Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Stafford Coach Trips respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly and transparently. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, retain and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us, complete a form or book or travel on one of our trips.

This policy applies to our website at staffordcoachtrips.co.uk, our booking and enquiry activities, and our interactions through email and social media. It is intended to meet the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and, where relevant, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.

2. Who we are

Stafford Coach Trips is a UK-based coach trip organiser based in Stafford, England. We arrange trips and engage licensed third-party coach operators to provide the coach and driver. For data protection purposes, Stafford Coach Trips is the controller of personal information that we decide how and why to use.

Other organisations, such as TicketSource, Stripe, coach operators, hotels and attractions, may be separate controllers for information they collect or use for their own purposes. Their privacy notices will also apply.

3. What personal information we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• your name, email address, telephone number and postal address where needed;
• booking details, including passenger names, group size, selected trip, pick-up point, transaction reference and booking history;
• messages, questions, feedback, complaints and other correspondence;
• information submitted through Contact, Register Interest and Suggest a Trip forms, including destination preferences and proposed travel details;
• accessibility, mobility, dietary, medical or assistance information that you choose to provide where it is necessary to arrange safe and suitable travel;
• information about children travelling as part of a booking;
• payment status and limited transaction details supplied by a booking or payment provider, but not normally your full card details;
• photographs or videos where appropriate consent or another lawful basis applies;
• social media usernames, comments, messages and other information you make available when interacting with our pages; and
• technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information, cookie identifiers and website usage data where our website or service providers collect it.

Please give us only the accessibility or health information that is reasonably needed for your journey. Where you book for another person, you must have authority to provide their information and should make this policy available to them.

4. How we collect your information

We collect information directly from you when you email us, complete an online form, make a booking, contact us through social media, speak to us during a trip or otherwise provide information to us.

We may also receive information from the lead passenger who books for you; from TicketSource, Stripe or another future booking provider; from a coach operator or travel supplier; or from a parent, guardian or person assisting you. Technical information may be collected automatically when you use our website, subject to applicable cookie and consent rules.

5. How we use your information

We may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries and provide requested information;
• take, confirm and administer bookings and payments;
• send confirmations, joining instructions, changes, reminders and urgent trip updates;
• allocate seats and pick-up points and provide passenger information needed to operate a trip;
• make reasonable accessibility arrangements and help protect passengers' health and safety;
• manage cancellations, refunds, complaints, insurance matters and lost property;
• understand demand for destinations through Register Interest and Suggest a Trip forms;
• improve our trips, customer service, website and booking processes;
• prevent fraud, misuse, safety incidents and unlawful activity;
• maintain business, tax and accounting records and comply with legal obligations; and
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

If we introduce our own booking system, domain-based email addresses, further UK or European destinations, or hotel accommodation packages, we will use information for the same relevant purposes and update this policy where the processing materially changes.

6. Legal basis for processing your information

We rely on one or more of the following legal bases, depending on the purpose:

• Contract: processing is necessary to take steps at your request before booking or to provide and administer a trip you have booked.
• Legal obligation: processing is necessary to comply with tax, accounting, consumer protection, safety or other legal duties.
• Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our legitimate interests in answering enquiries, organising and improving trips, keeping appropriate records, protecting our website and business, preventing fraud and handling complaints or legal claims, provided your rights and interests do not override those interests.
• Consent: where you have freely given clear consent, for example for optional marketing, non-essential cookies, certain photographs or the use of special category information.
• Vital interests: in a genuine emergency, where processing is necessary to protect someone's life and the person is unable to consent.

Health information and some accessibility information may be special category data. Where this applies, we will also identify an appropriate condition under Article 9 of the UK GDPR, which will usually be your explicit consent or, in a genuine emergency, protection of vital interests. You may withdraw consent at any time, although this does not affect processing already carried out lawfully.

7. Sharing your information with third parties

We share only the information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose. Recipients may include:

• the licensed coach operator and driver providing your transport;
• TicketSource, Stripe and other booking, payment, website, email or IT service providers;
• hotels, attractions, ferry operators, tour partners and other suppliers included in a future trip;
• professional advisers, insurers, accountants and payment dispute services;
• emergency services, medical professionals, regulators, courts, law enforcement or public authorities where necessary or legally required; and
• a purchaser or successor if the business is transferred, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection safeguards.

We do not sell your personal information. Where a supplier processes information only on our instructions, we require appropriate data protection and confidentiality arrangements. Where a supplier is an independent controller, you should also read its privacy notice.

8. Online booking providers

TicketSource

Bookings are currently processed through TicketSource. When you book, TicketSource collects the information needed to process the order and payment and provides us with booking information needed to operate the trip. TicketSource may process some information for its own purposes under its own privacy policy and terms.

Stripe and future booking systems

If we introduce direct bookings through the Stafford Coach Trips website, Stripe may securely process payments and carry out fraud prevention and compliance checks. Our own booking system may store account, passenger and booking information needed to manage your order. We will provide any additional privacy information required when that service is introduced.

9. Payment information

Card payments are handled by the relevant secure payment provider. Stafford Coach Trips does not currently receive or store your full payment card number or security code. We may receive limited details such as the payer's name, payment amount, date, transaction reference, payment status and limited card information such as its type or last four digits.

If our payment arrangements change, full card details will continue to be handled by an appropriately secure payment provider rather than stored directly by us unless we clearly tell you otherwise and have appropriate security and legal safeguards in place.

10. Email enquiries and website forms

Email enquiries

Enquiries are currently received at staffordcoachtrips@gmail.com. We use your email address and the contents of your message to respond, provide information, keep an appropriate record and take steps towards a booking where requested. If we introduce an email address using our own domain, the same principles will apply.

