-Brief Business Travel Insights

23 Apr 2024

Article

How much does a chauffeur cost in the UK?

Whether you need luxury transport for a special occasion or stress-free business travel, hiring a chauffeur could help you travel in style and comfort. But how much does it really cost to hire a chauffeur?

The honest answer is that it’s hard to give a figure without knowing the details of the journey. The cost of hiring a chauffeur varies widely based on many different factors. In this article, we’ll explore the factors that affect the cost of hiring a chauffeur and try to answer the question “how much does a chauffeur cost?”

What factors affect the price of chauffeur services?

The price of hiring a chauffeur does not come at one flat rate. Many different factors affect the cost of hiring a chauffeur. Let’s find out what they are.

Length of journey – One of the most obvious factors affecting the cost of hiring a chauffeur is the distance you need to travel or the length of time you require a chauffeur. Hiring a chauffeur for a 3-hour round trip will be far cheaper than hiring a chauffeur’s services for a full weekend.

Type of vehicle – Another influencing factor is the type of vehicle required. Generally, all chauffeur-driven vehicles are brand new, state-of-the-art vehicles; however, travelling in a more luxurious or specialised vehicle will cost more.

Location – As with many different services, the prices of chauffeurs can vary from one part of the country to the next. London-based chauffeurs and journeys may come at a premium.

Special requirements – The more complex your journey and requirements are, the more expensive the service will likely be. For example, high-security, managed journeys with multiple stops will cost more than simply travelling from point A to point B.

Reputation of chauffeur – Highly experienced and well-regarded chauffeurs may command a premium price.

How much does a chauffeur service cost in UK?

As we’ve discussed, the price of hiring a chauffeur varies widely, but we can give you some ballpark figures as to what you can expect to pay at the low and high ends of the scale.

Chauffeurs generally charge either hourly, daily, or full-time rates.

How much does it cost to hire a chauffeur by the hour?

In the UK, you can expect to pay anything between £50 and £150 per hour to hire a chauffeur. At the low end of the scale, you should expect to be transported in a standard luxury vehicle, with higher prices associated with travelling in a more luxurious vehicle.

Cost of chauffeur for a day UK

Hiring a chauffeur for a day generally costs somewhere between £400 and £1000 a day, depending on the type of vehicle and any special requirements you have.

How much does a full-time chauffeur cost UK?

Employing a full-time chauffeur in the UK is likely to set you back anywhere in the region of £25,000 – £50,000 p/a, depending on the chauffeur’s level of experience, location, and your specific requirements.

Is it worth hiring a chauffeur?

Hiring a chauffeur is undeniably a very attractive way to travel. When you leave the driving to a professional, it helps to take the stress and hassle out of travelling. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Chauffeurs are highly trained professionals and drive brand-new luxury vehicles, so arriving at your destination in a chauffeur-driven vehicle oozes professionalism and style, helping you make a good impression when needed. However, as revealed in this article, chauffeur services come with a premium price tag. Whether it’s worth hiring a chauffeur for your journey depends entirely on your circumstances, requirements, and budget.

Hire a chauffeur with Driven Worldwide

Ready to redefine the way you travel? Whether you need a chauffeur service for travel within the UK or overseas, Driven Worldwide has got you covered. We specialise in first-class chauffeur services for business travel, conferences, events, and roadshows.

We offer chauffeur services in over 1,500 locations around the globe. Our professional chauffeurs are trusted by some of the largest organisations in the world.

Contact our team today to get a quote on a journey or book a car.

-Brief Business Travel Insights

25 Mar 2024

Article

How to travel safely in high-risk areas

We live in a big and wonderful world with many amazing destinations to travel to. Unfortunately, many of these destinations are potentially dangerous.

However, just because a place is seen as being dangerous doesn’t mean you have to totally avoid it. Rather you need to be aware of what you’re getting yourself into and make sure you prepare adequately.

Here’s our guide to travelling safely in a high-risk area.

Access the Risk

If you’re taking a trip to an area with a history of conflict, violence or criminal activity, only you can know what your comfort levels and appetite for risk are.

Determine whether or not it will be worth it to travel to a place if you’re going to spend much of your time feeling anxious and not really enjoying yourself.

Be Prepared

Before your trip:

Do some research to determine the political situation of the place you’re travelling to
Read the local papers online to understand what’s currently happening at that destination
Ask questions of people who have travelled there before to gain further insight into what the problems actually are.

Plan Your Trip and Leave a Trail

Before travelling:

Notify your embassy that you’ll be travelling to a high-risk area
Make copies of your passport, as a lost passport is an expensive inconvenience and there’s a high possibility you may not be able to replace it in a high-risk area
Give a family member or friend a copy of your itinerary. This will help them determine roughly where you should be if they need to find you
Make sure you have the contact details of the people you’ll travelling with, the number of your embassy and those of a trusted driver or guide.

