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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.

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 UK organisations that provide Chauffeur courses 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.

So, you have decided that you want to import your own pre-owned stretched limousine into the UK, here are a few tips and pointers. It is not designed to be a definitive list, just a guide. Before you even start, you must determine what type of vehicle you intend to import, make sure that it will be fit for purpose, that is to say, will be acceptable to the UK authorities in terms of registration and if you intend to use the limousine for hire and reward, that it will be acceptable to either the Traffic Commissioners or your Local Authorities. Get this wrong and you will lose a lot of money. Once you have decided what you can buy, stick to it, don’t be prepared to accept something that you are unsure of.

As you would expect, there are a number of companies in the United States that will already have experience of exporting limousine to the UK, these dealers will be able to walk you through the process, but like anywhere else, there will be good ones and bad ones. So there are a number of pointers that you must consider, wherever you decide to purchase your limousine. Firstly, you need to decide if you are going to view the vehicle before you buy it, if you are, then you need to make sure that you are dealing with a reputable, solvent and knowledgeable dealership. Ask for names of people in the UK that they have exported to and take up references, this is critical, not least because you will be expected to part with the entire cost of the limousine before it leaves the dealership. You can also but your limousine though agents, but for the less experienced, it is advisable to avoid this method because of the increased risk.

Having identified a limousine that meets all of your requirements, you will need to decide if there is any work that needs to be completed on the limousine before it is exported. Make sure that the dealership takes a note of this remedial work and it is included on the sale agreement. Bear in mind that this is no guarantee and by the time the vehicle arrives to you, it will be too late to argue the point. In fact, by far, the best advice has to be, accept the limousine ‘as seen’ and have the work completed when you return to the UK. For example, the American’s ideas of bodywork repairs will not be what you have come to expect from UK body shops, you have been warned! If you need parts, ask the dealership to purchase them for you and then secure them in the vehicle, there is a small risk that these parts will be stolen in transit, but allowing the dealer to secure the parts on your behalf will be considerably cheaper than attempting to import them afterwards.

You will also need to check the history of the limousine, including the mileage, you can do this online, provided you have the chassis number of the vehicle. It is also worth talking to the previous owner to determine any other ‘factors’ that may be pertinent to your purchase. It is also advisable to only purchase a vehicle that has been built by an approved coach builder, for example, those approved by Ford’s QVM programme or Cadillac’s CMC programme. Without these, you will have significant problem trying to obtain as SVA on the vehicle once it is in the UK. In addition, even if you do gain an SVA, it is quite possible that some of the local authorities will still insist that the limousine was built in accordance with an approved manufacturers coachbuilder programme before they will allow it to be licensed for Private Hire. This, of course, assumes that you are purchasing something like a Lincoln or Cadillac.

If you are considering the purchase of a Hummer, Excursion, Chrysler 300 or something similar that has been built by a coachbuilder from a donor vehicle, where the manufacture has no approved scheme for coachbuilders, then you are truly entering the realms of the unknown. In order to obtain an SVA, you will need to provide the VOSA test centre with some critical date, in terms of weight, suspension, braking etc., it is virtually impossible to get this information from the USA suppliers, added to which, in most cases, there would be a need to upgrade these mechanical parts to achieve an SVA. If you are inexperienced in this area, you would be well advised to steer clear of any vehicle that was not built by a QVM or CMC coachbuilder. In addition, if you want to purchase a limousine, with a view to using it in the UK for hire or reward and to carry more than 8 passengers, then it will need a Certificate of Initial Fitness (COIF), it is unlikely that ANY of the pre-owned Hummers, Excursion’s etc., will every be able to achieve a COIF without significant investment, which will almost certainly exceed the cost of the actual vehicle, assuming it is even possible. If this is your intention, seek the advice of a UK dealer first, better still, let them import and obtain the necessary certifications it for you!

Once you have satisfied yourself that you have the right limousine, it meets the specification you require and you are sure it will be acceptable for an SVA in the UK, then you need to be certain that you are comfortable with passing you money over in advance of receiving the vehicle. There are no guarantees here, so it pays to be cautious and go by recommendation. You will also need to decide on how the limousine will get to port, most dealerships will arrange this for you and some will also arrange the paperwork and the actual shipping, if this option is available and the price reasonable, it makes sense to use the dealership. You will be asked if you want to use a roll-on/roll-off or a container. The former is cheaper, perhaps by as much as 50%, but there is of course more risk of damage in transit, the vehicle contents and parts could go missing (yes it happens) and of course, the vehicle is open to the elements throughout the trip. A container, whilst more expensive, does offer the vehicle more protection, provided they don’t run over the top the vehicle when they are securing it (yes they actually do!) and there is a reduced chance that the limo will be subject to any theft in transit.

