PHO | Admin

Frequently Asked Questions

ABOUT MINICABIT

Do MiniCab operators and customers use the same website? No. Customers visit www.minicabit.com to search for, and book, minicabs – they will then receive emails from us confirming booking details. Minicab operators visit admin.minicabit.com to register with us, and set their rates and availability of their cars – the operators will receive separate emails from us, detailing passenger trip details.

How will customers know about your website?
We are promoting minicabit through our online and affiliate marketing activity, targeting customers who are making long distance travel arrangements. Being backed by O2, the UK mobile operator, also helps!

Does minicabit expect a certain quality of car for the bookings?
Yes, customers are typically making a high value booking, often for a trip time of 1 to 3 hours, so it is in your interest that your best cars and drivers are dispatched. It will also influence the feedback we ask customers to give after the trip, which could influence other customers when booking.

How do I know when a customer has booked my cars?
With minicabit, MiniCab Operators have already registered the rates and availability of their cars upfront, enabling customers to book real-time rather than wait for quotes. When a customer completes the booking, you will immediately receive an email from admin@minicabit.com telling you the key details. Also, once you've logged into this website, you can visit the ‘Booking log' page and see its details there. If the job is in the near future, it may also appear on the ‘My dashboard' page

Can I negotiate different rates for each booking?
Not quite by entering your pre-agreed rates and availability of your cars, minicabit will automatically commit you to all bookings at these rates and dates should Customers choose you. However, whilst there is no scope to adjust these, you can negotiate with, and collect payment directly from, Customers for any extras they request for their booking e.g. additional pickup or drop off points, special features like wheelchair access etc.

I have my own driver dispatch software. Do I also have to use the 'My dashboard' page on this website to monitor & dispatch jobs?
We don't intend to duplicate what your dispatch software does. However, there are many Minicab Operators who do not have any such software and so this website is vital in managing bookings. Even if you do have software, we still expect you to use this site as your actions on it automatically update our system and the customer (e.g. confirming pickup).

What internet browsers can I view your website on?
We recommend Google Chrome but this website is also optimised to work on Internet Explorer 10, Safari 5.0, Firefox 26. The website may work on other browser types but they are not officially supported.

How does minicabit make money?
minicabit takes a commission of 12% + VAT from the amount paid by the customers, after taking away any booking and/or credit card fees from the quotes you provide for regular account bookings. For execuitve accounts minicabit takes a commission of 17% + VAT.

In customers' search results, why does minicabit only reveal the MiniCab Operator's identity after the booking is paid for?
This is so that you can anonymously offer more competitive prices for long distance jobs on minicabit.com, to help you see what works best for your business without impacting what you already offer on the phone or your own website.

Will rival operators in my area also be on your website?
We're a neutral party and so plan to offer customers quotes from various MiniCab Operators in their local area, so that there are enough cars available to satisfy demand. However, we will not present your information or performance data to any other Operator.

How can I give feedback to minicabit?
We always welcome any feedback on any aspect of our service, positive or negative (but hopefully more of the former!). Simply go the Contact Us page and fill in the form.

What are your Company details?
minicabit.com and admin.minicabit.com are owned and operated by minicabit Limited.
Registered address : minicabit Limited, 80-83, Long Lane, London EC1A 9ET.
Company Registration No. : 7395202.
VAT Reg. No.: 106 5117 49
Phone: 020 3695 2831 (Calls to this number cost 10p a minute from a BT landline, other networks and mobiles may vary.)
Email: admininfo@minicabit.com

ABOUT JOINING US

Do I have to pay to join?
No, we don't charge any fees at all.

What is your cancellation policy for trips booked on minicabit.com and how will I be notified of a customer cancelling a booking?
As per our Terms & Conditions, you are obliged to fulfil any bookings assigned to you. For cancellations by customers, our policy only applies to trips where the customer has booked - and cancelled - via minicabit.com. Here, our policy supercedes any cancellation policy you may apply.

