Driver & providerterms and conditions.

01Your agreement

These Driver & Provider Terms and Conditions (“Provider Terms”) form a legally binding agreement between you and RecoBuddy Ltd (“RecoBuddy”, “we”, “us” or “our”). They apply to drivers, transport providers, recovery operators and other people or businesses offering vehicle movement services through RecoBuddy.

You agree to these Provider Terms by registering a Provider account, submitting documentation or a quote, accepting or performing a booking, receiving a payment, or otherwise using RecoBuddy as a Provider.

Read them together with our Terms of Use, Commission & Payment Terms, Privacy Policy, Cancellation Policy, Refund Policy and any additional terms, policies or requirements displayed on our website, app or Provider account. The Commission & Payment Terms take priority if there is a conflict about commission, payments, payouts, refunds, chargebacks or payment processing.

These terms and the incorporated policies govern your use of the marketplace. They do not replace the separate transport or recovery contract between you and the customer for each booking.

02The marketplace & your status

RecoBuddy connects individuals and businesses needing vehicle transport, recovery and related services with independent Providers. The platform supports job listings, quotes, bookings, communications, payments, records and tracking where available. The selected Provider performs the underlying service; RecoBuddy does not ordinarily perform it.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, you operate as an independent business or self-employed service provider. You decide whether to use RecoBuddy, which jobs to quote for, your prices and availability. You provide your own vehicles and equipment and meet your own business costs and legal obligations. There is no minimum work requirement or requirement to work particular hours.

RecoBuddy does not guarantee job availability, acceptance of quotes, geographic coverage, any volume of work or any level of income. Earnings depend on demand, marketplace activity, location, quotes and availability.

These terms do not create a partnership, joint venture or general agency relationship. They do not determine employment or tax status where applicable law determines otherwise. You are responsible for obtaining appropriate professional advice about your status and obligations.

03Eligibility & verification

You must be at least 18, legally capable of entering contracts, entitled to work or operate your business as applicable, and legally, professionally and operationally capable of providing the services you offer. You must hold the appropriate driving entitlement, required licences and permissions, suitable compliant equipment and appropriate insurance, and provide accurate account and business information.

RecoBuddy may require verification before you quote for or perform jobs, using third parties where appropriate. Requirements may vary by vehicle, service, operation or Provider circumstances. Checks may include identity and address, driving entitlement, business or Companies House details, vehicle documents, MOT information and photographs, insurance, operator licensing, payment-account verification and VAT details, plus other reasonably required documents.

“Verified”, “approved” or “checked” means you met the checks applied at that time. It does not mean RecoBuddy employs you, insures you, guarantees your conduct or service quality, guarantees that documents remain valid, or assumes responsibility for your transport activities.

Keep documents current and promptly report changes to insurance, driving entitlement, operator licensing, vehicles, business details, VAT status, payment details or anything affecting eligibility. RecoBuddy may request renewed documents and restrict quotes, bookings or payouts if information expires, cannot be verified or raises a compliance concern.

04Insurance, licences & equipment

Insurance

Maintain all legally required insurance and cover required by RecoBuddy’s current verification standards. Depending on your operation, this may include commercial motor, Goods in Transit or carrier liability, Public Liability, Employers’ Liability where applicable, and specialist cover.

You must check that cover suits the activities performed and the type and value of vehicles transported. An insurance certificate does not transfer responsibility for checking cover to RecoBuddy. RecoBuddy does not provide Provider insurance.

Licensing and road compliance

You must determine whether you need a goods vehicle operator’s licence or other authorisation, considering vehicle and trailer weights, the nature of the service, hire or reward, domestic or international transport and any recovery exemption. Hold the correct authorisation before performing the service.

Meet applicable requirements for transport managers, drivers’ hours, tachographs, maintenance, operating centres, load security, Driver CPC, towing and roadworthiness. RecoBuddy does not determine these obligations for you.

Vehicles, trailers and equipment

Equipment must be legally permitted, roadworthy, maintained, taxed where required, insured, suitable and safely operated within its limits. Check MAM/GVW, payload, gross train weight, towing and trailer limits, axle weights, load distribution and licence entitlement. Do not overload vehicles or trailers or breach vehicle, towing or road-traffic rules.

05Quotes & confirmed bookings

You set your own prices. Review the job’s locations, distance, vehicle size, weight and condition, running status, access, loading, timing and equipment needs. Account for labour, fuel, road charges, operating costs, RecoBuddy commission and other relevant costs.

Submitting a quote confirms that, on the available information, you are willing and able to complete the job for that amount, subject to clearly stated conditions. Quotes must be genuine, accurate and transparent. Unless clearly stated and agreed otherwise, the quote should represent the total expected customer charge.

