These terms apply when you use this website or book a trip with SimpleShuttles LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company (“SimpleShuttles,” “we,” “us”). By requesting a quote or paying a deposit, you agree to them.
What we do
SimpleShuttles is a broker of passenger transportation, not a motor carrier. We arrange charter bus trips for groups with independent, licensed bus operators. We don’t own or operate vehicles or employ drivers; the operator we book runs your trip.
We only book operators that hold the operating authority and insurance your trip requires. Once we confirm your operator, we email you its name and contact details.
Quotes and prices
Our quotes are calculated instantly from your trip details as one all-in price: the bus and driver, repositioning miles, driver-hours rules, tolls, parking, permits and driver gratuity are included. The price you accept when you pay your deposit is locked for that itinerary: the date, times, route, group size, and vehicle you requested. If you change any of those, the price may change, and we’ll confirm the new price with you before it applies.
Overnight stays. When the bus stays with your group overnight, your group covers the driver’s hotel room: a standard room near where the bus is parked, within reason. If your hotel doesn’t allow buses, your group also covers the bus’s overnight parking nearby. We never charge you extra for the driver’s meals, tolls, fuel or gratuity.
Extras. Optional extras, such as WiFi or leather seats, are priced on your quote and paid with your booking. They are requests, not guarantees: we ask the operator for them, and if the bus assigned to your trip doesn’t have an extra you paid for, we take its quoted price off your balance or, if you’ve already paid in full, refund it.
Your operator and your bus
We book a type of vehicle and a number of seats for your group, not a particular bus. Your quote names the size (for example a 56-passenger coach) and the things you asked for, such as a restroom or a wheelchair lift. The make, model, year, colour and layout are the operator’s, and the photos on our site are examples. When it makes sense for your group, we may provide more than one smaller vehicle with at least the same total number of seats, and we tell you before the day of your trip.
If the operator we confirmed can’t run your trip, we arrange another from our network at the price you booked. A replacement we arrange never raises your price; only changes you ask for can. If we can’t find a replacement, we refund everything you’ve paid.
Booking and payment
- You book by paying a deposit. Payments are processed by Stripe; we never see or store your full card number.
- If you pay with cryptocurrency instead, you pay the full price when you book, through PayPal’s crypto checkout, and the balance terms below don’t apply. Your price is in US dollars. See Ways to pay.
- We aim to confirm an operator as quickly as possible after your deposit, sometimes instantly. If we can’t find one for your trip, we refund everything you’ve paid.
- The remaining balance is charged automatically to the card you paid your deposit with, 14 days before your trip date. We email you the amount and the date at least 3 days before we charge it, unless your trip is less than 7 days away, when it’s charged once your operator is confirmed. By booking, you authorize that charge.
- Trips 14 days away or closer are paid in full when you book. The same applies to a short-notice trip booked by phone. Our cancellation policy applies to everything you’ve paid.
- Where we offer it, you can pay the balance from a US bank account instead (ACH), with 1.5% off the balance. You authorize that one-time debit at checkout, where Stripe verifies your account through Stripe Financial Connections. A bank payment takes up to 4 business days to clear, and we don’t charge your card while it does. If it fails or is returned, your card is charged for the full balance as described above. Bank payment isn’t available within 10 days of your trip.
- If the balance charge fails, we email you and try again each day, 3 more times. If your balance is still unpaid 10 days before your trip, we cancel your booking under our Cancellation & Refund Policy, and your refund follows that policy for that day.
Cancellations and changes
Cancellations and refunds are covered by our Cancellation & Refund Policy. To change your trip, email us at support@simpleshuttles.com. Changes depend on operator availability and may change the price.
On the day of your trip
- Be ready at the pickup location at the scheduled time. If your group isn’t there within 60 minutes of the scheduled pickup, the operator may treat the trip as a no-show, and no refund is due.
- Passengers must follow the driver’s instructions and the operator’s rules, including rules on alcohol, smoking, and seating capacity. The driver may refuse to carry anyone who is unsafe or breaking the law.
- You’re responsible for damage to the vehicle caused by your group, including extra cleaning (see After your trip).
- Federal rules limit how long a driver can drive and be on duty. The operator may decline to extend your trip on the day if that would break those limits.
After your trip
- If anything went wrong on your trip, tell us within 72 hours of the end of your trip, by replying to the email we send you the day after or by emailing support@simpleshuttles.com, so we can put it right.
- We may charge you after your trip for damage to the vehicle caused by your group, including extra cleaning, and, on an overnight stay, for the driver’s hotel room and the bus’s overnight parking if your group didn’t arrange them.
- Before we charge anything, we email you the amount with the evidence: photos of the damage, or the receipts. You have 72 hours to dispute it by replying to that email. If you don’t, we charge the card you booked with. If you do, we review what you send and tell you what we’ll charge, if anything, before we charge it. If you didn’t book with a card, we email you a link to pay. By booking, you authorize these charges.
Delays and events outside our control
Traffic, weather, road closures, and mechanical problems can delay a trip. The operator will do what it reasonably can, but neither we nor the operator is responsible for delays caused by events outside our reasonable control. If your operator can’t run your trip and we can’t arrange a replacement, we refund everything you’ve paid.
Our responsibility
The operator is responsible for operating the vehicle and for its drivers. To the fullest extent the law allows, our total liability to you for a booking is limited to the amount you paid us for it, and we’re not liable for indirect losses, such as missed events or non-refundable tickets. Nothing in these terms limits any liability that can’t be limited by law.
Text messages
If you tick the texting box when you request a quote, we’ll text the phone number you gave us through our SimpleShuttles trip texts program about your quote and trip: replies to your questions, your quote, booking confirmations, payment reminders, and updates on the day of your trip. We don’t text you ads or promotions.
- Message frequency varies with your trip. Message and data rates may apply.
- Reply STOP to any text to stop them; we’ll send one last text confirming you’re unsubscribed. Reply HELP for help, or email support@simpleshuttles.com.
- Agreeing to texts isn’t required to book. We’ll still email you about your booking.
- Mobile carriers aren’t liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
- Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your number. We never share it, or your agreement to receive texts, for anyone else’s marketing.
Using this website
Give us accurate information when you request a quote or book, because your price and your trip arrangements depend on it. Don’t misuse the site or interfere with how it works.
Our chat assistant is an AI that answers general questions about our service. It can make mistakes, and it can’t book, change or cancel a trip. If one of its answers differs from these terms or our policies, these terms and policies apply.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of North Carolina. If something goes wrong, tell us first: we fix most problems by email within a day or two, and we ask for that chance before any formal step. Any dispute will be handled in the state or federal courts located in North Carolina, unless the law requires otherwise. You may also bring a claim that qualifies in the small-claims court where you live.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. The version posted when you book applies to that booking.
Contact
SimpleShuttles LLC · legal@simpleshuttles.com