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MAY 2016 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER8

T HE FOG OF BATTLE CREATES MUCH misinformation and confusion—especially when a controversial game changer is at the

heart of the confl ict.Uber continues to shake things up, and focus the

minds of everyone in the taxi and private hire industry. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Uber has a vast war chest—money raised in the city from big investors such as Goldman Sachs and Google. It’s using that money not to build an asset base—Uber doesn’t do assets. It’s spending most of it on marketing, giving it away to customers and drivers in a bid to get as big as possible, as fast as possible.

Is this a sustainable strategy? Only up to a point. Uber’s last round of funding wasn’t so successful. Rather than $500 million investments from blue chip fi rms, it was taking on much smaller amounts from lower-profi le companies. OK, $30m here and there is not to be sneered at, but clearly investors are starting to look for a return.

So the money is going to run out at some point—and we’ll see how big Uber has become by then. It’s hit many obstacles along the way—rules are clearly bent at every turn. And in particular, it has struggled in China, where a state-run rival is the clear number one.

We have a window of opportunity to restrict Uber before it’s too late. Make no mistake, Uber wants to introduce ride-sharing, and if it could, it would use unlicensed drivers—virtual hitch-hiking, basically. And there are powerful voices within the current UK government who like this sort of deregulated “sharing economy” stuff. Be afraid.

These moves must be repelled with vigour by all

parties. If you thought we’d already raced to the bottom, think again. Uber wants to strip out even more costs. And when the time comes, you can bet it’ll be fi rst to market with autonomous cars. Getting rid of the driver is one of the few big cost savings it can make.

Meanwhile, what can you do? Maybe take a leaf out of the book of the operators that seem to be least affected by Uber—top-line chauffeurs. Ironically, the chauffeur sector was initially targeted by Uber in 2011—but the game soon changed and the taxis became the target. But chauffeurs succeed by providing exceptional service, delivered consistently by good people.

And good people are in short supply at Uber. Most drivers are part-timers, and poorly paid ones. They’re only going to try hard in order to avoid negative feedback—that’s hardly a recipe for good relations.

We recommend that you keep your eye on the ball, and stay on top of the latest technology. Get an app, and get on all the aggregators. And most of all, deliver great service. Evidence suggests that strategy works for good operators.

To fi nd out more about how to combat Uber, please join us at ProDriver Congress London on Tuesday, July 20, at the Heathrow Renaissance hotel. It’s free to any licenced operator and we’re assembling a top-quality speaker line-up for the day.

For more information, please visit www.prodrivermags.com and follow the links to the Congress page. See you there!

MARK BURSA, [email protected]

How to beat Uber

leader The heart of the confl ict

contents


COVER STORY » ON THE F-PACE—First drive of the new Jaguar F-Pace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

NEWS » Fight Uber’s ‘race to the bottom’—Addison Lee expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 » Berkeley Square blocked by Addison Lee pay protest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 » London-registered Uber cars seen working in Bristol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 » Cab app Gett acquires Radio Taxis and One Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 » Audi chasing more orders for extended A8L limousine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 » Diesel scrappage scheme would not improve air quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 » Cardiff operators play down Uber launch threat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 » Uber hits 300 Newcastle drivers and targets NE cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 » Uber hit with $10m bill over inadequate US driver checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 » Confusion over signage ahead of new Belfast rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 » Boro Taxis freezes airport fares as holiday transfers boom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 » Radio Taxis announces Southampton FC partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 » Jaguar stretches new XF for China market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

ROAD TESTS » FIRST DRIVE—Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI Ultra Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 » FIRST DRIVE—Toyota Mirai FCEV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 » RUNNING REPORT—BMW 730d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

PROFILE » SENIOR SERVICE—Expansion is on the cards for iChauffeur,

one of London’s most respected top-end chauffeur fi rms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 » COLD COMFORT—England Limousines turned to Volvo’s new XC90 to

transport its fi nancial clients at the Davos World Economic Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

SPECIAL FOCUS » How Driver Training Can Improve Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 » The need for dedicated security and close protection chauffeurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

TECHNOLOGY » Autocab offers technology strategy to compete with Uber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 » Minicabster rescued from administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 » Carrot Cars switches to Magenta real-time system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

USED CARS » BUYER’S GUIDE—Choosing a secondhand Vauxhall Zafi ra Tourer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

PRODUCT TEST » WASH-WAXES—ideal for when there just isn’t

time to wax your car properly. We test the best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

THE ADVISOR » Hello, I think I have a tax problem? Tax advice for small

operators and owner-drivers from expert Gary Jacobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

THE NEGOTIATOR » SHAKING OFF A BAD NAME—how to fi ght slurs against the trade,

by GMB Union man Steve Garelick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

USED CARS FOR SALE » Grab yourself a chauffeur bargain! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

EDITORMark Bursa [email protected] 858575ART DIRECTORAlan Booth [email protected] 671973CONTRIBUTORSKim Adams, Ian Robertson, Tim Barnes-Clay, Glen Holder, Phil Rule, John Coombes, Gordon Donaldson, Gary Jacobs, David Wilkins, Craig Thomas, Kevin Willis, Peter Panayiotou, Steve GarelickPHOTOGRAPHYMike Valente 07818 418211WEBSITEMartin Coombes 01959 547000PUBLISHERPaul Webb [email protected]: 01959 547003SALES James Derbyshire01959 [email protected] [email protected]/SUBSCRIBECurwood CMS Ltd, The Barn, Abbey MewsRobertsbridge, TN32 5AD01580 883844 [email protected] Janine Derbyshire 01959 547000 [email protected] COORDINATORStephanie Wooden 01959 547000 [email protected]

COMPANYManaging Director Scott Derbyshire, 01959 547000 [email protected] Media Ltd 1 The Courtyard, Market Square, Westerham, Kent, TN16 1AZ—Registered in England No.: 7086172

© 2016 All contents copyright of Pro Driver Media Ltd.

MAY 2016 | VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 5 | £4.95BUSINESS NEWS, REVIEWS & ANALYSIS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL DRIVER

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THE FUTURE OF LUXURY – MADE BY SWEDEN

Fight Uber’s ‘race to the bottom’, warns Addison Lee policy expertMark Bursa

THE PRIVATE HIRE AND taxi industry is in “a political dogfi ght” as

Uber continues to push regulators to allow it to operate deregulated car-sharing operations in Europe.

That’s the view of Dominick Moxon-Tritsch, Addison Lee’s director of policy matters. Addressing the Autocab users’ conference in Manchester, he claimed Uber was “unpicking higher standards” achieved in the trade since regulation was introduced in 1998. “The race to the bottom is not just about price—it is about safety too,” he warned.

“I urge you not to let all your hard work be deregulated into a place where your business is no longer viable,” he said. Uber is trying to develop a third tier of service below

taxis and private hire—the so-called Transport Network Company (TNC) model.

Uber has tried—without much success so far—to launch a TNC service called Uber Pop service in Europe, which could halve fares through the use of non-licensed drivers. But it will continue to push

for this via regulatory organisations in Europe and the UK. “Uber Pop is structurally the biggest threat to your business,” Moxon-Tritsch warned.

He said the EU was likely to leave regulation to different member states due to the different nature of the taxi market from country to country. “The UK is the best regulated in Europe, but the nature of the UK regulatory framework is laissez-faire and deregulatory. Indeed, this environment has allowed Uber to gain a major foothold in the UK.

While Moxon-Tritsch said the EU acknowledges it is not competent to regulate taxis, it does want to drive a “digital single market” which is likely to favour technology companies such as Uber.

“We need to make sure the TNC model doesn’t become established

here,” said Moxon-Tritsch. “Uber is all about deregulation without scale constraints. To Uber, anyone with a vehicle is a transport provider—as a second job.”

Anything about TNC was removed from recent TfL consultations on the private hire industry, and Moxon-Tritsch believes if TfL drags its feet a third consultation could be launched. He also noted that TfL was sitting on the Law Commission report from 2014, which sets out the direction of travel for the industry and should form the basis of a taxi and minicab bill.

“We need to make sure that bill is safe for you,” he told operators. “We are pretty close to some unpleasant stuff that could take us back to the pre-1998 days when corporate clients would not use private hire cars because they were not considered safe.”


news Moxon-Tritsch | Addison Lee | Uber Bristol

Dominick Moxon-Tritsch

DOZENS OF LONDON-LICENSED UBER cars have been seen in Bristol picking up jobs booked on the Uber app,

leaving local taxi drivers angry and out of pocket.Bristol taxi drivers say it is damaging to the

point where they have considered strike action in a bid for authorities to clamp down on the infl ux.

Uber said it “does not instruct partners on where they should work”. And it is not illegal for Uber drivers based elsewhere to work in Bristol, as long as they fufi l the right licensing criteria. But Transport for London, which licenses taxis in the capital, said a “grey area” could make it easier for cabbies based in the capital to take jobs in Bristol.

Bristol driver Bill Sawyer, who drives for V Cars, said his takings were down 10-15%. “They’re quite clearly working here full time and nothing is being done about it.”

A TfL spokesman said working between cities is legal “as long as the booking goes through” where a driver is licensed. “It’s a grey area because you don’t know how the booking is accepted, so if the booking is accepted in London then it’s legal,” he said. “With Uber there is an operating centre in London and as long as a driver and vehicle are licensed they could go and work in Bristol.”

LONDON-REGISTERED UBER CARS SEEN WOKING IN BRISTOL

Berkeley Square blocked by Addison Lee pay protest

ADDISON LEE DRIVERS STAGED A lunchtime go-slow protest last month in

London’s Berkeley Square in protest against reduced rates introduced by the company.

The protest was organised by the GMB Union, which was leading today’s action. GMB offi cials acknowledged that Addison Lee’s move was a bid to compete with Uber, but said drivers deserved better treatment.

GFMB branch secretary Steve Garelick said: “The rate drop has been primarily to help customers. The argument that it will increase work for drivers is a fallacy.

Addison Lee has a great name for looking after people—but that is beng sacrifi ced for profi tability.”

In a statement, Addison Lee denied that the recently introduced changes had adversely affected drivers: “Despite the number of private hire drivers in the London market increasing by over 50% in the past two years, our average driver earnings have increased by 5% compared to this time last year,” said a spokesperson. “We can assure all our clients that our drivers are fairly compensated for their time and service.”


news Gett | Audi A8L | Diesel scrappage

Cab app Gett acquires Radio Taxis, One TransportMark Bursa

BLACK CAB APP GETT has bought Mountview House Group, owner of

the Radio Taxis black cab fl eet, the Xeta taxi operation and the One Transport corporate taxi and private hire platform.

Full terms of the multi-million pound deal have not been announced, and the businesses will be merged over the next few months.

Gett Western Europe managing

director Remo Gerber said: “Radio Taxis has a long, proud history and we are delighted to bring such a great business into the Gett family. Alongside our cutting edge technology it is going to help to make Gett an even more powerful, global force for both our corporate customers and

members of the public.”Radio Taxis was set up in the

1950s as an independent driver co-operative. Xeta was established by former ComCab bosses in 2003 as a lower-cost alternative.

Gett claims to have 10,000 cab driver users and the deal will increase

that total to 11,500, plus access via One Transport to clients such as the BBC, HSBC, M&S and Eurostar.

In a letter, Gett told Radio Taxis drivers the merger was the best way to combat the growth of Uber: “This deal is all about strengthening our commitment to the trade and our faith in the long term future of black cabs in London. One of the aims of this acquisition is to get even more business back into licensed taxis, as part of the fi ghtback against the new challenges you are seeing.”

DIESEL SCRAPPAGE SCHEME WOULD MAKE LITTLE DIFFERENCE TO AIR QUALITY, SAYS RAC FOUNDATION

A DIESEL SCRAPPAGE SCHEME aimed at removing the oldest and highest-polluting diesel cars from

the roads would have only a minimal effect on air quality, according to the RAC Foundation.

Environmental campaigners have proposed a scheme that would offer up to £2,000 to new car buyers if they trade in a Euro 1, 2 or 3 standard diesel. There are around 1.9 million diesel cars on the roads in these categories, accounting for 17% of all diesel cars on the road and responsible for an estimated 15% of total NOx emissions.

But if the scheme saw 400,000 of these cars taken off the road and replaced by a new, Euro 6 diesel car, NOx emissions would be reduced by only 2,000 tonnes per annum—around 1.3% of the

total emissions from diesel cars, assuming similar mileages.

Even if 400,000 older diesels were replaced with electric vehicles, the cut in annual NOx emissions would be about 4,900 tonnes, or 3.2% of the total emissions from diesel cars.

But if the replacement Euro 6 diesels were driven as much as other Euro 6 diesels, there could be an annual increase of about 300 tonnes. And it would be hard to target a scrappage scheme at those cars being used in urban areas where poor air quality is of greatest concern.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Instinctively a scrappage scheme to get the oldest, dirtiest diesels off the road seems like a good idea. But these numbers suggest otherwise. At best it looks like emissions would be reduced by only a few percent, unless government was prepared to launch a scheme on an unprecedented scale.”

The scheme would cost an estimated £800 million with the government and manufacturers both contributing £1,000 each to each trade-in.

AUDI CHASING MORE ORDERS FOR EXTENDED A8L LIMOUSINE AUDI HAS BUILT A SPECIAL ONE-OFF STRETCHED

version of the A8L for a European customer. The Audi A8 L extended measures 6.36m in length with a wheelbase extended 1.09m to 4.22m. And Audi already has further requests for the six seater custom limo.

It took almost a year to develop and build the extra-long saloon. The major challenges concerned the safety and rigidity of the extra-large body, as well as the styling of the silhouette. The Audi A8 L extended uses Audi’s aluminium Space Frame design, which cuts weight. For the built-to-order version the engineers extended the side sills and centre tunnel using extruded aluminium sections.

A double rear bulkhead separates the passenger compartment from the luggage compartment; the roof incorporates additional aluminium profi led tubes and cross-braces. These measures provide torsional rigidity almost on a par with the A8 L.

The entire body from the A-pillar back has been reworked. Audi

embedded a 2.40m glass panel in the roof skin to enhance the sense of spaciousness. Headlights and rear lights incorporate small side marker lights, as is prescribed by law for vehicles of this length.

All passengers face the direction of travel in the Audi A8 L extended. The six seats are upholstered in beige Valcona leather, and rows two and three feature electrically adjustable individual seats. The third row has a continuous centre console, a Rear Seat Entertainment display and a cool box.

The one-off A8 version is powered by a 3.0 TFSI engine

developing 310PS, delivering up to 440Nm of torque. This gives a 0 to 62mph time of 7.1sec and an

electronically governed top speed of 155mph.An eight-speed tiptronic transfers engine

power to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. The 19in wheels conceal the brake system of the Audi S8, which assures outstanding braking for the 2.4-tonne car.

DIESEL SCRAPPAGE SCHEME WOULD MAKE LITTLE DIFFERENCE TO AIR QUALITY, SAYS RAC FOUNDATION

A double rear bulkhead separates the passenger compartment from the luggage compartment; the roof incorporates additional aluminium profi led tubes and cross-braces. These measures provide

developing 310PS, delivering up to 440Nm of torque. This gives a 0 to 62mph time of 7.1sec and an

electronically governed top speed of 155mph.An eight-speed tiptronic transfers engine

power to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. The 19in wheels conceal the brake system of the Audi S8, which assures outstanding braking for the 2.4-tonne car.

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Mark Bursa

UBER HAS AGREED TO settle a multi-million dollar lawsuit brought by

two major Californian cities, which claimed it carried out inadequate background checks on drivers.

Uber has admitted no wrongdoing as part of the settlement, but has agreed to pay a civil penalty of £7 million. And it will have to pay a further £10m if it does not comply with the terms of the agreement over the next two years.

