Terms & Conditions

WEST CORK COACHES’ T&Cs

1. Introduction

Dave Long Coach Travel (www.davelongcoachtravel.ie), a privately owned company, trades as “West Cork Coaches” and “WCC Group”.

In the terms and conditions (T&Cs) that follow, the terms ‘the website’, ‘this website’ and ‘our website’ refer to www.westcorkcoaches.ie, while ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ refer to West Cork Coaches. Our principal address is West Cork Coaches, Curragh, Skibbereen, Co. Cork, Ireland, P81 W685. The term ‘passenger’ refers to any person/group we have agreed to carry in our vehicles. The term ‘client’ refers to the organization, individual or agent who contracts our services. The terms ‘you’ and ‘your’ refer to our passengers, clients and website users.

Please read the T&Cs, as set out below, carefully as they constitute a binding legal agreement between you and us in relation to your use of our travel services and our website. The use of our website and the purchase or reservation of any of our services are deemed to imply acceptance of these T&Cs. If you disagree with our T&Cs, then you must not use our website or our services. These T&Cs apply whether a contract has been made verbally or in writing.

2. General Rules of Travel and Conduct

Every passenger shall obey the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, 1963. All passengers shall appropriately conduct themselves at all times, showing respect to our drivers, employees and fellow passengers. The powers of our drivers shall apply in full to all services provided by West Cork Coaches.

The terms of travelling on our buses, coaches and other vehicles are as follows:

i) Respect the drivers and your fellow passengers at all times;
ii) Do not distract the driver while the vehicle is in motion;
iii) Seat belts shall be worn at all times while the vehicle is in motion;
iv) When travelling with children under your supervision, it is your responsibility to ensure that they are appropriately secured in a seat;
v) Standing is not permitted at any time while the vehicle is in motion;
vi) The coach or bus aisle must not be obstructed in any way;
vii) Passengers are not permitted to operate emergency doors except in the case of an emergency;
viii) Passengers shall store all luggage, bags, etc., safely and securely in overhead racks and luggage compartments;
ix) Smoking is strictly prohibited inside our vehicles (this includes e-cigarettes);
x) The consumption of food, drink, tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages is strictly prohibited inside our vehicles;
xi) Toilet facilities are not available on board all of our vehicles (please enquire before booking);
xii) No poster, notice or advert is to be displayed on any of our vehicles without our prior consent;
xiii) We reserve the right to change the price of any journey at any given time;
xiv) Passengers who flout our rules may be asked to vacate the vehicle;
xv) The driver may remove any passenger whose behaviour prejudices safety;
xvi) We reserve the right to immediately ban any passenger if there has been a severe breach of our rules or T&Cs, with a determination of what conduct is considered in violation up to the management of West Cork Coaches and all decisions in relation to these matters shall be carried out at our sole discretion.

3. Safety

All safety measures are taken in accordance with the Road Traffic Act and Industry Regulations. Our drivers are qualified, competent and comply with driving hours regulations. The maximum number allowed on board is indicated on the vehicle. Passengers should familiarize themselves with emergency exits and procedures. No standing passengers or sharing of seats shall be permitted. Any specialist needs for passengers with disabilities must be defined at the time of reservation. All liabilities relating to the assistance and well-being of disabled passengers will remain with the client.

4. Quotations

Quotations are given based on the most direct route and on information provided by the potential client. The route used will be at the discretion of West Cork Coaches unless the client has particularly specified it. All quotations are given subject to West Cork Coaches having available a suitable vehicle and driver and are subject to confirmation by us. The ‘price’ of the service relates to an agreed cost of hire for a vehicle or reservation of a seat in a vehicle. By making a booking, you are agreeing to the price quoted, but all prices are subject to changes. The price quoted when booking relates only to the journey agreed upon at the time of booking; changes to the travel plan shall incur extra charges. In the event of additional fuel surcharges being applied during the season/period of quotation, we reserve the right to pass on such additional charges to the client over and above the quoted price. Quotations are given for vehicle and driver only. Any additional charges shall be separately identified and shall be the client’s responsibility unless otherwise specified. Quotations are valid for 28 days unless otherwise notified.

