Things to consider before renting a vehicle

Private cars, taxis and public transport have their own applications. However, if you want maximum comfort and privacy, then chauffeur services are the way to go. To get the most out of your experience, you have to choose the right travel service and use it in the right way

To give you in-depth information, White 7 professional driver Bedford Culdip Wright shares his experience on what to consider when you hire a driver again.

Clarify your needs

You need to know at least the basic details of the planned trip. They include:

How many people will be traveling?

Starting point and destination

Travel date/time

Special requirements (eg wheelchair access).

Once you have established your basic requirements, you can start thinking about your preferences. For example, is there a certain type of vehicle that you prefer? As a side note, however, you should be prepared to let the driver guide you. For example, your choice of vehicle may not suit or at least not suit the purpose of your trip.

please investigate

Choosing the right car service has become easier thanks to the internet. Most ride-hailing services have informative websites. They will tell you everything you need or want to know about their services. This usually includes:

What vehicles do they use and how are they equipped

Your driver qualifications and experience

How to keep safe

The area they cover

Your price and payment method

Any value added services they offer

What guarantee (if any) do they provide in terms of accuracy?

These pages also usually have customer reviews and/or links to external websites where you can check for independent links. You can also search for them separately.

vehicle

Assuming you are hiring a transport service in the UK, you can rest assured that any reputable company will be able to provide wheelchair vehicles and baby gear.

For the sake of completeness, this is not necessarily the case in other countries. In some cases, an earlier appointment is required. In other cases, you may need to consider other options.

Likewise, in the UK you can expect a vehicle to be relatively new unless it is a truly classic vehicle. Hence, you can rest assured that they are equipped with the usual amenities like heating, air conditioning and internet. Most ride-hailing services also offer amenities such as food, drinks, and magazines.

driver

The driver is really the one who makes or breaks the driving service. In the end, you can simply rent a premium vehicle and drive yourself. The reason you decided not to do it is that you want the comfort of a qualified and experienced professional driver.

When doing your research, you want to see that the driver has the proper training, inspections and insurance. The experience is much better, but of course, everyone has to start somewhere. If the driver has completed serious training, he should still be able to offer a high standard of service.

security

When a driving service uses new vehicles and hires qualified drivers, safety should not be an issue. Vehicles are always cleaned, serviced and driven properly. In particular, reputable driving services will take protective measures against COVID-19 for as long as necessary.

locality

When you connect to a travel service, you may want to use it regardless of your location. However, if you wish to use an ad hoc driving service, it is usually advisable to seek out a driving service with local knowledge.

As is often the case in life, small details can make a big difference. In this context, it means that drivers who really know the area are usually best placed to provide the best service there. This can mean anything from recommending a restaurant to getting you where you want to be in the shortest possible time.