Heathrow Airport Transfers-Chauffeur Car or Minicab

Has anyone noticed the number of mini-cab firms now claiming to offer chauffeur driven cars? There seem to be hundreds of them!

Now lets face it, if I owned a BMW 528 and changed the badge to a M5, would it still be a BMW 525 or an M5? the truth is, I will be the only one kidding myself and everyone else can have a laugh at my expense. It is the same with these mini-cab companies offering "chauffeur driven cars" for transfers to and from London Heathrow airport. Of course, there is nothing wrong with minicab firms, in the same way as there is nothing wrong with a BMW 528, but they are not the same.

So why do they claim to be something they are not? The cynics amongst us may suggest that they want to command more money, offering a service for less than the cost of a proper chauffeur driven car, but more than that of a minicab firm. So who gets short-changed? If the customer genuinely thinks they are ordering a chauffeur driven car and get a minicab, then they are.

So what is the difference? Well a chauffeur driven car is more expensive of course, but then it should be. Because it isn't a taxi or a minicab, it will complete less journeys and it won't be working 24 hours a day with different drivers just to make it pay. If you are looking to book a transfer to or from London heathrow airport, chances are you will want to ensure that the car is on time, if it is a chauffeur driven car, then it may only complete 5 or 6 journeys a day, whereas if it is a minicab, it may be completing 20 or more, which one do you think is most likely to be on time? With a chauffeur driven car, you can normally pre-book a specific car or model, try doing that with a minicab company. A chauffeur driven car will be cleaned prior to every journey, when was the last time you saw a minicab in the car wash?

A chauffeur will typically be dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and wearing a conservative tie, your minicab driver, may think that so long as he is wearing a tie, then he must be a chauffeur. Of course I am generalising, but who knows, you certainly can't be certain until it is too late! Chauffeur driven cars are purchased with the passengers in mind, for the comfort and prestige and more often than not, they are purchased new. Minicabs are typically purchased with economy in mind.

If you are looking to book a transfer to or from London Heathrow airport, why take a chance? Book a proper chauffeur driven car, from a company that specialises in chauffeur cars and employs chauffeurs. Pay a little more and receive much, much more.

Cars for Stars is an established, London based, award winning company, offering a comprehensive range of chauffeur driven cars, people carriers and American stretched limousines for transfers to and from London Heathrow airport and all other London airports. Cars for Stars is a licensed Private Hire Operator through the Public Carriage Office (PCO). Similarly, all chauffeur driven vehicles offered for hire are licensed by the PCO, as are the Chauffeurs. All of Cars for Stars chauffeurs are experienced and mature and in order to gain the PCO Licence, they will have had to pass a medical and criminal records bureau check. Cars for Stars has the depth of experience to cater for the needs of most organisers and the range of vehicles to handle the majority of requests. They do not operate coaches or buses, but can assist or liaise where required.

Cars for Stars offers a range of chauffeur driven cars and people carriers for Heathrow Airport Transfers. This includes the entry level (but no less popular) vehicles, such as the Chrysler 300 and Mercedes E Class, executive chauffeur cars which would include the BMW 7 Series (LWB), Mercedes S Class (LWB), Audi A8 and the all new Jaguar XJ (LWB). Top of the range chauffeur cars include the Bentley Arnage, Rolls Royce Phantom and Maybach 62. People carriers offered are the top of the range Mercedes Viano, with seating for 5, 7 or 8 passengers, depending on the level of room and comfort sought. American stretched limousines are available in a range of colours from the popular white, through to the favourite for tours, a silver stretched Chrysler 300 and the unusual, such as the candy apple red Hummer of Chrysler limousines.

Chauffeur Driven Cars for Business People

If you are looking for a chauffeur driven car, it is safe to assume that you will want one the has an established reputation for service and reliability. But what else?

No two companies offering chauffeur driven cars are alike and inevitably you will have to establish between what is hype and fact. A starting point is to ensure that the company is licensed. All companies operating chauffeur driven cars are required to be licensed for private hire with their local District Council, or in the case of London, with the Public Carriage Office (PCO). Similarly, all of the vehicles that are offered for hire or reward must be licensed by the relevant authority and, only licensed private hire drivers can drive a private hire vehicle. The requirement for licensing ensures that the chauffeurs are subjected to both a medical and a criminal records bureau check.

