Terms and conditions

By confirming a booking with Attari Car Service you accept these terms. Please read them before paying an advance. Anything agreed in writing on your specific booking overrides the general wording below.

1. Bookings and confirmation

A booking is confirmed only when we send a written confirmation and the advance has been received. Verbal enquiries, unanswered messages and quotes that have expired do not reserve a vehicle. Quotes are valid for seven days unless stated otherwise, and are subject to vehicle availability at the time you confirm.

2. Fares and what they include

Quoted fares include fuel, tolls, parking, state entry taxes, driver allowance and, on multi-day trips, the driver's meals and accommodation. They exclude your own meals, monument and park entry fees, permit fees charged by government authorities, the Bhutan Sustainable Development Fee, adventure activities and anything of a personal nature.

A day means eight hours or eighty kilometres, whichever is greater, measured from the garage. Additional running is charged at the published per-kilometre and per-hour rate for your vehicle category.

3. Payment

Twenty percent of the total is payable in advance to confirm. The balance is due to the driver at the end of the trip, or by prior arrangement for corporate accounts billed monthly. Permit and entry fees paid on your behalf are reimbursed at actuals against receipts.

4. Vehicles

We reserve the right to substitute a vehicle of the same or higher category if the assigned vehicle becomes unavailable through breakdown, accident or a permit issue. Seating capacity is fixed by the registration and cannot be exceeded, including for children. Luggage must fit the boot and the roof carrier where fitted; excess luggage may require a second vehicle at additional cost.

5. Drivers

Drivers work within the hours permitted by law and need adequate rest. On hill routes, driving after dark may be declined for safety reasons and is at the driver's discretion. The driver decides whether a road is safe to attempt. Smoking, alcohol and any illegal substance are not permitted in our vehicles, and a driver may end a trip where behaviour puts safety at risk, with no refund.

6. Permits and documents

We file permits on your behalf but cannot guarantee that an authority will issue one. You are responsible for carrying valid original identity documents. Where a permit is refused, or an area is closed by the administration or the army, the associated service charge for that segment is waived but government fees already paid are not refundable.

7. Delays, weather and road closure

The eastern Himalaya sees landslides, snowfall and strikes. Attari Car Service is not liable for delays, missed connections, additional accommodation or altered itineraries caused by weather, road closure, political disturbance, mechanical failure, accident or any other event beyond our control. We will make reasonable efforts to reroute and to help you rebook, and any additional cost is payable by you.

8. Liability

All vehicles carry comprehensive insurance as required by law, and passenger claims arising from an accident are dealt with under that insurance. Our own liability is limited to the value of the booking. We are not responsible for personal belongings left in a vehicle, though drivers hand in items found and we will try to return them.

9. Health and altitude

Routes including Nathu La, Gurudongmar and Sela Pass go above 4,000 metres. Travellers with heart, lung or blood-pressure conditions, and women who are pregnant, should take medical advice before booking. You travel on these routes at your own risk and should declare any condition at the time of booking so we can plan rest stops.

10. Cancellation

Cancellation terms are set out in full on our cancellation and refund page, which forms part of these terms.

11. Complaints

Tell us during the trip if something is wrong, because most problems can be fixed on the spot. Complaints raised after a trip should reach [email protected] within fifteen days, and we will respond within fifteen working days of receiving them.

12. Governing law

These terms are governed by Indian law, and disputes fall under the jurisdiction of the courts at Siliguri, West Bengal.