You will also be asked about insurance, this is to protect you in the event that the ship is lost, contrary to popular belief, you would not be insured in this type of event (total loss), hence it is always advisable to take out appropriate insurance. In theory, most insurance policies of this type also cover damage to the vehicle, but the excess is high and unless there is significant damage, they make it such hard work to make a claim, only the seriously tenacious will have the patience to pursue any claim. Insurance companies offering this type insurance appear to be expert at giving their customers the run around. Shipping will normally take 4-6 weeks, but can take longer. Limousines can get lost at the port, incorrectly added to a manifest when the vehicle is not onboard, ships can be diverted to other ports, there are a whole host of things that can and do happen. When it does finally arrive, you will need to instruct a UK based handling agent to deal with the paperwork for you, they will calculate the value of the vehicle and you must then pay to your agent, 10% import duties, the VAT and of course their fees and costs before the vehicle will be released to you.

Once you have the vehicle in your possession, you will need to arrange for (depending on the type of vehicle you have purchased) an SVA, Schedule 6 conversions (private minibus test) or Certificate of Initial Fitness (good luck!) before you can register the vehicle. For all of these tests, you will need some conversion work completed, so speak to an expert, very few will deal with stretched limousines, but there are a few. By the end of this process, you may have saved yourself up to 25% of the UK purchase price, but one thing is guaranteed, you will have aged 10 years and you will be asking yourself whether it was worth the time, worry and effort!

Well it is not quite what it appears. In order that a limousine can carry more than 8 passengers for hire and reward, it must first be issued with what is known as a Certificate of Initial Fitness, or by its abbreviated term, a CoIF. The problem here is that the conversion work to gain a CoIF requires a substantial investment and this would have to be reflected in the cost of the limousines and therefore the hire charges, making it too prohibitive for most operators . At this time, there are a very limited number of limousines with a CoIF, probably less than 20 in the country and those that do have a CoIF will, quite rightly, shout about it.

Whilst there is certainly some merit in having a strict conformity process for vehicles that could regularly be carrying up to 16 passengers, there is also an argument that the regulations where never designed for stretched limousines and therefore some flexibility should be considered to make conformity easier to attain, without necessitating a relaxing of the rules that may put passengers at risk. Needless to say, the authorities have not listened to the industry and therefore, the more enterprising operators have sought and found a work around.

Currently, it is possible to complete some minor conversion work and then register a limousine as a private minibus, this is perfectly legal and means that the limousine will not have had to pass an SVA or gained a Certificate of Initial Fitness. Once the limousine has been registered as a private minibus, it can be used to carry up to 16 passengers, depending on weight etc. Therefore anyone is entitled to drive this ‘private minibus’ on a normal drivers licence, provided they have a D1 on their licence. However, it still cannot, under any circumstances, be used for hire and reward without the Certificate of Initial Fitness.

With limousines costing anything up to £100,000, few operators will be willing to actually let you drive the limousine yourself, so the criteria employed to be deemed an appropriate driver is quite strict, this means that in many cases, you will be obliged to employ a chauffeur from an approved ‘pool’ of chauffeurs provided by the limousine company. No two operators work in the same way, but here is a typical example of how the practice works.

You and a group of 13 friends want to hire a limousine that can carry all 14, but, for whatever reason, you do not want to hire two limousines. Therefore, you approach a company that operates a 14 seat limousine which has been registered as a private minibus and they are prepared to hire out on a self-drive hire contract. The limousine operator will agree to hire you the limousine on a “self-drive” basis, but (typically) insist that, because it is a large and a specialist vehicle, you use an experienced, professional driver or chauffeur from a ‘company’ that provides these on a casual basis. Then, under normal circumstances, you would pay the hire fees to the limousine operator and settle with the chauffeur direct. So, whilst there is a little more paperwork, you now have a limousine which can carry you and all of your friends.