Travel with a Company Experienced in High-Risk Areas

Travelling with a company with extensive knowledge of working in high-risk areas can help put your mind at ease. Here at Driven Worldwide, we have an extensive network of trusted partners across Central and South America, the Middle East, and Africa.

To find out more about travelling in a high-risk area or to book your travel, contact Driven Worldwide.

-Brief Business Travel Insights

18 Mar 2024

Article

The impact of business travel on mental wellbeing

Business travel can have serious implications for people’s health and mental wellbeing. It is now firmly on the agenda as a workplace mental health issue.

A study conducted by the International SOS Foundation has revealed that business trips contribute to behavioural changes in people in the workplace. These include depression, stress and anxiety.

Some of this is down to how technology has actually extended people’s working hours while travelling, because of its accessibility.

However, there is also considerable stress involved in the process of travelling and being on the road a lot of the time.

The research indicates that many organisations do not have sufficient mental health resources in place, or a workplace wellness programme.

International Business Travel and Mental Health

The research interviewed 200 business travellers. 45% said they felt more stressed on business trips, while 31% felt emotionally exhausted. Over a quarter of respondents said they experienced more prevalent mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

There are also a physical health implications, with people travelling for business less likely to have a balanced diet or to get much exercise, or even much good quality sleep.

The problem is that while international business travel opens up opportunities, it also comes at a cost to wellbeing.

Safeguarding Health and Business Continuity

What measures can organisations and companies take to try and safeguard employees who are travelling on their behalf?

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is clear about the measures for tackling stress, and about the impact stress can have, with over 11 million days a year lost through stress in the workplace.

But how does stress risk management translate to business travel?

There are various stress factors associated with business travel.

Some of these are common to other work situations, including sudden, unexpected workloads, unclear reporting lines and responsibilities, and rapidly changing circumstances.

However, they may also suffer from specific, travel-related stress factors, including: a lack of peer support, or other support network; isolation from family and friends; and jet lag.

These factors also include lack of sleep, lack of exercise and poor diet, as mentioned above.

Symptoms of poor mental health can appear as impaired performance, poor concentration and erratic emotional behaviour.

Better Support for Business Travellers

More organisations must consider implementing procedures aimed at reducing the mental health risks of business travellers.

Just as mental wellbeing within the workplace has become much more widely recognised, so the impact of business-related travel on employees, along with remote working, needs careful consideration.

There are internal measures businesses and organisations can take to support employees, such as wellness programmes and resilience training, counselling and regular employee surveys.

However, they should also consider the conditions and quality of business travel, and what practical support there is to improve the business travel experience.

One such area of dedicated support is Executive car services, providing expert business and chauffeur class transfers.

Here, the focus is on ensuring passengers get all the support they need to reduce any stress and remove the uncertainties and inconvenience associated with business travel.

For more information about our specialist services, please complete our online contact form and we will be in touch as soon as possible.

-Brief Business Travel Insights

18 Mar 2024

Article

Taxis or Chauffeurs: the right choice for the job

Taxis or chauffeurs: the right choice for the job Knowing the key differences between booking a taxi and hiring a chauffeur can help you to make the right choice for your next trip.

By choosing the most suitable mode of transport for your journey, you can keep travel arrangements cost-effective and running smoothly. This blog explains the key differences between a taxi and a chauffeur, to help you decide which mode of transport is best suited to your journey.

When to choose a taxi

For short distance travel between 1-3 miles, calling a taxi company to arrange a journey at the drop of a hat might be the most affordable and convenient solution for you.

Advantages:

Convenience of being able to arrange transport last minute.
Affordable for short distance travel (1-3 miles).

Disadvantages:

Paying by the meter is not cost-effective.
If you’re only popping around the corner to the pub or the shops, then cheap and cheerful may be all that you require. If you’re travelling further afield though beware that the cost can really add up on when you’re paying by the meter.

When to choose a chauffeur

If you’re pre-arranging transport for a journey of 3 miles or more, for a special occasion or event, or for a whole day of travelling, you’ll want to ensure that your ride is comfortable.

Advantages:

High level of service.
Comfortable and relaxing travel.
Stylish arrival.
Receive an upfront price for the journey.
Travel in a vehicle of your choice.

Disadvantages:

Travel usually needs to be arranged in advance.
Usually more expensive than a taxi.

To book executive or chauffeur travel that you can trust, get in touch with our team here at Driven Worldwide by calling us on 020 3848 5100 or using our online contact form to request assistance.

-Brief Business Travel Insights

21 Feb 2024

Article

Why book chauffeurs for your corporate event

Transport can be one of the largest logistic headaches when planning a corporate event. It’s also the key to the event’s success. Every corporate event is a showcase of what your company represents. This is how your staff, delegates and clients are going to perceive your business.