CANCELLATION TIMEFRAME	CHARGES
EARLY CANCELLATION Customer cancels 25 minutes or more before trip's pickup time an earlier specified time period, if your Cab is based near the Passenger's destination point, and needs time to fetch them from the pickup point	Customer is refunded their entire trip payment (excl. any fees for credit card payments). if they paid in advance by Card. No monies due to the MiniCab Operator
LATE CANCELLATION Customer cancels within 25 minutes of trip's pickup time	If Customer pays in advance by Card Customer does not receive any refund minicabit will pay the MiniCab Operator of the cancelled booking 50% of the original trip payment (excl. any fees for credit card and administration fees) upto a maximum of £40.
LATE CANCELLATION FOR DISTANT PICKUPS Where the Customer cancels within an earlier specified period, if your Cab is based near the Passenger's destination point and needs time to fetch them from the pickup point	If the Customer has paid in advance by Card, minicabit will pay the MiniCab Operator the entire cost of the booking originally due (excl. fees for credit cards and administration fees).

Customers must cancel their trip via minicabit.com by following the instructions on that customer booking website. We will then inform you via our email updates sent from admin@minicabit.com and also on the My Dashboard and Booking log pages of this website.
Note the customer cannot cancel their booking directly with you, otherwise neither the cancellation or any entitlement to refunds will be processed on our system.

What happens if my Licence status changes?
As per our Terms & Conditions, you must inform us in the first instance by logging into this site, and sending a message via the Contact Us page.

Do you accept non-Licensed Drivers?
No. Also, needless to say, all drivers must have their up to date Licence ID throughout the trip, as the customer may request to see this before departing.

Can overseas customers book trips in the UK for when they arrive here?
Yes. They can book a minicab on our website like any UK customer, paying the price on the website in UK £ Sterling; we will then pay you in £ Sterling for completed trips as per normal.

Is this service only open to MiniCab Operators in the UK?
Yes, specifically only Operators on the mainland of England, Scotland and Wales, as we don't support routes that require ferries. If you are based outside these areas, please contact us via this website as we can consider servicing other areas where there is established customer demand.

Who should I assign as an Authorised contact person?
It should be the key persons who can manage the bookings delivered from this site, for instance your controllers who allocate drivers to jobs and importantly, can immediately resolve any pickup issues directly with customers.

Who should access my admin.minicabit account?
We recommend you restrict this to the key decision maker(s) and Authorised Contact persons in your business. For security purposes, note that after logging into this site, it will remain logged in for 7 calendar days, after which you will have to log in again. Also, to change your account details, you will need to know your password, and to change your password, you will also need to know the last 3 digits of your bank account.

What do your Terms & Conditions say?
Amongst other things, it basically states that the core agreement is between you and the customer, and that minicabit is the payment agent in between. Click the Terms & Conditions link at the bottom of this page for full details.

Do you pass my data onto any 3rd party?
No.

Can I get customer feedback on the quality of my service?
Yes. After the trip, we will ask your customer to rate their experience with you on our website. Over time, we aim to publish these ratings in the anonymised listings when customers book, so they may choose to book a car from a higher rated MiniCab Operator, even if it's not necessarily the cheapest. Therefore, it's best you start building up your ratings now!

How do I know if an email is actually from minicabit?
Virtually all of our emails will be from admin@minicabit.com or admininfo@minicabit.com. If you receive any emails from minicabit that you suspect may not be from us, please us immediately via the Contact Us form.

Can I change any of my account details?
For some details, yes, but you will need to enter your account password to confirm these changes. To change the password itself, you will also need to enter the last 3 digits of the Bank account you have registered with us. To change other operationally sensitive information such as your Office address or Licence number, please log in and use the form on the Contact Us page to specify what you want changed and why - we may contact you to verify these are legitimate changes made by Authorised contacts in your business.

How do I know when I'm logged in?
When you have logged in, only then will your company details always appear on the top right hand corner of the website.

Why do you have to post me the Account form, can't you just email or fax it?
We only accept working with Licensed Operators and Drivers. Given anyone could in theory register online in your name, for security reasons it is vital we post the form to the address registered on your Licence to verify it is the actual Licence holder who is registering. Also, we need to ensure the bank account details captured (to receive payments from us) are provided by the authorised person in your business.

Where do I return the Account form and a copy of my valid Private Hire Operator Licence to?
You should have received a an addressed envelope. If not, please post the form and the copy of your Licence back to minicabit Limited, 80-83, Long Lane, London EC1A 9ET.

I've forgotten my password. What do I do?
On the homepage, go to the 'Forgotten your password' under the login box on the right hand side of the page.

At what point can I start to receive bookings?
Once you have completed the pricing and availability pages, and we have received your completed form (confirming Bank account details and acceptance of our Terms & Conditions), together with a copy of your valid Private Hire Operator Licence, your account will be unlocked. However, you will only feature in customers' searches when you enter at least one car as available for particular day(s) and distances.

