever. No comments on a rider's appearance, no flirting, no asking for their number or social media, no touching, no following up afterwards.
WhyA rider alone in a car with a stranger is trusting you completely. Any breach of that trust ends your time on Let Rides.
Look after vulnerable riders. Someone who is young, drunk, unwell, distressed or unsure of where they are gets taken exactly where they are booked to go, by the direct route, with no detours, no going inside and no "help" beyond the trip. If someone is unsafe, call 999 and then tell us.
WhySafeguarding isn't a policy, it's the job. Do it well and we'll back you every time.
Lost property. Check the car after every trip. If you find something, tell us through the app or by email so we can reunite it with its owner, and follow your council's licence conditions, which may require handing it in to the police within a set time.
WhyRiders who get their things back tell people about it. So do riders who don't.
Complaints. If a rider complains to you, stay calm, don't argue about the fare (the app decides the fare) and point them to Help in the app. When we ask you about a complaint, answer honestly and promptly.
WhyWe look at both sides. A driver who tells us what happened is a driver we can stand up for.
Blocks and ratings. A rider can block you from their profile so you are never matched with them again, and support can do the same after a complaint. A block is silent: you won't be told who or why; you simply won't see their rides. Riders also rate trips.
WhyA pattern of blocks or low ratings tells us something is wrong, and we will look into it before it becomes a warning.
05Data and privacy
Don't record riders. No photos, video or audio of a rider on your phone. An in-car camera is allowed only if your council permits it, riders are told with a clear notice in the car, the footage is stored securely and it is used only for an incident: for the police, or for us when we ask about a complaint.
WhyA rider's face, voice and journey are their personal data. UK GDPR applies to you as the person recording, and your council may have its own conditions.
Use rider details only to do the trip. A rider's name, phone number and addresses are for finding them and getting them there. Don't save their number, don't add them on social media, don't message them after the trip, and don't share their details or where you took them with anyone.
WhyIt's a condition of your access to the app, and it's the law.
Contact riders through the app only. Calls and messages go through the app, before and during the trip, and never afterwards.
WhyIt keeps the record straight, and it keeps your own number private too.
Keep trips private. Don't post about a rider or a trip online, don't share screenshots of rides, and don't talk about one rider to another.
WhyEven without a name, a time, a place and a description can identify someone.
Keep location on while you're online. The app records your location while you're online to offer you nearby trips, work out fares and keep a record of each journey. Riders can share a live link to follow the car.
WhyThe trip record is what protects you in a dispute. It only works if it's complete.
Our privacy policy explains what Let Rides itself does with your data and riders' data.
06Packages, payouts and money
Keep your package active to stay online. Your monthly driver package is billed in advance by Stripe. If a payment fails you can't go online until it's paid. You can cancel any month from the driver app, and if you drive for a fleet, the fleet's package covers you.
WhyThe package is what replaces commission. It's the whole deal.
Payouts are automatic. Card, balance and tab fares, tips added in the app and cancellation fees are paid to your bank account through Stripe every day, and you can use withdraw now to be paid sooner. Cash is yours the moment it's in your hand.
WhyYou should never have to chase us for money you've earned.
Set up payouts honestly. Use your own bank account and your own identity with Stripe. Never someone else's.
WhyPayouts in someone else's name look like account sharing, because they usually are.
Receipts come from the app. Every rider gets a receipt for every trip, in the app and by email, showing the fare and that it went to you. Don't write your own, and never give a rider a receipt that says something different.
WhyOne receipt, one fare. That's what makes the numbers trustworthy for everybody.
Your tax is yours. You're self-employed. Tax and National Insurance are your responsibility; the earnings screen in the app shows your trips and payouts to help you keep records.
WhyWe don't deduct anything from your fares, so nothing is paid on your behalf either.
The prices, billing and payout terms in full are in the driver terms.
07What happens if the rules are broken
Most problems are small and most drivers never hear from us. When we do have to act, this is how it goes:
- A warning. We tell you what was reported, what rule it breaks and what we expect. You can reply.
- A suspension. You can't go online for a set period. We tell you how long and why.
- Removal. Your account is closed and you can't drive on Let Rides again.
Overcharging a rider means refunding them in full, straight away. Where the money went through the app, we refund the rider and recover it from your payouts. A card fee, a demand for cash, a fare above what the app showed or a private price for an app trip can mean immediate removal, even the first time.
WhyThe whole platform rests on the price being the price. We can't keep a driver who breaks that.
Some things skip the ladder. Driving unlicensed or uninsured, someone else driving on your account, fraud, violence, harassment, discrimination, refusing an assistance dog, and driving under the influence lead straight to removal.
WhyThese aren't rule breaches, they're the reasons the rules exist.
We may tell your licensing authority, and the police where relevant, about a breach of your licence conditions or the law, for example charging above the council tariff, refusing an assistance dog or driving on an expired licence.
WhyYour council licensed you to serve the public. Where a breach is theirs to know about, we tell them.
Before a suspension or removal we'll tell you what's alleged, you'll get a chance to answer, and you can appeal (see the next section). Where it's a safety matter we may take you offline first and hear from you second.
08How to report a problem or appeal
- In an emergency, call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101. Then tell us.
- A safety incident, an accident, abuse from a rider, a fare problem: report it through Help in the app, or email support@letrides.com with the date, time and trip.
- To appeal a warning, suspension or removal: email support@letrides.com with "Appeal" in the subject and tell us why you disagree. Someone who wasn't involved in the original decision looks at it again and replies in writing.
- To complain about Let Rides itself: our complaints page explains how, and where to go if you're still not happy.
This handbook sits alongside the driver terms and the privacy policy. Where they differ, the terms win. We'll update the handbook as the app changes, and the date at the top tells you when.