If the car breaks down during your trip

What happens if your car, boat or aircraft has a mechanical problem during a trip, how the operator should respond and refunds.

2 min readUpdated 2 November 2026For guests

Operators must keep their cars, boats and aircraft roadworthy, seaworthy or airworthy. Problems can still happen. If something goes wrong during your trip, your safety comes first.

What to do

  1. Follow the chauffeur's, captain's or crew's instructions. If you are in danger, call 112 first.
  2. Get to a safe place, away from traffic or the water's edge.
  3. Message the operator in the app so there is a record of the time and place.
  4. Share your live trip with someone you trust if you are waiting at the roadside.

What the operator should do

The operator should try to send a replacement car or arrange another way to complete your trip. Any replacement chauffeur is assigned in the app, so you can check their name and photo.

Refunds

If the operator cancels a car trip under way because it broke down, you get a full refund. If the trip cannot be completed for another reason, you may be eligible for a refund for the part of the trip not delivered, under the Cancellation and Refund Policy. If you had to make your own way at extra cost, keep the receipts and include them when you report it.

Reporting it

Open the trip and tap Report a problem with this trip, and include photos and times. Or open Profile > Help, choose your trip under YOUR TRIP and tap The car broke down. For a service issue like this, the operator has 24 hours to put it right. After that, ask Pickup to step in. If anyone was hurt, it comes straight to Pickup. See How to raise a dispute.

Operators that repeatedly fail to keep their vehicles in good condition can be suspended under our Verification and Compliance standards.

Need more help?

Open Profile > Help and tap Still need help?, then Chat in the app. An automated AI assistant answers first. Tap Talk to a person to reach our team. Or email support@pickupcharter.com with your booking reference. In an emergency, call 112. All the ways to reach us.

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