Now that the dates for Royal Ascot have been announced as the 17th June 2008 through to the 21st June (Ladies Day is the 19th June), then it is probably time to think about booking your stretched limousine. Every year, limousine companies will provide the same advice, which is, if you want to have the best choice of limousines, from the more established operators, then you need to book early. This year, however, the advice is even more relevant.
In the past, it has not been necessary for limousine companies to be Licensed by the Traffic Commissioners or their local District Council, but from the 1st January 2008, this has been changed as a consequence of an amendment to the Road Traffic Act 2006. As a result, from the 1st January 2008 all companies offering limousines for ‘hire or reward’ will have to be licensed either as a Private Hire Vehicle Operator or a Bus Operator, similarly, every limousine offered for hire will have to be registered with the relevant Licensing authority and, of course, all chauffeur will have to be Licensed.
To register the limousines, they will have to pass an SVA (previously this was not a pre-requisite), or have been registered as a private minibus, or have a Certificate of Initial Fitness. These obligations will be a significant burden on many limousine companies and as a direct consequence, it is highly likely that there will be less limousines available in 2008, than there were is 2007. In addition, many part-time limousine operators have already decided that they do not wish to go through the process and expense of Licensing and, in the past, it has been these operators that have provided much of the additional capacity required for Royal Ascot.
Because Royal Ascot also coincides with many school proms, demand during Royal Ascot week is the highest of the year for all limousine companies, therefore with the the added complication of some limousine companies having to License their business, vehicles and chauffeurs, a shortage is virtually assured.
Cars for Stars in London is licensed by the Public Carriage Office (PCO) for private hire and other Cars for Stars branches are licensed through their local authority. Therefore, the businesses are subject to regular assessments to ensure that they comply with all of the regulations, the vehicles must be subjected to regular and very stringent tests, in order that they can retain their private hire vehicle licence and of course the chauffeurs must also 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 at Royal Ascot.
