How the idea for Prestige Chauffeurs started - Part 1

Having just celebrated ten years in business, Prestige Chauffeurs was founded in December1996, we look back at the journey how we got here.

I fell into the trade by accident after applying for a base operator role at a local taxi company in 1994. Back then it was before computers, tech, online bookings and app, everything was written down, old school.

Within a short period of time I was asked if I wanted to become a driver, something which I had never thought about. The process then was much easier than it is today. You required a medical, a criminal background check and a knowledge and driving test. I was helped through the process by another driver who would take me out to learn the area, with a confident claim nobody had failed he had taught!

I was only 18 and at the time there was a little concern from the local council, as I believe I was the youngest person in Bury to apply for a private hire licence at that time. As predicted, with excellent training I passed everything first time and started my journey into the industry. In the nineties the local trade was a mixture of good and bad, aided by low standards, compared today by licensing rules.

I had seen people buy a car for a few hundred pounds, get it through a council MOT, run it for a year and prior to the next test send it to the scrapyard before starting the process again. Vehicles cheaply maintained and for someone new to the trade and being very young this was certainly an eyeopener to what went on.

At 19 I bought my own car, a Citroen BX, known in the trade as “the magic carpet”. It was a great vehicle, however insurance was astronomical, around £4,000 because of my age and lack of experience. I loved driving customers around town and further afield, to be a job I never expected it felt great to be my own boss. That is, until one day I was attacked by a passenger who also caused damage to my car.

The case ended up going to court where the individual was convicted of the offences, but the whole incident affected me to the extent I sold my vehicle and left the trade. For a year I did various jobs as well as voluntary work whilst I decided what career I wanted. It was whilst at one job a driver I had previously worked for bought a local taxi company and called to ask if I wanted to drive for him over Christmas 1995 in one of his vehicles.

Having agreed to re-enter the trade I stayed on for nearly a year. During this time I found the same issues on standards, service and reliability, with customers complaining repeatedly at lateness and the shocking standards some of the cars that picked them up. At the time my parents had a milk round in the local village and my father, Bill would ask his customers of their thoughts on local taxis.

With months of research collected there was a clear demand for a better service within the area, but one that was still affordable. So, in November I handed in my notice at the local taxi company said the words many before me had said: “how hard can it be!”

My old boss and some of the drivers were genuine in their best wishes, but their parting words , i will never forget: “everyone has tried this executive stuff, but they never last, you’ll be back”.

Having spent months looking for the right vehicle I settled on a second hand burgundy Rover 800. I had the vehicle but I needed to obtain an operators licence and licence my vehicle. First though, I needed a company name…

Updates 4 April 2017 | How the idea for Prestige Chauffeurs started Part 2