5. Bookings

A booking or reservation relates to the specifications of the requirements from the client to West Cork Coaches. By placing a reservation, you are agreeing to purchase a service from West Cork Coaches at the price quoted. Unless otherwise stated or pre-agreed, all bookings must be secured with a deposit, the amount of which will be specified before you proceed with a booking. The client may select the size of the vehicle at the point of reservation, but we maintain the right to provide a vehicle that meets the requirements without prejudice to the reservations.

We shall have the right to refuse, reject or terminate any booking or any request made by you in the case of, but not limited to, a booking having been placed using deceptive or fraudulent means.

Clients are responsible for re-confirming the reservation detail with West Cork Coaches seven days prior to the provision of services.

6. Payments

The client shall pay in full for the provision of our services before the journey is undertaken or by the time specified by us when you book.

Please contact us to discuss payment options. When making a payment to West Cork Coaches, you undertake that all details you provide to us are true and accurate, that you are an authorized user of the payment method, and that there are sufficient funds to cover the cost of the services. You are responsible for informing us of any changes to these details as soon as possible. By making a purchase, you authorize West Cork Coaches to bill your payment method. In order to process your payment, West Cork Coaches may provide personal or payment information to a third-party processor. West Cork Coaches makes no representations about any third parties’ privacy practices. We shall not accept responsibility for cash allegedly sent through the post. Once payment is made, you will receive a confirmation of payment. Unless expressly stated otherwise at the time of purchase, all purchases are final and non-refundable.

7. Cancellations & Refunds

There are valid reasons why West Cork Coaches may have to cancel a bus service or may fail to complete the journey as agreed with the client. Both the client and West Cork Coaches shall be entitled to cancel any bookings / reservations. No compensation for consequential loss whatsoever or any other compensation will be payable by West Cork Coaches.

Unless expressly stated otherwise at the time of booking, all payments are final and non-refundable. Depending on the circumstances, our clients may be eligible for a partial or full refund equal to that paid to West Cork Coaches. Refunds are offered only at our discretion.

8. Driving Hours

The hours of operation for our drivers are regulated by law. Neither the client nor any passenger shall delay or otherwise interrupt the journey in such a way that the driver is at risk of breaching regulations relating to driving hours. If any delay is likely to occur, the client shall be responsible for any additional costs incurred unless it is outside the control of the client.

9. Breakdowns & Delays

Under no circumstances shall West Cork Coaches be held liable for any delay or failure of our services resulting directly or indirectly from acts of nature, forces or causes beyond our reasonable control, including, without limitation, vehicle breakdowns, equipment failures, internet failures, acts of God, force majeure, accidents, traffic congestion, strikes, labour disputes, riots, insurrections, civil disturbances, shortages of labour, fires, adverse weather, floods, storms, governmental actions, orders of domestic or foreign courts or tribunals, non-performance of third parties, or loss of or fluctuations in electricity or other utility supplies.

West Cork Coaches offers information on travel times to our passengers in good faith. However, journeys may take longer than predicted due to events beyond our control. We are not responsible for any delays occurring for reasons beyond our control. We shall not be liable for any direct or indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages, loss or inconvenience suffered by our passengers and clients, howsoever arising, or for any loss of profit, revenue, reputation, goodwill, other intangibles or business howsoever caused, even if that loss or damage was foreseeable by us or the possibility of it was brought to our attention.

10. Carriage of Children

We shall not be obliged to carry any child aged 16 or under unless an adult accompanies that child. All persons over the age of 24 months require their own seats. When travelling with children under your supervision, it is your responsibility to ensure that they are appropriately secured in a seat. Seat belts shall be worn at all times.

11. Luggage

‘Luggage’ refers to the personal property of any passenger which accompanies them on board our vehicles. The passenger accepts that the driver shall be the sole judge as to whether and to what extent a passenger’s property is carried. If intending to travel with large bulky items, passengers should take all steps to notify West Cork Coaches in advance. We reserve the right to refuse to accommodate certain personal items, and these decisions are made at our discretion.