Prosecutors acting for the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco had fi led a consumer protection lawsuit against Uber in December 2014, alleging the company misled consumers about the service’s safety. They said an investigation had found that more than 20 drivers with criminal records had been hired by Uber, including

a convicted murderer.Prosecutors said Uber’s

background checks only went back seven years, and were inferior to

those faced by regular taxi drivers in the cities. Uber also does not run fi ngerprint checks on its drivers, though taxi

drivers have to provide these.One driver, who carried out more

than 1,000 journeys for Uber, had spent 26 years behind bars for second-degree murder, but had applied to Uber using a false name. Prosecutors said they had also found unlicensed drivers working for Uber along with those convicted other offences including drink-driving.

An earlier investigation by the Los Angeles Times discovered four drivers working for Uber who would have been prevented from driving a taxi because of their criminal record.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said: “The result we achieved today sends a clear message to all businesses, and to start-ups in particular, that in the quest to quickly obtain market share, laws designed to protect consumers cannot be ignored. If a business acts like it is above the law, it will pay a heavy price.”


news Uber Cardiff | Uber Newcastle | Uber US fi ne

Cardiff operators play down Uber launch threat Mark Bursa

THE LAUNCH LAST month of Uber in Cardiff will bring

“nothing new” to the city’s taxi business, according to leading local operators.

Veezu CEO Paul Ragan, whose giant group owns Dragon Taxis in Cardiff, said Uber’s arrival could be seen as positive as it will encourage the use of booking apps.

“For those forward-thinking

taxi fi rms that have already invested in cloud-based dispatch software and mobile app technology, Uber, and other app-only businesses, are playing a pivotal role in raising awareness of booking a taxi via an app, which must be seen as a positive,” he said.

Ragan said Veezu’s experience in Leeds, where its Amber Cars operation has been competing with Uber for some time, had led to growth. Amber Cars now has more drivers and passengers

than it did before Uber arrived, he said.

He said less than 10% of business in the £9 billion UK private hire and taxi sector is processed via credit card on a mobile app. “Uber’s presence in UK regions is undoubtedly forcing smaller taxi fi rms to do or die by either investing in the required technology, merging with fi rms who already have, or exiting altogether.”

Other operators said they were not worried about Uber. Premier Taxis director Tim Mahonay said: “We have got no problems with competition.

I would imagine it would affect more people like Hackney fi rms. We already have an app for bookings and you can use cash for it. We don’t think it will affect us that much.” He said Premier would not “surge-price” so his customers will always know the fare they will be charged.

And Capital Cabs director Sharyn Donnachie said: “Uber brings nothing new to the table. No new drivers and no new cars. They’re just reallocating resources that we already have, and using an app which is almost as good as ours. When things go wrong they won’t have a team of staff working 24 hours a day to resolve any issues.”

She added that people should think before using Uber: “Uber’s business model will take revenue from the local economy which will have a detrimental effect on local people and companies.”

Paul Ragan

Uber takes $10m out-of-court-settlement over inadequate US driver checks

UBER HITS 300 NEWCASTLE DRIVERS AND TARGETS OTHER N-E CITIES■ UBER CLAIMS TO HAVE 300 DRIVERS IN NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, JUST 12 MONTHS after its launch in the city. And now the app service is planning on taking on other cities in north-east England, including Sunderland and Durham.

An Uber spokesman confi rmed: “It’s our ambition to launch in other cities in the north-east.” It now has a full-time operations team based in Newcastle city centre, and claims the average time between ordering a cab and the car arriving has fallen from over 5 minutes to under 3.5 minutes.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon: “If a business acts like it is above the law, it will pay a heavy price.”

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news Belfast | Boro Taxis | Radio Taxis | Jaguar XFL

CONFUSION OVER SIGNAGE AHEAD OF NEW BELFAST RULES Mark Bursa

SOME BELFAST TAXIS WILL NOT BE allowed to display roof signs under new legislation due to come into effect from

May 31.Under the new rules, passengers will be able to

hail a private hire vehicle between midnight and 6am on Friday and Saturday nights, and certain public holidays, within a two mile zone stretching out from Belfast city centre.

However, depending on the type of taxi licence they apply for, some private hire taxi drivers will not be able to identify themselves with a roof sign from May 31.

But in order to do this, they will have to apply for a new “Class A” licence, which will allow a new style roof sign, but will also require them to purchase a

taximeter and printer, which must be tested by the Driver Vehicle Agency, at a combined cost of more than £400.

Some private hire taxi drivers are instead choosing to apply for a “Class C” licence—normally reserved for wedding and funeral cars—which will restrict their use, prohibiting them from picking up fares on the street.

But Class C cars will not be allowed to display a roof sign and customers will be obliged to fi ll in a form once in the taxi, including details of the journey and the price agreed. The ban on roof signs is to prevent tourists and members of the public from attempting to wave down a taxi which has already been pre-booked.

But drivers said the new rules would create confusion. One said: “Some years ago we were told about the danger of private taxis with no roof signs or

ID on them, that they were a danger to the public. Now they are telling us to take signs off so you will not be identifi ed as a taxi. What is happening?”

The Department of the Environment is believed to be planning a four-month grace period during which the department will not take action against drivers who do not have taxi meters fi tted.

Meanwhile leading private hire operators are calling on the Department of Regional Development to review the laws on bus lane use. Currently black taxis can use the bus lanes, but Private Hire Vehicles cannot.

But Value Cabs boss William McCausland told the Belfast Telegraph: “You can’t have one public hire vehicle allowed to use the bus lanes and not another. If we could use the bus lanes it would mean improved journey times and be cheaper for the customers and allow drivers to get around the town much quicker.”

Radio Taxis announces Saints partnership

RADIO TAXIS HAS SIGNED A deal with Southampton Football

Club to become the club’s fi rst offi cial taxi supplier.

Established in 1976, Radio Taxis is the largest Taxi and Private Hire Company in Southampton, and has signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the club. With a fl eet of 250 cars, it was ranked number 54 in the 2015 ProDriver 100 league table of UK cab fi rms.

Radio Taxis will be available on all match days to take supporters to and from games at the club’s St Mary’s stadium, while the club’s Saints Foundation will also use them for travel throughout the community. Radio Taxis will also be the offi cial supplier for Halo Conferences & Events.

Radio Taxis is working on a number of schemes, including a ‘We Care’ initiative that ensures safety comes fi rst, and it has recently launched a new app to ensure a faster taxi booking service.

MIDDLESBROUGH’S BORO TAXIS HAS ANNOUNCED it will freeze its fi xed-price airport fares until the end of 2016, following a major rise in its airport

business.The company, whose 800-car fl eet ranks it at number

7 in the ProDriver 100 league table of cab fi rms, said taxi airport runs were up by more than 180% this year, and airport journeys using minibuses had risen by more than 250% compatred to 2015.

Mohammed Bashir, Boro Taxis founder, said: “These days with airlines battling to offer the best deal for popular European destinations, low-cost fl ights more than offset the cost of a taxi particularly when factoring in the cost of parking in to the equation.”

He added: “We are fi nding that more and more customers are fl ying out of one airport and coming back into another to get the best bargain, which makes using their own car impractical.”

Boro Taxis offers one-way fi xed fares from central Middlesbrough to a number of airports: Newcastle (£42); Leeds-Bradford (£55); Manchester (£95); Liverpool (£130) and East Midlands (£180). Bashir said: “We have made a pledge to freeze our fi xed price airport fares for the whole of 2016 due to airport runs becoming a bigger part of our business streams.”

BORO TAXIS FREEZES AIRPORT FARES AS HOLIDAY TRANSFERS BOOM

CHINA HAS A LONG TRADITION OF MAKING LONG-wheelbase versions of mainstream saloons—

Chinese business executives see arriving by chauffeur car as a symbol of success.

Now Jaguar has joined the party, unveiling a stretched XFL model at last month’s Beijing auto show. The car has a 140mm wheelbase stretch, giving rear

passengers 157mm more legroom and 116mm more knee room. But Jaguar has played down hopes that the car might be offered in the UK, as it is not certifi ed outside China.

The car is being built in China as part of JLR’s joint venture with Chinese car maker

Chery. Only 2.0-litre and 3.0-litre petrol engines will be

offered, and all versions will use an eight speed auto gearbox driving the

rear wheels.

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ProDriver CongressLONDON 2016

Introducing...

Register at www.prodrivercongress.com

Date for your diary

July 19, 2016

ProDriver Congress 2016 is a one-day conference aimed at bringing into focus the

threats and opportunities that face private hire and chauffeur operators in London

The conference is FREE to attend for licensed private hire and chauffeur operators only. Non-qualifying delegates can reserve a ticket for £240 (excluding VAT).

The conference programme will run from 10.00 to 14.00. A buffet lunch and refreshments will be provided, along with free car parking for registered delegates.

Register at www.prodrivercongress.com

Heathrow Renaissance

Hotel July 19 2016 from 9.00 AM

ProDriver Congress is proudly sponsored by

Heathrow Airport

expansion

New Mayor, new rules

Transport for London’s new rules

Coping with market disruption

We discuss

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fi rstdriveJaguar F-Pace 2.0d Prestige AWD Auto


fi rst drive Jaguar F-Pace 2.0d Prestige AWD Auto

Tim Barnes-Clay

THE ALL-NEW F-PACE IS genuinely revolutionary—for Jaguar. It is the company’s fi rst ever sports utility vehicle (SUV), and the model is crucial

for the big cat badge to remain competitive in a market fl ooded with premium SUVs.

The F-Pace is rather late in joining the SUV shindig when you consider it is taking on more established competitors, such as the BMW X6, Porsche Macan and Mercedes-Benz GLC. However, unlike the machines produced by sibling fi rm Land Rover, it has been made with more of an athletic road-driving predisposition. And that puts a question mark over some of these rivals’ abilities from the off.

None of the F-Pace’s key adversaries can equal the Jaguar when it comes to the interior. The car has a high driving position and enough room for four-up to

sit in real comfort. There is a range of storage areas, including large bottle holding door pockets and a big centrally-placed cubbyhole.

The Jaguar certainly feels like a robust car. It is practical, too, measuring 4,731 mm in length, 1,936 mm in width and 1,651 mm in height. It’s bigger than its target rivals such as Porsche Macan and Mercedes-Benz GLC and therefore is a comparable vehicle to slightly larger rivals such as Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90. Not quite as roomy, and certainly not a seven-seater, but it’s certainly a practical proposition for operators looking to use it as a chauffeur car.

We found getting into the F-Pace’s back seats a tad awkward because of the mammoth rear wheel arches, but there is more than enough head and legroom for four tall occupants to take a seat contentedly. Heads only start to skim the roof with the panoramic sunroof fi tted. Jaguar offers the option of reclining rear seats as well, adding additional comfort for passengers.

As a four-seater, the Jaguar F-Pace is both a spacious passenger transporter and a voluminous cargo-carrier, with 650 litres of luggage space underneath the load cover. This again highlights the “in-betweener” position of the car—not as roomy in the load bay as the 770-litres-plus of the Q7 or XC90, but enough to blow the target competition out of the water. The Macan has just 500 litres of boot space, for example.

The F-Pace’s factory-fi tted powered tailgate makes access easy, and its rear seats fold virtually fl at, expanding the load space to 1,740 litres. There is a 40:20:40 split, which means longer items of up to 1.8 metres can be packed into the Jaguar.

Materials are of top quality all around the dash, while the instrumentation is clear and all the switchgear falls easily to hand. We were particularly mesmerised with the technology on offer. Jaguar’s touchscreen infotainment unit has been radically enhanced for the F-Pace and the sat-nav screen is a large leap forward when it comes to responsiveness.

23prodrivermags.com | MAY 2016

Honestly, the pinch-to-zoom function reacts as rapidly as an iPad’s. Wi-Fi is also available in the car, along with a wide range of apps to help easily access the F-Pace’s systems.

Directly below the dashboard, the F-Pace’s central cubbyhole is big and is home to a USB slot and 12-volt power point. An HDMI connection is available on the options list, too. With an HDMI connection the infotainment screen can ‘mirror’ images from most smartphones. Furthermore, it allows a Blu-ray DVD player to be connected in the car. Another smart piece of gadgetry is Jaguar’s Activity Key—a water-resistant car key that can be worn on the wrist.

We only drove the automatic 2-litre diesel at launch in Montenegro—the model most likely to be seen on the UK’s roads. The eight-speed automatic transmission impressed us with its near-seamless changes up and down the cogs. In fact, the tiny country’s winding mountain roads showed how capable the gearing is. The F-Pace never once

grappled with which ratio to choose—an issue some challengers have had with their gearboxes. The Adriatic coastal roads we drove, with up to 25 hairpins on one downhill section, punished the F-Pace, but not once did it complain.

The car has a rear-wheel drive character most of the time, only delivering torque to the front wheels when the Jaguar feels it is needed. This means the SUV bonds to the road like glue and the steering is sharp and well-weighted enough to encourage confi dent cornering.

Indeed, the F-Pace is perfect for chauffeuring as it always feels planted and unruffl ed whatever situation it is in. This includes off-tarmac situations, as we found out taking the latest Jaguar model up and down an ancient Prussian trail, littered with rocks. It should come as no surprise that the SUV is this talented off-road, though. After all, it is built by the same business that puts together the Land Rover and Range Rover models—and they lead the 4x4 pack.

Jaguar’s fi rst ever SUV hasn’t been assessed by crash test organisation Euro NCAP yet. Never-theless, the F-Pace’s safety kit is excellent, even in entry-level Prestige trim. Standard equipment comprises automatic emergency braking; traffi c sign recognition with intelligent speed limiter; lane-departure warning; front and rear parking sensors, and ISOFIX child-seat anchor points in the back.

The combined fuel economy for the F-Pace 2.0d Prestige AWD Auto we drove is claimed at 53mpg, while the offi cial CO2 fi gure is 139g/km. Our test drives were long, but generally twisty. Averaging 40mph on some of the most spectacularly scenic, rally-like roads and tracks in southeast Europe, we averaged 45mpg. On what passes for a motorway in Montenegro, averaging 60mph, we achieved 52mpg.

This variant’s four-cylinder power unit produces 177bhp and torque of 430Nm. The amount of clout allows for zero to 62mph to be achieved in 8.7 seconds in all-wheel drive automatic confi guration. Top speed is 129mph.

Honestly, the pinch-to-zoom function reacts as rapidly as an iPad’s. Wi-Fi is also available in the car,

grappled with which ratio to choose—an issue some challengers have had with their gearboxes.

Jaguar’s fi rst ever SUV hasn’t been assessed by crash test organisation Euro NCAP yet. Never-

On the F-Pace


Jaguar F-Pace 2.0d Prestige AWD Auto

VERDICTIT IS A SHAME THAT Jaguar took so long coming up with its fi rst

ever SUV. However, it’s fi nally here, and it has been worth the wait. We liked the look of the F-Pace as well as its good interior headroom, along with its big load area.

We also enjoyed the way the Jaguar sucked up everything Montenegro threw at it. It is a comfortable cruiser on the straights, a sports car on the twisty bits and a proper off-roader—should the need ever arise. Basically, this is one unfl appable machine that rides brilliantly—and looks the business.

