EUROPEAN BIKE EXPRESS FAIR TRADING GUARANTEE AND BOOKING CONDITIONS FOR EBE BOOKINGS FOR SUMMER 2025

 

European Bike Express Trading Charter and Booking Conditions.

 

Your contract is with PTB LTD T/A European Bike Express (hereby known as EBE) and we appreciate that your holiday is important to you. Before you make your choice, we want you to know that you will get a fair deal with our company - after all, it is in our own interest for you to be satisfied and book with us again. When you make a booking with EBE and we accept it, a contract is legally made - with obligations and rights on your side and ours, as set down below.

There is no "small print" but please read this Trading Charter and the information regarding your holiday as this forms the basis of our contract with each other. 

 

1. Booking your holiday.

When a booking is made, the 'Lead Passenger' on the booking guarantees that he or she is 18 or over and has the authority, and accepts on behalf of the party, the terms of these booking conditions and pays the deposit/s indicated in the brochure.

You should book online at www.bike-express.co.uk or contact our reservations department to make an option booking. A deposit of £75 per person for transport only and £150 per person for Fixed Base Holidays will be required with the balance due 8 weeks before departure. If you book your holiday within eight weeks of the departure date, we will require the full payment for the holiday. Upon receipt of the above we will issue a confirmation invoice; at which time your deposit/full payment becomes non-refundable except in circumstances detailed elsewhere in these conditions. Please check the information is correct. The contract is governed by English Law and the jurisdiction of the English Courts. 

 

2. Paying the balance of your holiday.

You must pay the balance of your holiday to us at least eight weeks prior to departure. If you fail to pay these monies by the due date, we reserve the right to cancel your holiday booking, retain your deposit and apply the cancellation charges as detailed below. If you have booked online, you can pay your final balance or any payment by logging in and under Bookings choose the option “Balance Payments” where you can then choose to pay the balance or make a partial payment. You may also pay the balance via BACS to; HSBC Bank PLC Sort Code: 40-31-08 Account Number: 61500309 quoting your booking reference number. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE 1% CHARGE FOR ANY PAYMENTS MADE BY USING A CASH TRANSFER. CHEQUES ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTED.

 

3. If you change your booking.

If after receiving your confirmation, you wish to transfer your pick up/drop off point on the booking, we shall do our best to meet your requirements - subject to availability, but we cannot guarantee to do so any changes must be made in writing and a charge of £15 per person after the invoice and £30 per person after the tickets have been issued will be applied to cover our administration costs, plus costs we incur making the amendment. There is a maximum charge of £60 per booking. A change of name will incur a charge of £20 per person.

 

4. If you cancel your booking.

You will appreciate that EBE will have incurred expenses in connection with your holiday as soon as your booking has been received and accepted. If you are forced to cancel your holiday, a charge will therefore be made. The amount of the charge will depend upon the time at which notice of cancellation is received by email or at our office in writing.

The scale of cancellation charges which will apply is set out below, expressed as a percentage of the total holiday cost. If cancellation is made more than 56 days before intended departure only your deposit will be forfeited.

56-29 days before intended departure: 30% or Deposit, if greater

28-15 days before intended departure: 60%

14-1 days before intended departure: 100%

If at the last minute you decide not to go on holiday and we are not notified the 100% cancellation charge applies. A valid cancellation can be made only in writing by the person who is the lead passenger. The date of cancellation will be the day on which we receive the written notification. If you are forced to cancel your holiday, remember that you may be able to make a claim providing you have taken out holiday insurance (with the premium paid) if the cancellation falls within the terms of the insurance cover. It is not possible to change dates outside of the current timetable.

Proof of posting of cancellations will be required in case of dispute.

 

5. If we change your booking.

Whilst EBE will at all times endeavour to satisfy customer's requirements, nevertheless because of changing circumstances EBE reserve the right to make alterations to any booking made. EBE will of course inform you as soon as possible in writing the nature of the change. In this case EBE will offer you the alternative of accepting services or accommodation of a similar or better standard to those originally booked (if available) or a full refund of monies paid. EBE will not cancel any holiday later than 30 days prior to the departure date except when events occur beyond EBE's control (see booking condition no 6 & 7).

 

6. Events beyond EBE's control.

If certain events outside EBE's control (being force majeure comprising [but not limited to] war or threat of war, terrorist activity, political unrest, riots, civil strife, natural disasters, pandemics, technical problems or accidents involving cross Channel ferries or other transport, fire, bad weather, coach crew illness, or any other event outside the control of EBE occur before your departure date then EBE may be forced to cancel or substantially alter your holiday arrangements. In such circumstances should you decline to accept the alternative offered then EBE may retain all reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the holiday booking. Should such events occur after the departure then every possible effort will be made to allow the holiday to run its course before the decision to discontinue is taken.

