A Chauffeur for Your Own Car

Your car, our chauffeur

Plenty of people own a car they would rather be driven in. A collector who wants to enjoy the rear seat of a vintage saloon, a family whose SUV is already fitted with the children’s seats, an executive whose company leases the vehicle, a client who has driven to a dinner and would prefer not to drive home: in each case the vehicle is right and only the driver is missing.

A network chauffeur arrives at the agreed time, walks round the car with you, notes its condition, adjusts the seat and mirrors, and drives to your schedule. At the end of the engagement the car is returned where you want it, with the keys handed to you or to the person you name.

Rates for chauffeur-only service

Within the city the rate is $95 an hour with a four-hour minimum, all-in in US dollars. Because the vehicle is yours there is no mileage charge, and fuel, tolls and parking are paid as they arise or billed back at actual cost. If the day takes the chauffeur out of town the hourly rate rises by 50%, and an overnight adds the chauffeur’s hotel and a flat $100 travel allowance — exactly as it would in a network vehicle.

For regular use, reserve a block of hours each month at the same $95 rate: 40 hours is $3,800, 80 hours $7,600, 120 hours $11,400 and 220 hours, effectively a full-time private driver, $20,900. Unused hours do not roll over, and time beyond the block is charged at the same hourly rate.

USD, within the home city, taxes and 20% gratuity included. Same hourly rates as a single booking — no reservation discount. Unused hours and miles do not roll over. Chauffeur-only blocks carry no mileage charge; fuel, tolls and parking for your car are paid at cost.

Insurance and the vehicle

When our chauffeur drives your car, your own motor policy normally remains the cover for the vehicle. Before the first booking, ask your insurer to confirm that a professional driver is covered; the desk will supply the chauffeur’s licence details and background-check confirmation so your insurer has what it needs. Rules differ by country, and in a few markets the operator will ask to see that confirmation in writing before it assigns a chauffeur.

Your vehicle should be roadworthy, registered, insured and inspected as local law requires. The chauffeur will decline to drive a car with a warning light, a tyre or a brake fault that makes it unsafe, and will tell you why.

How people use chauffeur-only service

• A private driver for the household car on weekdays: school runs, clinics, shopping and dinners
• Drive-me-home-in-my-car after a gala, a wedding or a long client dinner, within the four-hour minimum
• A professional driver for a luxury, electric or classic car on a special occasion
• An executive whose company provides the vehicle but not the driver
• Older clients who still own a car they love but prefer not to drive it at night or in heavy traffic
• Delivering your car to the airport, a second home or a dealer for service, with you in it or not

Two cars, one evening

When you want your own car brought home but would rather travel in comfort with your guests, the desk can book two services: a network vehicle with a chauffeur for you, and a second chauffeur to drive your car behind. Each is priced at its own rate, and both chauffeurs are briefed on the same plan for the evening.

What the chauffeur does before driving off

Every chauffeur-only booking starts with a walk-round of the vehicle with you or the person you nominate. The chauffeur photographs each side of the car, notes the fuel or charge level and the mileage, checks for warning lights, and sets the seat, mirrors and climate the way you like them. At the end of the booking the same checks are repeated, so there is a simple record of the car’s condition at both ends of the day.

Keys, fobs and parking cards are handed back to you or to the person you name, never left in a reception or with a valet unless you have asked for that in writing.

Electric, classic and exotic cars

Electric cars bring their own planning: the chauffeur checks the state of charge and the route against the chargers available, and tells you before setting off if the day’s plan needs a top-up. Classic and collector cars are a different matter again. Tell the desk the make, the model, the gearbox and anything unusual about the car; the operator assigns a chauffeur experienced with that kind of vehicle, or says plainly that it cannot, rather than putting an unfamiliar driver behind a rare car.

High-performance and exotic cars are driven with the same restraint as everything else on the network. A chauffeur is there to deliver you calmly, not to explore what the car can do.

Where the service is offered

Chauffeur-only service is available through member operators in most of the network’s major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Toronto, London, Paris, Monaco, Geneva, Dubai, Singapore and Sydney. Availability depends on local licensing and insurance practice, so the desk confirms each city in writing before you book, and quotes in US dollars.

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