Truly, the introduction of the Jaguar F-Pace into the premium SUV market is an exciting prospect for chauffeurs looking for a prestigious, luxury, all-wheel-drive car that is just a little left-fi eld. The model is refreshingly out-of-the-ordinary for Jaguar and the stylish F-Pace is bound to be a talking-point for some time to come.

fi rst drive Jaguar F-Pace 2.0d Prestige AWD Auto

PRICE £37,860

ENGINE 1,999cc four-cylinder turbodiesel

TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive

POWER 180hp @ 4,000rpm

TORQUE 430Nm @ 1,750rpm

0-62MPH 8.7sec

TOP SPEED 129mph

COMBINED FUEL ECONOMY 53.3mpg

CO2 139g/km

LENGTH 4,731mm

WHEELBASE 2,874mm

WIDTH 1,936mm

HEIGHT 1,651mm

LOADSPACE 650 litres

FUEL TANK CAPACITY 60 litres

WARRANTY 3 years/unlimited miles

VED BAND E

PHTM May.pdf 1 22/04/2016 15:18

PHTM May.pdf 1 22/04/2016 15:18

Announcing the Professional Driver

QSi Awards 2016Reward your staff and show your

customers you’re the best of the best

The Professional Driver QSi Awards are proudly sponsored by...

November seems a long way off – but now is the time to start considering your company’s achievements and preparing your

entry for the 2016 Professional Driver QSi Awards.Our awards dinner has become fi rmly established as the

networking and celebration event for the chauffeur and private hire industry – and it’s where we reward the best and most

innovative operators and drivers in the business.

Enter the 2016 Professional Driver QSi Awards now at

www.prodrivermags.com/qsi-home

The award categories The Professional Driver QSi Awards are designed to recognise chauffeur and private hire operators that demonstrate excellent

standards of Quality, Service and Innovation. Gold, silver and bronze awards will be given to companies or individuals in each category.

Chauffeur Company of the Year (1-10 vehicles)

Chauffeur Company of the Year (11-30 vehicles)

Chauffeur Company of the Year (31+ vehicles)

Private or Corporate Chauffeur of the Year

Private Hire Company of the Year (1-80 vehicles)

Private Hire Company of the Year (81+ vehicles)

Marketing Award Rewarding innovations in promoting and publicising a company’s services

Community Award Rewarding initiatives that have made the wining companies real “local heroes”

Environmental Award Rewarding green initiatives that have made the company especially eco-friendly

New-start Business Award Rewarding a chauffeur or private hire company that has only been operating since january1, 2013

Professional Driver of the Year Individual driver or chauffeur, to be nominated by the operator or employer

The Professional Driver QSi Awards categories are:

fi rstdriveAudi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI Ultra Sport 150PS 6-speed


fi rst drive Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI Ultra Sport 150PS 6-speed

Top qualitätPRICE £36,990ENGINE 1,968cc turbodieselTRANSMISSION 6-speed manual, front-drivePOWER 150PS at 3,250-4,250rpmTORQUE 320Nm at 1,500-3,250rpmCO2 EMISSIONS 104g/kmCOMBINED FUEL ECONOMY 70.6mpgMAX SPEED 133mph0-62MPH 9.2secLUGGAGE VOLUME 505 litresLENGTH 4,725mmHEIGHT 1,434mmWIDTH 1,842mmWHEELBASE 2,820mmFUEL TANK 54 litresWARRANTY 36 months/60,000 milesVED Band B

OPTIONS FITTED:Metallic paint £645; Leather/Alcantara interior £1,150; Driver assistance pack £1,250; Technology pack £1,450; Parking system plus £395; High-beam assist £150; Audi Virtual Cockpit £450

Mark Bursa

FOR MANY OPERATORS, FINDING the middle ground is the order of the day. Say you’re a private hire operator that wants to operate a business service for longer runs,

such as airport pick-ups. Or you could be a luxury chauffeur looking to offer a lower-cost service without compromising your quality. Finding the right car is something of a challenge.

You need something that offers a good-quality luxury brand. But it’s just as important to opt for a car with low running costs, exceptional mpg and, preferably, low emissions. And the car has to be roomy and practical enough to do the job.

The main luxury brands have for many years offered smaller four-door models, with very acceptable economics. But the likes of BMW 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4 have in the past been too cramped in the back to offer the sort of comfort that a business customer might require. A Skoda Superb may not have the same brand cachet—but it has the legroom.

But fi nally, things are changing, and luxury car

manufacturers are starting to provide a smaller and cheaper four- or fi ve-seater car with a premium brand, and still useable for up-market taxi work.

BMW has its 3-series GT, with a longer wheelbase and more room in the back. And Mercedes-Benz’s new 2014 C-Class combines much-improved back seat space with economical diesel and hybrid powertrains.

Last year it was Audi’s turn to join the party with an all-new A4, the fi fth car to carry the A4 nameplate since 1994. It offers an attractive package of low-cost economics, driveability and, crucially, rear seat comfort.

We tested the new A4 saloon last year—and now it’s been joined by an estate, as ever retaining the Avant badge. It’s longer and wider than its predecessor, and crucially, the wheelbase has grown by 12mm to 2,820mm. That translates to an increase of 23mm in rear legroom—still not as vast as the likes of Skoda Superb, but comfortable now where its predecessor was cramped. Factor in the taller rear doors of the estate, and some well-scalloped seat backs and the headroom and legroom are very acceptable.

It’s around 120kg lighter than the old A4, and we’re testing the most frugal non-quattro 150PS 2.0 TDI Ultra

version, in Sport trim. With a saloon body, this offers 99g/km performance when fi tted with 17in wheels and six-speed manual transmission. The slightly heavier estate body takes it up to 104g/km—hardly worth worrying about under the new tax structure. It’s worth noting that the bigger the wheels, the higher the emissions—18in wheels take CO2 up to 111g/km, while the biggest 19in alloys knock it up to 116g/km. Small is beautiful—and gives a better ride!

Audi claims the A4 Avant we tested offers combined fuel economy of 70.6mpg. The 150PS turbodiesel


replaces the 136PS unit as the smallest oil-burner available—it offers an increase of 10% in power and a 9g/km reduction in CO2. The engines are Euro 6 compliant and have AdBlue—so they should be free from the VW emissions testing controversy.

While the car inevitably didn’t come close to the 70s on test in the 150PS manual, over a 69-mile drive we managed 50.2mpg at 31mph. This is very consistent with the 50.4 we achieved at 34mph on the A4 saloon last year. And it’s pretty close to our test result of the Mercedes-Benz C300 Bluetec Hybrid for 2014 - 53.3mpg at an average of 31mph.

On longer runs, we’d expect the A4 Avant’s mpg fuel economy fi gure to climb to the upper 50s, which is very impressive. It does genuinely seem more frugal than larger or more powerful engines in the same car too. A 190PS auto 2.0-litre A4 saloon that we tested last year returned 44.6mpg at 30mph, while a new 218PS 3.0-litre V6 returned 44.1mpg at 40mph, again in an A4 saloon body.

The new A4 carries over the basic high-waisted A4 shape that has its roots in the 1980s Audi 80, and hasn’t changed radically in almost 30 years. But the distinctive, aggressive new Audi grille, as seen on the Q7, makes the new A4 easily recognisable from earlier versions, from the front at least.

The differences are more obvious inside the car. A new widescreen satnav screen now sits on top of the dash. It’s not retractable, as in A6 and A8, but rather looks like a permanent tablet—just like the Mercedes C-Class.

The system is familiar and user-friendly, with a manual controller for the Audi MMI system mounted on the centre console behind the gear lever. Our test car had a conventional analogue dashboard, with a digital information screen mounted between the primary dials—it looks just like an A6 or A8.

On the road, increased refi nement is immediately noticeable. The all-new multi-link suspension can be tuned to three settings—Sport is fun but rather too fi rm, but Comfort is very smooth. Also improved is the electromechanical power steering, which feels very much more natural than some we’ve tried. The A4 is nimble on country roads and stable on a run. The manual gearshift is neat and light, giving quick, precise changes. Noise isolation was very good, with just some low-revs engine grumble at the start.

The boot space is not the biggest—the car has a skinny spare beneath the fl oor. But there’s room for a couple of big cases and some smaller bags, and the space is more useable as the intrusive housings around the hinges and wheel arches of the saloon are missing.

Nevertheless, Audi claims 505 litres of space—more than the Mercedes C-Class estate’s 490 litres. But it’s nowhere near the 633 litres of a Skoda Superb. If you’re transporting families with lots of luggage, it’s probably not the right car. This is a business express, make no mistake.

VERDICTTHIS IS A COMFORTABLE FOUR-SEATER ESTATE THAT COULD DO A VALUABLE JOB FOR A chauffeur operator wanting to offer a lower-priced “executive” service—or for a minicab fi rm looking to raise its game. It’ got the brand, and now it’s got the

performance and interior space too.The new Audi A4 is a very pleasant drive, and it’s bristling with safety technology, including

lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control. Plus you get inductive mobile phone charging, which will go down well with customers.

Fuel economy and CO2 returns are good too, with a real-world 50mpg return, which is up with the best. VW group products may have been getting bad press over the US emissions scandal, but this car is not one of the ones fi tted with a cheat device—it’s a generation newer, and fully Euro 6 compliant.

The Avant estate is more practical than the saloon—it’s a little easier to get in and out. And with an on-the-road basic price tag of around £32,000, it’s not a lot more expensive than a well-specifi ed volume rival.

fi rst driveAudi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI Ultra Sport 150PS 6-speed

Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI Ultra Sport 150PS 6-speedAudi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI Ultra Sport 150PS 6-speed

fi rstdriveToyota MiraiMAY 2016 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER30

Perfecting powerMark Bursa

WHAT DOES THE CAR OF the future look like? Is it an evolution of the cars we know, maybe with a hybrid powertrain combining the best elements

of diesel or petrol engines and electric drive? Or is Tesla right, and the future is battery-powered?

Or is it something else, something new and revolutionary? For some time now, that “something else” has been hydrogen. Indeed, we’ve seen and driven workable prototypes over a period of 20 years or more. But getting the gas to work as a fuel has taken longer than expected, and only now have manufacturers started building low-volume runs of practical hydrogen-powered cars.

Honda and Hyundai are both in the game, but inevitably, the leader is Toyota, which seems to have bypassed battery-electric and placed the biggest bet on hydrogen as the genuine next big thing. And now it has a workable car on the road—the Mirai.

To answer the original question—the car of the future looks a bit like a saloon version of the new Prius, with a few extra body fl ourishes. It has recognisable Toyota lines, four seats, four doors and a conventional boot. It doesn’t scream “new!”

But then again, the fi rst Prius was an unassuming three-box saloon. And just as it did with the Prius back in 1997, Toyota is playing the long game with Mirai. Just a dozen cars have so far been imported. Selected users, including Greentomato Cars, are effectively running extended road tests. But you can buy or lease one—it’ll cost you £61,000, including subsidies, or £750 a month on a four-year, 60,000-mile contract hire deal.

It took around 10 years before Prius started to generate profi ts, and the earliest models were sold at thumping loss. But now, nearly 20 years on from that Mk1 Prius, the hybrid system is used in more than 30 Toyota and Lexus models, and total global cumulative hybrid sales are nudging 10 million units.

Hydrogen is going to take longer because of one fundamental difference—infrastructure. A hybrid

can be refuelled at a conventional fuel pump. Even a plug-in hybrid will keep going on fossil fuels when the battery is depleted. But a hydrogen car needs a special hydrogen pump—and at the moment those are at a premium.

Right now there are seven in the whole of greater London, one in Sheffi eld and one in Swindon. This makes operations rather limited. On the plus side, Mirai has a range of around 300 miles on a full tank of Hydrogen, which is better than a Tesla S’s fully-charged electric range.

And there are indications that the oil companies might come to the party and fi t hydrogen pumps at forecourts. Shell has committed to install 400 in Germany by 2023, and the company is looking at the UK too. And that would suit governments, as pump sales would give them an opportunity to tax Hydrogen as a fuel –something they can’t do with electricity.

So how does it work? Effectively Mirai is an electric car—there’s no internal combustion engine or conventional gearbox. The fi nal drivetrain is an

fi rst drive Toyota Mirai


electric motor powering the front wheels, using energy stored in a Nickel Metal Hydride battery, mounted under the back seats.

This battery pack is relatively small—it’s not the same as the high-capacity Lithium Ion batteries that power a Tesla. This is because the electricity is being generated on board the car by a fuel cell, which uses hydrogen to “fuel” a chemical process, which creates electricity and as a by-product, combines the hydrogen molecules with oxygen in the air to produce water.

This is all that comes out of the plastic tailpipe. In fact quite a lot of water is generated, and it is stored in a tank, which you can purge by pressing a button on the dashboard, dropping the warm water on to the road.

Hydrogen is stored in a high-pressure cylinder under the front seats. This is extremely sturdy, and won’t rupture in a crash—indeed, Toyota claims you need an armour-piercing shell to burst it. You fi ll the car as you would an LPG vehicle, using a special pump with a nozzle that locks on to the fi ller hole to avoid gas leaks. It takes two-to-three minutes to fi ll the tank—a similar refuelling time to a regular car.

Inside, the car is Prius-like, though with some signifi cant differences. The dashboard is a different design, but with basically the same layout—a central satnav screen in a large central console, with the familiar short-shift gear lever. The dashboard is centrally mounted, just like on a Prius, and uses a very similar digital display.

Seats are comfortable and have more padding than on the Prius too. Driver and passenger seats were fully electric on our car, with memory. In the rear, there are two well-padded individual seats either side of a fi xed central console, complete with

fi rst drive

31

Greentomato completes 10,000 problem-free Mirai miles

deep storage box. It’s strictly a four-seater, and pretty comfortable in the back, unless you’re well over 6ft tall. Doors seem deeper than a Prius, so it’s easy to get in and out.

The boot is a little limited thanks to the battery pack—but it’s still a reasonable size—361 litres, making it bigger than a Nissan Leaf’s 355 litres. It’s an odd shape, though it’s deep enough to stack cases vertically, so you should be able to get two big cases and a couple of smaller bags in the boot.

On the road, the feel is more Leaf than Prius. It’s an electric car, and other than a very quiet motor whine, the most noticeable sound is front-wheel tyre scrub. As it’s electric, there’s no gearbox—you get full torque the moment you move off. So while 0-62mph time of 9.6sec isn’t sparkling, there’s plenty

of nip when you need it—30-50mph, or 50-70mph are effortless changes.

It’s quite a heavy car thanks to all the electrical paraphernalia, but it feels very stable as most of the smart stuff is low down in the car, under the seats or in the central tunnel. So cornering feels fl at, with minimal body roll, and once you hit the motorway, the car feels rock-solid and rather refi ned.

It’s manoeuvrable too, with a 5.7m turning circle and power steering that feels light at low speeds. And that torque comes in handy up hills.

We didn’t have long enough in the car to test the range claims—over a 30-mile test drive, the available range hardly dropped, though. It would be nice to see how far we can get on a tank of hydrogen—even if does mean we’ll have to go to Swindon!

GREENTOMATO CARS WAS ONE OF THE OPERATORS CHOSEN TO PILOT THE TOYOTA Mirai in service conditions, and one of its two leased cars recently passed a signifi cant milestone of 10,000 miles in service.

This meant it was the fi rst Mirai to receive a routine service at a dealership—a process carried out by London dealer Jemca of Edgware, north London.

The job was accomplished by one person within a one-hour time slot—a simple job, according to Peter Kelly, one of four technicians trained to work on the cars. He said: “It felt like there was less work to do than usual, as there wasn’t a petrol or diesel engine to work on.”

Greentomato Cars wants to add further Mirais to its fl eet, and is looking to have fi ve in service later this year.

MARCH 2011 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER32 32prodrivermags.com | MAY 2016

Toyota MiraiToyota MiraiToyota Mirai

VERDICTIT SEEMS HYDROGEN HAS BEEN WORTH THE WAIT. THIS IS A REFINED AND well-considered car. It’s not an adaptation of an existing vehicle either, though there are some recognisable components from the Prius parts bin inside the car.

In fact, the design pre-dates the current Prius, and as a fi rst-generation production fuel cell vehicle, it’s extremely impressive.

