Trip Policy & Operating Rules

Included in your trip cost

• Fuel for the entire trip
• Parking & toll charges throughout
• AC / Non-AC / Full-AC vehicle as per the package booked
• Driver's food, stay & allowance for all days
• Driver salary and assignment fee
• Vehicle insurance and roadside assistance

Not included

• Guest hotel stay & meals
• Activity charges (boating, ziplines, treks, parasailing, etc.)
• Entry / ticket / camera fees at monuments and parks
• Personal expenses, shopping, tips
• Travel insurance for the guest
• Permits — Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Arunachal/Nagaland is the guest's responsibility

Daily duty & distance

• Duty hours: up to 10 hours per day, ending by 7 PM.
• Daily distance: 80–120 km on tour days; the exact KM cap for each day is listed in your itinerary voucher.
• Spots are visited in the order of the agreed itinerary; reordering on the day is at the driver's discretion if it helps timing.

Hotel & in-between transfers

• Hotel pickup & drop: ONE round trip is included — pickup in the morning and drop AFTER the full day's itinerary is complete.
• Drop to hotel mid-day or in between spots is NOT included. If you need to drop someone at the hotel mid-day, this counts as an extra transfer and is chargeable (fuel + driver time).
• Recommended hotel zone: within 5 km of Police Bazaar, Shillong. Hotels further out may incur additional km charges.

Dinner & post-trip pickup-drop

• Dinner pickup & drop after the day's itinerary is NOT included in the base package.
• If agreed in advance, the dinner transfer is added to your itinerary at a fixed agreed price. Tempo Traveller & Urbania protocol: drop at hotel first, then a separate pickup for dinner.
• On-spot requests ("can you also drop us at the cafe at 9 PM?") are subject to availability and charged separately — ₹200/hour after 8 PM (same rate after 10 PM).

Punctuality

• Start the day at the agreed pickup time. Late starts shorten daily sightseeing — the driver is not responsible for spots that cannot be covered because of a late start.
• Hills traffic can be unpredictable — please allow buffer for sunset spots like Laitlum.
• The driver may shorten visits if a previous stop ran over and the day's km cap is at risk.

Itinerary can be replanned on the road for

• Curfew, bandhs, strikes, or police closures
• Landslides, floods, road washouts, or active weather warnings
• Closure of a spot on a particular weekday or religious day
• Vehicle breakdown — a replacement of equivalent type is arranged; lost time is adjusted
• Verified medical emergency in the travel party
• VVIP / political movement causing road blocks

Re-planning is NOT allowed for

• Guest preference change on the day ("let's add Tawang instead")
• Late start from the hotel making remaining spots tight
• Wanting to extend the trip without confirming new commercials with the office

Our commitment

• Vehicles are serviced, insured, and permit-valid for the trip route.
• Drivers are licensed for commercial passenger transport, background-verified, and trained on local routes.
• Drivers will speak basic English; many also speak Hindi and Khasi.
• First-aid kit and emergency contact list available in every vehicle.

Vehicle for booked travellers only

• The vehicle is hired for the named travel party only. Picking up friends, relatives, or hitchhikers en route is not allowed unless agreed in writing with the office.
• Children under 5 travel free; from 5 years onward they count as one full passenger for seating-capacity purposes.

Tips & side deals

• Tips are entirely voluntary; drivers are not allowed to solicit them.
• Do NOT pay the driver directly for side trips or to extend the package — this voids agency commitments and warranties.
• If a driver asks for direct extra payment for any service, please report it on WhatsApp +91 8855853857 immediately.

Strictly prohibited inside the vehicle

• Smoking (including e-cigarettes / vapes)
• Consumption of alcohol or any intoxicant
• Possession or consumption of any banned substance
• Verbal abuse, threats, or physical aggression toward the driver or other guests

Damage & cleaning charges

• Vomit / spillage / heavy soiling cleaning fee: ₹500–₹1,500 depending on severity
• Damage to vehicle interior, seats, or fittings: charged at actual repair / replacement cost
• Lost vehicle keys or smart card: charged at replacement cost

• Travel insurance is strongly recommended for every guest, especially for treks (Double Decker root bridge, Nongriat) and high-altitude routes (Tawang).
• Pre-existing medical conditions — heart issues, severe asthma, pregnancy, mobility constraints — must be disclosed in writing before the trip so we can advise on route safety.
• High-altitude routes (Tawang, Sela Pass) are not recommended for pregnant women, infants under 2, or persons with cardiac/respiratory conditions. Such travel is at the guest's own risk.
• Seat belts must be worn at all times.

• Original photo ID (Aadhaar, Passport, Driving Licence) is mandatory at every hotel — no ID, no check-in.
• Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Arunachal Pradesh or Nagaland is the guest's responsibility; please apply at least 5 days in advance.
• Mawlynnong, Dawki, and many root-bridge villages have eco-tourism rules — no plastic, no littering, no loud music. Fines are paid by the offending guest.
• Photography is restricted at some sacred groves and Khasi shrines — please follow signage and the driver's guidance.
• Drone use across Meghalaya is regulated — guests are responsible for obtaining DGCA / district permission. Agency is not liable for confiscation.