Another little know fact, but nonetheless, very relevant if your are seeking to hire an executive chauffeur driven car, is the question of the private hire plate. All private hire cars are required by law to have a private hire plate fixed back and front. If you are seeking to impress, then a yellow plate fixed to the back of your chauffeur driven Bentley Arnage is going to look a little out of place, however, the news is not all bad. Some suppliers of executive chauffeur driven cars have succeeded in gaining an exemption, meaning that they do not have to display the private hire plate. If this is important to you, then it is worth checking with your chauffeur services company first.

If you are a business or business traveller, then the choice of vehicles available to you may be a significant factor. Whilst it is important for your chauffeur car services company to have a reasonable number of 'bread and butter' executive cars available at short notice, it is also helpful if they have other models, such as people carriers, top of the range vehicles, including for example a Rolls Royce and, maybe even stretched limousines.

Standards are important and within the chauffeur industry, these will vary widely, depending entirely on the type of service the operator actually offers and the level of control over the delivery of this service. For example, many chauffeur companies employ owner drivers, in much the same way as a private hire "minicab" company would. The main difference is that the owner drivers have executive cars rather than the usual family cars used by minicab firms. This provides the chauffeur cars operator with scale and choice, but it can come at the expense of control, given the chauffeurs are effectively self-employed and the vehicles are not necessarily company owned and therefore, maintained or subjected to daily scrutiny. Nonetheless, this model does work and is quite commonplace.

Others may act as agents or brokers, offering chauffeur driven cars from third party chauffeur car hire services companies, with the agent billing the customer and then sub-contracting the work. This is a generally accepted and commonplace practice, provided a strict check is kept on the companies that are being sub-contracted to. That is often easier said than done. Once again, this may be the core business model of the chauffeur services company, it could just be used to supplement the peaks and troughs of the main business and offering more flexibility to their clients.

Company owned vehicles and employed chauffeurs are more rare and tend to be the smaller operations. What they may lack in scale, they tend to make back in terms of control over service, reliability and staff matters. Once again these companies will tend to use other companies to assist as and when necessary.

Some, but not all, executive chauffeur car service companies will offer account facilities. If this is important to a business, then it will need to go to the top of your list. However, most companies will charge a fairly significant premium for those wanting accounts facilities, perhaps as much as 10 to 15% representing the increased risk and affect on cash flow.

Cars for Stars Limited is a well established and experienced, award winning company providing chauffeur cars and limousines through an extensive branch network. Cars for Stars in London is licensed by the Public Carriage Office (PCO) for private hire. Other Cars for Stars branches are franchised and therefore licensed through their respective local authorities. All Cars for Stars offices are obliged to adhere to the high standards and service as the Group. The local authority licensing regime means that the businesses are subject to regular assessments and scrutiny to ensure that they comply with all of the regulations and standards, the vehicles are also subjected to bi-annual tests, in order that they can retain their private hire vehicle licence. In addition, the chauffeurs must be licensed to drive these vehicles. For a chauffeur to obtain and maintain their licence they must be subjected to and pass a medical and will also be subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check.

Cars for Stars offer a full complement of chauffeur driven cars and American limousines for hire and all of their vehicles are exempted from the requirement to affix a private hire plate to the vehicle. As a full service chauffeur cars company, Cars for Stars offer a range of services, which include business and leisure travel, tours, wedding cars, transfers to and from airports, long-term hires, tours, European travel via the Eurotunnel other forms of event transportation. The range of cars is extensive, but includes a choice of entry level chauffeur driven cars such as the Chrysler 300 and Mercedes E Class, executive, people carriers, 4x4's, long wheel base cars including the Jaguar XJ, Mercedes S Class and BMW 7 Series as well as the pre-requisite smattering of top marques which include the Bentley Arnage, Rolls Royce Phantom and Maybach 62. Limousines come in different shapes, sizes and colours. As a licensed provider, the maximum number of passengers that can be carried, irrespective of size is eight.

