GO Driving School’s normal Terms and Conditions of Business have had to be amended to accommodate the UK Government’s, the NI Assembly’s, and the driving instructor industry’s requirements, guidance and advice on combating Covid-19.   As these measures are being changed week by week, these Terms and Conditions will be amended periodically to reflect such changes. The date of the last amendment is given at the bottom of the last page.

GO Driving School (GDS) operates within the area of Newtownards, Bangor, Holywood, East Belfast and Dundonald.  Pupils must be available for pick-up and drop-off at locations, agreed with the Instructor, within this area.  Pupils who live outside our area of business may wish to be picked up and dropped off at bus/train stations, school/college, place of work/shopping centre etc. within our area.

Before Starting Lessons

GO Driving School will send each pupil a 'Welcome to GO Driving School' email.  This tells you what you must bring to your first lesson and the statutory requirements for learning to drive.  (provisional/full driving licence; glasses/contact lenses if needed; Suitable footware; theory test certificate - if passed/valid)

About Driving Lessons

All lessons must be paid in full (preferably by electronic means) before or at the beginning of the lesson.  GDS cannot accept payment by cheque.  The dates and times of all lessons are subject to the Instructor’s availability. 

The pupil, with guidance from the Instructor, will decide the frequency of lessons (maximum one lesson per week) – the date and time of the next lesson is normally agreed at the end of the previous lesson. 

The Instructor will assess the pupil's suitability to drive at the start of, and continuously throughout, each lesson.  If the Instructor deems the pupil to be unfit to drive, for any reason, the lesson will be terminated and charged in full.  The Instructor's decision will be final on all occasions.

Additional Driver Training lessons are for those who have a full UK Driving Licence and wish to improve their driving skills. These are tailored to the pupil’s needs and are subject to the same terms and conditions as normal lessons.

Lesson Bundles

Lesson bundles are available in 4x1 hour lessons.   These cannot be used towards the Pay as You Go Loyalty cards.   

Refer a Friend Offer

This is only open to current and past pupils of GDS. When each friend you refer becomes a GDS pupil (by purchasing 5 or more hours of lessons with GDS) we will give you either 1 free hour of tuition or a £20 Amazon voucher. The free hour of tuition is subject to our Ts&Cs. The Amazon voucher will be sent via post or email. There is no limit to the number of friends you can refer.

Gift Vouchers

These are available on request for a monetary amount OR 1 hour lessons.  Vouchers must be used within 6 months of purchase and cannot be used in connection with the practical driving test.  Vouchers purchased using a subsequently failed, cancelled or reclaimed credit/debit card will be invalidated.  GDS cannot accept payment by cheque.  GDS do not offer refunds on gift vouchers.

Mock Test

Pupils who receive a free mock test (as part of the Christmas / New Year Voucher offer) will be entitled to a mock test including a review of their strengths and areas for development (approx. 1 hour in total and can be used as part of a two-hour lesson).  OR   A mock test can be purchased and will be charged at the normal hourly rate.

A mock test is when your instructor plays the role of the examiner, asking you to drive in the way that would be expected on your test i.e. without prompts from the instructor.  The mock test is only carried out when you and your instructor feel you are ready for your practical driving test.  Pupils claiming a free mock test will need to have maintained good continuity of driving lessons (no gaps of longer than 2 weeks between lessons, with the exception of holidays or travelling away for university/education).  The purpose of the mock test is to highlight any areas that may require more attention before going forward to the official practical driving test. 

Practical Driving Tests

Pupils can use the GDS car for their practical driving test.  The cost for this at a Test Centre within the GDS area of operation is Monday to Friday £110, Saturday £125 and Sunday £155 these include a one hour pre-test lesson.  Where the test is not at such a Test Centre the Instructor will provide the cost on request.  The date and time of the test and the Test Centre at which it is to take place, must be agreed with the Instructor prior to the pupil booking the test.  (GDS take no responsibility for booking the test - this must be done by the pupil.) GDS reserves the right to withhold use of the car for the test if the Instructor considers the pupil is not to the required standard. 

Late for a Lesson

Should a pupil know they will be late for a lesson they should contact the Instructor as soon as possible to let them know. Time may be deducted from the lesson (to avoid making the Instructor late for their next lesson) and where this happens the lesson will still be charged in full.

Should an Instructor know they will be more than 10 minutes late, they will try to contact the pupil (using the contact details supplied by the pupil) to make them aware of the new start time for the lesson.  Where this happens and the Instructor cannot fit in the full lesson time, the Instructor will do what they can and charge a pro rata 1 hour fee. Where the Instructor cannot fit in a 1 hour lesson they will do what they can and that lesson may be free of charge to the pupil.

Should a pupil not show up for a lesson within 15 minutes of the arranged time (without prior notice being given) they will be counted as a “no show”.  Where this happens the Instructor will leave and the pupil will be charged for the lesson.  The pupil may also be asked to pay in advance for future lessons.

Cancelling a Lesson

A pupil must give 24 hours notice when cancelling a lesson otherwise it is considered a 'short notice cancellation'.  If such notice is not given the lesson may be charged in full or, if it is a free lesson, considered taken.  Pupils that cancel consecutive lessons they may lose there time slot.  GDS reserve the right to terminate tuition should a pupil frequently cancel lessons. 

Should an Instructor need to cancel a lesson they will try to contact the pupil (using the contact details supplied by the pupil) giving as much notice as possible and offering an alternative date for that lesson.

If a pupil has no future lessons booked with their instructor they will be considered Inactive.  Once a pupil has been Inactive for more than 30 days they may be removed from the pupil list and may need to join a waiting list for further lessons.

Cancellations due to Covid-19 

Your Instructor will contact you before each lesson to check:-

If you or anyone in your household has become unwell or has symptoms

If you or anyone in your household has been tested in the last week

If you believe you may have been in contact with someone showing symptoms

If you or anyone in your household have become unwell or are showing symptoms

If any of the above have happened, your lesson will be rescheduled to a later date at no cost. 

If your Instructor has any of the above, they will inform you and reschedule your lesson. 

Should you or your Instructor show symptoms during the lesson, the lesson will be terminated and charged pro rata.

GDS reserve the right to terminate tuition where this is deemed to be in the best interest of the pupil and/or Instructor.  A pupil may request to terminate tuition at any time.

GDS Instructors comply with the DVA Code of Conduct for Approved Driving Instructors. 

GDS take customer satisfaction seriously and aim to provide the best possible service in a professional and friendly manner.   Should you have any issues during your time with us please put your complaint in writing to GO Driving School FAO Gareth Stewart, Sunningdale Park, Bangor, BT20 4UU.  Please allow 30 days for a written response.  If you are not happy with the response and wish to take the matter further you should contact the DVA - for details on how to do this see the Conciliation section of the DVA Code of Conduct.

Information about you that you provide to GDS, or our Instructor(s), may be held electronically and will be used solely for the purposes of GDS.   It will not be shared or passed to any third party other than when required by a legal or regulatory body.

GDS reserve the right to amend these Terms and Conditions without prior notice.  These Terms and Conditions will not affect any statutory rights you have as a consumer.

Last modified: 20/03/23