The Farnborough Airshow was well served with impressive displays from MG Rover as it supplied a top class chauffeur service for VIP’s.

Visitors to the show were personally chauffeured by a fleet of Royal Blue Rover 75 Saloon and limousine cars, to a destination within the event, of their choice.

The new 2004 Rover 75 Limousine, derived from the successful Rover 75 Saloon with a 200mm longer wheelbase is now Longbridge-built and distinguished by the new large-grille treatment, first seen on the new Rover V8.

The 75 Limousine is wholly reminiscent of previous high-powered and ministerial Rover cars and is available in high-specification Connoisseur SE trim, combining supreme rear compartment legroom and interior proportions with extra interior lighting and provision for bespoke Monogram features.

The 75 Limousine is a refined vehicle that delivers on comfort and refinement for a modest UK price comfortably under £30,000. Produced at Longbridge, where it was previously coach-built by S MacNeillies & Son, the Rover 75 Limousine is assembled on the same advanced production facility that produce the 75 variants, thereby ensuring a consistent high quality build standard and continuity of process.

The 75 Limousine can be specified with a quad-cam, 2.5-litre light-aluminium V6 petrol engine or the common-rail turbo-diesel with either manual or automatic transmission.

Company bosses who invite their employees to express their views and opinions about the organisation they work for are few are far between – but an established chauffeur company in Middlesex is doing just that!

Arscott Chauffeur Services based in Ashford has hired a top management consultant who has spent three months monitoring the business and finding ways of not just improving the efficiency of the service and reducing overheads, but also improving the working relationships amongst the work-force and with its clients.

The consultant was hired by Bill Arscott after 13 successful years in business, and now with the aim of making his company even more successful, Bill has drafted in the consultant to work with the company and report on ways it can be improved.

Every chauffeur and employee that works for ACS was invited to take part in an hour-long meeting with Joe to discuss their ideas on ways of improving the service and any  operational issues they may have. They were also invited to complete an anonymous survey covering all aspects of the business.

Bill believes that the welfare of his chauffeurs and staff is an extremely important part of the business. All chauffeurs that work for ACS are fully licensed and trained through IAM defensive driving courses. They also complete specialist first aid training and attend annual medicals.

The company now employs almost fifty permanent drivers and an office support team of 15 to give clients a 24-hour service.

Bill Arscott said, “The key to running a successful chauffeur business is to maintain a constant level of drivers that relates to the volume of work being handled ensuring good driver retention and sufficient resources when the bookings come flooding in!’

“All our vehicles are fitted with ‘black box’ style devices to provide useful data for managing the fleet and allowing drivers to get the appropriate rest periods. This ensures both driver and passenger safety”.

He continued, “When I see the final report on the company, it will allow us to work on areas which we consider important in maintaining a high quality service. I think every company could benefit from this kind of exercise; the results can be very enlightening and rewarding!”

Many chauffeurs would think that if they have been involved in an accident and their vehicle was unfit to drive – they would have to let down future bookings until the vehicle is fixed.

Just hiring a suitable car to carry out your normal duties from a normal car hire company is always out of the question as insurance and licensing issues will get in the way and will put you at risk if the worst happens.

However, there is another option which allows you to carry on taking those important bookings and will see you back on the road operating as normal in a high-class vehicle. A London based vehicle replacement firm is stressing to chauffeurs not to worry if their car is off the road.

Most operators know it is illegal to use a car that is not licensed for private hire. Sometimes your insurance company may not be aware of this and may offer you a car which would be illegal to use – remember it is your license at risk – not theirs!

Raymond Allen from Replacement Vehicle Hire said, “There are many companies which offer replacement vehicles for hire when yours has been involved in an accident, but chauffeurs must always be careful which company they choose.’

He added, “If a driver is operating in London, the vehicle they hire must be PCO licensed otherwise they will probably be driving illegally, and they would not be insured.’
Replacement Vehicle Hire provides a number of cars to cater for most chauffeuring needs which are all PCO licensed. S-Class Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler Voyagers are also available to ensure you carry on to provide a luxury car service to your clients.

Raymond continued, “As soon as you are involved in an accident, tell the third party insurance company to contact us so that we can help you organise a replacement. You should insist on it – it’s your right to go back to work. Remember, they don’t keep licensed cars ready for you – we do!’