West Cork Coaches shall not be held liable for any loss of, or damage to, personal items or luggage brought on board our vehicles. Personal effects or items of luggage of a relatively expensive nature should not be placed in the luggage compartment but in a passenger’s hand luggage or on the person. The passenger is responsible for minimizing the risk of loss when property is left unattended. You shall be responsible for any damage caused by your luggage to other persons or property, including our property.

Passengers must store all luggage, packages, bags, etc., safely and securely in the overhead racks or luggage compartments. Luggage may not be stored within the vehicle seating area/gangways/emergency exits. Large, bulky items that could obstruct passengers’ safe exit in an emergency are not permitted on board the vehicles. Passengers are not permitted to enter the luggage storage compartment.

12. Lost Items

The clients and passengers are responsible for removing all waste and personal items from the vehicle. If West Cork Coaches is notified that you have left behind or lost any belongings inside our vehicles, we shall take reasonable care of any item if it is located. If you do not collect your lost items within 14 days of the trip, we may dispose of your items in any manner we wish. We shall be entitled to open and examine any lost items. If we consider any lost items dangerous, perishable or otherwise unsuitable for storage, we shall be entitled to dispose of those items. If you find any property of any other person on any of our vehicles, you must hand it over to the driver once it is safe to do so.

13. Sub-contracts

West Cork Coaches reserves the right to allocate any vehicle and driver suitable for the client’s requirements. Where a vehicle cannot be supplied from our own fleet, we reserve the right to supply a similar or higher specification vehicle without prior notice from another suitable company. Where a driver cannot be supplied from our own team of drivers, we reserve the right to engage the services of an independent driver or a driver from another suitable company without prior notice. The same T&Cs will apply to the replacement vehicle or driver.

14. Insurance

All clients and passengers are responsible for maintaining their own active adequate travel insurance cover. Your insurance cover must indemnify West Cork Coaches against liabilities which are out of our control and from any such direct or indirect service failure or negligence by the client, their servants or agents. The client or passenger should notify West Cork Coaches or the vehicle driver in advance if items of exceptional value are to be carried in the vehicle.

15. Damages

The client is responsible for any damage caused to the vehicle by any passenger for the duration of the hire and also for any lost earnings as a result for the time the vehicle may need to be withdrawn from service. In the case of individual seat hire, the passenger is responsible for any damage they cause to the vehicle for the duration of the service provided by West Cork Coaches and also for any lost earnings as a result for the time the vehicle may need to be withdrawn from service.

16. Your Use of Our Website

Our website is made available for your personal, non-commercial use only, except where otherwise authorized by us. It is your responsibility, bearing in mind the global nature of the internet, to comply with all relevant laws which may apply to your use of our website. When using our website, you shall not commit or encourage a criminal offence or act contrary to the acceptable community standards generally.

17. Website Links & Advertising

Our website contains links to other websites, platforms and services, which are not operated by West Cork Coaches but are operated by third parties over which we have no control or supervision over the content of these linked sites. The links are provided for your convenience only. The links do not amount to an endorsement or recommendation of those sites by West Cork Coaches. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or opinions expressed in these third-party websites. We accept no liability in relation to those sites, and should you choose to access third-party sites, you do so at your own risk. You agree that we shall have no responsibility as to whether such links contain unintended or objectionable content or cause you distress, loss or damage. Third-party websites linked via our website are not covered by our T&Cs. Your use of such linked websites shall be subject to their terms of service.

We reserve the right to refuse to display material from third-party sites that comes to our attention via a complaint or otherwise. We permit third parties to link to our website so long as the link is not in any way misleading and does not falsely imply sponsorship, endorsement or approval of the linking party and its products or services. By linking to our website, you hereby authorize West Cork Coaches to link to any website owned or controlled by you.

18. Communication

You are entirely responsible for all content that you share or transmit to us via our website contact forms, email or through the post. We expressly disclaim any and all liability in connection with any content that you share. We shall not enter into any correspondence with or about a client or passenger who has been barred from using our services.