Do not conceal mandatory charges, deliberately underquote to increase the price later, ask customers to separately cover commission, misrepresent your equipment or service, or quote for work you cannot perform.

A quote alone is not a confirmed booking. When the customer accepts it and completes required payment or confirmation steps, a booking may be formed. You then contract directly with the customer for the service. RecoBuddy facilitates the transaction and does not ordinarily become the service supplier.

06Carrying out & completing jobs

Make reasonable efforts to complete confirmed bookings as agreed. Attend within the agreed timeframe, communicate material delays, use appropriate equipment, load and secure vehicles safely, follow applicable law, take reasonable care, act professionally, give accurate updates and follow reasonable collection and delivery instructions.

Commercial customers may require nominated contacts, opening-hour or site procedures, auction processes, photographs, references and transaction records. Follow reasonable booking-specific requirements communicated before or during the booking, provided they do not materially change the agreed service without appropriate agreement.

Inspect the vehicle at collection where reasonably possible. Record required photographs, visible condition and existing damage, mileage, keys, collection time and location. Raise material differences from the listing before loading where reasonably possible. Use appropriate loading and restraints in accordance with law, manufacturer guidance and accepted safety standards.

Complete the required delivery process honestly. Proof may include photographs, signatures, customer or electronic confirmation, location records, timestamps, status updates or a Delivery Code. Never falsely mark a vehicle as delivered.

07Commission & operating costs

Commission is normally deducted from your payout. Account types, promotions, written commercial agreements, special programmes or other express arrangements may affect the rate, which will be communicated through your account, the platform, an agreement or applicable terms. Include commission when setting your quote.

RecoBuddy may change future rates with reasonable notice. Changes will not ordinarily alter commission on a booking confirmed before the change takes effect.

You meet your own operating costs, including vehicles, fuel or charging, insurance, equipment, maintenance, repairs, staff and subcontractors, licences, permits, taxes, tolls, congestion or clean-air charges and parking. Include expected costs in your prices.

08Payments, payouts & disputes

RecoBuddy uses third-party payment providers, including Stripe. Maintain an eligible connected payment account if required and supply accurate identity, business, banking, company, address, date-of-birth, tax and other compliance information requested by the payment provider. Payment providers may perform their own verification; RecoBuddy does not control bank processing times or all payment-provider decisions.

Payments may be authorised, reserved, held or captured under the Commission & Payment Terms. Payouts are normally made after:

• the booking is complete and completion is properly confirmed, including the Delivery Code where applicable;
• customer payment has processed successfully and account verification is complete; and
• no legitimate hold or dispute prevents payout.

Payouts may be delayed, held or adjusted where reasonably necessary because of verification or documentation concerns, processing restrictions, customer complaints, damage or completion disputes, cancellations, refunds, chargebacks, fraud or off-platform concerns, payment-provider instructions or breach of these terms. Deductions must be permitted by these terms, the Commission & Payment Terms, another applicable agreement or law.

Cooperate with reasonable payment-dispute investigations. RecoBuddy may submit booking, quote, communication, tracking, photograph and delivery evidence to payment providers. Where a chargeback or refund results from your breach, failure or wrongdoing, the amount may be recovered from you to the extent permitted by applicable terms and law.

A booking does not become privately payable because the funds have not yet reached your bank. Further rules are in the Commission & Payment Terms.

09Keeping bookings on-platform

Unless expressly authorised by RecoBuddy, payment for RecoBuddy-originated bookings must stay on the platform. Do not ask customers to cancel and pay privately, request cash or bank transfers, move accepted bookings off-platform to avoid fees, falsely report completed work as cancelled or otherwise avoid commission.

Do not use RecoBuddy primarily to obtain customer details and deliberately divert its work to avoid commission or platform rules. You may exchange contact details as reasonably required for a legitimate booking and conduct independently sourced business that did not arise through RecoBuddy.

Where RecoBuddy reasonably believes deliberate circumvention occurred, it may restrict or suspend the account or recover commission properly due.

10Additional charges & waiting

You may request a reasonable additional charge if the actual job materially differs from the information supplied. Examples include a non-runner described as running, missing keys, inaccessible vehicles, winching, substantially different size or weight, incorrect addresses, extra mileage, specialist equipment, significant waiting or customer-requested changes.

Explain charges clearly and, where reasonably possible, obtain customer agreement through RecoBuddy before doing the additional work. Never use additional charges to increase an intentionally understated quote.

Reasonable waiting charges may apply to substantial delays outside your control, including absent contacts, missing keys, blocked vehicles, access restrictions or delays at auctions, compounds, garages and dealerships. You may need evidence of arrival time, location and delay duration. Waiting charges must comply with the Commission & Payment Terms.