Could it do the job as a private hire vehicle? Absolutely. It’s a comfortable four-seater, with a more luxurious feel than a Prius. And it has the range to outlast a Tesla before the range anxiety sets in. There are limits though—notably luggage space, which is restricted, though still just about acceptable.

And it does tick any green boxes your corporate clients may need ticking. With just water as an emission, there are no nasty Nox and particulates to pollute the air, nor is there any CO2. It’s clean—especially if the hydrogen is reformed from biomass rather than oil.

If Toyota is serious about hydrogen, it needs to look at getting the technology into private hire fl eets, as well as delivery vans and other urban operators. And if the oil companies can provide refuelling alongside the petrol and diesel pumps, hydrogen has a massive advantage over electricity, which is always going to take a lot longer to replenish.

We hear on the grapevine that the technology might fi nd its way into some more up-market models too, including a future large Lexus. Now that would be quite something. What does the car of the future look like? Pretty exciting, we’d say.

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Mark Bursa

AND SO, AFTER 8,000 MILES, it’s time to part company. Always a sad day, especially when you’ve got to know—and like—a car. And the four-wheel drive,

short-wheelbase BMW 7-series has certainly won a place in my heart.

It’s been through a wide range of uses—motorway cruising is obviously its forte, but equally, it’s had to do a fair amount of urban mileage too. We test our cars as you do—so that means driving to central London for meetings rather than taking the train. And despite its bulk, it’s been pretty nimble around the capital too. Final score for fuel consumption was 39.0mpg at 36mph—pretty good for a big saloon.

The 7-series has been to Europe too—it’s a tight squeeze in the Shuttle trains, but it gobbles up the kilometres on the other side of the channel. Conveniently, a couple of clicks in the settings menu can switch the speedometer and odometer—plus the head-up display—from miles to km.

And even the speed warning system works abroad too. This reads road signs and alerts you by turning the speed indication on the head-up display from white to red if you’re speeding

It’s just one of the systems that really impresses on the car. We’ve grown to love the satnav’s “online

search” facility, which means all you need to know is a business name—a shop or restaurant, for example.

Start “writing” it on the entry pad with your fi nger, and after a few characters, it’s likely to have found it. Click on the entry, and it’s automatically in the sat-nav as your new destination. It takes seconds, and there’s no need to fumble around looking for postcodes or street addresses. It’s more like a concierge than a nav system.

The only odd feature is the sound system—which sometimes stays on when you’ve stopped and even opened the doors. The key, of course, is a fancy rechargeable item, and there are times when you just hanker for a basic metal lock and key!

Even without the LWB luxury of the 730Ld, the car is a practical four-seater, so don’t be shy about looking at the non-stretch versions of the big chauffeur cars. Comfort levels are good, and the seats are very comfortable. You’ll not want to be without the massage function, which helps the miles roll by!

While the 730 may have gone, all is not lost. BMW have left me another one for a few more weeks. Another 4x4 xDrive model, but with a lower spec than the previous car’s MSport trim. How will it compare? We’ll fi nd out next month. One or two things are missing—such as adaptive cruise—but there could be a few plus points too. Tune in for next month’s exciting episode!

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Will Senior, iChauffeurprofi le


Mark Bursa

W ITH UP TO 100 LUXURY CARS AT his disposal, iChauffeur boss Will Senior is one of London’s biggest

top-end chauffeuring operators.But despite the hardware available—most of

the drivers are in Mercedes-Benz S-Class and V-Class models, with a few LWB Range Rovers, up to eight Bentleys and a couple of Rolls-Royce Phantoms—the vehicle isn’t the key to success, Will says.

“It’s not about the car—it’s all about the driver, and fi nding the right ones.” Indeed, iChauffeur only hires one in 30 of those interviewed. And they are put through tests without even realising. “We might end an interview without hiring the guy, but telling him to ring back next Thursday at 12 o’clock.. Some might take that as a rejection and not bother calling. But those that have paid attention and call back on time are likely to get hired—they’ll do a good job.

Attention to detail is ingrained in the company’s history. Will gave up a job as a music producer—he even mixed a couple of minor hits in the early 1990s—to join his father Andrew Senior’s chauffeur company, then called TC Executive.

“I started working with my dad 15 years ago—he was quite a character and did a lot more than just chauffeuring—fi nding properties for clients and so on. We chauffeured Elton John’s entourage around, and that’s how we learned to look after people and do things the right way,” says Will

Back then, the company had a handful of cars. But it’s kept on growing. “Over years we’ve built up a bunch of guys who are really good at what they do. Now we have 100 chauffeur drivers, including eight with Bentleys, on our books.

TC Executive became iChauffeur 10 years ago, anticipating the Apple iPhone age and the need to get good as Search Engine Optimisation. Almost all the drivers are owner-drivers—the company has sold all but one of its 10 company-owned vehicles. “I fi nd they’re better chauffeurs if they’ve shown the commitment and bought their own £70,000 vehicle,” says Will. “And we’re not in the business of replacing tyres and fi xing cars—you need a fl eet manager for that.”

Indeed, the only car that has been retained is because it’s used by the company’s best chauffeur. “He’s a Russian guy who doesn’t want to buy a car—but he’s our most requested driver,” says Will.

Sadly Andrew Senior died seven years ago, but Will has carried on the high standards. “I’ve just kept business going. I like the relationships with the drivers and clients. We’ve got a lot of new clients—about 50% of work is new business mainly

SENIOR SER VICEWill Senior

from the corporate sector, including banks and a lot of foreign individuals.” In addition, iChauffeur does a lot of events—three or four V-classes for a few days.

The typical iChauffeur job is not your average airport run. “Cars tend to be hired for the day. Of course we do airports, we have to,” says Will. “But typically, clients will jet in for a few days to check their properties, meet investors and so on. They always want the same chauffeur and car. They’re

long days—maybe 16 hours—before they want to go back to the airport.

iChauffeur offers a bespoke service. If a client wants a black Range Rover with a cream interior, that’s what they’ll get. “And we automatically send the same car and driver as on previous hires if possible– we say the chauffeur is your own private driver.”

iChauffeur handles the organisation and pays the driver a commission. Drivers are free to do

Will Senior, iChauffeur profi le

PROFESSIONAL DRIVER | MAY 2016 37

we did it—even booking the cars early and paying extra to make sure we delivered,” says Will.

The market is changing and safety and reliability are both key. Now a third of business journeys are carrying women. And a lot of overseas visitors don’t know London, or where to go or stay. “The chauffeurs are like mini-concierges, advising them,” says Will.

“We’re very good at details—changing schedules by email or phone. It’s not something you can do on an app. We do a detailed itinerary and hand it to the driver. It’s old school and needs to be.”

However iChauffeur has just moved to new HQ in Teddington, south-west of London, and is about to go live with a new Magenta dispatch system. And customers will soon be able to book cars via an app, allowing them to choose their car—a fi rst for the luxury chauffeur sector, Will says.

“I think things are going to be more rapid with technology—it will maybe bring more of the

drivers in on a full-time basis,” Will says. “We try to keep it personal—all drivers come in for a chat every few weeks. We’ll help them fi nd cars, get fi nance and so on. “It’s a nice little community.”

“Ultimately we’re trying to provide a quintessentially British bespoke service,” says Will. iChauffeur’s average job price is £300—totally different to regular private hire. And going back four years it was about £150—better cars and longer hire periods have brought this about. “I still want to improve that—but it’s diffi cult to add more value to car hire,” Will says.

One concept he’s toying with is a real top-line service— iChauffeur Lux, or even SuperLux, a premium service above the standard. Not just a better car, but maybe guaranteeing a certain amount of driver’s time per month—say 20 hours.

“It’s coming to us already because we’re fi nding that’s what people want. Our best drivers are requested all the time—so we can charge a premium for them. As I said, it’s all about people.”

Alternatively, he’s thinking about rolling a business class service to compete with Transdev’s Black Car or Driven A to B. He’s unsure what car to use. “It won’t be a cheap service with Prius or a standard private hire car. I’m leaning toward something like Volvo XC90,” he says. iChauffeur might have to buy the cars too in order to get consistency of service.

SUVs are proving a particular hit, Will says. “I’m really excited about Range Rover LWB, and they’re proving very popular. Will also favours petrol S-Classes. “I do prefer them for chauffeuring. We have a few S500s and some S350s on the books.

And iChauffeur is not afraid to try new things. “We ran a coachbuilt “mobile offi ce” Viano –the fi nish was like a Bentley, with chauffeur divider, big fl atscreen TVs and so on. But the clients didn’t want it, which was a real surprise.”

Will loves driving—he’ll happily go for a cruise by the river—but you’ll not fi nd him driving his clients—for a good reason. “I’ve got a terrible sense of direction. I did it once—the client got in and asked for Fortnum & Mason—and I didn’t know where it was!”SENIOR SER VICE

their own work. “About 25 out of 100 work for us all the time—we need that as we can’t let a client down. However we could draw on 100 if we needed to,” says Will.

Jobs can be quite complicated—or odd. “We did one the other week where a hotel was very close to venue—just a few hundred yards. The customer wanted 20 S-Classes to shuttle couples back and forth. And three years ago we did a job with 21 Rolls-Royce Phantoms. It was a nightmare, but

iChauffeur’s near miss with Uber BACK IN 2012, WILL HAD A PHONE

call out of the blue, from an American company he’d never heard of. They had an unusual and potentially lucrative request.

“It was Uber—they approached us when they fi rst came to London, and said we were the fi rst company they’d asked,” he says. “They just wanted to do a chauffeur service, and wanted us to provide 25 chauffeur cars for a month.”

It sounded good, but a few weeks before the launch, Will got cold feet. “I thought I couldn’t do it—they’ll steal all the drivers I’ve worked so hard to put together.” So he walked away from the deal. And while Uber initially targeted chauffeur jobs, it soon mutated into a cheap taxi. “Fortunately they didn’t do the chauffeur stuff very well,” says Will.

England Limousines in Davosprofi le


When Professional Driver editor Mark Bursa joined us at the event in 2013, we were using Mercedes—a mix of M-class and S-class models.

And last year we were able to use the big GL350—as a seven-seater, it was easier to squeeze it through the ever-tightening regulations. But even that would be a problem this year. We needed something even cleaner!

Fortunately, the Professional Driver QSi Awards dinner last November provided us with a solution. A chance meeting and discussion with Kay Saunders of Volvo UK (or “Mrs Volvo” as she is affectionately known!) led to a conversation about the new Volvo

XC90—which had just pocketed the Luxury SUV of the Year award on the night. So Kay way very happy to talk to anyone about the fully revised, and almost completely reborn XC90.

The new XC90 comes with a newly-developed 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel powerplant, and this offers low CO2 emissions of just 149g/km—very impressive for a big, seven-seater SUV. And this meant that our tradition of providing luxury SUVs at the event could be allowed to continue.

With Kay’s help, Volvo UK had kindly offered to provide us with a small number of their (almost) fully loaded XC90s for us to use for January 2016. All we had to

COLDCOMFORT

Steve Sommerfeld

ENGLAND LIMOUSINES’ annual assignment at the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland has

become a real highlight of our year. The event takes place in January, 2016, and we have to start the preparations the previous November.

It’s not as simple as it looks. As well as organising travel schedules for our clients, the WEF organisers are very keen on making sure the cars used to transport the delegates at the Swiss mountain-top event are clean and green. And every year, the rules seem to get tighter.

When you’re looking to source top-end chauffeur cars that can cope with tricky conditions with lots of snow and ice, it can be diffi cult to fi nd compliant vehicles.

England Limousines was the fi rst to offer a small fl eet of Range Rovers for the WEF. But CO2 emissions requirements meant the Land Rover fl agship SUVs soon became outlawed—we haven’t been able to use a Range Rover since 2012.

“ VOLVO UK HAD KINDLY OFFERED TO PROVIDE US WITH A SMALL NUMBER OF THEIR [ALMOST] FULLY LOADED XC90S FOR US TO USE FOR JANUARY 2016...”

STEVE SOMMERFIELD

“ VOLVO UK HAD KINDLY OFFERED TO PROVIDE US

England Limousines in Davos profi le


provide were the winter tyres.The cars were professionally

delivered to us a few days before our departure from the UK, and we were suitably impressed. It looks great, and was a lot more luxurious than we ever anticipated. It’s important to mention at this stage that our usual manufacturer of choice is Mercedes-Benz. So we were initially keeping an open mind about the acceptability of the Volvo brand as “prestige” by our very discerning clients.

We needn’t have had any concerns. The XC90 has surprising rear-seat leg room, very comfortable seats, and on our loan cars, stunning panoramic glass roofs. This mean the cars were an instant hit with our customers. The XC90 has an overall feeling of luxury, space and serenity. The suspension is very effective and wind noise at speed is low.

The back seat area was arguably a bit

Spartan in comparison to some luxury SUVs, but tasty electronic climate control panel in the rear helped with the all-important fi rst impressions to our very well-heeled passengers.

From the driver’s point of view, there can’t be a much more perfect test drive than driving the car from the UK across Europe to a Swiss mountain. The journey took in a multitude of varying driving situations and conditions along the way. Volvo and safety go hand-in hand - it’s always been the case, and having been briefed on the new safety features it was now time to witness them fi rst hand.

The impressive Sat Nav was well received by the team, especially the traffi c jam info, which worked well in every country. Essentially a large tablet set in the dash in ‘portrait’ mode, the main info screen was well positioned and easy to use. Flipping between various options and menus was a doddle.

There was only one design fault that came to light—the pipework that supplies windscreen washer fl uid from the reservoir to the windscreen is routed behind the nearside front wheel arch. At minus temperatures, the mixture froze in the pipes and prevented screen washing. We had to add a special screen wash to all cars to prevent any reoccurrence.

As we arrived in Switzerland, a couple of our clients requested a collection from Munich, and at fairly short notice another from Zermatt—deep in the south-west. The drive from Munich to

Davos is around three hours, via high speed Autobahns. But Zermatt is a fi ve-hour drive, through smaller A and B roads and tiny mountainside roads with hairpin bends. We even had to take a car transporter train through the Matterhorn mountain tunnel!

But the SC90 did the business every time. With fresh sets of winter tyres on each car, there was no treacherous ice or snow- covered route that the cars could not take in their stride. In particular, our clients and our drivers complimented the excellent high speed motorway comfort and handling. Fuel consumption was impressive too.

At all driving speeds the traction control features worked amazingly well, keeping the large heavy cars on an even keel. The most interesting (and possibly controversial) high-tech feature of these cars was the Lane Keeping Aid. This uses a camera that reads the white lines on the road, and the car not only warns you if you are deviating out of a lane, but actually steers you back into lane to correct the situation.One step closer to autonomous or self-driving cars.

With hardly any negatives, the Volvos went down a storm with both the England Limousines drivers and the clients. And there can’t be a better high-profi le platform to showcase these classy SUVs than the WEF Davos. It’s certainly led us to reconsider our preconceived ideas about Volvo as a brand suitable for chauffeuring.

business advice Training


Tim Barnes-Clay

R UNNING A BUSINESS IS A ROUND-THE-clock occupation that involves hard work, sound management and effi cient

planning. Operating your own taxi service or chauffeur company is no different. Indeed, it can be extremely demanding for a self-employed cab driver who is left to run the whole show on top of the driving.

Whether you’re a self-employed driver or you work for someone else, it’s obviously in everyone’s interest for the business to prosper. Done properly, cultivating good relationships to ensure repeat custom is the key to staying the right side of the balance sheet - and this is where training comes into play.

Robert Mroczek is a chauffeur and course director at the Chauffeur Training Academy in London. You might recognise him—he won the Professional Driver of the Year Gold award at our inaugural QSi Awards in 2013.

He prides himself on providing development for his students. He says: “We believe that it’s our duty to boost awareness and progress standards for those within our industry.”