Is this legal? Probably, but no-one really knows, the self-drive hire contract and the rules governing the scheme were, by all accounts drawn up by a Barrister with expertise in the transport sector. It would appear that the Barrister has indicated that provided the rules are followed, the practice is perfectly legal under existing legislation. Those operating this scheme now claim that it is legal, in the strictest sense, this is not true, all they have had is a ‘barristers opinion’ and that is all it is, to determine whether or not the scheme is legal would require a court case. So far, VOSA who would normally enforce the rules have done nothing, so the whole matter remains in abeyance.

Nonetheless, there are risks attached, and these fall mainly with the hirer. For example, the hire agreement would normally make clear that the vehicle cannot be used for ‘hire and reward’, that is to say, the hirer cannot accept payment from his or her friends towards the cost of the vehicle. In reality, is is most unlikely that anyone would be feeling the benevolent towards their friends or family. If it was proven that the vehicle was indeed
used for hire and reward, then the hirer could be charged, amongst other things, with operating a vehicle for hire and reward without an Operator Licence and without a Certificate of Initial Fitness. The driver or chauffeur would also not be immune from prosecution if it could be proved that he or she was, in any way, complicit in the arrangement. In addition, most self-drive hire vehicles are not insured for hire and reward, therefore, if your vehicle was involved in accident, the hirer, could theoretically become personally liable for any claims. Some insurance companies have included hire and reward on the policies, but it is fair to conclude that if they are insuring the limousine (or private minibus) for hire and reward, the insurance companies and therefore the limousine operators must have an inkling that the vehicle may actually be used for that purpose.

On a self-drive hire policy, there is also the very real possibility that the vehicle has an insurance excess, therefore it is conceivable that the limousine operator will seek to recover this from the hirer in the event of an ‘fault’ accident. If the hirer has “employed” a driver from a pool proposed by the limousine operator, it may not be reasonable for the hirer to be responsible for the excess in the event of an accident where their driver was at fault.

This practice is relatively new and untested in respect of the current legislation, but it is probably more of a moral issue than a legal one. Few would condemn business people who look to get a return on their considerable investment by finding ways to provide consumers with what they want. However, if there was not a justification for a Certificate of Initial Fitness on a passenger carrying vehicle used for hire and reward, then surely it would no be there. It is safe to assume that the authorities consider compliance to be a safety issue. Furthermore, there is probably no need for a company operating in this way (self-drive hire) to have a private hire or bus operator licence, if this is the case, then how safe can the passengers feel when there is, theoretically, no regular checks on the chauffeur and the vehicle? Limousine companies that operate a limousine business for hire and reward are required (from 1st January 2008) to have either a private hire licence or a bus operator licence. Both of these licenses require that the limousine are subjected to a strict and regular test. In addition, the private hire operators or bus operators must employ drivers with the appropriate licence for the vehicle in question, this means that the chauffeur will have been subjected to a medical and criminal records bureau check.

Cars for Stars Limited will not, and do not, operate a self-drive hire limousine hire service with contracted in/out chauffeurs and therefore our views must be taken in context and would, inevitably, be considered biased by those that do operate this scheme. Therefore, we will not hire behind a cloak of anonymity and we are happy to place on record that we are a fully licensed private hire company with limousines licensed for private hire and a maximum of 8 passengers. We do not condemn those that operate this type of scheme, but we do believe that the relevant authorities should investigate the practice further and then introduce a test case in order that the legality issue can be clarified once and for all. The industry is currently in discussions with the relevant bodies with a view to amending existing legislation to permit and therefore regulate the use of limousines in a category of 9-16 passengers, most likely under the auspices of the local authorities. We fully support this well intentioned move. We do not, however, agree with anything practice that could lead to a questioning of the integrity of those that operate within the limousine industry.

For those consumers that intend to hire a limousine with a view to carrying more than 8 passengers from a self-drive hire limousine operator then we recommend that they consider the following:

1. Read the self-drive contract hire carefully.

2. Tell the company you intend to hire the limousine from how you intend to fund the vehicle and ask them if that would be considered hire and reward, then note their response in writing or do this in front of a witness. One definition of hire and reward has been provided by the Transport Office, you can read it here: Definition of Hire and Reward

3. Check the terms and conditions of the hire to see whether or not the vehicle is covered for hire and reward, if it is, and you should fall foul with the law, then in theory you will not be in a position where the vehicle is uninsured.