11Cancellations & no-shows

Only quote for or proceed with jobs you reasonably expect to complete. If you need to cancel a confirmed booking, notify RecoBuddy and the customer as soon as reasonably possible.

Repeated, avoidable or last-minute cancellations may lead to warnings, reduced visibility, restrictions, removal from bookings, account review, suspension or termination. RecoBuddy will consider relevant circumstances, including genuine emergencies and events outside your reasonable control.

If the customer cancels, does not attend, fails to provide keys or access, or otherwise prevents completion, you may be entitled to a cancellation fee, waiting charge or partial payout under the applicable policies. Evidence may include arrival and location records, photographs, messages, calls and waiting time.

12Damage, incidents & safety

Exercise reasonable care and skill while a customer’s vehicle is in your custody or control. Responsibility for damage or loss depends on the circumstances, pre-existing condition, law, your customer contract, negligence, insurance and the actions of other parties. You remain responsible for your negligence, contractual breaches and unlawful acts to the extent provided by law. RecoBuddy is not your insurer.

Promptly notify RecoBuddy of serious incidents connected with a booking, including collisions, alleged damage, loss, theft, serious breakdowns, injury, roadside safety incidents or involvement of emergency services. Preserve evidence and cooperate with reasonable investigations. This does not replace required reports to insurers, police, regulators or other authorities.

Do not accept or continue unsafe or unlawful work. Prioritise roadside safety and do not perform work beyond your equipment, competence or legal authority. Where there is immediate danger to life or road users, contact the appropriate emergency or highway authority.

13Employees & subcontractors

If others perform bookings for your business, you remain responsible for their driving entitlement, insurance, competence, equipment, legal compliance and compliance with these Provider Terms. Meet any requirement for individual registration or verification. Do not knowingly pass a booking to an unqualified or uninsured third party.

14Conduct, reviews & misuse

Treat customers, businesses, RecoBuddy staff and other users professionally. Threats, intimidation, harassment, unlawful discrimination, abusive language, dishonesty, misuse of customer property, deliberate damage, violence, dangerous behaviour and unlawful activity are prohibited. Serious misconduct may result in immediate suspension or termination.

Do not create fake jobs or accounts, manipulate or coordinate fraudulent quotes, falsify documentation or insurance, fabricate completion or damage claims, abuse chargebacks, falsify tracking, misuse Delivery Codes, manipulate reviews or access other accounts without permission. Suspected criminal or fraudulent activity may be reported to appropriate authorities, insurers, regulators or payment providers where lawful and appropriate.

Reviews must reflect genuine experiences. You may invite honest feedback, but must not fake, purchase or arrange misleading reviews, pressure or threaten customers, or offer incentives conditional on a positive review. RecoBuddy may investigate or remove reviews contrary to its rules.

RecoBuddy may monitor completion and cancellation rates, complaints, ratings, response times, documentation, safety, disputes, chargebacks and compliance to operate the marketplace and protect users. No performance metric guarantees more jobs.

15Communications, tracking & data

Use customer contact information and platform messaging or calls for legitimate booking requirements. Do not use them for spam, harassment, scams, misleading promotions, payment circumvention, unlawful marketing or other improper purposes. RecoBuddy may review in-platform communications where reasonably necessary for support, safety, disputes, fraud prevention, compliance or anti-circumvention, in accordance with its Privacy Policy.

Where you enable location functionality, location information may support tracking, arrival and routes, completion confirmation, fraud prevention, safety, dispute evidence and platform features. Provide or enable it in accordance with applicable law and the Privacy Policy; do not falsify it.

Use personal information lawfully, protect it, do not sell or unnecessarily disclose it, do not retain it longer than necessary, and do not use it for unrelated marketing without a lawful basis. Understand and comply with your independent obligations under UK data protection law.

Do not misuse confidential customer, business, pricing, job or platform information or access credentials. This does not prevent disclosure required by law.

You agree to electronic contractual, operational and account communications, including verification, bookings, documents, payments, disputes and policy updates. Keep your email address and telephone number accurate.

16Taxes, VAT & records

You are responsible for your tax affairs, including applicable Income Tax, Corporation Tax, VAT, National Insurance, expenses and accounting records. VAT-registered Providers must supply accurate information, account for VAT correctly and promptly report relevant changes to VAT status. RecoBuddy does not provide tax advice.

RecoBuddy may generate invoices, transaction records and payout statements, including on your behalf where you supply the underlying service. You remain responsible for the accuracy of information supplied and for retaining legally required business and tax records.