Speaking to Robert, it’s palpable how much satisfaction he derives from his work—and it’s clear that he wants to pass this positive attitude

on to others within the professional driving industry.

He explains: “As a course provider we have taken great consideration in not only creating the right programme, but also in fi nding the right people to smooth the progress of the training. Embracing the expertise of our team and skillset, we have moved forward to deliver a new fi ve-day course which is an IQ Level 3 Organisation Award in Chauffeuring.”

Robert is quick to point out that other courses have different structures and offer numerous skillsets, but at the Chauffeur Training Academy, his main aim is to instruct drivers on the professionalism that must be displayed when chauffeuring.“We teach chauffeur etiquette, professional standards, driving techniques and many other associated topics,” says Robert. “An advanced driving day has been built in to the

course to offer skills that will improve standards, too.”

Further up the country, Darren O’Leary helps run The Manchester College’s NVQ Level 2 Road Passenger Vehicle Driving training for hackney and private hire drivers. He agrees that it’s vital for drivers to understand the value of displaying high quality customer service skills.

He explains: “We strongly feel that a desire to up-skill should be at the forefront of any professional driver. We do this by highlighting poor customer service skills and we encourage our students to discuss their own experiences.”

But Darren isn’t just speaking from an academic viewpoint; his college department is unique in that all the tutors are licenced taxi and private hire drivers with almost 30 years’ experience in the trade each. “We really do practice what we preach,” says Darren. “We fi nd the majority of drivers are unaware of local licensing by-laws, so, for example, we’ll ask them if they’re unaware of such laws, how do they know they’re not breaking them? The department also shows drivers how to correctly assist and deal with disabled customers, with an emphasis on risk assessment before so doing.”

Darren is an upbeat chap—and that’s no surprise, given the positive feedback he gets from his students. “The majority of drivers say once they’ve been on our course they feel they

How Driver Training Can Improve Your Business?

Robert Mroczek is a chauffeur and course director at the Chauffeur Training Academy

BADGE OF HONOUR: Chauffeur Training Academy graduates are presented with a discreet lapel pin

business adviceTraining


have ‘more tools in the box’ to meet customer requirements. This makes it more likely they’ll receive repeat business from the customer,” he adds.

Back in the south, Duncan Blackett is chief executive offi cer for iRide, a minicab operator providing on-demand, fi xed-fare and pre-booked services in London. The company has training at its heart—and it couldn’t be any further away from Uber in its efforts to show the world the positive face of the private hire market.

Duncan explains: “At iRide we pride ourselves on fairness as we adapt to the new paradigm that is the private hire market. Gone are high fares; gone are local plots. Here are more competitive fares; here is a different way of working.”

iRide’s Driver Centre is a hub where drivers can pay rent, query their jobs statement and even ask for tips on how to improve their earnings and fuel effi ciency. There is nothing revolutionary in that. But just as drivers have become scant to London’s private hire operators, it seems good drivers who look after their cars and personal appearance have become a scarcity too.

“We have a dual need: to attract and retain drivers,” said Duncan. “All that might seem very elementary so far, but rides have become commoditised through competition, and a race to the bottom has priced the best drivers out of the business.”

Central to iRide’s continued growth is the need to up-skill the company’s driver base—and that is where iRide’s Driver Training Academy comes in. Duncan explained: “Offering superior customer experience is the goal. This will insulate ourselves from the migration of ‘cash fares’ to booking apps. It also gives us the opportunity to win back lapsed customers.”

iRide’s Academy is engineered to take a new recruit from enrolment to executive driver. But, according to Duncan, taking a candidate through the company’s driver handbook is not enough: “iRide plans to enter London’s lucrative B2B market. This is an unforgiving sector, and winning a contract is the easy part. Our rigorous training and testing will ensure we can consistently deliver the exacting standards required by the corporate market.”

There are three levels of training within iRide’s academy. Level 1: Induction to iRide London. Level 2: Customer service training. Level 3: Executive driver training. Certifi cates are awarded after graduation from each tier of the course. Successful completion of the training path at iRide permits a driver to progress through the company’s grading steps: from bronze to silver to gold. “We have to give drivers a reason to improve,” says Duncan.

It certainly seems that at iRide, training is one thing, execution is another. “Underpinning our approach is

the desire to create aspiration within our fl eet,” clarifi ed Duncan. “Put simply, the better a driver’s grading, the better their earnings. iRide’s Driver of the Month Award has been running for two months. It is illustrative of the aspiration we are creating, where the highest rated driver for the month is awarded £300.”

iRide’s approach is already paying off, with the company recently being awarded ISO certifi cation. The accreditation is certainly indicative of iRide’s’ commitment to excellence. “We look forward to the future,” adds Duncan. And who can blame him?

Duncan Blackett, chief executive offi cer, iRide

business advice Training


SAFETY TRAININGTHERE ARE MORE THAN 250,000 LICENSED TAXI AND PRIVATE HIRE vehicle drivers in England and Wales, with the industry contributing over £3bn to the UK economy. However, the proportion of women to men in the trade can be as low as 1%, and not usually more than 5%.

Julie McColgan, who also teaches at The Manchester College, believes fears over safety, mainly due to the isolation of the job, are possibly to blame for the lack of women in the business. But, speaking from personal experience, she claims driving cabs for a living can be as safe as any other public-facing role.

“I worked nights as a hackney carriage driver in Manchester for 13 years and the public, especially other woman, loved seeing me behind the wheel. At The Manchester College we have been actively seeking female students, and we are pleased to have our fi rst lady drivers taking the Taxi Knowledge programme for Manchester licensing within the next few weeks.”

Rick Wood, head of training for The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Fleet Safety is fi rm in stating that health and safety procedures are necessary for the well-being of employers and employees, whether male or female.

He also explains that proper training makes a difference to how a business is perceived, too: “A driver who has received professional training will have a safer and more economical driving style which will allow even the most prestigious of passengers to feel the difference.”

Rick adds: “The RoSPA Chauffeur Course develops these skills through the use of advanced driving techniques as described in the police driving manual, Roadcraft, alongside the highest etiquette standards that provide for excellent customer service.”

Rick Wood

Julie McColgan

Manchester College

EVASIVE DRIVING THERE ARE COURSES ON THE MARKET THAT will offer evasive driving and other such techniques, but this is a different kettle of fi sh compared with fundamental professional driver training. For instance, the Chauffeur Training Academy will only adhere to that which is necessary for chauffeuring in the United Kingdom, and similar places worldwide.

Robert Mroczek explains: “Our course directors have many years’ experience working in a wide range of situations. This means they have the ability to view the chauffeuring sector in a unique and valuable way. If you’re working as a chauffeur, you must drive to the highest standard possible and look after your client and your licence. Driving evasively will only put your client in harm’s way and result in your licence being revoked.”

Robert added: “If while driving you come across diffi culties or dangers, then you must stay professional and seek out help from the emergency services. Our security day enforces this ethos that we have, and will certainly drive home the standards that have made us front-runners in the fi eld of chauffeur training within the United Kingdom.”

Robert Mroczek

www.chauffeur-training.co.ukEmail: [email protected]

Training coursesBook online via credit card nowAccommodation available. Subject to additional charges

Tel.: 0333 444 1123

For more details about each course please visit our website:

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and click on the relevant course

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Jon Hill

W E’VE SEEN A GROWING need for dedicated security drivers and

close protection-trained chauffeurs in recent years. The requirement has been powered by clients from overseas, and as a result, we’ve seen a number of security companies trying to produce a structured and relevant course for the industry.

These have often been unsuccessful, mainly because the training providers failed to work out the real world skill set of the existing high-end chauffeurs. The future is in genuine certifi cated training with a structure that is actually relevant to the client and the industry.

Many professionals have more than 10 years’ experience in successfully delivering to the requirements of their clients. But outsiders often draw on the wrong experience. Someone may have spent three years as a contractor in Iraq driving armoured battle-buses, but that does not mean they can deliver a security driver package that fulfi ls the needs of the professional chauffeur and his client in the UK.

The words “soft skills” have always been the required basis for the close protection industry in the UK, and that has to be the basis of the protection driver training package. Protocol and facilitation are skills at which many professional chauffeurs excel, but there are others who really don’t know how to behave. As the saying goes, ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’. Believing you are best at what you do without having a benchmark to be tested against often means ego and professionalism are miles apart.

The current regulated framework for all vocational qualifi cations means skills should be refreshed every three years. The national standards for driving set by RoSPA and the Institute of Advanced Motorists are very similar, but only RoSPA fulfi ls the refresher requirement.

So any standardised level of training

should be based around the RoSPA package where fi xed ‘run-out’ dates can trigger the need for refresher training. This then forms the basis of continuous professional development (CPD), which allows clients to see that their driver’s skills are current and don’t date back to 1996!

The advent of training providers in this fi eld has also led to another issue - currency and competence. The cars need to be of the same types as used by the chauffeur today. We’ve seen trainers who use beaten-up old saloons with manual gearboxes. Why? All the vehicles used by the client, driven by the professional and even the vehicles assigned as ‘back up’ for security, are automatics.

Modern cars rarely have stick-style handbrakes, while many also have reverse-gear speed limiters. This reduces the ability of the instructors to demonstrate their stunt skills, and makes it irrelevant for the driver to know how to do an old, getaway-style “handbrake turn”.

So it’s vital to use the full modern fl eet from Bentley to V-Class, and it’s just as important to load the vehicles with the correct number of passengers. This has to be the barest minimum on any training provider’s list.

Those who don’t understand the realities of the chauffeuring world might suggest disabling the electronic limiters as well as the airbags. But that would almost certainly invalidate your insurance. You might get away with it in hostile overseas

arenas, but not in Virginia Water, Mayfair or Cheshire.

It’s also worth remembering that a chauffeur attending a course will lose money through lost jobs while the course is running. If a professional costs in the region of £1,500, then the student could also be losing another £3,500 in missed work. The course must therefore have genuine meaning to a client and the recruiters who specialise in this area.

The protection element is easily reproduced from police courses, and there are some exceptional former police specialists available. Their input is a basic requirement and a given. The National lead is the Metropolitan Police. Even Military drivers are usually trained by Police trainers on their “soft-skilled” driving courses.

But the training team also requires commercial understanding, so that requires the use of trainers from the chauffeuring world. This is the most

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

business advice Security training

business adviceSecurity training


critical factor. A recent phone survey of training providers found only two had current and employed chauffeurs with training qualifi cations as part of their team.

One organisation had no commercial presence at all. This has to be a deal-breaker. Defensive and protective driving is pointless without an understanding of the industry, its clients and peculiarities.

All courses should cover the basics taught to the SIA-badged operators: threat, briefi ng, route and venue recces, and so on. But the course should also focus on the ability to brief the security team effectively on the parts of the protection package that are clearly the driver’s responsibility.

Briefi ng using current packages such as IIMARCH, and incident handling using METHANE empowers the protection driver to genuinely become part of the team rather than a JFD – “Just the Flipping Driver”!

Additional training in surveillance detection and counter-reconnaissance is also need be a staple of any course – ask your instructor what an AZTEC is to see their own understanding here. This will help drivers who are often the only ones continuously outside a venue. It’s important that they understand the threat and provide a resource to the protection team.

It’s not just male drivers that are required. Female protection drivers were requested 30 times last year to one private household staffi ng agency - but there are currently only 12 certifi cated. A recent female-only course was oversubscribed by 200% and all the graduates disappeared into the private client world, making no impact on the commercial sector as a result.

Development training such as fi rst aid or “fi rst person on scene” courses that parallel the close protection operators again develop skills that are client-friendly

and enhance interoperability.The fact that the clients book security

and drivers from different entities doesn’t help cohesiveness, but the companies offering combined services have seen growth since the Arab Spring changed the operating environment throughout the UK.

The fact that protection drivers actually get more work than many close protection operators in the UK is a fact missed on many “killing and stabbing” CP courses. As is the fact that 97% of all close protection tasks take place inside London, Surrey and Berkshire, while only 5% of training providers deliver there. Protection Driving tasks equate to 68% in the London, Surrey and Berkshire areas and 32% nationally.

■ Jon Hill is Director of Polaris Operations Group, which provides worldwide security services and runs security chauffeur training courses in the Home Counties

technology News

APRIL 2016 | PROFESSIONAL DRIVER46

AUTOCAB OFFERS STRATEGY TO COMPETE WITH UBERMark Bursa

PRIVATE HIRE OPERATORS CAN combat the rise of Uber by using the same technology as the US-based app

service, believes Safa Alkateb, managing director of leading computer systems supplier Autocab.

Addressing the company’s annual conference in Manchester last month, Alkateb announced a number of new Autocab products designed to help operators compete and fi ght back against predatory newcomers.

“Companies that operate a service with a similar quality to Uber are doing very well,” he told delegates. “A year ago we were much more concerned about Uber than we are today.”

He said Uber had gained traction in London, and had experienced “some success” in big cities such as Manchester and Leeds, where it has between 200 and 600 cars in each city. “But in smaller cities such as Bradford and Wakefi eld, Uber has failed, and local companies have only lost three or four drivers to Uber.”

He added: “Uber’s economics work better in dense cities and less well where the urban area is spread out.” Indeed, he attributed much of Uber’s success to its massive expenditure on passenger and driver referral fees—as much as $8 billion over the past fi ve years. And this is not a fi nite pot. “In one or two years’ time, we’ll see referral fees stop, as Uber will have to start returning its investment.”

Alkateb said Uber had actually improved the service it offered by removing human interaction from the booking process—controllers cannot favour drivers or underestimate arrival times if

they’ve been replaced by automated systems. And the customer doesn’t have to fumble for cash at the end of the journey—he just gets out of the car.

But rivals can use similar technology, and match Uber in other areas too, such as branding. “Companies with a good brand have done as well as Uber,” he said. “And you can charge more if you have a good brand.”

In addition, a strong brand plays well with aggregator services such as Karhoo, and is attractive to corporate clients, which Uber cannot access thanks to its inability to offer a pre-booked service.Operators should focus on six areas in order to become competitive: ■ Brand■ Website■ App■ Social Media■ Customer service■ Advertising.

“Perfecting a brand for a taxi operator is relatively easy—get the six points right and you’re done, “ Alkateb said.

Autocab has just launched a new fourth-generation app designed “to let you go beyond Uber”, he said. The new app is fully customisable—opetrators can add their own logo and colours to a choice of templates via the Autocab Ghost booking system.

A good app can grow bookings, he said. “Some of our operators now get 35% of their bookings via the app, though many still only get 3-4%.”

Autocab has also launched a new service called CabSocial, designed to help operators optimise their social media use. Previously companies have

not spent on social media, but Alkateb believes at least 20% of the marketing budget should be spent there as it is more effective than carding or local radio advertising.

Operators that sign up to CabSocial will have dedicated Autocab staff monitoring their Facebook and Twitter feeds, with a guaranteed 60-minute response to all inbound queries. In addition, regular postings are made on the company’s behalf and a monthly branded promotion is offered.

A “brand growth” programme also offers a dedicated account manager and a guarantee of 200 new followers each month. “In order to compete with your enemy, you have to understand it,” he concluded.

UK PRICE COMPARISON AND BOOKING app Minicabster has been rescued from administration by a company called

Transport Innovation, which operates a taxi free phone calling service.

Minicabster had raised £2 million in funding since its launch in 2011, and last year bought Bounce, another start-up created by former Climatecars boss Nicko Williamson. But Minicabster entered administration in February, and was sold for a knock-down price said to be around £45,000 in April.

Paul Murray, CEO of Transport Innovation, said that the company has bought the “technical assets” of Minicabster not the company itself. However, the company’s website is still running with an “under new management” fl ash on the home page.

