Last updated: 1 July 2026

Cancellation Policy

A plain-English guide to when a cancellation fee applies, when it's waived, and how to dispute one. For the fuller terms around booking, no-shows, refunds and damage, see our Booking & Cancellation Policy.

Contents

1. How Cancellation Fees Work

You can cancel a booking free of charge at any time before a driver has been assigned. Once a driver has accepted your booking and started heading to the pickup point, cancelling may incur a fee. This reflects the time, fuel and opportunity cost the driver has already committed to your trip.

2. Timing Windows

When You Cancel	What Happens
Before a driver accepts	Free — no charge, cancel anytime.
Within 5 minutes of a driver accepting	Free — no charge during this grace period.
After the 5-minute grace period, driver en route	A cancellation fee of up to £4.75 may apply.
Driver has arrived and you cancel after the free 5-minute waiting period	A waiting-time or cancellation fee may apply instead of a no-show fee.

Reference figures: the grace period and fee amount above follow common UK private-hire industry practice. Confirm these match Fivestar Minicab's live app pricing before relying on this page.

3. When Fees Are Waived

We will not charge a cancellation fee, or will refund one already charged, where:

Your driver is significantly delayed beyond the estimated arrival time shown in the app.

Your driver makes no meaningful progress towards your pickup location.

Your driver is travelling away from your pickup location without explanation.

The cancellation was caused by a platform error, incorrect pickup pin, or a driver unable to carry out the booked service.

4. If the Driver Cancels

You are never charged a cancellation fee when your driver cancels. If this happens, the app will try to match you with another nearby driver automatically. Drivers who cancel repeatedly or without good reason are reviewed under our driver standards.

5. Airport & Pre-Booked Rides

Airport pickups and pre-booked (advance) rides may carry different cancellation windows, because drivers often incur parking or waiting charges to meet you. Any airport- or advance-booking-specific cancellation terms are shown clearly in the app before you confirm the booking. For the full advance-booking cancellation rules, see our Booking & Cancellation Policy.

6. Disputing a Fee

If you think a cancellation fee was charged in error, contact our support team within 30 days of the charge via our Contact page. We will review the trip data, including driver location and timing, and refund the fee where the charge was incorrect.

This page is a working draft. The grace period and fee amounts shown are reference figures and should be confirmed against Fivestar Minicab's live app pricing before it is relied on as final.