Train to be a Professional Chauffeur in the UK

If you want to become a chauffeur then an accredited training course is an excellent way of ensuring that you stand out from the crowd and will demonstrate to any prospective employer that you are serious about your vocation. Not all courses provide accreditation, it very much depends on the duration of the course, but those that do will have more credibility than those without. Two organisations providing chauffeur courses are details below.

The Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM) offers three training courses for chauffeurs, a one day entry level course leading to an invitation to register as an IAM associate. The 3 day intensive course, includes an Advanced Driving Test and on successful completion a certificate will be issued indicating that the chauffeur has undertaken an IAM Fleet Chauffeur Training and passed ‘with merit’. Chauffeurs will also be awarded with membership of the IAM The 5 day course is much more intensive, but provides the chauffeur with the opportunity to gain a certificate confirming that they have undertaken and passed an IAM Fleet Chauffeur Training and passed ‘with distinction’. Follow this link for more information about the IAM Chauffeur Training Courses.

The British Chauffeurs Guild also offers a training course which is designed to meet the needs of new and existing chauffeurs and leads to full membership of the British Chauffeurs Guild and the issuing of a Diploma. Chauffeur's that have attended and passed the course will also receive a 'silver cockade' designed to be worn of the cap and a members handbook containing the rules of the Guild, code of conduct and guidelines for members. The British Chauffeurs Guild will also assist member in finding employment and have their own in house employment agency. Follow this link for more information about the British Chauffeurs Guild.

Other companies that provide chauffeur training are listed below:

High Performance Course UK Limited

Defensive Driver Training

Advanced Driver Training Techniques

Cars for Stars Limited is a UK based company operating chauffeur driven cars and limousines. With a Head Office based in London, and they offer a national service for limousine and chauffeur cars through an extended branch network of franchised offices.

Is it a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire Vehicle?

All Hackney Carriages (taxis) are required to display an illuminated ‘TAXI’ sign. On licensed cars the sign is fitted to the roof and the word ‘taxi’ is visible from the front. During hours of darkness all taxi signs are illuminated when the vehicles are available for hire. Private Hire Vehicles are not permitted to display any sign on the roof of the vehicle.

All taxis and Private Hire Vehicles have to display licensed plates, one fixed to the rear and the other to the internal dashboard of the vehicle. The plate displays the licence number and the number of passengers that a vehicle is allowed to carry. The exterior plate affixed to a Hackney Carriage (taxi) are white, whilst a yellow plate is affixed to the rear of a Private Hire Vehicle., except in the case of some 'executive hire' vehicles where an exemption may have been applied for and granted. Hackney Carriages (taxis) can be hailed directly from the street or hired from taxi ranks, which are situated in each town.

Private Hire Vehicles must by law be pre-booked. A Private Hire Vehicle may also include a Stretched Limousine, which will not be permitted to carry any more than 8 passengers and will also be required to display a yellow plate on the rear of the limousine unless exemption has been granted.

All Hackney Carriage (taxis) are fitted with fare meters, which should be used for each journey. Fares are fixed for each vehicle by the District Council, and a fare card must be displayed inside the taxi.

Becoming a local Private Hire Chauffeur

Whether you are working for a company providing chauffeur driven cars and/or limousine for hire, if they are licensed for private hire by their local authority, then they can only employ correctly licensed drivers/chauffeurs.

Driver’s licences are only issued by appropriate District Council after the driver has been checked to ensure that he or she:

1. Is a fit and proper person of which includes vetting for criminal convictions, including motoring offences.
2. Has held a full, valid driving licence for a minimum of 12 months.
3. Has passed a medical as laid down by the District Council
4. Has successfully undertaken a knowledge test of the area. (this is not always mandatory)
5. Is fully aware of the conditions and obligations attached to the drivers licence.

All licensed drivers must wear an identification badge, which includes a photograph of the bearer. Some District Councils will issue a ‘dual’ licence that permits a licensed driver to drive a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle. Please note: This is designed as a guide only, whilst the principles will remain the same, some District Councils will intepret the rules differently. In additon, the rules for applying for a PCO (Public Carriage Office) Licence in London will differ.

