With ZeroLanes the price you see before you book is the price you pay. It does not go up for traffic, a longer route or a busy time. Here is how that works.
Private hire in the UK means cars that must be booked in advance, rather than hailed in the street like a black cab. That gives private hire one big advantage: the price can be agreed before the journey starts. ZeroLanes is built around that idea, from the moment you ask for a price to the moment you step out of the car.
1. You tell us the journey
Where from, where to, when, how many people and how many bags. Only the cars that fit your party and your luggage are offered. The more we know about the journey, the more accurate the price.
Enter your pickup and drop-off addresses, or choose an airport, a station or a school. If you are going to an airport, add your flight number for a pickup, so your driver knows which arrival to meet. For a return journey, add the way back.
The number of passengers and bags matters, because it decides which cars can take you. A family of four with suitcases for a fortnight needs more room than one person with a briefcase. Be honest about the luggage, as a car that is too small helps nobody.
You can add stops on the way, and a note for your driver, such as which door to use or who is travelling. For a car by the hour, choose how many hours you need. Everything that affects the price is asked for before the price is shown.
2. You see the price for each car
Saloon, estate, executive, people carrier or minibus, each with its fixed price. Extras such as child seats or Meet and Greet are shown in the total. You choose the car that suits you.
A saloon is fine for most journeys, with room for a few people and their bags. An estate has more room for luggage, and an executive car is more comfortable for business. A people carrier or a minibus takes a larger group.
Each car’s price is shown before you choose, so you can compare. The total includes any extras you add. There is nothing hidden.
Charges such as an airport’s parking or drop-off fee are included in the quoted price unless we tell you otherwise before you book. A quote you do not confirm is held for thirty minutes and then expires. If you come back later, you ask for a new price.
3. The price is fixed when you book
Traffic, roadworks and diversions are our problem, not yours. Once you have booked, the price does not change for a longer route or a journey that takes longer than expected. It is the price you agreed.
With a metered taxi, you pay for the time and the distance, so a traffic jam or a diversion costs you more. With some apps, the price can rise at busy times, when demand is high. With a fixed price, neither happens.
That matters most at the times you are most likely to travel: the rush hour, a Friday evening, the start of the school holidays or a wet night after a concert. Those are the times when metered fares and surge prices are at their highest. A fixed price is the same whatever the time of day.
The only things that can be charged in addition are waiting time beyond the free period and a cleaning charge after damage or soiling, and we tell you before we do. The details are in our terms. Otherwise, the price is the price.
4. Payment
For a journey within a week, a hold is placed on your card and the fare is taken after the journey. Further ahead, your card is saved and charged about a week before you travel. Payments are handled by Stripe, and we do not keep your card details.
A hold means the money is reserved on your card, but not taken, until the journey is done. That way, you only pay for a journey that has happened. If the journey is cancelled in a way that is free, the hold is released.
For journeys booked further ahead, holding money on your card for weeks would not be fair. So your card is saved securely, and the payment is authorised about a week before you travel. You do not need to do anything.
Stripe is one of the world’s biggest payment companies, used by millions of businesses. Your card details are entered with Stripe and kept by them, not by us. That is safer for everyone.
5. Your driver, before you travel
Your driver’s name and the car’s make, colour and registration appear on your journey page before pickup, and you can follow the car once it sets off. You know who is coming and what they are driving. There is no guessing which car is yours.
Always check the car’s registration before you get in, and make sure the driver knows your name and where you are going. It is a simple safety habit. Private hire cars must be booked, and you should never get into one that has not been booked for you.
Every driver’s licences and DBS check are verified before they take a journey, and every car’s licence, insurance and MOT are checked. When a document lapses, that driver or car is off the road with us until it is renewed. Read what we check before anyone drives.
Every live journey carries an emergency alert that reaches a person rather than a queue. It is there if you ever need it. We hope you never do.
6. Changing your mind
Cancelling is free more than 24 hours before pickup. Read the cancellation policy for the rest. What cancelling costs is counted from your pickup time.
If you have only just booked and change your mind, there is a short time in which cancelling is free, however close the pickup is. Before you confirm a cancellation, the page shows what, if anything, will be charged. There are no surprises.
To cancel, sign in, open the journey under Your journeys and choose Cancel. A refund goes back to the card you paid with. It takes a minute.
If we cannot arrange your car, or cancel for any reason that is not yours, you are not charged, and anything taken is refunded in full. That is only fair. The full terms are in our terms.
Ride with ZeroLanes. A car booked ahead, at a price fixed before you confirm, with the driver and the car on your journey page before pickup. Get a fixed price.