• Once the advance is paid, any modification to dates, route, vehicle type, or pax count attracts an admin charge of ₹500.
• Date changes are subject to vehicle availability and seasonal pricing; the refund/cancellation timeline does not reset.
• Vehicle upgrade is allowed by paying the difference. Vehicle downgrade after confirmation is treated as a partial cancellation per the refund schedule.
• Pax-count reduction does not reduce the package cost — the vehicle has already been blocked.

Before the trip starts

• More than 24 hours before trip start: full deposit refund.
• 1–24 hours before trip start: 50% refund of advance paid.
• Under 1 hour: no refund.
• No-show (guest does not arrive at pickup point): 0% refund.

After the trip has started — STRICT no-refund

• Once the trip has STARTED, no refund is allowed under any circumstances.
• If the guest chooses to cancel the trip mid-way (e.g. returns to base early, decides to fly back, family member changes plan), the FULL trip cost remains payable. The driver and vehicle are already committed for the original duration and cannot be reassigned.
• Reducing the trip duration on the day does not entitle a refund.

Force majeure (force outside everyone's control)

• Verified force-majeure interruptions — landslide, flood, curfew, government-issued travel restriction, weather emergency — are handled case-by-case: the agency will make a fair effort to substitute spots within the day's KM cap or reschedule. No refund is automatic.
• Verified medical emergency, hospitalisation, or bereavement on the guest's side: case-by-case re-scheduling, subject to documentary proof submitted within 48 hours.

Refund processing

• Approved refunds are processed to the original payment method within 5–7 business days of approval.
• Razorpay refunds may take 7–10 business days to reflect in the customer's account, depending on the issuing bank.

Accepted modes

• Online — Card, UPI, Netbanking, Wallets via Razorpay (link in your booking email)
• Direct UPI (Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm) to our registered business account
• Bank transfer (NEFT / RTGS / IMPS)
• Cash on Day 1 with proper receipt

Schedule (Updated 31 May 2026)

• At booking — Advance to confirm the slot. The exact advance amount is shown in your quote (default ~10% of trip cost; admin may set a different amount per trip).
• Day 1 of the trip — 50% of the total trip cost is due (minus the advance already paid).
• Balance — the remaining 50% is due on the SECOND-LAST day of the trip (the day before departure). For 1-day trips, full payment is due on Day 1.

Hotel is NOT included in the trip cost

• Trip cost covers the vehicle, fuel, tolls, parking, and the driver's food & stay.
• Guests are expected to book and pay for their own hotel — ideally within 5 km of Police Bazaar, Shillong, to keep daily pickup/drop within the included one round-trip.

If you want the agency to book the hotel

• Mention this at the quotation stage so we can include it in the agreed itinerary and quote.
• Full hotel cost is payable IN ADVANCE, in addition to the trip advance.
• Hotel bookings made by the agency are non-refundable as per the hotel's own cancellation policy — we pass the booking on; we cannot waive hotel cancellation charges.
• Hotels outside the 5 km Police Bazaar zone may incur additional KM charges on daily pickup/drop.

• If you leave any item in the vehicle, please report to WhatsApp +91 8855853857 within 24 hours.
• We will make a good-faith effort to locate and return the item; courier and packaging charges are paid by the guest.
• Meghalaya Cabs is not liable for cash, jewellery, electronics, or other valuables left in the vehicle.

• All complaints — driver conduct, vehicle condition, billing, service quality — must be raised in writing via WhatsApp or email within 7 days of the trip's end.
• We will investigate and respond within 14 working days.
• WhatsApp: +91 8855853857 · Email: meghalayacabs@gmail.com
• Decisions can be escalated to arbitration per the Dispute Resolution clause below.

• Meghalaya Cabs acts only as a transport and trip-coordination provider.
• All activities — treks, water sports, cave visits, root-bridge walks, viewpoint access, river crossings — are undertaken voluntarily and at the guest's own risk.
• We are NOT liable for injury, accident, illness, loss of life, theft, or weather-related disruption, nor for the conduct of third-party hotels, guides, boatmen, or activity vendors.
• Full risk-acknowledgement language is included on Page 4 of your Trip Voucher PDF. Booking, advance payment, and commencement of the trip constitute acceptance.

• Your contact details are used only for trip coordination, billing, and post-trip feedback.
• We share the assigned driver's name, phone, and car number with you for safety; we share your name and phone with the driver for pickup coordination.
• Reviews you submit may be displayed publicly on our website and Google profile.
• We do not sell guest data to third parties.

• These policies and all Meghalaya Cabs bookings are governed by Indian law.
• All disputes not resolved by the Grievance Redressal process are referred to a sole arbitrator under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, seated at Shillong, Meghalaya, conducted in English.
• Courts at Shillong, Meghalaya have exclusive jurisdiction over any matter not subject to arbitration.