Cars for Stars is a UK based company operating chauffeur driven cars and limousine. Based in London, it offers national service through an extensive, branch network of franchised offices. All Cars for Stars franchises are fully licensed by their respective local authority, or in the case of London, by the Public Carriage Office (PCO), which means that the chauffeurs will have been subjected to a medical and criminal records bureau check and the chauffeur cars and limousines will be subjected to regular and vigorous tests.

Cars for Stars local offices can be found in the Chauffeur Cars Directory or the Limousine Hire Directory.

Why a chauffeur car can cost less than a taxi

Did you know, that if you are looking to travel to or from London, it will probably be cheaper to hire a chauffeur driven car, than it would to use a metered London Taxi Cab? Because chauffeur services companies operate on a lower hourly and mileage rate, for longer hires and those with higher mileage the hire charges are very competitive. Better still, because London based chauffeur car hire companies are obliged to be licensed with the Public Carriage Office (PCO), there are no congestion charges to consider either.

So next time you are looking to travel into London, why not consider hiring a chauffeur driven car for the evening, you will be pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive it is. Or if you are a business traveller, the hire of a chauffeur driven car for the say will cost less than most European Business Class flights.

Cars for Stars is a London based company offering a range of chauffeur driven cars and American stretched limousines for hire. The fleet of chauffeur cars includes, but is not limited to: the Chrysler 300, BMW 7 Series (LWB), all new Jaguar XJ (LWB), Mercedes S Class (LWB), Mercedes Viano people carrier, Rolls Royce Phantom, Bentley Arnage and the Maybach 62. Cars for Stars, licensed by the PCO for chauffeur driven cars. You can find other companies providing chauffeur cars in the Chauffeur Cars Directory.

So just what does a Chauffeur do?

Starting at the beginning, Chauffeur is the French word for driver. It originally came from the verb "chauffeur" which meant 'to heat' or 'he who heats', this is because early steam powered cars required the drivers to keep the engine hot.

A Chauffeur is someone who drives a luxury car or limousine for a living, as opposed to someone that drives a non-luxury cars who would tend to be described as a driver. In the past many Chauffeurs were employed full-time by wealthy families or large businesses. Today, most people and businesses prefer to 'outsource' their chauffeur driven car requirements to a professional chauffeur services company. Some people also employ Chauffeurs to drive their own cars on a casual basis and as a consequence there is a large pool of self-employed chauffeurs available for hire.

Most chauffeurs have to undertake some professional training for which they receive a diploma or accreditation. Training typically includes advanced driver training and chauffeur etiquette. In most countries, including the UK, Chauffeurs who work for a professional chauffeur services company are required to be licensed to operate a private hire vehicle, the chauffeur services company must also be licensed as a private hire operator. To gain a private hire licence, the chauffeur will be required to attend and pass a medical, as well as being subjected to a criminal records bureau check.

In addition to driving chauffeur driven cars, many chauffeurs are also employed drive stretched limousines, which are used mostly for private hires, functions and events, as opposed to business use for which standard cars and sedans are used.

A chauffeurs uniform is usually a dark suit, white shirt and a conservative tie (often black). Shoes must be black and highly polished. Though less common today, a chauffeurs uniform would also include a cap and gloves, but most people business and private consider the latter to be too ostentatious.

A Job as a Licensed PCO Chauffeur in London

If you have always wanted to become a Chauffeur or just want a change of direction, then you do a lot worse than consider a job as a Chauffeur working in London. So where do you start?

If you already have a PCO Licence, this is a significant advantage, because the process of applying for one can be quite long, often taking up to 3 months. Without a PCO Licence, you cannot work for a PCO registered company in London. If you have a good knowledge of London and you have worked as a PCO Licensed Driver, then the step to becoming a Chauffeur is a relatively small one.

