Private Car Services

Sometimes when I travel and plan a full evening of eating and drinking, I hire a car and driver. Why I do this is beyond me because each time the experience is terrible, save a few exceptions.

Firstly, I always ask for a Black Lincoln Towne car. I like the look of the car and the rear leg room. I want to avoid being stuck with a hunter green Chrysler 300 or Chevy Tahoe. Renting a car service for the night usually costs $500. It is an expensive indulgence and I expect to receive what I ordered. Obviously, the car should be clean. I also always confirm that the driver will be familiar with the city that they are driving in. The one and only female driver was the best driver I have experienced to date; she knew London like the back of her hand. Rarely does the driver know the city well.

A paid driver should stay off their phone; they should be interested and aware of your requests. They should know the city backwards; a navigation system is needed only for the most obscure location. At a minimum, they should be aware of the top 10 hotels, the top 10 restaurants, popular nightclubs, theatres, museums, and galleries. It’s a given they should know all landmarks. They should park the car within a 1-minute drive of the last drop-off and keep their phone ready for your call. Now, I could list many other attributes that would make the driver great at their job, but I am not expecting that. At a minimum, a driver should be able to handle my list of requirements.

After hiring over 100 drivers over the last 10 years, I remain completely and totally disappointed. I am mystified at why this is so hard to master. Public transit rarely lets me down.