Terms & Conditions

How Your Trip Is Performed

When you book with Royal Carriage Limousine, your agreement for transportation is with Royal Carriage — we are the licensed transportation company you are contracting with, and we remain responsible for arranging your trip and standing behind it. Some trips are performed using Royal Carriage's own vehicles and our own chauffeurs. Other trips are performed by vetted, independently licensed and insured affiliate operators in our network — professional carriers we engage to serve our customers, particularly for peak demand, specialty vehicles, or specific service areas.

Before performing a Royal Carriage trip, every affiliate operator is screened for a valid public passenger vehicle license, commercial insurance, and a qualified, background-checked chauffeur. Affiliate operators are independent businesses; their chauffeurs are their own employees or contractors, and Royal Carriage does not control the day-to-day employment, payroll, or personnel decisions of an affiliate operator. Whether your trip is performed by our own team or by an affiliate operator, this Agreement, our service standards, and our Cancellation Policy apply to your reservation, and Royal Carriage remains your point of contact for your booking, your billing, and any service issue. Nothing in this section limits any right you have under law, and nothing in it releases Royal Carriage or any operator from responsibility for the safe performance of your trip.

Billing, Payment Authorization & Cancellation Policy

1. Payment Obligations & Timing

Full payment of the reservation total is due no later than seventy-two (72) hours prior to the scheduled pickup time. If the balance is not paid in full by then, the reservation may be treated as cancelled by the Client effective that day, and any refund of amounts already paid is determined by the Cancellation Policy disclosed at booking and in the signed agreement, which controls. Reservations made within 72 hours of service require full payment at the time of booking. Bookings may be secured with a deposit at checkout; the deposit applies to the reservation total, and the remaining balance is charged by the same 72-hour deadline.

2. Authorization for Charges

By completing a reservation, the Client authorizes Royal Carriage Limousine to charge the payment method on file for the reservation amount, applicable taxes, gratuities, surcharges, and any additional charges incurred during or after service.

3. Failure to Pay

If payment is not received in full by the 72-hour deadline, the Company may cancel the reservation without notice, release the vehicle and driver, and retain any payments made in accordance with the applicable cancellation policy. Service will not be provided without full and cleared payment.

4. Additional Charges

Additional charges may include, but are not limited to: overtime (billed in 15-minute increments), unscheduled stops, waiting time beyond grace periods, tolls, parking, airport fees, cleaning fees, and damage or repair costs. All additional charges are due immediately upon completion of service.

5. Cancellation Policy

The complete cancellation and refund schedule is disclosed at booking and in your signed agreement, which controls, and is published in full on our Cancellation Policy page. In summary, sedans and SUVs cancel free 3+ days before pickup; stretch limos, party buses, Sprinters, and specialty vehicles require 14+ days for a full refund, with a 50% refund at 7–14 days and a 25% refund at 3–7 days. Cancellation windows are measured in hours before the scheduled pickup time in the pickup location's time zone. Because a specific vehicle and chauffeur are reserved and other bookings declined, these cancellation fees are an agreed, reasonable pre-estimate of our loss (liquidated damages), not a penalty.

6. Non-Payment & Collections

The Client agrees to pay all costs of collection, including reasonable attorney fees, court costs, and interest.

7. Weather & Acts of Nature

Royal Carriage Limousine is not responsible for delays or service interruptions caused by weather, traffic, road closures, or events beyond its control. Weather-related delays do not qualify for refunds.

Car Seats (Article A)

• A.1. Advance Request: Car seat requests must be made at least 48 hours before pickup. The Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act requires children under 8 to be secured in an appropriate child restraint.
• A.2. Required Info: Type of seat (rear-facing infant, forward-facing toddler, or booster), age of child, and type of vehicle requested.
• A.3. Non-Compliance: If a required seat was not requested in time or the information provided was inaccurate, the Company may decline to transport the child, and any resulting cancellation is treated as a Client cancellation under the Cancellation Policy. If the Company cannot supply a seat requested on time with accurate information, the Client may reschedule or cancel for a full refund.
• A.4. Fees: A nominal fee per car seat will be added to the total.

Cleaning (Article B)

B.1. Customer Responsibility

Customer is responsible for cleaning and removing all trash, food containers, drink bottles, and personal items upon exit.

B.2. Prohibited Items & Activities

The following are prohibited in all vehicles: eating (except water), confetti/glitter/powders, staining products, feet on seats, smoking/vaping/tobacco/cannabis, chemicals, construction materials, paint, or hazardous items — unless written consent has been obtained.

B.3. Cleaning Fee Schedule

• B.6. Downtime & Loss of Revenue: Customer pays hourly or daily loss-of-use fees if the vehicle is taken out of service for cleaning.
• B.7. Card-on-File Authorization: Customer authorizes charges on the card on file for cleaning, detailing, biohazard remediation, repairs, and downtime.
• B.8. Right to Refuse Service: The Company may terminate service for sanitation or safety risks without refund.
• B.9. No Storage: Customers may not leave items in the vehicle during round-trip services.