Plans to host the UK’s first show dedicated to displaying the world’s must luxurious stretched limousines and prestigious cars have been revealed.

The Limousine and Chauffeur Show will open to the public and chauffeuring industry in September 2005. It is planned to bring together the world’s biggest American limousine manufacturers to display the newest innovations and
vehicles, including some of the world’s most desirable executive cars.

The Chauffeur Magazine has obtained advance show information, ensuring our readers a fantastic opportunity to book discounted tickets for what is sure be a well visited and exciting venue.

Tickets are on sale NOW for this special two day event which will take place on 17th and 18th September 2005 catering for every facet of the limousine and chauffeur industry.

The Chauffeur Magazine has obtained a 25% discount for all tickets purchased through us, this is a limited ‘time’ offer, so make sure you don’t miss out and book today!
USA limousine giants LCW, Debryan Coach, Executive Coach and Springfield have already confirmed they will be displaying various different models at the show.

These vehicles are sure to be built with the ‘wow’ factor incorporating the latest ideas and technology.  Within 30 minutes drive from London, The Limousine and Chauffeur Show 2005 will give you the chance to see these unique vehicles in one location. Visitors will get a unique opportunity to experience vehicles rarely seen in the UK.

Some of the finest Executive and luxury car manufacturers from around the world will also be attending. Displaying their finest vehicles which are sure to excite and impress the executive and chauffeuring industry.

Trade stands featuring many aspects of the industry will also be in attendance offering a large choice and variety of goods and services.
Businesses which offer finance, insurance, satellite navigation equipment, valet products, cleaning materials and limousine parts suppliers are among those expected.

Sandown Racecourse in Surrey with easy access from London and the surrounding M25, M3 and M4 motorways will be the host for the first Limousine and Chauffeur Show which is also the first of its kind in Europe.

If you are thinking of starting up in the limo hire business or looking for new vehicles and ideas for your executive hire company, this is the ideal show for you. It is also a unique opportunity to network with thousands of chauffeurs and limo operators from across the country.

This will make interesting reading if you are a limousine operator. One of our readers handed this document to The Chauffeur Magazine which has been written by a traffic officer from Derbyshire Traffic Police. It has apparently been distributed to other police forces in the UK. We have not edited this document, so it delivers you the true facts…

An area of road transport law which causes confusion and, it seems, has slipped through the net, is the Limousine.  The presence of limousines on our roads is becoming more common in an increasingly affluent society.

It is the current fashion to import stretched limousines from North America for use on British roads. On the face of it these unusual vehicles are simply transporting people about in some, ahem, ‘style’.  However there is no distinction to be drawn between a large limousine carrying passengers and either a private hire vehicle or a minibus.

All three are carrying passengers for money.  As such they must comply with minimum standards, and be operated in a responsible way.

This guide will concentrate on the following areas:

Classification , Licensing, Driver Licensing, Construction and Use.  I hope that the information that follows is clear and concise and that it gives you the confidence to deal with one of these vehicles.

However stopping one on the way to the nightclub may prove less troublesome that on the way back! Remember the passengers in the back are probably innocent paying  customers and it would be good PR not to delay them too long, and in some situations you may need them as witnesses.

Classification & Licensing This comes down to seats. How many passenger seats does the vehicle have? The guidance given by the Vehicle Inspectorate is to count the number of people being carried.  Obviously this doesn’t help us when the vehicle is empty but for the driver.  In this case the appropriate questions should be asked of him or her.

As an absolute fall-back, the regulations about PSV fitness allow 400mm along the front edge of a seat for any passenger.  This is the ‘comfortable’ minimum amount of seat per passenger.  Be warned that these imported Limos have bench seats and it is not immediately obvious how many people they can carry.  They don’t have individual depressions in the seat structure for each backside as European vehicles do. They are commonly constructed to carry ten passengers in the USA.

EIGHT PASSENGER SEATS OR LESS: A vehicle used for the commercial carriage of passengers and their effects which seat eight people or less and is not a Hackney Carriage can only be a Private Hire Vehicle.  There are two exceptions to this requirement:

Vehicles used exclusively for weddings and/or funerals, Vehicles on a long term contract (advice varies from greater than 24 hours to greater than one week) for the exclusive use of one customer So you stop your limo.

