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Terms & Conditions

​Company

  • DTMK Driving School is a trading name of DTMK Limited.
     

Obligations

  • You must hold a valid UK category B provisional or full driving license to take a driving lesson. 

  • You will inform your instructor of any legal or medical matters that affect your ability or entitlement to have driving tuition, including the lack or loss of a valid driving licence.

  • You will book lessons via the Total Drive app, or alternatively, directly with your instructor.

  • Alcohol and Drugs: You must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If signs of intoxication or impairment are discovered, the lesson or course will be terminated, and you will lose your fee.

  • You must be willing to learn.  Refusal to follow your instructor’s instructions and / or putting safety at risk will result in your lessons being terminated without refund.

  • Your instructor accepts no liability for damaged, lost, or left items such as jewellery, cash, clothing, mobile phones, or any other personal belongings in the training vehicle.

  • Our obligation to provide availability, theory training, and driving test support will be maintained provided you continue to take regular lessons (at least one two-hour lesson each month).

  • You must ensure that all personal details stored on Total Drive are correct.

  • Additional passengers will not usually be accommodated during a lesson.

  • Requests for alternative pick-up / drop-off locations must be made at the time of booking the lesson.  Such changes may impact our planned travel time between lessons.

  • Where lessons are arranged to start or finish at a location other than your usual home address, Driver Training Milton Keynes Limited is not liable for delays or cancellations due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g, traffic, mechanical breakdown, or personal emergencies).

  • Traffic Delays: Roads can sometimes be unpredictable and occasional delays are inevitable.  If your instructor is delayed due to severe or unexpected traffic you will receive an automated message via Total Drive to confirm they are ‘on their way’.  Ensure app notifications are switched on and remain in a safe place until your instructor arrives.

  • If a lesson starts late due to a delay, your instructor will agree whether to make up the lost or reduce the lesson duration to avoid overcharging (e.g. reducing a two-hour lesson to 90 minutes).

  • On arrival you will receive a Total Drive app message confirming your instructor is outside.  If you do not arrive within five minutes, another message will be sent.  After ten minutes, if you do not attend and you have not contacted your instructor, the lesson will be cancelled, and you will lose your fee.

 

Cancellations

  • Avoid cancelling lessons unless necessary.  Doing slow may slow your progress and affect readiness for a pre-booked test.

  • If you need to cancel, send an app message to your instructor to create a record of the request and avoid misunderstandings.

  • A 48-hour notice period is required to cancel or amend a lesson (e.g., reducing it from two hours to one hour).  Cancellations or changes made with less than 48 hours’ notice will be charged in full.

  • If we need to cancel due to instructor illness or mechanical faults, we will reschedule or issue a full refund for that lesson.  However, we are not liable for further costs.

  • Contact your instructor directly to make any booking changes, as other contact methods may not be available 24/7.

 

Payment

  • Payments must be made by the evening before your lesson.  Inform your instructor by text after payment so it can be allocated to your account.

  • Block booking payments must be used within six months of the first lesson.  In cases of sickness or injury, special arrangements may be possible to with advanced notice.

  • Payment is recorded on Total Drive as lesson credits.  Each credit is valid for one hour.  Lessons are typically two hours to maximise learning.  Weekly lessons are ideal, but two-hour lessons every two weeks are better than one-hour weekly lessons.

  • Prepaid lessons cannot be transferred to anyone else.

  • Payments can be made by bank transfer or by purchasing lesson credits through Total Drive.  If you wish to pay by card, then there is the option of purchasing lesson credits through Total Drive (card payments incur an administration fee, which is not charged by Driver Training Milton Keynes Limited).   Bank transfers avoid this fee.  No cash payments will be accepted.

  • Receipts will be emailed automatically through Total Drive.  Ensure your email address is correct.

 

Vehicle

  • The same car cannot always be guaranteed for all lessons due to servicing, mechanical issues, or routine vehicle replacements.

  • Replacement vehicles will be dual-controlled and suited for driving instruction and tests.

