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.

Private sightseeing tours of London in Chauffeur Driven Cars or People Carriers

Private tours of London are becoming an increasing popular choice amongst visitors to London and companies wishing to entertain their clients on extended business trips. These tours can be based on a personal itinerary, a 'packaged tour' or arranged with the assistance of a professional tour guide who will provide a detailed and knowledgeable commentary on accompanies tour. These tours can and guides, can now be arranged through one point of contact, professional providers of chauffeur driven cars or people carriers based in London and Licensed by the Public Carriage Office, who act on behalf of Transport for London.

As a result of demand, London based companies providing Chauffeur Car Services have finally put together competitive packages which include half-day and full-days tours of the capital, as well as tours outside London such as Windsor Castle & Hampton Court, Oxford & Stratford, Stonehenge, Bath, Glastonbury etc. Visitors have a veritable choice of tours an journeys they can complete during their visit to the United Kingdom.

Tours can take in the usual tourists sights such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament. Equally, some may prefer to visit the Royal Parks, famous department stores or religious sites. Whether you are on a private visit to London or a business looking to entertain a client, you can elect to have a tailored tour of London, to create your own itinerary ,or have a professional tourist guide determine the tour and provide a history of each of the landmarks you have expressed an interest in. You can also decide whether you will view the attractions or actually visit them.

The type of chauffeur driven car or people carrier will also be a matter of choice with a wide range to choose from. You can elect to minimise the cost by using a top of the range, but entry level vehicle such as the class leading Chrysler 300, or for the comfort of a larger executive vehicle with an extended wheel base such as the Jaguar XJ (LWB) or Mercedes S Class (LWB). For larger groups, people carriers can also be provided which can seat up to 8 passengers, provided one is seated in the front. If you are seeking to hire the services of a professional tour guide, then a good choice for up to 4 passengers, would be a Mercedes people carrier, providing armchair comfort for 4 passengers and leaving the front passenger seat available for the guide. Alternatively, if the tour is for two people and a tour guide, then any of the wide range of chauffeur driven cars can be utilised.

Another option for tours is the traditional American stretched limousine. These are licensed to carry up to 8 passengers and some have a separate front passenger seat, therefore, these remain an excellent choice for larger groups, where 6 or 7 passengers could be seated in the rear and the tour guide in the front. Tours of London are always about choice and flexibility. The customer can determine the itinerary, or leave it to the professionals, the customer can opt to employ a guide or complete their own research and finally, the customer decides on the most appropriate chauffeur driven car for the tour.

Cars for Stars is an established, London based, award winning company providing a full range of chauffeur driven cars, people carriers and American stretched limousines. 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 offers a range of chauffeur driven cars and people carriers. This includes 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.

Other resources for finding London based companies offering chauffeur driven tours include: Chauffeur Cars Directory, Chauffeur Cars & Limousine Directory and the transport sections of some major web directories.