Contact forms

Information sent through a Contact form is used to answer your message and deal with the request, question or complaint. The form provider or website host may process the submission on our behalf.

Register Interest forms

We use Register Interest information to measure demand, plan possible trips and, where requested, contact you about the relevant trip. Registering interest does not create a booking. We will not add you to unrelated electronic marketing merely because you registered interest unless the law permits this or you have separately consented.

Suggest a Trip forms

We use destination suggestions and related contact information to consider future trips, understand customer demand and follow up where appropriate. Please do not include unnecessary sensitive personal information in a suggestion.

11. Facebook and social media interactions

If you follow, comment on, react to or message Stafford Coach Trips through Facebook or another social media platform, we may see your public profile information and the content of your interaction. We use this information to respond, moderate our page, provide customer service, promote trips and understand engagement.

The social media provider also processes information for its own purposes, including through cookies, analytics and advertising systems. Its privacy notice and your privacy settings govern that processing. Please avoid posting booking references, payment details, health information or other sensitive information publicly.

12. Cookies

Cookies and similar technologies are small files or identifiers used by websites and online services. Our website may use strictly necessary technologies required for security, navigation, forms, bookings or remembering privacy choices. These do not normally require consent, but we will explain their use where required.

We will not place non-essential cookies, such as optional analytics, advertising or social media tracking cookies, unless we have first provided clear information and obtained valid consent where required. If these technologies are introduced, a cookie banner or preference control will allow you to accept, reject or change your choices. You can also control cookies through your browser, although blocking necessary cookies may affect website features.

13. Website analytics

We may introduce website analytics, including Google Analytics or another provider, to understand how visitors find and use the website, identify technical problems and improve pages and services. Analytics may collect information such as pages visited, approximate location, device and browser details, referral source, interactions and truncated or otherwise protected IP information.

Where analytics is not strictly necessary, it will remain disabled until you consent. If Google Analytics or another service is introduced, we will update our cookie information with the provider, purposes, cookies, retention settings and available controls. We will not use analytics information to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you.

14. International transfers

Some technology, booking, payment, social media or travel providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom. European trips may also require limited passenger information to be shared with suppliers or authorities overseas.

Where UK data protection law restricts a transfer, we will use an approved safeguard, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or an approved UK addendum to standard contractual clauses, together with any additional protections that are required. You may contact us for more information about safeguards relevant to your information.

15. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure passwords, reputable service providers, encrypted connections, device security, backups and limiting information to those who need it.

No internet or email system is completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs, we will investigate it and notify affected people and the Information Commissioner's Office where the law requires.

16. How long we retain your information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, safety and dispute requirements. The period depends on the type of record and why we hold it.

• Booking, payment and financial records: normally up to six years after the trip or relevant accounting period, where needed for tax, contractual or legal purposes.
• General enquiries, Register Interest and Suggest a Trip submissions: normally up to two years after the last meaningful contact, unless they lead to a booking or need to be retained for a complaint or legal matter.
• Accessibility or health information: normally deleted or anonymised after the trip once it is no longer needed, unless retention is necessary for an incident, complaint, legal claim or ongoing arrangement.
• Marketing preferences: until you withdraw consent or object. We may keep a minimal suppression record so that we respect an opt-out.
• Complaints, incidents and legal claims: for as long as reasonably necessary to deal with the matter and any applicable limitation period.

We may anonymise information so that it can no longer identify anyone and retain the resulting statistics for planning and analysis.

17. Your rights under UK GDPR

Depending on the circumstances and the legal basis used, you may have the right to:

• be informed about how we use your personal information;
• request access to your personal information and receive a copy;
• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• ask us to erase information in certain circumstances;
• ask us to restrict processing in certain circumstances;
• object to processing based on legitimate interests and object at any time to direct marketing;
• receive certain information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and ask for it to be transferred where the right to data portability applies;
• withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on consent; and
• not be subject to a solely automated decision that has legal or similarly significant effects, subject to statutory exceptions.

These rights are not all absolute, and an exemption or another lawful reason may permit or require us to continue processing certain information. We do not currently use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

18. How to request access, correction or deletion

To exercise a data protection right, email staffordcoachtrips@gmail.com and explain what you would like us to do. There is normally no fee. We may ask for reasonable information to confirm your identity and ensure that personal information is not disclosed to the wrong person.

We will respond without undue delay and normally within one month after receiving a valid request. The law allows an extension in some cases, and we will explain if this applies. If a request concerns another person, we may require evidence that you are authorised to act for them.

If you are unhappy with how we use your information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve the concern. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK data protection regulator.

19. Children's privacy

Children may travel on our trips, but bookings must normally be made by an adult. We collect only the information about a child that is reasonably necessary to administer the booking, provide suitable assistance and protect their safety.

The adult making the booking must have authority to provide the child's information. We do not knowingly use children's information for direct marketing or create profiles of children for advertising. We will write privacy information concerning children in clear language and take particular care with photographs, health information and requests to exercise their rights.

20. Links to third-party websites

Our website contains links to third-party sites and services, including TicketSource, Facebook, attractions, hotels and travel suppliers. Following a link may allow that organisation to collect or receive information about you. We do not control third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy practices. Please read the privacy notice of each site you use.

21. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy when our services, suppliers, booking methods or legal obligations change. This includes introducing our own booking system, Stripe payments, domain-based email, additional UK or European destinations, or hotel accommodation packages.

The latest version will be published on this page and the Last updated date will be changed. If a change materially affects how we use information already collected, we will provide additional notice or seek consent where required.

22. Contact details

For questions about this Privacy Policy or to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us in writing.