What are courtesy wait times?
Courtesy wait times are the free waiting periods BDT guarantees to every customer. As a driver, you are required to honour these in full for every booking — they are not optional.
How long do I wait?
| Pickup Type | Wait Time | Starts From |
|---|---|---|
| Regular pickup (residential, office, train station) | 10 minutes | Scheduled pickup time |
| Special Event pickup | 20 minutes | Scheduled pickup time |
| Domestic Airport | 30 minutes | Aircraft touchdown |
| International Airport | 60 minutes | Aircraft touchdown |
Airport pickups — when does the clock start?
For standard airport pickups, the courtesy wait begins the moment the customer’s aircraft touches down.
However, if the customer has nominated a delayed entry time after touchdown (e.g., pickup set for 30 minutes after landing), the courtesy wait period starts from that nominated time — not from touchdown.
In either case, you must monitor flight arrivals and adjust your timing accordingly. Use the flight tracking link inside the booking in the Driver App, or an independent flight tracking tool. It is strongly recommended you check flights at least 12 hours in advance.
What if the flight is delayed?
You adjust. If a flight is delayed, your timing shifts to match the new actual landing time. For bookings that include a scheduled buffer after landing (e.g., pickup booked 2 hours after a 7:00 PM landing), shift that entire window forward to match the delay — the same buffer applies from the new landing time.
Can I charge for courtesy wait time?
No. Courtesy wait time is free to the customer and is already factored into your booking payout. You cannot add it as an extra.
Once the courtesy period has expired, chargeable waiting time may apply — but only where the customer has authorised it. See the Chargeable Waiting Time section of the SLA for that process.
What if the customer still hasn’t appeared after the wait?
Do not leave. You must:
- Attempt to call the customer using the Contact Customer option in the Driver App
- If no contact, call BDT
- Only leave once BDT instructs you to close the job as a No Show
Leaving the pickup point without contacting BDT will result in forfeiture of payment and possible suspension.
Planning tip
Factor courtesy wait times into your schedule before accepting back-to-back bookings. If a domestic airport pickup runs into the full 30-minute wait, that time affects your availability for the next job. Accepting conflicting work without accounting for this is your responsibility.