It’s got seven people in the back who say they have hired the vehicle and driver to take them to wherever.  Ask this question in the presence and hearing of the driver and you won’t need to get a statement from any of the passengers.  If the driver is not the owner, then the owner needs interviewing and both will commit an offence of operating a private hire vehicle without a licence under Section 46 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1986.

The Local Government Act gives licensing authorities (district and metropolitan councils) the power to set standards for the taxi fleet in their area.  For example Derby insist on traditional black Autobodies or Metrocab Hackney Carriages or similar. Amber Valley stipulates that Hackney Carriages should have white bonnets and boots.  Some authorities try to create a really distinct fleet, such as Sunderland, all of whose Hackneys are white and none of whose private hires can be white.

The upshot of all this is that they can lay down minimum standards. Some authorities  stipulate that private hire vehicles cannot be more than 5 years old. One very common restriction applied by many local authorities is that private hire vehicles cannot be left hand drive.

And there’s the rub. All the imported stretched limousines made by Cadillac (GM) or Lincoln (Ford) are left hand drive. They just don’t make them in right hand drive. So these things can never be private hire vehicles unless the elected members of local licensing committees make specific provision for them.

I am aware that some authorities have licensed such vehicles.  None of the Derbyshire authorities have.  The view at Derby City Council is that “We don’t like the idea of alcohol being consumed in these vehicles”. So it is unlikely that any stretched limo operating with less than eight seats we will be a lawfully operated private hire vehicle. Good Questions to Ask:

Who owns the vehicle?
Is the vehicle subject to a private hire licence?
Where have you come from?Where are you going?
What is the purpose of your journey?
How long is the hire? How much is the hire?
How many passengers have you carried/are you carrying?
How many passengers could you carry?
What enquiries have you, the owner, made of your local authority?

MORE THAN EIGHT PASSENGER SEATS : Now we are in the realm of the bus. Some basics: Public Service Vehicle: a vehicle adapted to carry more than eight passengers and is used for carrying passengers for hire or reward.
Hire or Reward: Payment for any matters which involve the carrying of  passengers; payment made in consideration of other matters additional to any journey taken; payment which confers a right to be carried whether exercised or not. Nothing in bus work causes more confusion than hire or reward.

It has NOTHING to do with whether the driver is paid. Some examples: I rent a minibus and I organise a brewery trip. I round up fourteen traffic bobbies and carry them at £5 a head to Burton and back. I am not paid, the £5 only covers the petrol.  This is hire or reward.  I am committing offences by doing this.
Another example. A garage, based out of town, offers a service to its  customers to give them a lift into town in a minibus. No money is charged for this.  It is ‘all part of the service’.

This is hire and reward. Payment is made in respect of other matters – the service – and the lift is ancillary.  Because they won’t give the same ride to anyone walking in off the street the law regards this as a commercial bus service.
Certificate of Initial Fitness:

All PSV’s with more than eight seats are required to have, before use, a Certificate of Initial Fitness. This is issued by the Ministry of Inspection after manufacture.  We’ve seen above that all stretched limos are left hand drive and therefore can’t get a Private Hire Licence. Well the other side of this ‘Catch 22′ is that they can’t get a certificate of Initial Fitness either.

These things just aren’t manufactured to the same exacting standards that buses are. For example the COIF procedure governs things like internal fixtures and fittings and other items concerned with passenger safety. One of the major stumbling blocks is the presence and sizes of emergency doors. So it is unlikely that the limo will have a COIF. If it doesn’t have a COIF it can’t get a standard O licence.

Operators Licence:  Some limousines have got restricted O Licences and the vehicle’s identity disc should be displayed in the windscreen. The powers of production are quite different from what we’re used to. It must be made available for inspection to any constable, vehicle examiner or other authorised person at the Operating Centre or principle place of business within fourteen days. They don’t have to bring it in.

If you find a limo with a restricted licence, it can only carry eight passengers or less. If it is found with more that eight passengers on board it commits an offence of no O licence.

Who owns the vehicle?
What sort of driving licence do you have?
What is the purpose of your journey?
Where have you come from?Where are you going?
What is the arrangement for the hire?
How long is the hire?
How many passengers have you carried/are you carrying?
Does the vehicle have an Operators Licence?
Can you produce a certificate of Initial Fitness for the vehicle?
How many passengers would you be willing to carry?