PAYMENT

How do I get paid for account bookings and how often?
We will pay your business by bank transfer directly into the Bank account you have registered with us. Payments for successfully completed bookings will be made min. 7 days after the pickup date on the Monday. These payments will include deductions for any commissions you owe us for completed cash bookings we’ve passed to you.

Do I have to pay VAT on this?
Yes, the rates you input into this website, and the final price seen by the customer are taken to be inclusive of VAT, where applicable. Payments for the fares we pass over to you will be after we have deducted our 12% commission + VAT for regular account jobs or 17% commission + VAT for executive account jobs. These deductions will be itemised for each booking on your 'Statements' page. You will have to account for the VAT on all amounts received from minicabit Limited in the usual way. For instance, if you are VAT registered, you should be able to claim back the VAT on our commissions. If ever we make any additional payments to you for a fare, these will account for VAT.

Do the customers' payments include VAT?
Yes, all payments from Customers include VAT, where applicable. You will have to account for the VAT, in respect to your own specific tax affairs, on all amounts received from minicabit Ltd in the usual way.

Do I have to absorb any credit/debit cards fees?
No. Customers are not charged for use of debit cards and will pay any credit card fees as a surcharge to the price they receive for a trip.

TAKING BOOKINGS

Can I pick my own route from the pickup point to the destination?
Yes

Under what circumstances would the customer be charged two single trips vs. one return trip?
If the waiting time between the outbound and return leg of the trip is more than 3 hours, then it will be classed and charged, likely by separate Cab providers as 2 separate trips, which we call a 'split trip'. The customer could, in theory, have each leg of the trip weeks apart but the advantage of this approach is it minimises the need for the Customer to repeat the process of booking 2 trips if the pickup and final drop off points are the same e.g. if a family is booking a trip to a holiday destination, and want to be collected a week later.

How is the customer informed about the booking, by email or txt?
He/she gets a confirmation from us by email (and txt, if selected) immediately when paying for the trip, containing the identity and contact details of the Operator, Then after the pickup time, we will also email the Customer as a courtesy, reminding them to rate the service your Driver and your firm have provided.

How can I offer SMS alerts without paying for, or setting up, anything?
This is a benefit of joining minicabit You can optionally allocate a Driver to your booking using this website, which then sends the driver’s details by email and SMS at no extra cost to you. However, if you aslo offer your own SMS alert service, we suggest you disable your system's SMS alerts for this trip, otherwise the customer will unnecessarily receive duplicate txts from both of us.

NO SHOW ISSUES

What happens if the customer is late or does not show?
Our Terms & Conditions regarding late customers apply to all trips booked on our website, even if they differ from the regular terms for jobs you directly take.
For minicabit bookings, your driver must wait for the passengers for up to 15 minutes free of charge at the pickup point. 15 minutes after the booked pickup time, you can still take the passengers, charging the customer directly for additional waiting time, with any related payment to be negotiated and collected by you directly from the customer. In any case, you will have to 'confirm pickup' in the usual way via our emails or admin website.
After 15 minutes, you are not obliged to take the passengers, and so we will treat this situation like a late Cancellation, whereby, if the Customer has paid in advance by Card, we retain their payment and compensate you for 50% of the original trip payment (excluding any fees paid for credit payment and the administration fee) up to a maximum of £40; if the passenger agreed to pay cash to you, then you are not entitled to any payment from minicabit (and so you must ensure your Account settings for support cash-based pickups reflect this). For Bookings where you have to travel from the destination area of the Booking to fetch the passenger from his/her Pickup point and bring them back, any late cancellations by the passenger less than the specified cancellation period, or no shows, will result in you still being paid the original Quote due to you if the Customer paid in advance by card.

My driver is unable to do the pickup at the last minute. How can I send another driver and inform the customer?
It is your responsibility to ensure your drivers turn up and so we recommend you always line up other licensed drivers as backups for your jobs. In this situation, you must dispatch a replacement, licensed driver immediately to pickup the customer at their original cost, updating them at all stages by phone. Otherwise, please note you will be fined a penalty fee of upto £10 for failing to send a driver in time and an additional £5 if the dropoff is to an airport.