  • Vehicles provided will be clean and roadworthy

  • Lessons in your own vehicle will be at your instructor’s discretion, usually for advanced training or when you have reached test standard.  Documentation (e.g. insurance) must be provided, and the vehicle must be clean, well-maintained, and free of defects.

 

Mechanical Faults

  • If a lesson is interrupted by a mechanical fault, any remaining time will be credited back.

  • If a breakdown that occurs because of driver error (e.g., you hit a kerb and causing a flat tyre), the remaining lesson time will be lost, but you will not be charged for repairs.

 

Enforcement Fines and Penalty Points

  • The driver (you) is responsible for any offences committed during a lesson (e.g. speeding, or misuse of bus lanes).  You accept responsibility for fines and that your personal details may be provided to the relevant authority.

  • Penalty points can be imposed on both full and provisional driving licenses and may affect insurance premiums or license eligibility.

 

Theory Test Preparation

  • Access to online theory test learning can be made available to you while you are taking regular driving lessons through us (at least one two-hour lesson a month). We do have to pay for this, so we are unable to offer access if you are not taking these regular lessons.

 

License

  • You are required to inform us immediately of any changes to your driving license (e.g., you receive penalty points during private practice).  You must also notify us immediately of any collisions and / or other insurance claims that take place during your private practice.

  • You will bring your driving license with you to each lesson.

  • Periodically we may request that you provide us with a new license check code. This is to verify that nothing has changed since you started lessons.

 

Health and Safety

  • Notify us in writing of any medical conditions or injuries that may affect your ability to drive, or that may be relevant during lessons.  Carry emergency medication, if required.

 

Eyesight

  • Please ensure you are familiar with the legal requirements surrounding eyesight and driving.  These can be reviewed here: https://www.gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules

  • If glasses or contact lenses are required to meet legal eyesight standards, you must wear them during lessons. Failure to do so will result in the lesson being cancelled without refund.

  • Your instructor will check your eyesight at the start of the first lesson.  They will repeat the eyesight check if they suspect anything has changed.

 

Clothing and Footwear

  • Clothing, footwear, and accessories must always support safe driving.

  • Hoods are not considered safe as they can restrict both peripheral vision and the view when turning your head to check blind spots.

  • Footwear must be fully enclosed and secured to the foot without restricting movement.  Flip Flops, Loose Sandals, Walking Boots, Crocs etc.  are all unsuitable.  Most people find a pair of trainers with a flat sole most comfortable.

  • Some maintenance tasks involve being outside the car.  Please dress appropriately for the weather conditions.

  • If clothing / footwear is not deemed suitable on the day, then the lesson will be cancelled, and you will lose your payment.

  • Avoid ‘accessories’ that may cause additional injury in the event of a collision (e.g. hard plastic hair clips or nail extensions can cause injury during an impact).

 

Infection Prevention and Control & Personal Protective Equipment

  • During periods where there are high numbers of community infection (e.g., COVID-19) you may be asked to wear a face covering during lessons.

  • During these times at least two windows will always be open to increase ventilation so please always dress appropriately for the weather conditions.

  • Your instructor will ensure that all ‘touch points’ are cleaned between lessons using an appropriate antibacterial / antiviral / anti-fungal treatment.

 

Breaks Between Lessons

  • Periods of inactivity may result in us taking on additional learners and if we become particularly busy you may need to join the waiting list before we can resume lessons

 

Normal Working Hours

  • Monday 10:00-22:00

  • Tuesday 10:00-22:00

  • Wednesday 10:00-22:00

  • Thursday 10:00-22:00

  • Friday 10:00-22:00

  • Saturday 11:00-18:00**

  • Sunday CLOSED

 

**Saturday lessons will incur an additional charge and are not available every week throughout the year – dates that are available can be seen through Total Drive

 

 

Practical Test Car Booking

  • Cars are not provided by the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) at your practical driving test.  You are expected to arrive with a suitable car that is insured for the test.  Although it is possible to use your own car (or rent one), for driving test purposes, many people like to use their instructor’s car as they are familiar with it.  You should always use the car that you are most familiar with.  This information only relates to the booking of our car - the test booking is between you and the DVSA

  • • To use our car for your practical test, you must have completed the syllabus to an ‘independent driving’ standard and passed at least two mock tests (with your instructor, or an ADI-qualified colleague, acting as the ‘examiner’) at least three weeks before your test. If you are not ready to safely pass the test, we will not allow you to use our vehicle.

