Terms and Conditions
THE AGREEMENT
All bookings are made with Hobson Capital Pty Ltd trading as “Victorian Bus Charters” (ABN: 69 627 896 351). By making a booking with us, you agree to have read and accepted these Terms and Conditions.
ACCEPTANCE OF BOOKING AND FINAL PAYMENTS
If we accept your booking, we will issue a confirmation invoice. A contract will exist between us from the date we issue the confirmation invoice.
Payment in full is required prior to date of travel.
Please refer to your booking confirmation invoice for details regarding payments. If this balance is not paid on or before the due date, we reserve the right to treat your booking as cancelled.
ALCOHOL ON THE BUS
The consumption of alcohol is not permitted on our buses without prior approval. Victorian Bus Charters reserves the right to refuse transport of any passenger/s in an intoxicated condition.
If approval is granted, a valid Credit Card will be required to be held on file by Victorian Bus Charters for the security of wilful or negligent damage and extraordinary cleaning fees. Victorian Bus Charters reserves the right to charge the card where required to cover these additional costs.
EXCESSIVE CLEANING COSTS AND DAMAGE
If the vehicle is left in a state deemed unacceptable or there is physical damage, Victorian Bus Charters reserves the right to charge an additional fee to cover these costs.
ONLINE CHECK-IN
As part of our CovidSafe Guidelines, all passengers are required to complete an online check-in when boarding the vehicle unless a list of people attending is supplied prior. All information will be held for as long as regulated by the government then deleted.
Our staff and passenger’s safety are paramount so customers experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 will be requested to not take part on the tour. In this case, we will transfer your booking to a date in the future and hold the money paid on file as a credit.
CANCELLATION BY YOU
If you cancel your booking, cancellation fees will apply. A cancellation will only be active when we receive written confirmation of the cancellation. If you cancel a tour, the following conditions apply:
Cancellations within 7 Days will attract a 25% cancellation fee.
If the cancellation is due to you having COVID-19 or “flu-like symptoms”, supported by a medical certificate, we will hold 100% of monies paid by you in connection with the booking as credit.
CANCELLATION BY US
In the unlikely event that your booking is cancelled because by us, we will transfer all monies paid onto a credit note for use in the future. If this is not suitable, we will refund your booking price in full.
If someone in the group leaves for any reason after the booking has commenced, we are not obliged to make any refunds for unused services.
Cancellation due to Force Majeure
If a booking is cancelled due to a Force Majeure Event, we can offer you a choice of:
(a) a 100% credit of monies paid for your trip; or
(b) a refund minus unrecoverable costs.
If the cancellation due to a Force Majeure Event occurs after a trip has commenced, we can offer you a choice of a pro-rata:
(a) 110% credit for the days that remain on your trip; or
(b) refund minus unrecoverable costs of the days that remain on your tour.
Any credit resulting from cancellation under the Force Majeure clause does not have an expiry date and may be applied towards any other available trip offered by us.
The credit is not redeemable for cash and excludes third party operators as they will have their own booking conditions.
In such circumstances, there will be no claim for damages by either party against the other, and we are not responsible for any incidental expenses that you may have incurred as a result of your booking including but not limited to visas, vaccinations, travel insurance excess or non-refundable flights.
Cancellation due to COVID-19
If you are unable to travel with us due to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, we can offer you a credit for the value of your booking.
If Government restrictions don’t allow the booking to operate, the group will be offered a free change of date or credit voucher. If this is not suitable, then a full refund will be given.
PRICES & SURCHARGES
As a charter company, we often quote each trip on an individual basis.
Quotations only remain valid for 7 days after the date quote given unless otherwise stipulated.
A charter quote is based upon transport to and/or from venues and does not include usage of the bus outside of transport times unless previously agreed.
Charters that continue for more than 30 minutes over the quoted time will be charged at the rate of $100 per hour or part thereof.
A valid Credit Card may be required to be held on file by Victorian Bus Charters for the security of overtime charges. Victorian Bus Charters reserves the right to charge the card where required to cover these additional costs.