Please note that it may be necessary to adjust the timings for reasons outside of the control of EBE, such as the impact of additional border procedures following Brexit or ferry allocations. EBE cannot be liable for any expenses or compensation incurred as a result of this. 

 

7. Our responsibilities.

EBE cannot be held responsible for, nor will it offer any refunds for delays or changes in the holiday itinerary which may result at any time due to adverse weather conditions, road closures, traffic delays, civil disturbances, delays at borders, industrial action or any other reasons beyond EBE’s control.  EBE also cannot accept responsibility for missed onward travel arrangements as a result of any delay caused by reasons beyond our control which may occur. EBE will endeavour to correct as soon as notified any omissions or actions which may occur on our coaches, at Hotel Marian Platja in Spain or on a Channel crossing, brought about by personnel not employed by ourselves and whom we have no control over. 

 

8. If you have a complaint.

We do our best to give you a successful and enjoyable holiday, but even the best laid plans can go wrong. If you have a complaint about any service EBE provides, please report this to our office where a representative will take whatever steps are necessary to resolve the matter. Please follow this up within 7 days with a written statement stating clearly your booking reference number, departure date and full details of the complaint. We will not consider any claims received outside this period.

 

9. Your Passport /Visa’s

You will not be able to board the coach without a valid passport (with at least 6 months remaining), or visas (where required). It is your responsibility to ensure that you have these for the countries you are due to visit. EBE cannot be liable for any expenses incurred if you do not ensure that your travel documents are in order. For full details on passports/visas, please go to https://www.gov.UK/foreign-travel-advice/france or https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain

 

10. Boarding your Coach.

With all pick up points it is your responsibility to meet the coach at the pick-up point shown on your holiday and travel tickets. You must be there 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time. EBE cannot be held responsible for any passenger's failure to meet the coach for any reason whatsoever. Please note the drop off/pick up points will be stated on your invoice and ticket. As with international services, it is accepted that the coach may be earlier or later than the scheduled time, but in case of adverse traffic conditions, it may be more than 30 minutes late. Obviously, we do our best to avoid this. Please note too that all arrival times are approximate; EBE cannot be held responsible for any expense incurred due to delays beyond their control. 

 

11. Your Bicycle.

EBE can only accept responsibility for any damage to your bike during the loading and unloading procedure (up to £500). This must be brought to the attention of the coach crew when it is unloaded from the coach/trailer. EBE cannot accept responsibility for any damage to your bike should the coach/trailer be involved in an accident, a coach/trailer fire or mechanical failure of the trailer. Though the coach/trailer is parked for the overnight hotel in a fenced compound with a security gate and a wire rope secured through all bike frames, EBE cannot accept responsibility for any theft. If you wish to keep your bike with you in the hotel for the overnight stay please advise the driver. We recommend you take out adequate insurance to take account of the criteria we have outlined.

 

Please note that EBE cannot accept responsibility for any fire damage caused by the failure of the batteries on electric bikes using our service.

 

12. Replacement Coach and Trailer

With the coach tow hitches and trailers operated by EBE being unique the likelihood of finding a replacement at short notice is remote. With this in mind we back up our programme by keeping a spare coach and trailer which can be retrieved in the unlikely event of a major breakdown i.e., where a repair will take longer than sending our back up coach. This worst-case scenario has never had to be implemented. The vehicles are thoroughly prepared and checked before each trip with the emphasis being on preventative maintenance. 

 

13. Fuel and Currency Surcharge

EBE guarantees not to apply a surcharge unless the Brent crude oil price exceeds $90 a barrel (presently $72- Nov 2024) or the value of the euro drops below 1.09 against the pound. We guarantee that any surcharge will not be more than 10% of your holiday cost and will only be applied if absolutely necessary. 

 

14. Luggage

Please ensure that no one individual item of baggage exceeds 15kg. We allow an overall maximum weight of 25kg per person for Fixed Based Holidays and 20kg for transport only services.

 

15. General Data Protection Regulations

We take data protection very seriously and are committed to protecting your personal information. Any personal information you provide to us for example names, postal and email addresses and telephone numbers, will be used in compliance with current data protection law to help provide you with the holiday you book. This may mean passing your personal information onto others, for example hotels, travel companies and public bodies such as customs and immigration control, if it is necessary in order to comply with our obligations to you under this Charter, facilitate your holiday or comply with a legal obligation.

Everything we do with your personal information will be in accordance with our Privacy Policy.