MINICABSTER RESCUED FROM ADMINISTRATION

Safa Alkateb

Carrot Cars switches to Magenta real-time system

Mark Bursa

EAST LONDON PRIVATE HIRE OPERATOR Carrot Cars has gone live with a real time

scheduling, routing and despatch system from Magenta Technology.

Magenta’s Echo platform offers a range of functionality, including auto-allocation and scheduling, capacity management and reporting. With up to 97% of jobs automatically dispatched, this allows for a reduction in driving time, optimisation of fuel economies and a reduced back offi ce staff requirement.

Peaks in bookings can be predicted using Echo’s Capacity Management Module, and parity of individual driver usage can be maintained based on idle times and earnings to date. Carrot Cars customers can also

use a new booking app that allows them to book, track and pay for journeys via a smartphone.

“Our previous system was very basic and simply did not offer the capabilities we required to support the continued growth and expansion of the business,” said Ivo Aulik, managing director of Carrot Cars.

Road Angel is helping those who drive for a living to fight back against ‘crash for cash’ scams with their brand new accident camera; Road Angel Halo. Complete with both front and rear units, HD resolution & real-time recording, Halo will help to protect you, your customers & company status.

Why choose Road Angel Halo?• Provides both forward and rear facing cameras to catch an accident at either angle

• Downloadable footage to be viewed on a computer

• HD camera resolution

• Provides real time, event, manual and parking modes to cover an accident in almost any scenario

• Mounts easily to your vehicles windscreen

• Built in GPS with Google maps to see exactly where an incident took place

• Optional sound recording with privacy button for customer benefit

• Sound recording allows for more reliable evidence in a claim

Recording modes:Real-time mode – Records any journey you make and simply saves the footage as you go

Event mode – Activates when an incident occurs during real-time recording and saves the footage separately

Manual mode - Double click the end button during real time recording to manually create an event file

Parking mode – Activates when the ignition is switched off and records if any movement is detected whilst away from your vehicle

High definition resolution

G-Forcesensor

Built in GPS withGoogle Maps

Optional sound recording

For more information and to order Call us on 01327 855586 or visit www.roadangelgroup.com

PROTECT YOUR LIVELIHOOD WITH A

Halo

BackgroundWhen the Zafi ra Tourer was unveiled as a concept car at the 2011 Geneva motor show, onlookers were wowed by a more stylish appearance compared to its predecessor. Often dubbed the Zafi ra C, its more radical frontal design is similar to the company’s electric car, the Ampera.

Growing in length by more than 190mm means that there’s considerably more room than earlier incarnations of the Zafi ra. The production edition of the Zafi ra Tourer made its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show and went on sale in the UK in November, initially powered by a range of 2.0-litre CDTi engines.

It wasn’t until March 2013 that the wraps came off the most economical edition of the line-up, as detailed here, fi tted with the company’s new ‘Whisper’ 1.6-litre CDTi engine. And while that

description may seem like an exaggeration in isolation, because it isn’t especially quiet compared to its rivals, when compared to the 1.7-litre CDTi engine fi tted to some models in the Vauxhall range, this new unit is positively librarian-friendly when it comes to unwanted noise.

A power output of 134bhp made it one of the most powerful 1.6-litre units available when it fi rst arrived onto the market, and also one of the fi rst to meet the Euro-6 emissions regulations thanks to the addition of a selective catalyst reduction system that requires an additive called AdBlue to neutralise harmful pollutants.

A wide choice of different trim levels are on offer, with the range kicking off with Exclusiv, Tech Line, SRi and SE models, and the line-up later extended to include entry-level Design, mid-range Energy and top-of-the-range Elite versions. All versions are paired to a six-speed manual gearbox, but automatic variants have never been offered with the 1.6-litre unit.

Buying oneA 1.6-litre engine may seem quite modest for such a large seven-seat vehicle, but in reality it translates into decent performance off the line. If you regularly use all seven seats, then you may wish to opt for the more powerful 2.0-litre edition, but as an everyday runabout, the smaller unit is more than up to the job.

At a motorway pace the engine is quiet, while road and wind noise are neatly contained, too. The steering is nicely weighted and thanks to excellent body control and low levels of lean, it actually makes a nice companion for hustling along a fast back road. Ride comfort is excellent, too, as long as you don’t opt for silly-sized alloys, and stick with either 16in or 17in wheels.

Although the Zafi ra Tourer is billed as a seven-seater, it works best in fi ve-seat form with a large boot that boasts a low loading sill. The rearmost seats don’t offer very much rear legroom and should be exclusively reserved for children only, and with them in use, there’s very little in the way of boot space. Think of it as a fi ve-plus-two seater.

The cabin is attractively designed, though the centre console is overcomplicated with far too many similarly sized small buttons. Mostly

by Ian Robertson


used cars Vauxhall Zafi ra Tourer 1.6 CDTi ecoFLEX

Vauxhall Zafi ra Tourer 1.6 CDTi ecoFLEX

> FROM: 2013-onwards > USED PRICES: From £9,200 > BUILT: Rüsselsheim, Germany > LAYOUT: 5-door MPV, 7-seats, FWD > SIZE: 4,658 [L] x 2,099 [W] MM > BOOT: 152 / 710 / 1,860 litres > INSURANCE: 15-17 > EURO NCAP : 5 stars

CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

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By the numbers...

Parts pricesAir Filter .................................................................£21.24Battery ...................................................................£70.80Brake disc – front (pair) ......................................£132.00Brake disc – rear (pair) .........................................£97.80Brake pads - front ..................................................£26.88Brake pads - rear ...................................................£20.19Fuel fi lter ...............................................................£36.30Headlight .............................................................£199.20Oil fi lter ..................................................................£26.04

All prices quoted are for manufacturer approved parts and include VAT. Savings can be made by buying parts from other aftermarket suppliers, but using them will in most circumstances invalidate any remaining warranty that you may have.

CARS WE FOUND ONLINE

WHERE: ............................................. Used car specialistMODEL: .......................Zafi ra Tech Line 1.6CDTi ecoFLEXYEAR/PLATE: ...................................................... 2015/65MILEAGE: .......................................................3,500 miles

COLOUR: ................................................................. WhitePRICE: ..................................................................£14,700CONTACT: ......... Lytton Cars, Goffs Oak. (0208 441 0685)........................................................www.lyttoncars.co.uk

WHERE: ................................ Franchised Vauxhall dealerMODEL: .......................Zafi ra Tech Line 1.6CDTi ecoFLEXYEAR/PLATE: ...................................................... 2015/15MILEAGE: .......................................................9,500 milesCOLOUR: ................................................................. WhitePRICE: ..................................................................£13,995CONTACT: ...........Lookers, Birmingham. (0121 418 1055)............................................................www.lookers.co.uk

WHERE: ................................ Franchised Vauxhall dealerMODEL: ..................................Zafi ra SE 1.6CDTi ecoFLEXYEAR/PLATE: ...................................................... 2014/14MILEAGE: .....................................................24,500 milesCOLOUR: ...................................................Metallic brownPRICE: ..................................................................£13,695CONTACT: ................... Advance Vauxhall, High Wycombe..................(01494 412004) www.advancevauxhall.co.uk

Factfi leENGINE 1598cc, 4-cylinder, 16-valve

(Turbodiesel with particulate fi lter, selective catalyst reduction and stop-start)

TRANSMISSION 6-speed manualPOWER 134bhp @ 3,500rpmTORQUE 320Nm @ 2,000rpmTOP SPEED 120mph 0-62MPH 10.4secsCO2 EMISSIONS 109g/kmECONOMY (urban/extra urban/combined)

61.4/74.3/68.9mpgFUEL TANK SIZE: 58 litres


used cars Vauxhall Zafi ra Tourer 1.6 CDTi ecoFLEX

fi gures, it’s still pretty good for a largish seven-seat MPV. Insurance costs are relatively low, too, with all models falling into groups between 15 and 17.

Scheduled maintenance is needed every 20,000 miles, which is helpful for drivers that cover higher mileages. Fixed price menu servicing that is bookable online means that an interim service will cost you £149, and the major service is priced at £100 more at £249. This is performed by Vauxhall trained technicians using approved parts. It’s always worth shopping around to get a better deal, and don’t be afraid of playing one garage off against another to try and get the price reduced.

How reliable is it?The fi rst examples of the 1.6-litre CDTi engine will

be coming up to 30 months old, and while some owners have reported small niggly problems, the Zafi ra Tourer is largely reliable. Unless the 60,000 mile limit of the three-year warranty has been exceeded, all 1.6-litre CDTi engined cars will still be under warranty and any problems that crop up will be covered by Vauxhall, assuming that maintenance has been carried out using Vauxhall approved parts.

Customer satisfaction appears to be mixed, however, with some owners disappointed in the disparity between the claimed fuel economy fi gures and those achieved. And while you may have heard about fi res occurring in Zafi ras, you don’t have to worry, as this issue only affected the earlier Zafi ra B model, and not the car featured here.

Vauxhall Zafi ra Tourer

fi nished in soft-touch plastics, there’s an air of durability about its construction, with most of the controls mounted high up for ease of access. The electric handbrake can often need a second prod to activate, however, though it’s conveniently placed below the gear lever.

Oddment space is generous, with a large bin ahead of the gear lever and decently sized door pockets and glovebox. While the seats can appear quite hard at fi rst, they are generally comfortable and have plenty of adjustment. Thanks to slim windscreen pillars, front vision is excellent, and with the addition of deep windows, all round visibility is pretty good, and aided by parking sensors front and rear on all but the basic version.

All versions come equipped with air conditioning, cruise control, DAB radio, 35:30:35 split rear seats and Isofi x child safety seat fasteners for the outer seats in the middle row. The rearmost chairs fold fl at into the boot and the middle row, too, as well as sliding forward and back.

All models except entry-level ES versions include parking sensors front and rear, front fog lights, electric rear windows and a USB connection, as well. Range highlights include Tech Line versions that feature 17-inch alloy wheels, a navigation system, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity and rear privacy glass. We would recommend avoiding ES, Design and Exclusiv versions, and stick with better specifi ed SRi, Tech Line and SE editions.

What will it cost to run?As the most fuel effi cient model in the Zafi ra Tourer range, it’ll cost just £20 per year for vehicle excise duty, and the offi cial fuel economy fi gures are quoted as 68.9mpg on the combined cycle. Of course you’ll be very lucky to achieve those kind of fi gures unless you are particularly light footed, with owners recording fi gures of between 45 and 50mpg in a variety of different driving conditions. And while that’s considerably down on the offi cial

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 48

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product tests Wash Waxes


SHINE ON...YOU’RE CRAZYNOT TO...

PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING IN AN industry where customers pay for and expect top service. But sometimes

there just isn’t time to wax your car.To apply a complete coat of wax can take

hours if you take in to account washing, drying and claying before getting out the wax. One solution is to use a wash wax, which applies a shine and protection as you dry the car after washing or direct on to wet bodywork.

While you can’t expect the kind of shine and protection that will last months when using a wax like our test-winning Bilt Hamber double-speed wax, you will see a gloss fi nish and paintwork will have that just-waxed beading in the rain. It might not last as long but you will save time and, for a car that’s washed frequently, it can be topped up often.

Makers take several approaches in search of what is for many the Holy Grail—a quick wax. One option is to use a detailer spray. These can remove light grime and leave a protective, gloss fi nish like a waterless wash and some versions can be used on wet paintwork.

Others are rinse aids, which go on after the car is washed and hosed off. They speed up drying as they bead water away leaving less to take off with a leather or drying cloth. They can also leave a water-repellent fi nish. The fi nal group are liquid waxes that go on to wet bodywork. These tend to be harder work than the easy spray and wipe application of the other options as they need to spread over wet paintwork before being dried to a shine.

For an industry where time not on the road means you are not earning, the faster you can prepare your car the better and these products defi nitely shortcut an hour or more with a tub of wax and a couple of microfi bre cloths. Some wash waxes require the car to be partially dried. A quick way to achieve this is with a drying blade. They can take off huge amounts of water in just one sweep and are much quicker than a cloth or towel to use. They’re fast but it is vital the blade is clean and the car has been thoroughly rinsed to prevent grit being dragged over paintwork.

So which is the one to keep your down time to a minimum? We tried 10 solutions looking for a speedy application after the car is rinsed. While shine is hard to assess we did want any protection added to last so we monitored beading over four weeks of driving. Final factor was price.

Angelwax Blue RinsePrice £7.95Size 1,000mlRating ★★★★★ recommendedContact www.angelwax.co.uk

Autoglym Express WaxPrice £39.99Size 5,000mlRating ★★★★★ recommendedContact www.autoglym.com

■ PART OF THE AUTOGLYM PROFESSIONAL range this wax goes on after the bulk of the rinse water has been removed with a blade or drying towel. Spray it on then spread it with a microfi bre cloth before buffi ng with another once all the water has been removed. Not the quickest but the results were worth it providing one of the most water-repellent fi nishes at the end of the four-week test.

■

|>| THE TEST...

CRITICAL HERE WAS TO ENSURE WE WERE JUST TESTING THE WASH WAXES NOT ANY COATINGS we may have applied previously. The bonnet on our test car was clayed to remove any contaminants before being cleaned twice with a pre-paint treatment to remove any previous

waxes or coatings. The bonnet was then dried and the test samples applied to the maker’s instructions with sections masked off to prevent cross-contamination. We assessed ease of use looking for a speedy application. While shine is hard to assess we did want any protection added to last so we monitored beading over four weeks of driving. Final factor was price.

Gyeon Q2M Wet Coat

Price £8.95Size 500mlRating ★★★★★ best buyContact www.cleanyourcar.co.uk

T HIS IS ONE SPECIAL PRODUCT. JUST spray it on and rinse off and you get a protective fi nish that many conventional

waxes would be pleased with. You need to take care with hot bodywork and not allow it to dry but for a fast, water-repellent fi nish this is the answer. We tried the 500ml bottle but it’s also available in 4ltr packs, signifi cantly reducing the cost.

■ LIKE OUR WINNER THIS IS JUST SPRAYED ON AND rinsed. It’s more tolerant of being left on the car as instructions require it to be left to dwell for a minute or two before rinsing. It can be applied through a pressure washer snow foam lance covering the whole car before rinsing to cut the time needed even further. It was not as vigorous as our winner when it came to shifting water but it worked throughout.

£7.951,000ml

recommendedwww.angelwax.co.uk

PART-TIME CHAUFFEURS REQUIREDMany flexible options available, please call 0208 326 7652,

to discuss, or email [email protected]

Daily PricesFrom £85 + VAT

CarPlan Demon ShinePrice £7Size 1,000mlRating 3Contact www.tetrosyl.com

■ Demon Shine has been around in various guises for many years but we tried the trigger pack version. It can also be sprayed on through a hose attachment. It’s one of the easier sprays to apply—simply mist over wet paintwork then wipe with a microfi bre cloth. You get a decent shine but CarPlan makes no claim for water beading. There was some sign early on but it was harder to detect further in to the test.

Triplewax Wax-onPrice £8.99Size 500mlRating 3Contact www.tetrosyl.com

■ This is a little more fussy than some spray waxes here as it needs to be kept off the windscreen but it’s good for all other surfaces including plastics. It goes on to wet paintwork but you can take the worst off before spraying and wiping over entire vehicle. It then needs to be buffed. Not the quickest and the resulting beading was on the slow side. Price also does not help in this company.

product tests—Kim Adams

Autoglym Autogloss RinsePrice £33.99Size 5,000mlRating 4Contact www.autoglym.com

■ A little of this rinse aid goes a long way as the already cost-effective 5ltr pack is diluted 1:100 before use. Once the car has been washed, rinse then spray on Autogloss. Just as with Express Wax you’ll need a spare trigger bottle or they are often part of online deals. Rinse again and the water runs off. Great for keeping a fl eet sparkling although the durability was not as good as our top three.