Prices can occasionally be subject to variation for promotional purposes, which is standard practice within the travel industry. This means our rates may vary at any time in accordance with demand, market conditions and availability. It is possible that different groups who have booked the same or similar trips have been charged different prices. Any reduced pricing or discounts that may become available after you have paid will not apply. If you wish to cancel your booking to take advantage of a lower price, full cancellation conditions apply.
BOOKING AMENDMENTS
Due to the uncertainty in the travel industry as a result of COVID-19, when you book direct, we can offer some flexibility in making changes to your booking.
However, due to the complexity, staff time, working with third party operators, amendment charges may apply.
We will communicate these charges and any changes from the initial quoted price that may apply.
YOUR DETAILS
When booking, we only require the details of a lead contact for the group. More group details are always welcomed but initially, just the one contact is fine.
RECONFIRMING BOOKINGS
All bookings will be contacted in the days before departure to reconfirm booking details and sort out any remaining payments.
CHANGE OF ITINERARY
VBC reserves the right to amend tour times, itineraries, and fares for its products as circumstances, time of year and operational reasons occur. There will be no refunds in these circumstances nor for delays incurred due to mechanical failure, accident, weather or any other unforeseen circumstances. We cannot guarantee exact pick-up and drop-off times and will accept no responsibility in the event of cancellation fees from other connecting services. No compensation will be considered for any additional driving or time lost due to such changes.
ACCEPTANCE OF RISK
Australia has many dangerous creatures, extreme weather conditions and often varying terrain. Safety is our number one priority, and all drivers are highly trained to ensure passenger safety at all times. All passengers participating on our tours do so at their own risk, and no responsibility can be accepted by VBC for any loss, injury or accident. Passengers are responsible for any additional costs involved should such instances occur.
CHILD POLICY
All passengers under the age of 18 must always be accompanied by an adult or caregiver. While all care is taken, the responsibility of children on our vehicles rests entirely with the parent or caregiver.
Children under 18 years of age are not permitted to join any alcohol based tour without prior permission from VBC.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
We contract with a network of companies and individuals to assist in operating our bookings. VBC works with the best operators available but takes no responsibility for any act of neglect by any operator whose services are used as part of your booking. Our suppliers make every effort to safeguard clients, and we cannot be held responsible for personal injury or sickness to any customer, which is beyond our control. We can also reserve the right to refuse to carry or continue to take any passengers, luggage or goods.
MEDICAL AND HEALTH INFORMATION
Please note that our bookings can operate in remote regions and as such medical facilities may be difficult to access. If passengers have any medical conditions or take any form of medication, they must provide full details & nature of the condition at the time of booking, including details of medication, taken.
TOUR SAFETY
All drivers carry a mobile phone on them as a part of their role. In the unlikely event of no reception, our drivers are trained to respond to a variety of situations. All drivers operating VBC vehicles are First Aid trained and certified.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
If an international traveller, we highly recommend Travel Insurance and advise it covers cancellation, curtailment, personal liability and loss of luggage and personal effects.
AUTHORITY ON TOUR
Our tours are run by the driver, who is the group leader. The decision of the group leader is final on all matters likely to affect the safety or well-being of any traveller or staff member participating in the trip. If you fail to comply with a decision made by a group leader or interfere with the well-being or mobility of the group, the group leader may direct you to leave the trip immediately, with no right of refund. We may also elect not to carry you on any future trips booked. You must, at all times, comply with the laws and customs of Victoria and Australia.
SEVERABILITY
If any term or condition contained in these Booking Conditions is unenforceable or void by operation of law or as being against public policy or for any other reason than such term or condition shall be deemed to be severed from this contract or amended accordingly only to such extent necessary to allow all remaining terms and conditions to survive and continue as binding.
PRIVACY POLICY
Any personal information that we collect about you will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and may be used for any purpose associated with the operation of a tour. In making this booking, you consent to this information being passed on to the relevant persons such as our service providers to enable us to operate the booking or, if permitted by any relevant Spam laws, to send you marketing material in relation to our events and special offers.
You are responsible for reviewing this Privacy Policy periodically and informing yourself of any changes to this Privacy Policy.
APPLICABLE LAW
The laws of Victoria govern these Booking Conditions to the fullest extent allowable. Any disputes in connection with a trip or these Booking Conditions must be initiated in the courts of Victoria.
