Charter Trip Request Process
You've Submitted a Request. What Happens Now? What if You Decide To Cancel?
Once you have submitted a request via our online form, here is what you should expect. Note that the following instructions assume that you have submitted your trip at least two weeks in advance. If you have submitted your trip within our two-week deadline, your trip is not guaranteed (Step #3 below). Additionally, please note that we cannot provide charter services for weddings taking place at the University church.
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DUT will typically review your trip information within 72 business hours and email a quote to both the requestor and budget approver email listed within. If the quote is satisfactory, you will be asked to confirm the final details and provide a budget line to be charged. Groups are charged following the completion of their trip. Unless otherwise specified, your trip will be booked, guaranteed (unless your request was submitted within two weeks of your trip), and subject to our cancellation policy (on the page below) at this point. Note: requests received within two weeks of departure may incur higher fees.
The following situations may require additional evaluation before DUT can guarantee service, even if the trip request is submitted more than two weeks before your trip:
- Large groups (approx. 70 passengers or higher)
- Multi-destination trips (4 or more stops)
- Long-distance (3 hrs +) or overnight trips
- Trips during scheduled University closures or events
- Conferences or other multi-day events
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After receiving budget line information and confirmation, DUT will advertise the trip to all eligible drivers. Once drivers have been secured, you will receive a final confirmation. If you plan to provide a Certified Driver, we will review their record and confirm their eligibility before quoting the trip.
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If you request only vehicles, your group will be assigned a vehicle approximately 24 hours before your trip. Certified Drivers will be able to pick up keys 15 minutes before departure and occasionally earlier. We cannot accommodate requests for specific vans as vehicle availability and needs change rapidly. Requests for specialty vehicles (golf carts, tour buses, etc.) are handled on a case-by-case basis and are subject to availability.
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All passengers should arrive at the designated departure point at least ten minutes before the scheduled departure time. The driver will take down all passengers’ names on a digital list and depart upon the instruction of the group contact specified in your request. Drivers will have an optimal route provided by a dispatcher but may use an alternate route by the trip contact point. The driver will follow the itinerary as specified (see below for info on trip adjustments).
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We ask that any variations in the itinerary be brought to our main office’s attention as soon as possible. While we do our best to accommodate “day-of” or last-minute changes, they are highly disruptive and often denied. Out of respect to our drivers and staff, we ask that itinerary changes be kept minimal. Should your return time be later than the time specified in your final confirmation, DUT reserves the right to bill additional rental and driver fees. Delays on account of traffic will not be billed unless the trip contact point modified the itinerary or route. Failure to depart from the destination at the quoted time will be considered a modification and may incur additional charges.
Trip Cancelations
A large amount of labor goes into orchestrating every single chartered trip request. Therefore, we request your cooperation by keeping trip cancellations to a minimum. If your trip is weather dependent (i.e., will be canceled due to rain, requires clear skies, etc.), you must alert us before the day of travel. Extreme weather resulting in a department shutdown will not result in any fees billed to the trip requester.
The following fees will apply to groups canceling reservations:
- Canceled 48 hours or less before the time of departure = 50% of the Total Trip Cost
- Canceled 24 hours or less before the time of departure = 100% of the Total Trip Cost
Charter Blackout Dates
Please note that we will be unable to accept charter trip requests for the following dates:
- September 2, 2024
- September 13-15, 2024
- October 5-6, 2024
- October 10-14, 2024
- Nov. 24 - Dec. 1, 2024
- Dec. 11, 2024 - Jan. 2, 2025
- January 10-11, 2025
- March 13-23, 2025
- April 14-21, 2025
- May 1-21, 2025
- May 24-26, 2025
- Jubilee Weekend 2025
These dates are subject to change. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out by emailing [email protected].