Steel City Driver Training Terms and Conditions

By booking and taking lessons with Steel City Driver Training you automatically signal your agreement to these Terms and Conditions.

Driving Lessons and Tests:

 You must:

• Inform your driving instructor of any reason or cause you may be unable to drive legally. This includes but is not limited to:
  • Loss of your provisional or full driving licence
  • Being under the influence of alcohol
  • Being under the influence of illegal narcotics
  • Being under the influence of prescription or over the counter medication which may affect your ability to drive
• Inform your instructor at the earliest possible moment of any medical or special educational need which may affect driving lessons.
• Provide all necessary information to allow our instructor to check your entitlement to drive.
• You must be able to read a standard UK registration number (XX00 XXX) from a distance of not less than 20.5 meters either unaided or with the aid of corrective lenses. You may, if necessary, write the registration number down but if you are unable to read or write the registration number your driving lessons will not be able to take place until you are able.
• Recipients of Laser Eye Surgery and code 01 on the reverse of their photocard licence must have their licence updated and the code removed prior to lessons or continue to use corrective lenses. No lessons will take place unless the code is removed or corrective lenses used.
• To give reasonable notice of cancellations, as defined in the cancellations section of these conditions.
• To update your instructor at the earliest possible moment of changes to contact details including mobile phone numbers, email addresses and postal addresses.

We must:

• Attend in reasonable time all driving lesson and driving test bookings.
• Communicate any delays in advance where possible
• Provide a suitably insured, taxed, MOT’d and serviced vehicle equipped with dual controls for use by you on each lesson.
• Ensure the vehicle has sufficient fuel to complete the lesson.
  • Unless by agreement the agreed lesson plan includes fuelling the vehicle. (Note: does not apply to electric vehicles.)
• Ensure all legally required markings are present, clean and in good condition.
• Provide a driving instructor, suitably qualified as either a Potential Driving Instructor or an Approved Driving Instructor.
  • This driving instructor must, at all times whilst giving tuition, display in the front window of the vehicle a valid driving instructors licence badge bearing their name and photograph.
  • The driving instructor must if asked provide details of name and ADI/PDI registration including their URN number.

We may:

• At the customer’s request and the instructors sole discretion allow the customer to choose not to use the provided vehicle and provide their own.
• Choose where necessary to sub-contract tuition to an external provider in order to ensure timely and professional service.
• Reserve the right to cancel all or part of a driving lesson on the grounds of safety.
• Refuse driving lesson(s) on the basis of proven or suspected inability to participate due to drink, drugs or other medical reason including undisclosed special educational needs.

Using your own vehicle:

You may, on agreement with your instructor, provide your own vehicle for use during lessons. Should you choose to exercise this option the following additional conditions also apply:

• There will be no modification of lesson prices as a result of your decision to not use the offered vehicle.
• You are responsible for ensuring that your policy of insurance permits paid professional tuition.
• You are responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is roadworthy, with sufficient tyre tread, general tyre condition and enough fuel to complete the lesson.
• The instructor reserves the right to withdraw consent to use alternative vehicles where:
  • The vehicle is found to be in a condition not suitable for use. This includes warning lights on on the dashboard.
  • The vehicle should be kept in a clean condition.
  • The instructor is unable to find a comfortable position in the passenger side of the vehicle.
  • The vehicle is one of the models listed on https://www.gov.uk/driving-test/using-your-own-car as unsuitable for test.
  • The vehicle is a convertible.
  • The vehicle’s heating/cooling system is non-functional.
• Should the instructor refuse use of your vehicle, they will offer the use of the provided driving school vehicle instead. If you opt not to use the driving school vehicle the lesson will be recorded as a short notice cancellation, and you will be charged.

Cancellations:

You must:

• Confirm all bookings in a timely fashion.
• Give 48 hours’ notice of any cancellations.
• Give 96 hours’ notice of any cancellations affecting bank holiday bookings.
• Where cancellations do not meet these criteria pay immediately in full for the cancelled lesson.
• Be on time for all lessons; lateness will result in a reduction in lesson duration without refund. Lateness exceeding 15 minutes will result in the lesson being deemed a short notice cancellation and the lesson will be charged. The instructor reserves the right to refuse to return if they have departed and are subsequently contacted.