However, you will almost certainly have to consider working on a casual or part-time basis, before you will be considered for a full-time role. Companies such as Cars for Stars, based in London are always looking for experienced PCO Licensed drivers or Chauffeur's and offer excellent rates of pay. Depending on experience and availability, the company will be able to offer part-time and full-time position, but like many operations offering chauffeur cars and limousine hire, the hours can be unpredictable and, therefore, Chauffeurs have to show a high degree of flexibility.

The same flexibility is needed in terms of the type of vehicle. For example, those Chauffeur's that are as willing to drive stretched limousines, as they are other chauffeur driven cars, will be provided with considerably more work, than those that wish to only drive cars.

If you already have a PCO Licence, which is current and you would like to work as a Chauffeur, you can either visit the Cars for Stars Chauffeur Jobsite or call them on 0845 500 3030. If you do not want to work as a chauffeur but are interested in other types of driving jobs, you could try the website Professional Drivers Jobs.

Chauffeured in style to the Cheltenham Festival

The Cheltenham Racecourse has a proud history, dating back to 1815, when the meeting was held at Nottingham Hill and the first race in 1818 on Cleeve Hill. In 1830, the Grandstand was burnt to the ground, when the new Grandstand was built in 1831, it was at Prestbury Park, the current location. Steeplechasing which was established nearby, was moved to Cheltenham Racecourse in 1898. Today Cheltenham is to National Hunt, what Wimbledon is to tennis. Now with the number of visitors to the festival exceeding 180,000 over 4 days, there is an increasing demand for the hire of stretched limousines and chauffeur cars for the Cheltenham Festival. (More information is provided at the end of this article)

The original Tattersalls Grandstand was opened in 1960 to cater for the larger crowds. It was also the home of The Weighing Room, which was situated beneath the Festival Restaurant and had the Winners Enclosure above the Parade Ring. The main Grandstand was finished in 1979 and subsequently extended twice during the 1980's. In 1982, The Weighing Room and Parade Ring were built behind the stands with a terrace providing viewing for a further 4000 visitors. During the early 1990's the Pre-Parade Ring was used for the first time and the Hall of Fame entrance was opened. Those interested in the Cheltenham Festival make like to know that the Cross Country Course was introduced in 1995. 1997 witnessed the demolition of the original Tattersalls Grandstand, which was replaced with tiered viewing and a restaurant which boast fantastic views around the racecourse.

During the period 2003 and 2004, a further £20m was invested at the Cheltenham Racecourse which included, improvements to the Best Mate Enclosure situated in the centre of the racecourse as well as additional facilities for race days such as a new conference and events centre which can accommodate up to 4000 guests. Then in 2005, the Cheltenham Festival, originally introduced in 1902, was extended to 4 days during which there are 24 races. The racecourse employs 60 full-time staff, which rises to to over 1000 for race meetings and in excess of 5000 for the Cheltenham Festival.

The Cheltenham Festival is the most prestigious meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom and has race prize money during the festival of £3m, making it second only to the Grand National. During the festival, over 180,000 visitors descend on Cheltenham, more than doubling the local population. It is estimated that an average of £1m is bet with course bookies on each of the 24 races. The first Cheltenham Festival meeting took place in 1902 and since then has continued to gain prominence within the racing calendar. The Feature Races include The Champion Hurdle which is run on the Tuesday and is the first showpiece event. This is followed on the Wednesday with the Queen Mother Champion Chase and on Friday with the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Visitors frequently choose to be chauffeured to the Cheltenham Festival in top of the range chauffeur driven cars, such as a Rolls Royce, Bentley Arnage, or Maybach. Plus the tradition of selecting the best stretched limousines available remains strong. Visitors frequently retain their chauffeur cars or limousines for the duration of their visit, with the chauffeur services companies providing open sided marquees, tables and chairs for their guests.

Cars for Stars is an award winning company offering a wide range of chauffeur driven cars and the very latest stretched limousines. The chauffeur cars available for the Cheltenham Festival include the Rolls Royce Phantom, Maybach 62, Bentley Arnage, the all new Jaguar XJ (LWB), latest Mercedes S Class (LWB), Range Rover Vogue as well as Mercedes people carriers. Stretched limousines for hire are available in different shapes and sizes, in white, black, silver, metallic blue, vanilla white and candy apple red.