Driving Licences: If the vehicle is committing Private Hire offence or is being used correctly under a restricted licence:  If it has eight passengers or less, then a normal category ‘B’ licence is required. Therefore it is unlikely that any offences are committed.  If the vehicle is committing PSV offences: This is best broken down into two sections.  Driver obtained Cat ‘B’ after 1/1/97: If you  took your car test after this date all you are automatically given as entitlements are Cat ‘B’ and Mopeds Cat ‘P’.  Cat ‘B’ only allows you to drive vehicles with less than eight passenger seats.

Therefore unless the drive has obtained a licence in Cat ‘D1′ (see later), then an offence of driving otherwise that in accordance with a licence will be made out.  Driver obtained Cat ‘B’ before 1/1/97: Old hands like most of us when we passed our test for cars were given entitlements to licence Category ‘D1′ allows us to drive vehicles with nine – sixteen passenger seats.

On the face of it no problem.  However we all have on our licences for this category ‘Information Code’ 101.  This is ‘Not for Hire and Reward’.  Therefore if you find your limousine with more than eight passengers and its driver obtained their licence before 1/1/97, then unless they have taken a test to drive buses or minibuses, they will also be committing an offence or driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

Construction and Use:  There are a few Minibus specific items in the Con & Use Regs which might prove useful when dealing with these vehicles. Regulation 42: Every minibus (more that eight passenger seats) shall carry a fire extinguisher which is clearly marked and readily available for use. Regulation 43: Every minibus shall be provided with a first aid kit containing: Ten foil packed antiseptic wipes, One disposable bandage not less than 7.5cm wide, Two triangular bandages, One packet of 24 adhesive dressings, Three large sterile dressings not less that 15cm by 20cm, Two eye pads, Twelve safety pins, One pair of blunt ended scissors.

Regulation 109: Motor vehicles. No TV’s in the view of the drive, other than navigation aids, reversing aids or information about the operating state of the vehicle.  Lighting Regulation. Regulation 24: Passenger vehicles other than buses, may remain at rest without lights, on a road which has a speed limit of 30mph or less. A bus is a passenger vehicle with more than eight passenger seats.

Conclusion: If you decide to have a look at one of these vehicles, the only thing you must do at the time is find out how many people are being carried.  If as a bonus you can ask one of the passengers in the presence and hearing of the driver what the arrangements for the hire are so much the better.  If you don’t do any more that that you’ll have enough to start follow up enquires.

DaBryan Coach Builders Inc. of Springfield, Missouri have recently appointed Limo Solutions Ltd as their official agent in the U.K. and Ireland to market their range of hand-crafted limousines.

DaBryan was established in 1979 and rapidly made a name for themselves as a producer of high quality limousines and it is now generally accepted, within the industry, that they set the standard for craftsmanship and service. They were one of the first  companies to attain the status as a Quality Vehicle Modifier (QVM) from the Ford Motor Company and have also been designated a Cadillac Master Coachbuilder (CMC) by General Motors.

The company operates an ‘employee-owner’ policy which ensures that all involved in the crafting of a new vehicle have a vested interest in manufacturing a product of the highest quality. Some of the standard features that set a DaBryan limousine apart from others include: aluminium panels to reduce weight and prevent rust, superior air conditioning, solid walnut consoles and trim, fully insulated passenger compartment, fully loomed electrical wiring and heavy duty carpets.

These features, together with the use of quality materials and the company’s attention to detail give a DaBryan vehicle a longer life and better re-sale value. Limo Solutions, who operate a fleet of 120 Lincoln limousines through their associate company Stretched-4-u, are intending to supply the range of DaBryan vehicles to other fleet operators, corporate customers and private users.

Dabryan is particularly well known in America for their well-appointed limousines that are supplied to hotels, casinos, country clubs and corporations and it is this sector that Limo Solutions believes can be developed in the UK.

Limo Solutions has been involved with DaBryan in the development of vehicles specifically with the UK market in mind. Modifications include the reconfiguration of the ‘J’ seat to the right-hand side of the car allowing for easier access. This innovation is particularly useful in their Wedding Car where an extra wide, automatically opening, fifth door is placed on the nearside behind the drivers door.

All vehicles for the UK market are supplied with a compatible DVD unit, flat screen televisions and radio/CD player. All the necessary light conversions required for use in the UK are undertaken by DaBryan allowing the car to be used immediately on arrival.