Damages

• The Client is fully responsible for any damage or excessive cleaning resulting from their reservation.
• Cleaning and repair costs will be charged to the payment method on file.
• Failure to pay may result in collections action.
• Delays, Breakdowns & Force Majeure: These are large vehicles operating in real traffic, and we build extra time into every itinerary. Royal Carriage is not responsible for delays or interruptions caused by traffic congestion, road closures, vehicular breakdowns, severe weather, or other conditions beyond our reasonable control, and we do not guarantee arrival by a specific clock time. If a vehicle develops a mechanical problem, we provide a comparable or upgraded replacement as quickly as reasonably possible, and if we cannot perform part of the service we refund the unperformed portion. In the event of a significant delay on our part, our liability is strictly limited to a maximum refund of the fare collected for the affected trip segment, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses (such as a missed flight or event). Nothing here limits liability that Illinois law does not permit us to limit, including for personal injury caused by our negligence.
• Rate Guarantee & Cancellation Disclaimer: Rates are subject to change due to circumstances outside the Company's control.

Drugs & Alcohol

• Smoking and vaping are strictly prohibited in all vehicles. Violations result in a cleaning fee.
• Alcohol is only permitted where open-container laws allow and only for passengers 21 years of age and older.
• No alcohol is permitted during school charters, prom services, or if a minor is present.
• Glass containers must remain sealed until inside the vehicle.
• Illegal drugs are strictly prohibited. Violations result in immediate termination of service and law enforcement notification.

Lost Items

• The Company is not responsible for lost or forgotten items.
• A retrieval handling and coordination fee applies for any recovery efforts.
• Items left behind may incur separate charter service charges.

Overages & Wait Times

• A 15-minute grace period is provided for standard pickups; 60 minutes for airport pickups.
• After the grace period, time is billed by the minute at the hourly/per-minute rate.
• Additional stops are billed at $40 per stop.
• Route deviations, forgotten items, and passenger issues are considered overages — no refunds apply.

Passenger Behavior

• Lawful, respectful, and safe behavior is required at all times.
• The Company may terminate service immediately and without refund for unsafe behavior.
• The Client is financially responsible for all passengers' conduct.

Pick-Up / Drop-Off Locations

• All pick-up and drop-off locations must be safe, legal, and accessible for the vehicle type reserved.
• Location changes may result in additional charges.
• No refunds are issued for delays caused by forgotten belongings.

Seating Capacity

• Passenger count may not exceed the legal seating capacity of the vehicle.
• The Company may substitute vehicles at its discretion.
• Exceeding capacity may require an upgrade at the customer's expense.

Smoking (Article S)

S.1. Smoking and vaping of any substance are prohibited in all vehicles at all times. Under the Smoke Free Illinois Act, “smoking” includes electronic cigarettes, and our vehicles serve the public and are our chauffeurs' workplace. Cannabis use is prohibited in any motor vehicle under Illinois law and can never be authorized.

• S.2. Remediation Fees: A remediation fee applies if any passenger smokes ($200 sedan/SUV, $300 Sprinter, $450 stretch limousine/party bus, $500 shuttle/bus) or vapes (flat $100). These amounts are a good-faith advance estimate of the cost of restoring the vehicle to service — interior detailing, odor treatment, and time out of service — not a penalty, and are not stacked with cleaning fees for the same condition.
• S.3. Every remediation fee is supported by timestamped photographs or records with an itemized notice emailed within 48 hours, and is charged under the authorization and limits in the Billing section.
• S.4. Compliance with all federal, state, and local laws on tobacco, cannabis, and nicotine is required.

Trip Updates

• 1. Pricing Updates: The Company will contact the Client about any price changes. The Client has the option to cancel for a full refund.
• 2. Schedule Modifications: The Company reserves the right to modify times and routes as necessary.
• 3. Round-Trip No-Show: The Client must be present for the return trip. If not present, the Client will be billed in full.
• 4. Post-Trip Notice — a condition of any service-quality refund or credit: If any part of your trip did not meet what we promised, or a refund or credit you were told to expect has not arrived, email info@royalcarriagelimo.com within 7 days after your scheduled drop-off, with your order number, the trip date, and a specific description of what happened. Giving us this written notice — and a fair chance to make it right — is a condition of any service-quality refund or credit under this Agreement, and lets us review the trip records while they are fresh. We respond within 5 business days and correct any genuine problem. Nothing in this section limits or waives any right you have under applicable law — including the federal Fair Credit Billing Act — to raise a genuine billing dispute with your card issuer; contacting us first is also the good-faith step the law expects before such a claim.

Miscellaneous

• These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois.
• Electronic acceptance constitutes a legally binding agreement.

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