Legal

Terms & Conditions

Please read these Terms carefully. They explain what KinOrbit does and — just as importantly — what it does not do. KinOrbit helps families find and coordinate with one another. It does not transport children, supervise journeys, or vet the people you choose to trust. The responsibility for deciding who may carry your child is yours.

1. About these terms and who we are

1.1 KinOrbit is operated by KINORBIT LTD, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 17402687 (“KinOrbit”, “we”, “us”, “our”). It operates the KinOrbit website and, when released, the KinOrbit mobile application and school administration portal.

1.2 These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of the KinOrbit mobile application, website and school administration portal (together, the “Platform”). By creating an account, ticking the acceptance box, or using the Platform, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Statement. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

1.3 Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or other UK law that cannot lawfully be excluded.

2. Definitions

  • Family / User — an adult (18+) with parental responsibility who uses the Platform.
  • Bubble — a group of families who coordinate lifts for their children.
  • Informal Arrangement — a private, voluntary, non-commercial lift-sharing arrangement made directly between Users (see section 6).
  • Operator — a separately verified commercial driver or transport company (see section 9).
  • School — an educational institution or local authority using the Platform’s tools.

3. What KinOrbit is — and what it is not

3.1 KinOrbit is an introduction and coordination platform. We help families whose children attend the same school, and who live in the same area, to find and connect with one another, and we provide scheduling, messaging and coordination tools. We also help schools and local councils understand and plan travel.

3.2 KinOrbit is NOT, and does not act as, any of the following:

  • a transport provider, carrier, taxi, private-hire vehicle operator or public-service vehicle operator;
  • a childcare, babysitting or supervision service;
  • an employer, agent, principal or partner of any User, driver or Operator;
  • a party to any Informal Arrangement between Users;
  • a background-checking, vetting or safeguarding authority; or
  • the arranger of any particular lift. Users make their own arrangements with each other. KinOrbit does not select, assign, direct or control who drives any child.

3.3 What we ask you to keep in mind. Like an introduction service, KinOrbit surfaces other Users based on the information they choose to provide (school, area, availability, stated preferences). We do not verify, endorse or guarantee the identity, character, honesty, reliability, criminal record, driving competence or intentions of any User, driver or Operator. The decision to let another person transport your child — and all responsibility for vetting and trusting that person — is yours and yours alone.

3.4 We do not supervise journeys. Once families connect, everything that happens before, during and after a journey is between those families. KinOrbit is not present and exercises no control.

4. Eligibility

4.1 You must be at least 18 years old and hold parental responsibility (or lawful delegated authority) for each child you add.

4.2 Children do not hold accounts and do not use the Platform to arrange lifts. All information about a child is entered by an adult User who confirms they are entitled to provide it.

4.3 You confirm that the information you provide is true, current and complete, and that you will keep it up to date.

5. Accounts, identity and verification

5.1 Sign-in is managed by our authentication provider. You are responsible for keeping your credentials secure and for all activity under your account.

5.2 Levels of verification are limited and are not a guarantee of safety.

  • School verification means only that a School has indicated a person is associated with that School’s community. It is the School’s confirmation, not ours, and we do not independently verify guardianship or enrolment.
  • Identity verification (where offered, via a third-party identity provider) confirms only that a document appears valid for a named adult. It is not a criminal-record check, DBS check, or a warranty of good character.

5.3 We do not carry out DBS or criminal-record checks on Users making Informal Arrangements, and we are not required to (see section 6).

6. Informal Arrangements between families

6.1 Lift-sharing between Users is a private, voluntary, non-commercial Informal Arrangement directly between the families involved. KinOrbit is not a party to it.

6.2 By taking part, you acknowledge and agree that:

  • Vetting is your responsibility. You alone decide who may transport your child and you are responsible for satisfying yourself as to their suitability.
  • No DBS requirement. Informal lift-sharing between parents, family, friends and neighbours is not “regulated activity” under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, and no DBS check is legally required or provided. Trust in this context is between the participating adults.
  • Non-profit only. No driver may profit. Money may only cover a fair split of actual running costs (fuel, tolls, parking, proportionate wear) and must not exceed HMRC Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rates. Making a profit can invalidate standard motor insurance and amount to operating an unlicensed taxi. KinOrbit does not process payments between families.
  • Insurance, licence and roadworthiness are the driver’s responsibility. Each driver must hold valid Social, Domestic & Pleasure (and, if applicable, Commuting) insurance that covers carrying other people’s children, a valid licence, MOT and vehicle tax, and must drive only their own insured vehicle.
  • Child safety in the vehicle — correct car seats and restraints, and legal seating limits — is the responsibility of the child’s parent and the driver, not KinOrbit.