Armor All Speed WaxPrice £5.76Size 500mlRating 3Contact www.armorall.eu

■ Behind our top four the results were close but Armor All is narrowly our pick of the detailer style products. Pack oddly claims it contains ‘real carnauba wax’. It adds it can be applied not just to wet and dry paintwork but also in direct sunlight which can be helpful when needing to prepare a car with hot bodywork. Beading was consistent if a little slower then the best here.

Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik WaxPrice £12Size 450mlRating 3Contact www.meguiars.co.uk

■ There’s no mention of applying this to a wet car on the pack but this is what Meguiar’s recommended for our test. It proved to be the most effective of the detailer-style sprays. Its section was still beading strongly at the end of our test. It’s just sprayed on wiped until dry so it one of the easiest to apply but when the results are close a hefty price tag drops it down the fi nishing order.

Turtle Wax Wax It WetPrice £7Size 500mlRating 3Contact www.turtlewaxeurope.com

■ Wax It Wet was one of the fi rst spray waxes to be marketed as specifi cally for applying as you dry. It claims to be the ‘quickest way to a waxed car’ as all you do is apply a couple of spray to a panel then wipe with a cloth to remove excess water. It’s certainly easy requiring little effort. The fi nish looks good too and beaded water throughout although relatively slowly early on.

Muc-Off 3 speed waxPrice £7Size 500mlRating 3Contact www.muc-off.com

■ Part of a multi-step cleaning and protecting process, speed wax is nothing if not versatile as it can be used on wet bodywork or as a waterless wash. It needs a little more work than some as after spraying and wiping over the panel it needs to be buffed. The cloth moved easily and the fi nish looked good. It was one of the less vigorous water-beading formulas but it was still working after four weeks.

CarPlan Demon ShinePriceSizeRatingContact

■ guises for many years but we tried the trigger pack version. It can also be sprayed on through a hose attachment. It’s one of the easier sprays to apply—simply mist over wet paintwork then wipe with a microfi bre cloth. You get a decent shine but CarPlan makes no claim for water beading. There was some sign early on but it was harder to detect further in to the test.

Triplewax Wax-onPriceSizeRatingContact

■ waxes here as it needs to be kept off the windscreen but it’s good for all other surfaces including plastics. It goes on to wet paintwork but you can take the worst off before spraying and wiping over entire vehicle. It then needs to be buffed. Not the quickest and the resulting beading was on the slow side. Price also does not help in this company.

|>| THE VERDICT...

KOREA IS NOT THE FIRST PLACE that comes to mind for car care

but that’s where our winner comes from. Gyeon Q2M Wet Coat is quite remarkable as it requires just to be sprayed on and rinsed to deliver a highly water-repellent fi nish that was clearly working at the end of our test. Another spray and rinse product takes second—Anglewax’s Blue Rinse. Completing the top three is Autoglym’s Express Wax which needs drying but shifted water throughout the test.

which can be helpful when needing to prepare a car with hot bodywork. Beading was

Meguiar’s recommended for our test. It proved to be the most effective of the detailer-

www.turtlewaxeurope.com

www.muc-off.com

not versatile as it can be used on wet bodywork or as a waterless wash. It needs a little more work than some as after spraying and wiping over the panel it needs to be buffed. The cloth moved easily and the fi nish looked good. It was one of the less

a hose attachment. It’s one of the easier sprays to apply—simply mist over wet paintwork then wipe with a microfi bre

beading. There was some sign early on but it was harder to detect further in

including plastics. It goes on to wet paintwork but you can take the worst off before

vehicle. It then needs to be buffed. Not the quickest and the resulting beading was on the slow side. Price also does not help in this company.



ACCOUNTANTS

Drivertax & Driverserve■ Specialist accountants to the chauffeur

profession.■ Accountants and bookkeeping.■ Payroll and status audits.■ Payment services.■ Tax surgeries Tel: 0208 529 2600www.drivertax.co.uk

CHAUFFEUR TRAINING

Chauffeur Training Ltd.Chauffeur Training Ltd. is a London-based company that specialises in the UK’s only nationally-recognised qualifi cation.Contact us: [email protected] Or call 0333 444 1123www.chauffeur-training.co.uk

British Chauffeurs GuildEstablished 1983

Improve your Corporate Status and image by becoming a member of the British Chauffeurs Guild Ltd

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PUBLISHERS

Professional Driver■ Professional Driver is the only magazine dedicated to the executive chauffeuring and private hire sector. Published 12 times a year, our mix of news, features, reader profi les road tests and business advice makes Professional Driver an essential read for anybody in this vibrant and growing industry.

FINANCE

Ethos fi nanceCall Chris Brown on +44 (0) 7973 311 842www.ethosfi nance.co.uk

INSURANCE SERVICES

South Essex Insurance BrokersSEIB have been Chauffeur and private hire insurance specialists for over 30 years. The insurance cover available ranges from comprehensive to a special limited mileage option for older vehicles used for Weddings only. The wide range of Chauffeur and Private Hire Insurance covers offered by SEIB include: single vehicle operator insurance for executive hire, cover for fl eets, gap and airside cover, breakdown and loss assistance. [T]: 0845 450 0647[E]: [email protected][W]: www.seib.co.ukSEIB Insurance Brokers are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

INSURANCE SERVICES

Direct Chauffeur LineThe specialists in Chauffeur and Executive Driver insurance. Tailored insurance policies at the best prices—provided with a fi rst-class service.■ Established in 1999.■ The only broker in the UK specialising

in private hire insurance to be awarded Chartered status.

■ Extremely knowledgeable staff.■ Introductory discounts.■ Single & multi vehicle policies.■ Fleet policies.■ Like for like vehicle replacement

following a fault or non-fault accident.■ Public & Employers’ Liability.■ Foreign use cover.■ Dedicated 24hr claims service.T: 020 8669 4466E: [email protected]

OSBORNE & SONS INSURANCE CONSULTANTS LTD• Established in 1963• Experts in arranging insurance

for Chauffeurs, Executives & Private Hire Drivers

• Single- & Multi-vehicle policies• Fleets & businesses• Booking offi ces• Public & Employers liability• Discounts for Professional Driver

Award WinnersTelephone 020 8388 6000 (Private Hire Team)[email protected]

INSURANCE SERVICES

Quoteline DirectSpecialists in Chauffeur, Executive, Public and Private Hire■ Established 1969■ All chauffeur work from celebrities

to weddings■ Like for like vehicle replacement

following accident even if fault■ All vehicles: classic, executive and

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fl eet operators■ All types of chauffeur irrespective

of age or driving history■ Public Liability, Employers’ Liability,

Legal Expenses■ Discounts for new chauffeurs with

‘no claims’ on private car■ Monthly Direct Debit (details on

request)■ 24 hour claims serviceTel: 0151 480 6000www.quotelinedirect.com/chauffeur

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The Insurance SpecialistWE CAN SAVE YOU MONEYDNA Insurance search the UK’s top Insurers to get you the BEST POLICY at the LOWEST PRICE, saving you TIME and Money!■ Private/Public Hire■ Minibus■ Chauffeur■ Fleet■ Free Legal Cover■ 24 Hr Claims Helpline■ Replacement Vehicle■ Flexible Payments■ Liability Cover■ Excess Buy Back■ Knowledgeable HandlersTelephone: 01708 606485www.dna-insurance.comAuthorised and Regulated by the FCA

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classifi eds

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the advisor –by Gary Jacobs

GARY JACOBS RUNS DRIVERTAX, AN ACCOUNTANCY FIRM

SPECIALISING IN THE TAXI AND PRIVATE HIRE BUSINESS

[email protected]

“ Hello, I think I have a tax problem...”

‘‘I HAVE A TAX PROBLEM” is often the fi rst thing many of my new clients will say to me, soon after we meet.

Being involved in the trade for as long as I have, if my “problem cases” were any less welcome than my straightforward clients, I wouldn’t have a practice.

Operators and drivers alike often stress themselves out about their tax position—or lack of it—but let me tell you a little trade secret. In most cases it comes down to only a few things, and all of them solvable or defendable.

In my experience many unfortunate drivers

are stressing themselves out because they:■ Haven’t registered as self-employed

(so we register them)■ Have registered but haven’t done their tax

returns (so we register them and do their tax returns)■ Have registered and done a

tax return but haven’t paid their bill (we negotiate)

Most of the “naughty” driver work that we do falls into those categories, and the reality of dealing with these are never as bad as the sleepless nights worrying

about them before coming to see us. Once we have sorted out these issues, we can move onto the next stage of questions I always hear.

Do I need a limited company?

A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF DRIVERS IN THIS PROFESSION ARE SOLE TRADERS OR SELF-EMPLOYED. This means that once a year they have to tell the HMRC how much they have earned, and how much they have spent on their business. What is left is their profi t on which they have to pay tax. Simple

really, so once we have conquered that mountain and worked out that the business is growing, what’s next?Choosing whether to incorporate or not, or for that matter how to trade, always generates the following

response. Your choice should not depend on the short-term costs or hurdles, but look at where you want to be in one year’s time, and decide what is right for you.There are normally three reasons for most sole traders to incorporate - trade as a limited company.■ Firstly, it is tax effi cient, which means that you must be earning enough to make it worthwhile.■ Secondly, to protect your assets by limiting your liability. When most chauffeurs who purchase their

vehicle have to give some sort of personal guarantee there is no company asset to protect.■ Thirdly, good old vanity. Someone wants a business card with “director” written on it. Trust me,

it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.

Should I become VAT-registered?

T HE CURRENT VAT THRESHOLD IS £83,000. WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE OBLIGED TO REGISTER is not necessarily a problem for most of my driver clients. Many drivers who purchase their own cars do still voluntarily register for VAT. There are different VAT schemes available for

small-sized businesses, and the best scheme for you is really based on how you will trade. You really must take professional advice for this one.

In theory, registering for VAT should not be done as a cost-saving exercise. While you can reclaim VAT paid out, it also means that you must charge VAT on all your sales. It also means that proper books and records must be maintained, and you would usually account for VAT on a quarterly basis.

HMRC have become very heavy-handed in the past few years, and will penalise you if you are late. If you register for VAT to collect back the VAT on large capital expenditure (such as a commercial vehicle) and deregister shortly thereafter, the tax man can demand that you repay the VAT. In general, most brave accountants will push to claim back the VAT for chauffeur vehicles if they can prove that there is 100% business use.

Although there are always new and wonderful problems that clients old and new come to me with, this really sums up the majority of people’s woes. What do we learn from this? Don’t be shy to speak to an accountant, your crisis is our normal workload…

My column this month is aimed at the small operator and owner-driver. So please don’t be upset, big companies, as I have something for you next month!

INSURANCE SERVICES

insure-your-taxi.co.ukInsurance solutions for today’s

professional driver■ Executive hire■ Chauffeur hire■ Limousine hire■ Mini-bus Hire■ Private hire■ Public hireContact our area specialistsEngland: Trudi Best01903 875420Wales: Martin Haskins02920 441242Scotland and N.I.: Steve Campbell-Lendrum01903 875435www.insure-your-taxi.co.uk

Plan InsuranceWhen things go wrong on the road it pays to have a plan. “Keeping your business motoring” summarises our complete approach to the cover and service we provide.

We understand that without your vehicle you cannot operate. Our expert knowledge ensures that you will receive a comprehensive policy with additional benefi ts that are designed to minimise the circumstances that your business might be rendered vehicle-less.

We arrange high quality Private Hire and Chauffeur policies for both single vehicle and fl eet operators. Contact our specialist advisors for your personal quotation.

T: 0333 003 0054W: www.planinsurance.co.ukE: [email protected]

PCO LICENSED SELF-DRIVE HIRE

Chauffeur RentalsNorth London ■ Self Drive Hire of PCO licensed

Saloons and MPV’s available to PH or PCO licensed Drivers.

■ If your own vehicle is off the road we can fi ll the gap so you don’t miss out on any work. Petrol, Diesel, Hybrid and all electric vehicles available.

www.chauffeurrentals.com01707 649090Hires from 1 to 90 Days

PCO LICENSED SELF-DRIVE HIRE

Licenced Carriage Hire (LCH)PCO Car Hire: Licensed Carriage Hire Are the Preeminent Suppliers of High Specifi cation, Luxury PCO Licensed Vehicles to the Chauffeur Industry.We offer bespoke tailored PCO car rental services to chauffeur companies, motor manufacturers, claims management companies, and insurance companies.T: +44 (0) 845 890 1000E: [email protected]

SOFTWARE

SoftSol LtdEstablished since 1995, SoftSol Limited is a UK company providing back offi ce management software solutions to operators in the chauffeur/limo/airport transfer and private hire industry.Tel: 0845 074 0545 www.softsol.ltd.uk

SOFTWARE

Catalina Software LtdCatalina Software has been delivering fl exible and feature-rich logistic solutions to chauffeur, executive car, courier and specialist logistics businesses since 1997. Our success is built on our attention to detail, innovative solutions and most importantly putting the needs of our customers fi rst. Our logistics software Freedom is the most reliable, cost-effective and complete software solution on the market delivering brilliantly usable day-to-day benefi ts enabling you to effi ciently plan, manage and carry out the entire logistics process. www.catalina-software.co.uk

KEY TRACKING

Key TrackerEstablished in 1996 and based in the West Midlands, Keytracker provide cost effective mechanical and electronic key control systems, ensuring improved key security and asset management.Whether you have keys for vehicles and machinery that need enhanced security, or equipment and tools that need to be monitored effectively, Keytracker can provide you with a secure, organised approach to key and asset management. www.keytracker.co.ukwww.ilockerz.com [email protected] or [email protected].: 0121 559 9000Station Road, Rowley-Regis, West Midlands, B65 0JY


classifi eds

TOYOTA DEALERS

Currie Motors TwickenhamNice people to do business withToyota Fleet Business Centre

■ 40 years In London■ Business To Business/Fleet Sales■ Specialists In PCO■ Finance/Leasing■ 4 Toyota London Centres■ We will respond to a request for

quotation within 24 hours■ Delivery to your business with

fi rst PCO test completedContact Neil Glasson on 020 8607 8567 or 07771 517 609E: [email protected]: www.curriemotorstwickenham.

toyota.co.uk/business

To list your company here, prices start from £450+VAT for 12 issues—

Call 01959 547000 and ask for

James Derbyshire, who will make sure you’re

listed in the next issue


the negotiator –By Steve Garelick

UNDER ATTACKOperators need to look after their drivers when morale is low

F REQUENTLY, TAXI DRIVERS WILL BE MILITANT ENOUGH TO IGNORE even the most honest of articles or comments in order to perpetuate a narrow mindset.

This week I assisted a group of Addison Lee drivers in a protest against the company’s recent pay cuts. But this was turned into an attack on all private hire drivers—just because of one individual driver’s misbehaviour towards a woman in a car park near Heathrow.

The issue is not the misbehaviour of the driver but the fact not enough professional drivers use the media to protest against a constant attack on private hire workers.

Companies still operate on a “there’s the door” policy if drivers question that operator’s policy or its staff. It’s no wonder morale is so low.

Operators presume this will continue in perpetuity, but part of the reason operators fail is not because of the likes of Uber. It is the fact that drivers will only go as far as they need to if they are not valued by those dispatching work to them.

Likewise, if clients believe that low rates are the norm they presume those driving them will take what they’re given. It becomes impossible to have a quality of life when the income is not commensurate with others in this country.

Let’s return to the taxi driver issue. In London’s case there are four times as many private hire vehicles as there are taxis. But the taxi drivers speak as a strong, single voice, while the private hire sector is disjointed.

Private hire faces continued attacks by taxi drivers, which need to be countered. Until some of the myths, deceit and outrageous lies are dispelled, the trade cannot deal with its demons.