Cars for Stars is a franchised business, with offices in major locations throughout the UK and, all Cars for Stars businesses are licensed for private hire by the relevant local authority, in London this is the Public Carriage Office (PCO). This means that all Cars for Stars franchisees are registered for private hire, the limousines are licensed as private hire vehicles and the chauffeurs are licensed to drive the cars and limousines. The chauffeur cars and limousines do not have a private hire plate attached because of a successful application for exemption.

From the 1st January 2008, all limousine companies, that were not previously licensed to offer limousines for hire or reward, will have to be licensed. As with all licensed limousine hire operators, Cars for Stars is open to regular checks and scrutiny by the local authorities, the chauffeur driven cars and limousines offered for hire are also subjected to stringent and regular checks. All chauffeur's have to pass a medical and criminal records bureau check before they can be Licensed. Cars for Stars offers a package for the Cheltenham Festival which includes an open sided marquee, tables and chairs.

Alternative sources for chauffeur cars and limousine hire include: Chauffeur Cars Directory, Chauffeur Cars & Limousine Directory as well as a number of general web directories.

Find a reputable Chauffeur Car Hire Company

Of course there are two issues here, where is a good place to find a company providing chauffeur driven cars and how do you determine which are the more reputable organisations?

The first point is perhaps the easiest, although based on where you live in the UK, this could also be debatable. The most likely two places to start is Yellow Pages and the Internet, I will deal with the latter, because there is not much that can be said about opening the Yellow Pages at the right section!

There are three principal options on the internet, each has its merits and you may well choose to try a combination of all 3 methods. The first is to go to an online general directory such as Yell.com, here you can compete a search based on a company name, or type of business followed by your nearest town or city. Typically, premium or featured advertisements are displayed first but, of course, this is not guarantee that the chauffeur company is any better or worse than any other, only that they want more exposure for their budget.

If you are feeling brave and, you are prepared to trawl through a great deal of rubbish (or non-relevant chauffeur companies) , then you could just enter a 'local' search string into your favourite search engine, for example 'chauffeur cars dundee'. Whilst this will provide you with a good selection of companies, it is highly questionable as whether or not they will truly be local, but it is always worth a try.

The third way is to go to your preferred search engine and enter the search string 'chauffeur cars directory'. It is fair to say that the UK market is not well served by niche directories, particularly in relation to chauffeur cars, but it is always worth looking for a niche directory before you start to trawl through the results of a more general search. In the UK for example, three directories come to mind, in order of relevance; Chauffeur Cars Directory, Vehicle Hire Directory and the Chauffeur Cars and Limousine Hire Directory. The first is exclusively chauffeur cars and wedding cars and the other two are more general, but have separate sections for chauffeur cars and wedding cars.

Using any, or all of these three online search methods should allow you to put together a reasonable shortlist. Next, you will want to ensure that they are, insofar as you reasonably can, a reputable organisation. Here are 10 top tips to allow you to come to an informed decision.

1. Check their fleet, is it modern and, does it include they type of vehicle you want to hire?
   Are they prompt and efficient when you call them?
2. Do you call a landline or a mobile phone? If it is the latter, or an answer machine, then you will need to take this into account if you are looking for a business that may require last minute hires or fast decisions.
3. Do they answer you questions in an open and honest manner?
4. If you send your enquiry by email, how long does it take them to respond? Any organisation taking more than 24 hours is not likely to be responsive enough for most people.
5. Are they licensed? All companies operating chauffeur driven cars (unless they only supply wedding or funeral cars) must be licensed for Private Hire. This will be either through their local authority or in the case of London, by the Public Carriage Office (PCO)
6. If you are a business user, then you need to establish their operating hours, whether you can book online, and also if they offer account facilities
7. If you are looking for wedding transportation, then it is reasonable to ask to view the cars
   Ask if they can provide references or perhaps, if they have received any awards?
8. Make sure you know and accept their terms and conditions of hire. Most companies include these on their websites.
   

For increased flexibility and a more extensive range of vehicle, do not be tempted to exclude national chauffeur cars operators, provided of course, they have a local presence of office.