Payment Policy

Parties

This Drivesafe Mate Driving School Payment Policy is binding on each Driving Instructor and Learner, and is a supplementary schedule to the Driving Instructor Terms and Conditions and the Learner Terms and Conditions respectively.

Booking Prices

1. The price for a booking is set by the Driving Instructor and may be based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, pick-up location of the Learner, the vehicle transmission, and the particular Driving Instructor selected.
2. All booking prices and Discount Bands referred to in this Agreement are based on one-hour bookings.
3. A Learner will be notified of the total price per booking and must confirm the total price for each transaction before payment will be made to the Driving Instructor.

Discount Bands

4. If a Learner makes payment for the equivalent of multiple booking hours in the same transaction, they may receive a discount according to the following Discount Bands:
   • Equivalent to 0–5 booking hours' worth of credits = 0% discount
   • Equivalent to 6–9 booking hours' worth of credits = 5% discount per booking hour credit
   • Equivalent to 10+ booking hours' worth of credits = 10% discount per booking hour credit
5. Discount Bands will apply to the price per one-hour booking as allocated at the time of purchase. This price is subject to change on subsequent bookings.
6. Discount Bands are awarded as non-refundable bonus credit, added to a Learner's Drivesafe Mate wallet.
7. The bonus credit will be consumed at the time of booking in proportion to the discount received. For example:
   • A Learner pays for 10 booking hours at $100/hr — pays $900 and receives $100 bonus credit.
   • When booking a lesson at $100/hr, $10 of bonus credit (10%) will be consumed.
8. Discount Bands apply if a Learner pays for 6 or more booking hours in one transaction and are not cumulative across multiple transactions. For example:
   • Paying for 8 hours in one transaction — all hours will be at 5% discount.
   • In the next transaction, paying for another 8 hours — a 10% discount will not apply to those additional hours.
9. Discount Bands apply irrespective of whether a Learner changes Driving Instructors.
10. If a Learner is granted a refund, the refunded amount will be based on consumption of credit rather than the purchase value. For example:
    • Pays for 10 hours at $100/hr — pays $900 and receives $100 bonus credit.
    • Completes 5 hours — receives a refund of only $450 (not entitled to the remaining $50 bonus credit).
11. From time to time, Drivesafe Mate may offer other discounted booking packages where the standard Discount Bands may not apply.

Cancellations and Rescheduling

12. Any cancellation made by a Learner within 24 hours of a booking start time is considered a late cancellation.
13. Under the Booking Modification Policy, the Driving Instructor may:
    • Require that the Learner pay the total cost of the booking; or
    • Reverse the payment entirely and allow the Learner to reschedule with no charge.
14. In the event of a late cancellation, the Driving Instructor will be paid the Late Cancellation Fee. The Driving Instructor has 30 days to apply clause 13.2. If no option is selected within this timeframe, clause 13.1 will automatically apply.

Lesson Payment Validation

15. Driving Instructor payment is automatically applied at the end time of each booking. Drivesafe Mate assumes that the booking was completed.
16. If a completed booking is reversed by the Driving Instructor or Drivesafe Mate within 30 days of booking end time, the full booking payment will remain as a credit for the Learner to use for subsequent bookings.

Refunds for Validated Bookings

17. From time to time, Drivesafe Mate may receive requests to refund payments made to a Driving Instructor for completed bookings.
18. Any payment disputes raised via a payment provider after service delivery will result in debt collection and may be subject to additional fees.
19. Drivesafe Mate will investigate all refund requests and, at its sole discretion, make a determination whether a refund should be paid.
20. At its sole discretion, Drivesafe Mate may provide a full refund in one of the following situations:
    • The payment received was due to fraudulent activity or was not authorised by the cardholder;
    • The Driving Instructor failed to reverse a booking payment for a booking the Learner did not take due to a fault on the part of the Driving Instructor; or
    • A complaint is received and it is determined that the Driving Instructor breached the Driving Instructor Terms and Conditions.