Travelling safely during the Covid-19 Pandemic

NUMBER OF PASSENGERS

Most of our drivers will accept full capacity in their vehicles, so if there are 4 passengers a standard saloon vehicle is ok. However Some do not allow passengers to sit in the front of the vehicle in the passenger seat. This is also a recommendation by TFL (our regulator). Our advice in this situation would be if there is 4 or more passengers give one of our booking agents a call who will advise on the best course of action. It is also worth noting how many passengers there will be travelling in the box labelled ‘Notes For Driver’ on the booking screen so we are aware when we dispatch your car. 

Face Mask Requirement

As recommended by the Government it is now a legal requirement that both drivers and all passengers  over the age of 11 must wear face protection for the duration of their trips. The face covering must cover both the nose and the mouth. It does not need to be a medical grade mask. Exemptions also apply. Fines can be applied by authorities and neither us (Mount Cars Ltd) or our drivers take any responsibility should you be fined. Our drivers also have the right to refuse any passenger who is not  wearing a mask, even with an exception if they feel it could effect their own health and welfare but they must not demand any evidence of exemption from you.  

Payment

All our drivers will accept cash as a form of payment. However if you prefer to avoid using cash you can pay using your card. None of our drivers have card machines in their vehicles. If booking online you must make card payment at the point of booking, directly on the website. If you place a booking on the phone our booking agents can send you a text message with a link to make the payment using our 3d secure payment provider. While using this facility you may see the requested amount is more then the quoted amount. This is perfectly normal, it is simply a holding amount, this amount will be checked as free available funds in your account and held until your trip is completed. On completion you will find only the original quoted amount plus any additional waiting time (if applicable) will have been processed from your account and the excess amount released back to your account. (Our drivers can not influence this costing it is all recorded based on the tracking of the drivers PDA to calculate waiting time). 

Cleanliness and Hygiene 

All our drivers as advised by both us and TFL to wipe down high contact areas between passengers such as door handles, seat belts and steering wheel. They should also give their vehicles a through clean at the end of ever shift. Every driver is advised to carry hand sanitiser to be used between trips, water and a cloth as well as a face mask. They are not advised to wear gloves as this has been proven to be ineffective protection. A very limited number of drivers have opted to have a screen partition  fitted between the front and rear of the vehicle. This is not compulsory and is a very grey area in terms of compliance with TFL, more research is currently being conducted on their effectiveness and safety.