  • In addition to the above test requirement, we reserve the right to withdraw the use of our vehicle for the test if we believe you are not consistently driving safely. Your instructor’s decision will be final.

  • If we must cancel the test, due to sickness or vehicle problems with less than 14 days notice, and you are not able to make alternate arrangements we will pay you the test booking fee (NB we will be responsible for the standard DVSA booking fee – if you pay more for a booking from another source, we will not be liable for the additional cost.

  • If you come to us with less than 14 days before your test, then we will not be liable for any costs associated with you not being ready for test.  We reserve the right to withdraw our vehicle at any stage.  Your instructor’s opinion of your readiness will be final.

  • Generally, on the day of the test people benefit from some time driving the car before the start of the test - this gives time to ensure you have everything set up correctly and complete any specific practice we agree.

  • We will charge your usual hourly rate for practical test bookings (there are no additional fees) - if you would like your instructor to sit in the back of the car during the test then they will, otherwise they will wait for you to get back to the test centre.  Payment must be made by the day before your test.  If there was a problem (e.g. due to staff sickness or bad weather) and DVSA cancel the test, then there is a claims procedure that allows you to claim out of pocket expenses including your payment to Driver Training Milton Keynes Limited (this may be limited to two hours of driving lesson time).

  • When your test is complete, we strongly encourage you to allow us to listen to the feedback given; your examiner will ask if you want someone there for this.

  • After the test is complete, your instructor will be responsible for driving you back home, regardless of the test outcome.

  • Assuming you live in Milton Keynes then average booking times for your test day are likely to be Bletchley 2-2.5 hours, Leighton Buzzard 3 hours, Northampton 3-4 hours (NB we do not cover other test areas unless arranged with your instructor prior to booking).

  • You will agree the exact times with your instructor - based on where you live and potential traffic at the time of day closer to your test date.  You need to consider the impact of journey time on your own concentration – it is not sensible to get tired of driving and then begin a test.  For test centres further than 30 minutes away, it may be appropriate for us to drive you part of the way.

  • Please ensure you are familiar with the information in all the government sites below:

  • https://readytopass.campaign.gov.uk

  • https://www.gov.uk/driving-test/what-to-take

  • https://www.gov.uk/driving-test/what-happens-during-test

  • https://www.gov.uk/driving-test/driving-test-faults-result

  • https://www.gov.uk/driving-test/test-cancelled-bad-weather

  • https://www.gov.uk/driving-test/disability-health-condition-or-learning-difficulty

  • https://www.gov.uk/driving-test/using-your-own-car

 

Complaints

Most complaints are misunderstandings, but any complaint should be reported, in writing to Christopher Cook, Managing Director of Driver Training Milton Keynes Limited – christopher@dtmk.co.uk Your complaint will be investigated quickly.

If your complaint is not dealt with in a satisfactory way, then it is possible to escalate concerns to the Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors

https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-a-driving-instructor

 

Equality

Driver Training Milton Keynes Limited is committed to encouraging equality, diversity, and inclusion amongst our workforce, and eliminating unlawful discrimination.

The organisation – in providing services is also committed against unlawful discrimination of customers and the general public.

  • People will be treated with dignity and respect regardless of age, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), sexual orientation, gender, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marital status, religion or belief, disability, and age.

  • At all times people’s feelings will be valued and respected. Language or humour that contradicts this will not be used, e.g. sexist / racist jokes or terminology which is derogatory to someone with a disability.

  • No one will be harassed, abused or intimidated on the ground of his or her age, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), sexual orientation, gender, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marital status, religion or belief, disability, or age. Incidents of harassment will be taken seriously.

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