Many of these individuals are ill-informed and continue to use false claims in relation to DBS checks and presumption of criminality. The LTDA recently used a FOI request data to disseminate misinformation about rape and assault.

They even used TfL and Metropolitan Police logos, giving the impression of endorsement, when in reality, neither organisation has allowed the use of their logos. The public is being duped.

An ongoing attack on the private hire trade needs to be countered. Not only does it devalue the work of professional drivers, it can lead to a perceived devaluation of rates because companies perceive the public will not use them otherwise.

They will gain users potentially—but if rates are lower there will be no real gain. And those using the service may presume they should receive more for less.

Drivers disengage from great service when they feel undervalued, and this returns us to the point of operators showing drivers the door. Many times this occurs when drivers and their needs have been ignored and relations break down.

One small victory—following two years of requests, drivers needing a toilet in Greater London can now locate them via a tool created by TfL to locate facilities:

https://tfl .gov.uk/help-and-contact/public-toilets-in-london■ Members may wish to come to GMB branch meeting at GMB Euston on June

21 where Helen Chapman and Silka Kennedy Todd will be speaking and answering questions

STEVE GARELICK IS BRANCH SECRETARY OF THE

PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS BRANCH OF THE GMB TRADE UNION


chauffeur drivenchauffeur drivenTO PLACE YOUR FREE ADVERTISEMENT CONTACT PAUL OR IAN ON 01959 547000 NOW

MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 3.5 S400L HYBRID SE LINE■ 2014, Saloon, 25,000 miles,

Automatic, 3.5l, HybridFull Dealership History, 5 Seats, Cavansite Blue Metallic, Nearly Ninety Five Thousand Pounds List Price New, Panoramic Electric Sunroof, Hybrid Transmission, One Owner, Limousine, Comand Sat Nav, Reverse Camera, DVD, Active Park Assist, Distronic Plus Cross Support (Radar Cruise Control, Bas Plus With Cross Traffi c Assist), LWB , Memory Package, Dynamic Seats With Comfort Headrests, Electric Heated and Cooled Lumbar Support Memory Seats, Long Wheel Base, 18” AMG Alloys, Rear Memory Seats, Brake Assist, £48,950

TEL.: (01268) 810744

BMW 7 SERIES 3.0 730LD SE LWB■ 2012, Saloon, 117,000 miles,

Automatic, 3.0l, DieselImmaculate Car Throughout, BMW + 1 Owner Car, 4 Recent Dunlop Tyres, 2 Key Fobs, Huge Spec, Park Assist Cameras, Must Be Seen to Be Appreciated, Air-conditioning, Seats Heated, Alarm, Alloy Wheels, Electric Windows, In Car Entertainment, Rain Sensor, Upholstery Leather. 5 Seats, Black, Excellent Rates Of Finance Best P/x Prices Guaranteed All Cars HPI Clear Without Exception, £15,995

TEL.: (01257) 234648

BMW 7 SERIES 4.4 750LI LWB■ 2010, Saloon, 120,000 miles,

Automatic, 4.4l, PetrolTitanium Silver-everest Grey Dakota Leather-full BMW Service History Last Serviced 11.01.2016 (21 Entry’s Documented By Bmw)-stunning Condition, Next MoT due 23/04/2017, Satellite Navigation, Air-conditioning, Cruise Control, Parking Aid (Front/rear), Voice Activated Controls, Alarm, Computer (Driver Information System), Electric Windows (Front/rear), In Car Entertainment (Radio/cd/mp3/DVD), Paint Metallic, Rain Sensor, Telephone Equipment (Bluetooth Interface), Tyre Pressure Control, Upholstery Leather. 5 Seats, £22,500 P/x Considered

TEL.: (01489) 895058

MERCEDES-BENZ

AUDI A8 L TDI QUATTRO SE EXECUTIVE 3.0■ 2014, Saloon, 28,000 miles,

Automatic, 3.0l, DieselGreat Condition ** Out Of Hours & Sunday Enquiries Call-text 07902 866933 For Further Info **, 1 Owner, Very High Spec! Monsoon Grey, Audi Warranty Until 02-11-2017, Full Black Extended Silk Nappa Leather, Sunroof, Hdd Sat Nav, Mmi touch Finger Pad, Voice Recognition, Audi Music Interface, DVD Player Digital Tv, Bose Surround Sound System, DAB Radio, CD Player, Sd Card Readers, Adaptive Cruise Control, Audi Matrix Led Lights, Power Boot Lid, Privacy Glass, Rear Seat Package With Electric Heated Reclining Individual Seats With Front Passenger Seat Adjustment From Rear, £31,990

TEL.: (01252) 419881

BMW 7 SERIES 3.0

ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE V12 6.0■ 2012, Hatchback, 27,322

miles, Automatic, 5.9l, PetrolService History, Cruise Control, Active Bi Xenon Lights With Powerwash, Hdd Sat Nav, Homelink, Daytime Led Running Lights, Extended Contrast Stitching Leather, Fitted Carpet Mats, 20’’ 10 Double Spoke Alloy Wheels, Voice Activation, Tmc Traffi c Reports, Bo Advanced Sound System, Auto Headlights, Ambient Lighting, Alloy Pedals, Multifunction Leather Steering Wheel, Heated Front Rear Seats, Individual Black Piano With Inlay, Bluetooth, Memory Seats, Adjustable Steering Column, Parking Camera, Auto-dip Rearview, Automatic Electric Windows, £68,995

TEL.: (01732) 762026

BMW 7 SERIES

AUDI A8 6.3 TFSI W12 SPYDER■ 2014, Saloon, 9,000 miles,

Automatic, 6.3l, PetrolAudi UK +1 Owner, Mega spec new shape facelift model Audi A8 6.3 W12 Quattro LWB 8 Speed Tiptronic Auto, Registered July 2014, 14 Reg, 4 Seats, Glacier White Pearl, Audi warranty with Audi Europe Assist till July 2017, only 9,000 genuine miles, fi nished in stunning Glacier White Pearl with Audi Exclusive Diamond Design Stitched perforated Sport/Comfort black leather with piano black inlays with Lunar Silver suede roof lining with advanced extended leather package, Alcantara package, Panoramic Sunroof £69,999

TEL.: (07734) 476110

MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 3.0 S350D AMG LINE■ 2016, Saloon, 1,500 miles,

Automatic, 3.0l, DieselUpgrades - Front Seat Memory Package, Standard Features - Comand Online System, Hard Disk Drive Navigation With 3d Map Display, European Map Data Updates, Active Parking Assist With Parktronic, DAB Digital Radio Tuner, Eco Start/stop Function, Heated Front Seats, Luxury Automatic Climate Control - Two - Zone. Three Different Climate Modes: Focused, Medium and Diffuse, Reversing Camera, 19in AMG Alloy Wheels (4) - 5 - Twin - Spoke Design With Front 245/45 Tyres and Rear 275/40 Tyres and Locking Wheel Bolts, Alarm System With Interior Protection, Bluetooth Telephony £62,995

TEL.: (01823) 760770

MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS 2.1 E220 CDI SE 7G-TRONIC■ 2014, Estate, 14,691 miles,

Automatic, 2.1l, DieselExcellent Condition, Very Few miles, Comfortable With Good miles per Gallon. Sale due to Retirement. Electric Opening Boot, 2 Owners, Next MoT due 26/06/2017, Full Service History, Electric Windows, Air Conditioning, Satellite Navigation, Parking Aid, DVD, CD Player, Leather Trim, Heated Seats, Height Adjustable Driver’s Seat, Folding Rear Seats, Child Seat Points (Isofi x System), 17” Alloy Wheels, Spare Wheel (Space-saver), Power Steering, Steering Wheel Rake Adjustment, Cruise Control, Traction Control, Roof Rails, £20,070

TEL.: (01252) 207901

MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 4.7 S500L AMG LINE■ 2014, Saloon, 13,689 miles,

Automatic, 4.7l, PetrolFull Spec LWB Model With Full Main Dealer History 1 Owner From New, Comand Online System, Hard Disk Drive Navigation With 3d Map Display, Cruise Control With Speedtronic, DAB Digital Radio Tuner, Eco Start/stop Function, Front and Rear Seats Heated, Linguatronic Voice Control, Luxury Automatic Climate Control - Two - Zone. Three Different Climate Modes: Focused, Medium and Diffuse, Parktronic With Active Park Assist, Reversing Camera, 19in AMG Alloy Wheels (4) - 5 - Twin - Spoke Design With Front 245/45 and Rear 275/40 Tyres and Locking Wheel Bolts, £69,989

TEL.: (01792) 580556

JAGUAR XJ 3.0 TD PORTFOLIO■ 2014, Saloon, 13,000 miles,

Automatic, 3.0l, DieselRear Entertainment With Wireless Headsets, Large Service Just Completed, Heated & Cooled Seats All Round, Electric Boot Closure, Panoramic Sunroof, Meridian Sound System, 2 Owners, Electric Windows, Air Conditioning, Satellite Navigation, Parking Aid, MP3 Player, CD Player, Leather Trim, Height Adjustable Driver’s Seat, Height Adjustable Passenger Seat, Child Seat Points (Isofi x System), 20” Alloy Wheels, Power Steering, Steering Wheel Rake Adjustment, Steering Wheel Reach Adjustment, Cruise Control, Traction Control, Central Locking, £37,999

TEL.: (01670) 208958

JAGUAR XJ 3.0 V6 DIESEL PORTFOLIO■ 2014, Saloon, 11,022 miles,

Automatic, 3.0l, Diesel1 Owner, Full Service History, Leather, Ivory, 20’’ Kasuga Alloy Wheels, Bi-function Hid Xenon Headlamps, Blind-spot Monitoring, Bluetooth Audio Streaming, Cruise Control With Automatic Speed Limiter, Electric Seats, Four-zone Automatic Climate Control, Heated Front Screen, Jaguar Smartkey System, Meridian 825w High Premium Sound System, Navigation System, Panoramic Glass Sunroof, Voice Control, 8-speed Automatic Transmission, Adaptive Front Lighting, Bluetooth Telephone Connectivity, Business Trays, DAB Digital Radio, Digital TV Tuner, Driver & Passenger Seat Memory, £39,495

TEL.: (01463) 357890

LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER 4.4 SDV8■ 2015, SUV, 16,177 miles,

Automatic, 4.4l, DieselCall 0208 5309476, *£1, 000 Deposit Contribution, 10.9% Rep, T&Cs apply, Rear Seat Entertainment, Dual View Functionality For Multimedia With Whitef, Satellite Navigation, Panoramic Roof, Television, Voice Activation, Premium Audio, Parking Aid With Rear Camera, Memory Pack, Keyless Entry, Keyless Drive, In Car Entertainment, Heated Front Windscreen, Heated Front Seats, Heated Front and Rear Seats, Heated & Cooled Front Seats, Headlamp Wash, Electric Tailgate, DAB Radio, 2 Year Land Rover Approved Warranty. 5 Seats, Santorini Black, £92,491

TEL.: (020) 85309476

JAGUAR XJ 3.0 JAGUAR XJ 3.0 V6

FORD GALAXY TITANIUM TDCI■ 2015, MPV, 334 miles,

Automatic, 2.0l, Diesel1 Owner, ‘ford Power’ Starter Button, Bluetooth Connectivity With Voice Control, Ford Sync 2 With 8” Colour touch Screen, Front and Rear Parking Sensors, Hydraulic Pas, Lane Keep Assist, Lights On Warning, Outside Temperature Display, Sync Emergency Assistance, Traffi c Sign Recognition, Trip Computer, Auxiliary Input Socket, Steering Wheel Audio Controls, ‘quickclear’ Heated Windscreen/heated Washer Jets, Auto Dimming Rear View Mirror, Body Colour Bumpers, Body Colour Door Mirrors, Chrome Trim to Lower Side Windows, Electric Folding Door Mirrors, £27,897

TEL.: (020) 8166 7810

LAND ROVER RANGE

FORD MONDEO 2.0 HYBRID TITANIUM ■ 2015, Saloon, 12,314 miles,

Automatic, 2.0l, Hybrid1 Owner, Trip Computer, Traffi c Sign Recognition, Tft Cluster Screen, Sync Emergency Assistance, Pas, Lane Keep Assist, Ford Sync 2 With 8” Colour touch Screen, Easy Fuel Capless Refuelling System, Bluetooth Connectivity With Voice Control, ‘ford Power’ Starter Button, Cruise Control + Speed Limiter, Ford DAB Navigation System With 8 Speakers, Rear View Camera, Front and Rear Parking Sensors, Usb Socket, Radio/cd, Rear Wiper, Led Tail Lights, Front Fog Lights With Chrome Surrounds, Electric Rear Windows With Global Closing, Electric Front Windows, Electric Folding Door Mirrors, £20,000

TEL.: (01563) 819138

MERCEDES-BENZ V CLASS 2.1 V250 CDI BLUETEC■ 2015, MPV, 7,150 miles,

Automatic, 2.1l, DieselExtra Long Wheel Base, Silver With Factory Fitted Privacy Glass, Electric Sliding Doors, Electric Tailgate, Rear Air Con and Climate Control, top Of The Range Engine Option (190 Bhp With 7g Auto Gearbox With Eco/comfort/sport/paddle Shift Options), More Powerful and More Economical Than V220 Or Manual Options Of New Vito tourer and V Class. First Registered On 06/01/2016). Hd Reverse Parking Camera. Front and Reverse Parking Sensors. 8 Seats. Nappa Leather Interior. Viewing Can Be Arranged At Ub111fe., 1 Owner, Electric Windows, Air Conditioning, £41,995

TEL.: (01895) 647212

E320 CDI SPORT ■ 2009, 142,000 miles,

Automatic, DieselVAT Qualifying, Free Transfer Of PCO Licence / Expire Nov 2016 Can Be Used For Private Hire Until 2020 Silver / Sat Nav /6CD/video/alarm 18” Alloy Wheels / Air Con / Multi-function Steering Wheel / Cruise Control Parking Distance Control/Bluetooth/Rear Adjustable Child Seats, Central Door, Locking/ABS/electric Front/rear Windows/electric Folding Door Mirrors Folding Rear Seats/MoT Expire 18/nov/164 New Tyres. Price: £8,950 or Ono. Email: [email protected]

TEL: 07860 453511

MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS 2.1 E220 CDI AMG SPORT■ 2014, Saloon, 41,000 miles,

Automatic, 2.1l, DieselVAT Qualifying, Upgrades - Panoramic Glass Sunroof, Standard Features - 1 Owner With Full Mercedes Service History, 18in AMG Alloy Wheels (4) - 5 - Twin - Spoke Design With (Front 245/40 Tyres and Rear 265/35 Tyres) and Locking Wheel Bolts, AMG Sports Package, AMG 3 Spoke Multi Function Sport Steering Wheel, Comand Online Multimedia System + Media Interface, Airbags, Alarm, Automatic Climate Control - Two -zone, Bluetooth Interface For Hands - Free Telephony, Child Locks & Isofi x System, Cruise Control With Speedtronic £21,000 Inc VAT

TEL.: (020) 88058885

SEAT IBIZA 1.2 TDI COPA S CR ECOMOTIVE TOURER■ 2012, 38,000 miles,

Manual, DieselStart/Stop Ignition, Cruise Control. Over 500 miles On A Tank Of Diesel. £20 A Year Tax. Driver’s Armrest With Privacy Glass. Blanked Grille For Fuel-effi ciency. In Clean, Almost Unmarked Condition In Phantom Black. Recorded As Category D In 2013 Because Of Passenger-side Damage (Have Proof Of Damage and Professional Repair Process.) Year’s Mot. All Handbooks With Original Keys. Directional Foglights, Rear Spoiler and Roof Strips. Just Had Oil Change and Filters Replaced. £6,500

TEL.: (0161) 747 7990 OR 07927204346

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