If you contact us with feedback, suggestions, ideas, comments and advice about how to improve our services or website, you are agreeing that your offerings shall become our property unless otherwise agreed by us. If you do not want to grant us property of your offerings, please do not make submissions to us.

19. Personal Data

Your privacy is important to us. Please read our Privacy Policy here to see how we collect, process and protect your personal data. We use cookies on our website, the terms of which are set out in our Cookies Policy here. By using our website, you agree to be legally bound by the terms set out in our Privacy and Cookies Policies.

20. Intellectual Property

You acknowledge that West Cork Coaches and its website content, including but not limited to text, images, graphics and logos identifying West Cork Coaches and/or our services are subject to copyright, design rights and trademarks and/or other intellectual property rights. You are not permitted to use any trademark, patent, design right, database right, copyright or any other intellectual property right of West Cork Coaches or our contractors/content suppliers without the prior written consent of West Cork Coaches. West Cork Coaches reserves all of its rights.

You agree not to systematically retrieve data or other content from our website to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, directory or the like, whether by manual methods, through the use of data mining, robots, spider, site search/retrieval applications or similar data gathering or extraction tools or processes or otherwise. You agree not to index, screenscrape, reformat or frame any portion of our website.

In no event are you permitted to publish, distribute, display, transmit, modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, create derivative works or otherwise reproduce in any format any portion of our website or software, any of the content on our website or other works, including printed or digital material. You are prohibited from using any such content in connection with any business or commercial enterprise, including, without limitation, any media business or enterprise. You may not sell or participate in any sale of, or exploit in any way, in whole or in part, any material made available on our website without our written permission.

21. Complaints

In the event of a complaint about our services, the client or passenger should endeavour to seek a solution at the time by seeking assistance from the driver. If this has not provided a remedy, complaints should be submitted in writing stating the alleged issue in question within 14 days of using our services.

22. Termination of Service

West Cork Coaches may at any time terminate, suspend or modify any part of our services without notice to you. You acknowledge and agree that we, at our sole discretion, may terminate your use of our services and website without prior notice for any reason. You agree that we shall not be liable to you or any third party for termination of our services.

23. Variation of Content

West Cork Coaches has the right in its absolute discretion at any time and without notice to amend, remove or vary any of our T&Cs or any of the content supplied in connection with our services or which appears on any page of our website. You are responsible for regularly reviewing our terms (this page) for changes. By continuing to use our website or any of our services, you will be deemed to have read, understood and agreed to be bound by these changes.

24. Disclaimer, Waiver & Indemnity

You acknowledge that your use of our services and our website is at your own discretion and risk, and you agree to waive to the fullest extent permissible by law any right to bring any claim or action against West Cork Coaches or our contractors, third-party advertisers, technology providers or other partners, for any loss, damage, costs or injury arising from such use.

We do not give any warranty or make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained on our website or in printed material. We disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on our content by any user, passenger or anyone who may be informed of any of its contents. We do not warrant that the website is free from infection by viruses or anything else that has contaminating or disruptive properties.

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless West Cork Coaches, its owners, consultants, contractors, affiliates and technology providers, from any and all third-party claims, liability, judgments, fines, penalties, fees, expenses, losses, damages to luggage or any such personal possessions owned by the passengers, and/or costs (including, but not limited to, legal fees) arising from, without limitation, your use of our services and website.

25. General

A failure of West Cork Coaches to assert a right or provision under these T&Cs shall not constitute a waiver or modification of that right or provision.

If any provisions of these T&Cs are found to be illegal, invalid, void or otherwise unenforceable (including any provision in which we exclude our liability to you) by reason of the laws of any state or country in which these terms are intended to be effective, then to the extent and within the jurisdiction in which that term is illegal, invalid or unenforceable, it shall be severed and deleted from these terms, and the remaining terms shall survive and remain in full force and effect.

These T&Cs, and all disputes and matters arising out of or in connection with them, shall be governed by, and interpreted in accordance with, the laws of Ireland and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Irish courts.

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Last updated 3 May 2023.