1. Tell us first
The fastest path is to come to us directly:
- Email: complaints@fare1.co.uk
- Phone: +44 238 111 2682 (around the clock)
- WhatsApp: +44 7521 68627
Please include:
- Your booking reference (starts with WEB- or similar) or pickup date and time.
- What happened.
- What you'd like us to do.
2. Our response timeline
- Within 2 working days — we acknowledge receipt and tell you who is handling it.
- Within 14 working days — we send a substantive response: what we found, what we're doing, and any refund or remedy.
- If the case is complex (driver investigation, council liaison, third-party involvement) — we'll tell you within 14 days why we need longer and give a revised timeline.
3. What we'll do
For most complaints we'll:
- Pull the booking record and driver-shift log.
- Review GPS and timing data for the trip.
- Speak to the driver assigned and any dispatch staff involved.
- Reach out to you if we need more detail.
- Reply with what we found, what we're changing, and (if appropriate) a refund or goodwill credit.
Safety-related complaints (driving conduct, vehicle condition) are reviewed by a director and may result in a driver being stood down pending further investigation.
4. If you're not satisfied with our response
You can escalate to the council that issued the driver's PHV licence. For Southampton-based drivers:
- Southampton City Council Licensing Team — southampton.gov.uk/licensing/transport-licensing
For drivers licensed by another council, we'll give you the licensing authority's contact details when you ask.
For data-protection complaints specifically, you can also contact the ICO — see /privacy.
5. Record-keeping
We log every complaint with date, summary, action taken, and outcome. We retain these records for 6 years (consistent with our overall booking-record retention, set out in /privacy).