17Restrictions, termination & reviews

RecoBuddy may restrict or suspend accounts where reasonably necessary because of expired documents, failed verification, insurance or regulatory concerns, serious complaints, safety risks, suspected fraud or circumvention, payment risk, excessive cancellations, false information or breaches of these terms.

Measures may include restricting quotes or jobs, removing bookings, requiring further verification, disabling accounts or pausing payouts where lawful. Where appropriate, you may have an opportunity to supply information or correct the issue. Immediate restriction may be necessary for safety, legal, fraud or financial risk.

Serious or repeated breaches may result in termination, including fraud, falsified documents, serious safety or customer misconduct, deliberate circumvention, missing required insurance, repeated unresolved complaints or illegal activity.

You may stop using RecoBuddy at any time, subject to appropriately completing or resolving existing bookings, payments and disputes. Termination does not remove earlier obligations or liabilities. You may not transfer your account or rights under these terms without written permission.

Contact support with evidence if you believe a restriction or suspension is incorrect. RecoBuddy may review the decision but need not restore access where it reasonably determines continued access would create a legal, safety, fraud or material platform risk.

18Platform services & content

Continuous availability is not guaranteed. Maintenance, software changes, third-party or network outages, cyber incidents and events outside RecoBuddy’s reasonable control may cause disruption. RecoBuddy is not responsible for business losses merely because features or jobs are temporarily unavailable, except where liability cannot lawfully be excluded.

Services may depend on Stripe, mapping, cloud, notifications, communications, verification and analytics providers. Their applicable terms may also apply to you. RecoBuddy is not responsible for third-party acts or failures outside its reasonable control.

RecoBuddy may change features, including quotes, verification, payments, commission arrangements, tracking, job visibility, profiles and business tools. No feature is guaranteed to remain available indefinitely.

RecoBuddy owns or licenses the platform’s software, interface, content, branding, graphics and databases. Do not reproduce or commercially use its branding without permission, or suggest you are employed, owned or exclusively appointed by RecoBuddy or affiliated beyond being an independent marketplace Provider.

You retain ownership of content you own, such as profile information, photographs and documents. You grant RecoBuddy permission to use and display it as reasonably necessary to operate, promote and administer the marketplace and your profile, and confirm you hold the necessary rights.

19Responsibility & investigations

RecoBuddy must operate its marketplace services with reasonable care and skill. It is not ordinarily responsible for the underlying service performed by an independent Provider. To the fullest extent permitted by law, it is not responsible to you for failure to win work, expected business, profits or opportunities, customer decisions or conduct outside its control, failures caused by third-party technology, or indirect or consequential business loss.

Nothing excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including fraud or death or personal injury caused by negligence where applicable.

You remain responsible for your services and may be responsible for losses, costs or claims arising from negligence, unsafe operation, contractual or terms breaches, lack of required insurance, regulatory non-compliance, unlawful conduct, personal-data misuse or fraud. This does not make you liable for matters caused solely by RecoBuddy or another party.

To the extent permitted by law, you indemnify RecoBuddy against reasonable third-party claims, losses, liabilities and costs arising directly from your negligent service, unlawful acts, material breach, damage you cause, infringement of third-party rights or fraud. The indemnity does not apply to the extent loss was caused by RecoBuddy’s own negligence or breach.

Cooperate reasonably with complaint and booking investigations and provide relevant evidence when requested. RecoBuddy may use quotes, messages, photographs, tracking, delivery and payment records, timestamps, documents, support communications and account activity. These records are considered alongside other evidence and are not necessarily conclusive. RecoBuddy may facilitate customer communication but does not guarantee resolution of the underlying service dispute.

20Updates & legal provisions

RecoBuddy may update these Provider Terms. For changes materially affecting rights, obligations or fees, it will aim to give reasonable notice by email, app, website, dashboard or another appropriate method. Updates apply from their stated effective date. Continued use after that date may constitute acceptance.

Confirmed bookings normally retain the commercial terms applying when confirmed, unless a change is required by law or a payment provider, necessary to address fraud or safety, or otherwise agreed.

RecoBuddy may transfer its rights and obligations in a legitimate restructuring, reorganisation, merger, acquisition or business sale, subject to applicable legal requirements.

If a provision is invalid or unenforceable, the remainder continues. Where possible, the provision should be interpreted or adjusted only as far as necessary to make it enforceable. Delayed enforcement does not waive a right. Unless expressly stated otherwise, non-parties cannot enforce these terms under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

These Provider Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Subject to mandatory legal rights, disputes between RecoBuddy and a Provider relating to these terms are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

21About RecoBuddy & contact

RecoBuddy Ltd is registered in England and Wales. Company number: 17033260. ICO registration number: ZC151461.