4. Find out if there is a policy excess and if there is, who would be responsible for reimbursement in the event that accident was considered the fault of your driver

5. Remember, you are employing the chauffeur, so try and establish whether or not you will still be liable for the hire cost if the driver does not turn up

6. Establish who will be responsible in the event that the vehicle has any faults which could give rise to Police action at the roadside. Would it be you as the hirer, the driver, or the hire company. It may be that all, or just some of you would be considered responsible.

7. You should be aware, that ignorance of the law is not considered an excuse. So be under no illusion, if you intend to accept any form of payment from any of the passengers, that provides them with the right to be carried in the limousine, then this is hire and reward. It doesn’t matter whether this is a direct or indirect payment. As the hirer, it is your responsibility, if you are found to have provided a hire and
   reward service, then you must have, where more than 8 passengers are carried, a bus operators licence, the chauffeur must have an appropriate PCV licence and the vehicle must have a Certificate of Initial Fitness. This is no grey area, it is cast in stone!

From the 1st January 2008, all UK limousine companies must be registered in order that they can provide limousines for hire or reward, typically most will licence with their district council as a Private Hire Operator, in which case they will be licensed to carry up to 8 passengers. Some may elect to register with VOSA as a Bus Operator. This article deals with those that opt for the Private Hire route.

As a Private Hire Operator the district council will implement the following through their Licensing Officer;

1.  All chauffeur’s will have to be licensed to drive the limousine and in order to gain their licence, they will have to pass a medical and will be subjected to a Criminal Records Bureau check

2. Most, but not all Licensing Officers will also subject the chauffeur to a local knowledge check

3. Each of the Private Hire Vehicles (stretched limousines, cars or people carriers) will be subjected to a strict bi-annual test

4. The Licensing Officer will check on the validity of the vehicle insurance for each licensed private hire vehicle

5. The Licensing Officer will be entitled to check on the Public Liability insurance for suitability

Therefore, each limousine business will have to have a valid Private Hire Operators Licence, every limousine (or other vehicles operated for hire or reward) will have to be licensed as a Private Hire Vehicle and every chauffeur will have to be a Licensed Private Hire Vehicle Driver. The holder of the Private Hire Operators Licence will then be subjected to regular and most likely, unannounced visits by the Licensing Officer to ensure that they are meeting all of their obligations and the vehicles will be checked on a regular basis to confirm that they are suitable for use as a Private Hire Vehicle.

Many people will be astonished to learn that, in the past, there has been very little regulation or oversight within the burgeoning limousine hire business, however the amendment contained in the Road Traffic Act 2006 will ensure, that in the future at least, this industry will have some formal oversight. Please note: Companies operating exclusively for wedding car hire or funerals, do not need to be licensed under the revised act.

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 limousines and chauffeur cars through an extended branch network of franchised offices. All Cars for Stars franchisees are required to be licensed by their respective local authority or district council or, in the case of London, by the Public Carriage Office (PCO), which means that the chauffeur’s will have been subjected to a medical and criminal records bureau checks and the chauffeur cars and limousines will be required to undergo and pass regular and vigorous vehicle tests as outlined above.

You can locate your local providers through the following directories: Chauffeur Cars & Limousine Directory; Chauffeur Cars Directory and the Vehicle Hire Directory.

There a two principal types of Licence that your limousine company can operate under, these are a Private Hire Operator Licence, which is issued by your Local Authority or District Council and a Bus Operators Licence which is issued by the Traffic Commissioners. In London, the equivalent of the Private Hire Operators Licence is a PCO Licence, which is issued by the Public Carriage Office who operate on behalf of Transport for London.

Private Hire Operator Licence – Issued by the Local Authority

Currently there is no central database operated by local authorities to provide consumers with up to date information on which companies are registered for Private Hire and the respective vehicles. Therefore, the best advice that can be given is to contact your local Licensing Officer, you can normally find their details on the local authorities website.

Public Carriage Office (Greater London)

If you are in the Greater London area, then the Public Carriage Office deal with the licensing of companies, drivers and vehicles. They have an online facility where you can check the validity of any third party claiming to have an appropriate PCO licence, be it a driver, company or specific vehicles. The PCO also have a helpline number.

Bus Operator Licence

Some limousine companies operate using a Bus Operators Licence, whilst there are different types of Licence, the principal remain the same. It is also possible to chech the validity of Bus Operators Licences and the Public Service Vehicles online. You can check on the following, traffic area, licence number, registration number, operator name and trading name.

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.