We must:

• Cancel lessons only when necessary, in the interests of safety. This includes where, even at short notice, the vehicle is found to be in a condition which means it cannot be used for tuition.
• Where lessons are cancelled, return to the customer without delay any pre-paid credits for rebooking.
• Arrange at the soonest mutually acceptable time for the lesson to be delivered.
• Be on time for all lessons; lateness on our part must be recorded and compensated at a later lesson unless there is no booking directly subsequent to the affected lesson. If it is possible, the lesson should be extended to repay the ‘shorted’ time.

Payments & Refunds:

You must:

• Pay in advance for all lessons booked. Payment should be received not less than 48 hour prior to the lesson commencing. You must also check in to the lesson using the GoRoadie app where applicable.
• Pay by bank transfer or by in-app payment services. Payment in cash or by cheque is not accepted.
• Where making a blook booking, pay in full and in advance of the first lesson booking for the entire block booking promotion.

We must:

• Provide at least 14 days’ notice of any price changes where possible.
• Provide on request a receipt or invoice for all monies paid.
• Provide on request, within a reasonable timeframe, full details of monies paid, monies used and balances on account.

We may:

• Expire any monies paid and not used within six months of payment date. Such expired monies will be forefitted by the customer.
• Reserve the right to charge an administration fee on any refund of block paid monies where the package has been used in part.

We will:

• Where a block booking is cancelled, recalculate payments based on the current pay as you go lesson rate.
• Refund only where Steel City Driver Training is unable to provide an alternative instructor in the event of a dispute.
• Cancel with full charge any lesson not confirmed 24 hours prior to lesson start time.
• Where necessary reserve the right to appoint debt collection agents to pursue unpaid monies.

Accidents & the Law:

We will:

• Ensure all vehicles provided are covered at all time by a valid policy of insurance.
• Make all efforts to avoid accidents and damage. However accidents do happen when driving, especially when learning to drive. Where dash cam footage and the instructors testimony supports a decision that you are operating the vehicle in an unsafe manner you will be liable for costs relating to any damage or accidents. This may be limited to insurance excesses.
• Deduct from money on account any monies owed in the event of an accident or damage.
• Make all reasonable efforts to minimise the costs associated with any damage.
• Assess at the point of the incident the condition of the vehicle and terminate any lesson where the vehicle is damaged to a point where continuing the lesson is unsafe or unlawful.
• The instructors decision is non-negotiable and final.
• Forward to the driver any fines arising from your use of the vehicle.
• Make all efforts to avoid fines but where this is not possible the fines remain the responsibility of the driver at the time the fine is issued.
• Ensure a policy of public liability and professional indemnity insurance is in force for all lessons.

Data Protection:

We will:

• Adhere to the fair processing notice displayed on all pages of http://www.rps-dm.co.uk.
• Ensure all data stored in application is held in line with guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office.
• Reserve the right to sub-contract such storage to third parties with due diligence given to ensure compliance.
• Comply at all times with the Data Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulations.
• Ensure all devices on which customer data is held is protected by password and/or biometric security.
• In relation to provision of driving tuition, we will share your data as necessary and with your consent with GoRoadie.com for provision of booking services, TestBuddy.app for training programmes and other parties for training courses as necessary.
• Keep secure any dash cam recordings which may contain images or sound in which you feature.
• Maintain electronic records for up to five years from either test pass or termination of service.

You have:

• The right to see any information we hold on you.
• The right to request deletion of any information we hold on you. This will be done after a period of not less than 30 days from receipt of request to allow for notification of fines in relation to lessons.

Complaints:

You may:

• Speak to your instructor as the first point of call.
• Submit a complaint in writing if you feel the service we provide falls below the standard you expect.
• Email admin@rps-dm.co.uk
• Provide informal feedback via social media channels at @steelcitydrive on Facebook, Instragram, Tiktok and Twitter (X) or by phone on 07749 442629.
• Complain to the DVSA using the following link if you do not receive a satisfactory resolution. https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-a-driving-instructor

We will:

• Respond to all complaints by email within 10 working days.
• Where possible, arrange for an independent third party to rule on any appeals.

Referrals.

Your instructor may arrive in a vehicle with the branding of another school or you may have been referred by another driving school to Steel City Driver Training.

In these cases, by accepting these terms and conditions you agree that other entities, not limited to but including:

• Pass N Go Driving School Limited
• Horizon Driving School
• Any other referring entity.

Bears no responsibility, authority or liability for the conduct of driving lessons, the conduct of the instructor or any other complaint arising from the lessons.