6.3 You are encouraged to record your Informal Arrangement in writing between the participating families. KinOrbit may provide an optional template for convenience only; it is not legal advice and creates no obligation on KinOrbit.

7. Schools and local councils

7.1 Where a School uses the Platform to invite or manage families, the School is responsible for confirming its own community and for any verification it chooses to perform. KinOrbit provides tools; it does not assume the School’s safeguarding responsibilities.

7.2 We may provide aggregated or pseudonymised travel-planning insights to Schools and local councils, governed by our Privacy Statement and any separate agreement with the School or council.

8. Payments and subscriptions

8.1 Some features require a paid subscription to KinOrbit. Fees, billing and cancellation terms are shown at the point of purchase and processed by our payment provider; we do not store your full card details.

8.2 Your subscription is a fee to KinOrbit for access to the Platform. It is not a payment for transport and does not make any Informal Arrangement a commercial service.

9. Operators (commercial drivers), where offered

9.1 Where KinOrbit lists a commercial Operator, that Operator is an independent business responsible for its own DBS clearance, hire-and-reward insurance, and private-hire / PSV licensing. Additional terms apply. KinOrbit is not the transport provider and is not liable for the Operator’s acts or omissions.

10. Your conduct and safeguarding

10.1 You must use the Platform lawfully, provide accurate information, respect other Users’ privacy, and not use it to harass, endanger or deceive.

10.2 If you have a safeguarding concern, contact the police (or 999 in an emergency) and, where relevant, the School. You may also report concerns to us at support@kinorbit.co.uk. We may investigate, suspend or remove accounts, but we cannot guarantee the conduct of any User and are not a substitute for the authorities.

11. No warranties

11.1 The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we make no warranty or representation that any User, driver or Operator is safe, honest, reliable, suitably insured or of good character; that any journey will be safe, on time or take place; or that the Platform will be uninterrupted or error-free.

11.2 Any decision you make in reliance on information provided by another User is made at your own risk.

12. Limitation of liability

12.1 Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, and for any other liability that cannot be excluded under UK law (including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977).

12.2 Subject to clause 12.1, and to the fullest extent permitted by law:

  • We are not liable for the acts or omissions of any User, driver, Operator, School or third party, including any harm, injury, loss or damage arising out of or in connection with any journey, Informal Arrangement, introduction, or the conduct of any person you meet or connect with through the Platform.
  • We are not liable for any indirect, special or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, goodwill or opportunity.
  • Our total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising in any 12-month period, to the extent it may lawfully be limited, is capped at the greater of [£100] or the total subscription fees you paid to KinOrbit in that period.

12.3 The Platform introduces and coordinates; it does not transport, supervise or vet. Responsibility for the safety of any child rests with that child’s parents or guardians and the adults they choose to trust.

13. Indemnity

13.1 To the extent permitted by law (and without limiting your non-excludable consumer rights), you agree to indemnify KinOrbit against claims, losses and reasonable costs arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Platform, or your own acts or omissions in connection with an Informal Arrangement.

14. Suspension, termination and changes

14.1 You may stop using the Platform and close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate access where these Terms are breached or where necessary to protect Users or comply with law.

14.2 We may update these Terms. Material changes will be notified in-app or by email; continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

15. Governing law and disputes

15.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Disputes are subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. If you are a consumer resident elsewhere in the UK, you may have the right to bring proceedings in your local courts, and your local mandatory consumer protections continue to apply.

16. Contact

KINORBIT LTD (company number 17402687) · support@kinorbit.co.uk

These Terms should be read together with the Privacy Statement. KinOrbit is a facilitator that introduces and coordinates families; it is not a transport provider, childcare provider, or vetting authority.