What happens if the driver is late for a pickup?
Our Terms & Conditions state that if the driver is more than 15 minutes late, then the Customer is entitled to a full refund of the original payment (if made in advance by card) at the customer's discretion (with no payment to you). However, if the Customer still departs in your Car - even if beyond the initial 15 minutes - he/she is waiving the right to this refund if they paid in advance by card.
Please note that as you will have the customer's phone number, we expect you to inform him/her asap if your driver is running late. Likewise, the customer will have both your Office's telephone number, as well as the Driver's mobile number, so we expect both parties to resolve any issues directly. We will monitor these late show incidents by your business - if they frequently occur, then we may at our discretion remove you from future searches, as we want to work with Operators who can deliver an acceptable Customer experience.

What happens if the Customer is late for a pickup?
Our Customer Terms & Conditions state that if the Customer is more than 15 minutes late, then the Customer is not entitled to a refund.

What if my driver's car breaks down during the customer's trip?
We expect you to follow your normal procedures for this, for instance, dispatching a backup licensed driver or arranging a nearby MiniCab Operator to send one. This will be at your own expense - any additional compensation due to the customer is between you and the customer.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

What happens if the customer wants to cancel a booking directly with my business, or wants to reschedule it?
The customer can only cancel a booking by following the instructions via the minicabit.com website, otherwise the cancellation and any entitlement to refunds of payments made by card will not be processed. Also, if they want to reschedule the trip, they can contact minicabit to do this. If it’s a major change (more than a few hours), they may have to cancel their original booking and book another trip that will be subject to the prices and availability at that time.

What happens if the customer has a special request, such as wheelchair access, female driver or a particular type of car?
All bookings made via minicabit are for a standard trip. Any additional, special requests are between you and the Customer. We will highlight in all confirmation emails to the customer that they must contact you to arrange any additional items and that any extra payments are to be negotiated and collected by you.

Are there any age restrictions on bookings or passengers?
As per our Terms & Conditions, only customers over 18 years of age can make a booking. If the passengers for these bookings are below 14 years of age, they must be accompanied by an adult and suitably seated according to UK laws.

What happens if the passengers want to be picked up from and/or returned to their individual locations?
The booking and its payment strictly relate to the locations selected at the time of booking. Any changes or additional routes are to be negotiated directly between the Customer and yourself, with any extra charges to be collected by your business directly from the Customer.

What if, during the trip, the customer then wants to be collected early or later?
If the Customer wants you to collect them early or later than the agreed Collection time, then it is at your discretion to accept this or not with the Customer, including charging them directly for any additional waiting time which you must collect from them.

Can my driver accept tips from customers?
Of course, although this is a separate payment between you and the customer.

Who pays for road tolls or the congestion charge, if travelling into London?
We understand minicabs licensed and registered with the Public Carriage Office are exempt from paying the congestion charge, but minicabs licensed outside the London district have to pay it. Therefore, you should factor all these charges into the rates you submit on this website.

What happens if the customer disputes payment, or the quality of service offered?
Any disputes are to be managed directly between the Customer and the MiniCab Operator (just like it is with customers and airlines, even if booked via a travel website). At our discretion, we may withhold payment until the dispute has been satisfactorily resolved.

What happens if the customer seriously misbehaves during the trip e.g. soils my car?
As the agreement is between you and the passenger (with minicabit being the payment agent), it is up to you to resolve any reasonable claims for compensation such as recovering soiling charges from the customer, as you would do for your normal business.

How do I contact minicabit about a query or complaint about a booking?
minicabit is simply the payment agent, so any disputes are between you and the customer. However, if it's relating to minicabit, please fill in the form on the Contact Us page in the first instance. If it's particularly urgent, you can contact us on 020 3695 2831, open between 7am and 12am every day .

What if I want to freeze my account for a while e.g. if my business goes on holiday?
On the 'Availability' page, you can simply mark each car type as 'zero' in all the availability boxes for each day. This way, your account will remain active but you won't appear in any searches.

chauffeurit

What is chauffeurit?

This is our purely executive service where customers can chose to book either an executive or Luxury service. Any bookings that you receive through chauffeurit will be marked in the booking profile and on your dashboard. There are enhanced service requirements for chauffeurit bookings that you can find on the Terms and Conditions page.

Frequently Asked Questions

ABOUT MINICABIT

ABOUT JOINING US

PAYMENT

TAKING BOOKINGS

NO SHOW ISSUES

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

chauffeurit

ABOUT MINICABIT

ABOUT JOINING US

PAYMENT

TAKING BOOKINGS

NO SHOW ISSUES

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

chauffeurit

ALERT! Needs Attention

REMINDER: Needs Attention