Zero Tolerance Policy on Drugs and Alcohol
Chauffeurs, captains, crew and pilots must never work under the influence of drugs or alcohol. How to report a concern, and what happens when we receive one.
Updated 2 November 2026 · 7 min read
Version 3.0. Effective 2 November 2026.
In short
- Anyone driving, crewing or flying a Pickup trip must be completely free of the effects of alcohol, illegal drugs and impairing medicines.
- If you think your chauffeur, captain, crew member or pilot is impaired, stop or end the trip as soon as it is safe. In an emergency, call 112. In-app safety features are not an emergency service. Then report it in the app.
- We suspend the crew member's access as soon as we receive a credible report, while we look into it.
- Where a report is upheld, the crew member is removed from the Platform. The Operator may be suspended or removed too.
- Travellers must not board so intoxicated that they put anyone at risk. The Community Standards cover that.
This summary is for convenience only. The numbered clauses below are the binding terms and govern if there is any difference.
1. About this policy
1.1 This Zero Tolerance Policy ("Policy") is issued by Pickup Technology Limited, RC 9548096, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State, Nigeria, trading as Pickup Charter ("Pickup", "we", "us").
1.2 It forms part of the Community Standards, the Operator Agreement, the Crew Terms and the Guest Terms. Our Terms of Use, the umbrella agreement for using Pickup, also apply. Words with capital letters have the meaning given in those terms.
1.3 "Crew" means every chauffeur, captain, coxswain, deckhand, cabin host, pilot or other crew member an Operator assigns to a Booking.
1.4 Crew are engaged by Operators, never by Pickup. Pickup is a booking platform. The Operator is responsible for the fitness of its crew and the safe operation of every trip. This Policy sets the standard for using the Platform. It does not make Pickup the employer of any crew member or the operator of any trip.
2. The rule
2.1 No crew member may perform any part of a Booking while under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, or any medicine or other substance that impairs, or may impair, their ability to work safely.
2.2 This applies from the moment the crew member reports for the Booking until the Booking ends, including waiting time, the journey to the pickup point in the listed Vehicle, Vessel or Aircraft, and any rest stop. A crew member must not drink alcohol or take an impairing substance at any time during that period, even if they believe they are not affected.
2.3 Crew must also report for duty fit to work: not still affected by alcohol or drugs taken earlier, and not so fatigued that safety is affected.
2.4 Stricter rules. For pilots and aircraft crew, the Civil Aviation Act 2022, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations on alcohol and psychoactive substances (including any period before flight in which no alcohol may be consumed) and the Operator's own procedures apply as well. For captains and vessel crew, the rules of NIMASA, NIWA and LASWA apply. For chauffeurs, road traffic law on drink and drug driving applies. Where any rule is stricter than this Policy, the stricter rule applies.
2.5 Medicines. A crew member taking a prescribed or over the counter medicine that may affect alertness must tell their Operator before duty, and must not work if the medicine impairs them.
2.6 Operators. Operators must:
(a) have a written drugs and alcohol policy for their crew that is at least as strict as this one, and make sure every crew member knows it;
(b) take a crew member off duty at once where they suspect impairment, and reassign the Booking through the app where they can;
(c) carry out any testing the law or their licence requires, under their own procedures. Pickup does not test crew; and
(d) cooperate with any investigation under clause 4.
3. If you are worried during a trip
3.1 Your safety comes first. If you believe the person driving, crewing or flying is impaired:
(a) ask to stop, or to return to a safe place, as soon as it is safe to do so;
(b) leave the Vehicle when it is safely stopped, or ask the captain or another crew member to return the Vessel to shore. On an aircraft, tell another crew member, and do not board if you have the concern before departure;
(c) in an emergency, call 112; and
(d) when it is safe, use Report a problem in the app, so we can review it.
3.2 On a live trip you can use Alert my emergency contacts, and on car and boat trips the app asks "Are you OK?" after a stop of 15 minutes. In-app safety features are secondary information tools and do not constitute an emergency response service. Pickup does not guarantee continuous, uninterrupted live monitoring, and automated prompts do not shift emergency response duties away from public authorities. In an emergency, call 112.
3.3 You are not charged a cancellation deduction for declining to travel or ending a trip early under this clause because you reasonably believed the crew was impaired. The part of the trip not delivered is refunded under the Cancellation and Refund Policy.
3.4 Payout hold. While we investigate, the report is an open case, and it holds the whole payout for that Booking until it is decided, under the Payments Terms. No other Booking's payout is held unless a separate case is open on it. If the report is upheld, the held amount funds the Guest's refund. If it is not upheld, the held amount is released at the next payout after our decision.
4. What we do when we receive a report
4.1 Immediate suspension. When we receive a credible report, we suspend the crew member's access to the Platform at once while we look into it, and we may pause the Operator's affected Listings. Suspension is not a finding of wrongdoing.
4.2 Investigation. A person in our trust and safety team reviews the report, the trip record, messages and any other evidence, such as photos, video, witness accounts, Operator records or any test result, and asks the Operator and the crew member for their account. The process in the Community Standards applies. We conclude within 7 days unless we tell the people concerned why we need longer and when we will decide.
4.3 Outcome. We decide on the balance of probabilities.
(a) Where the report is upheld, the crew member is removed from the Platform permanently, for every Operator their crew account is linked to.
(b) The Operator may be warned, restricted, suspended or removed, depending on whether it knew or should have known of the risk, how it responded, and its record.
(c) Where the report is not upheld, the crew member's access is restored without delay, and the Operator's held payout is released as clause 3.4 provides.
4.4 Reasons and appeal. We give the crew member and the Operator our decision with reasons. Either may appeal within 30 days. A person who was not involved in the original decision considers the appeal and decides it, with reasons, within 14 days.
4.5 Authorities. Where the law requires, or where there is a risk to life or of serious injury, we may share information with the police or another competent authority, in line with the Privacy Policy and our Law Enforcement Requests guidelines.
5. False reports and retaliation
5.1 Knowingly making a false report is a serious breach of the Community Standards and may lead to suspension or closure of the Account concerned. A report made in good faith that is not upheld is not a breach.
5.2 No one may retaliate against a person for making a report in good faith. Retaliation is a serious breach in its own right.
6. Changes, law and contact
6.1 We may update this Policy. We give at least 30 days' notice of a material change by email or in the app, unless a change is needed sooner for safety or by law, when it takes effect at once. Continuing to use the Platform after the change takes effect means you accept it; you may close your Account instead.
6.2 This Policy is governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Disputes are resolved as the dispute terms that apply to you provide: Complaints and disputes in the Guest Terms, Disputes and governing law in the Operator Agreement, or Disputes and governing law in the Crew Terms.
6.3 Report through the app, or at support@pickupcharter.com. In an emergency, call 112 first. Legal notices: by email to legal@pickupltd.com, effective on receipt.
Questions about this document?
Email legal@pickupltd.com or write to Pickup Technology Limited, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State, Nigeria. For help with a booking, use Help in the app.
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