Ride Policies & Expectations

At Upgraded Rides, we want every trip to be safe, comfortable and enjoyable for both our passengers and drivers. Please review the following policies before reserving your ride.

Children & Car Seats

The safety of our youngest passengers comes first. North Carolina law requires children under 8 years old and under 80 pounds to be properly secured in an appropriate child passenger restraint system. Passengers are responsible for providing the appropriate car seat or booster seat for their child. Upgraded Rides does not currently provide child safety seats. The parent or responsible adult must install and secure the child restraint. We cannot begin the trip unless every child has the legally required restraint.

Seat Belts

Seat belts must be worn by all passengers while the vehicle is moving. Please remain seated and properly restrained throughout your ride.

Smoking & Vaping

Our vehicle is 100% smoke- and vape-free. Smoking, vaping, e-cigarettes and similar products are not permitted inside the vehicle at any time.

Food & Drinks

Complimentary bottled water is available during your ride. To help us keep the vehicle clean and comfortable for everyone, open drinks or containers that can easily spill are not permitted. Please ask your driver before consuming food in the vehicle.

Alcohol

No consumption of alcohol or open alcoholic beverages is permitted in the vehicle. North Carolina generally prohibits passengers from possessing an open alcoholic beverage or consuming alcohol in the passenger area of a vehicle on a highway, subject to statutory exceptions.

Cleaning & Damage

We take pride in providing a clean, well-maintained vehicle for every passenger. Riders are responsible for excessive messes or damage caused by themselves or members of their party.

If professional cleaning or repair is required because of spills, vomiting, bodily fluids, smoking, burns, stains, excessive dirt, intentional damage or other damage beyond normal use, the person who booked the ride will be responsible for the reasonable cost of cleaning or repair.

Any charge will be based on the nature and extent of the damage and may include documented professional cleaning or repair costs.

Respectful Conduct

We want both passengers and drivers to feel safe and comfortable. Threatening, aggressive, discriminatory, sexually inappropriate or abusive behavior toward the driver or other passengers will not be tolerated.

A ride may be ended early if a passenger's behavior creates an unsafe situation. No refund will be provided when a ride is ended because of unsafe, threatening or seriously disruptive passenger behavior.

Passenger Capacity

Our current vehicle accommodates a maximum of four passengers. Passenger limits cannot be exceeded, even for short trips. Please include the correct number of passengers when making your reservation.

Personal Belongings

Passengers are responsible for their personal belongings. Please check the vehicle before leaving. If you believe you've left something behind, contact us as soon as possible and we'll make reasonable efforts to locate and return it.

Pickup & Waiting

Please be ready at your scheduled pickup time. Because Upgraded Rides provides pre-scheduled transportation, your reserved pickup time is set aside specifically for you. We provide a complimentary 10-minute grace period beginning at your scheduled pickup time, or when your driver arrives if the driver arrives after the scheduled time.

If you need additional time, please contact your driver before the end of the grace period. When the driver's schedule allows, additional waiting time may be arranged at $1.00 per minute beginning after the complimentary 10-minute period. Additional waiting time is subject to driver availability and cannot be guaranteed if it would interfere with another scheduled reservation.

If we are unable to reach you and you have not contacted your driver by the end of the grace period, the reservation may be considered a no-show and the driver may leave.

Passengers who need additional boarding time because of a disability will not be charged a waiting fee for disability-related boarding time.

Changes, Additional Stops & Route Requests

Any planned stops should be included in the Notes section when booking your ride so we can account for them when scheduling your reservation.

Requests for additional stops after a ride has been booked may not be possible due to scheduling constraints or other reservations following your trip.

Short, unplanned stops may be permitted at the driver's discretion, provided they do not significantly change the route or interfere with another scheduled reservation. Significant route changes, extended stops, or additional destinations that were not included with the original reservation cannot be guaranteed.

Driver Safety

Your driver's responsibility is to operate the vehicle safely. Drivers will obey traffic laws and will not speed, make unsafe stops, overload the vehicle or follow passenger requests that would compromise safety. Severe weather, road closures, traffic incidents or other circumstances outside our control may require route changes, delays or cancellation for safety reasons.

Animals

Trained service animals are always welcome at Upgraded Rides. We are happy to accommodate passengers traveling with a service animal and ask that you let us know when booking when possible so we can make your ride as comfortable as possible.

Because we maintain our vehicle for use by all passengers, we do not routinely transport pets or other non-service animals. If you need transportation with a pet, please contact us before booking. We may be able to accommodate certain situations by prior arrangement, depending on the animal, appropriate carrier or restraint, and vehicle availability. Passengers are responsible for any excessive cleaning or damage caused by an animal during the ride.

Service animals are not considered pets and are not subject to our pet restrictions or additional pet-related charges..