Start Planning Your Transport Needs Early

When planning a big event, many businesses leave the organising of their transport to the last minute. But it should be one of the first things you co-ordinate. The experience for every person coming to your event needs to be seamless. From airport arrival to luggage management and security passes, you should leave nothing to chance.

Getting the Right Vehicle

Each person coming to your event will have different needs. People with be arriving in groups or coming as individuals. Some will need more space if they have extra luggage or equipment for the event. You need to ensure the company you employ has the right executive cars and mini buses in their fleet.

Dedicated Planning

Imagine how relaxed you would be if you had a dedicated project management team organising the transport for your entire event. Carefully laid plans can suddenly fall apart thanks to late flights, adverse weather conditions or traffic jams. These are things you can’t control and probably won’t have the time to deal with. A project management team, with 24/7 with real time monitoring of all your VIPs and delegates, will stay on top of the details and promptly sort out any problems that may occur.

The right partner will keep you in control, informed and save you time and money.

Book a Chauffeur for Your Conference or Event with Driven Worldwide

If you want to take the headache out of transportation, contact Driven Worldwide. We’re experts in transport for corporate events.

-Brief Business Travel Insights

07 Feb 2024

Article

What are the lessons of the ‘last mile’?

When it comes to logistics, the last mile is critical. In a world where consumers expect to have so many of their shopping needs met through ecommerce, getting the goods to them directly has taken on a whole new significance.

The last mile is that final step, when those goods arrive on your doorstep. It is the absolute distillation of the customer experience.

However, it can be a huge challenge to supply chains, especially in an online retail sector where the competition is very fierce.

Reputations are built, and sometimes buried, by the last mile.

The kind of importance the last mile has also applies to executive business travel. It is about where the customer feels the edge of their experience most keenly, whether this is good or bad.

For all the air miles travelled and distances covered, the moment a business traveller steps into a car for the crucial parts of a journey by road, which bookend their experience, is the moment which will make the biggest difference to their journey.

Managing Global Travel Demands

Today’s global executive may find they are rarely spending a week in one place. The demands of international commerce are such that they can be spending many months of the year in the air, on the road.

What many business travellers recognise is the value of having help organising the various aspects of their travel.

Personal levels of service and attention to detail have become the norm, and therefore, meeting these expectations is vital when organising executive travel.

Having a PA on hand may not be enough, however, because the complexities of international travel, combined with shifting business schedules, are often a task in themselves.

Who takes care of the details, especially when it comes to getting executive business travellers to and from transport hubs, hotels, meetings and other important destinations that are part of their itineraries?

Excellence on the Road

Driven Worldwide is the equivalent of a totally focused business concierge service on wheels.

We combine painstaking levels of personal attention to detail with bespoke advanced technology to ensure executive travellers have a safe, reliable chauffeur service that ensures they will always get to where they need to be without any hassle.

With the pick of top chauffeurs who have excellent local knowledge, and a fleet of superior vehicles, we ensure that the journey on the road more than matches any other part of the journey, and in fact, raises the entire executive travel experience.

The last mile matters for busy executive travellers. We make it work for them. Call us on +44 (0)20 3848 5100, or use our online contact form to help with you executive travel needs.

-Brief Business Travel Insights

31 Jan 2024

Article

How does technology enhance business travel?

Technology is helping refine certain key aspects of business travel, but ultimately, people are the driving force behind its development and progress.

With the growth of smart technology, the business travel experience is becoming increasingly personalised, and this in turn raises travellers’ expectations of what to expect.

At Driven Worldwide, we have long recognised the importance of technology in how we run our executive and chauffeur driven car services.

The Challenge of Business Travel

Covering what are often long distances, sometimes across different global timelines, is inherently demanding of the business traveller.

Traditionally, the personal and office-based administrative burden has been high. Business travel can involve multiple bookings and transport modes, each with their own reservation requirements.

At the same time, the individual travelling may well be on a business-critical mission that requires them to be performing at their best when they reach their destination.

Consequently, any administrative hiccups while travelling will be a distraction, and may end up actively detracting from this performance.

One critical issue is the last mile and local knowledge, when the traveller has reached their destination but needs to get a transfer from the airport to the hotel, or the venue where they are expected.

The Principle of Personalisation

Personalisation through smart technology is raising user expectations.

For instance, when someone searches online for a restaurant, the results will reflect things like the date, time of day, their location but also their online history as a consumer.

Like consumers, business travellers routinely generate large amounts of data, which will allow smart technology to provide them with greater flexibility when booking itineraries.

It will streamline processes such as checking in to flights and hotels, and help streamline the entire travel and accommodation process.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more widely-used, it will enable more automation that is very much focused on the individual on a human, personal level.

Driven Tech

We are well aware how technology underpins the traveller experience, which is why we have developed a bespoke reservations platform, PalmTree, to track complex journeys and ensure seamless itineraries.

Also, we have our ChauffeurCall technology to ensure consistent, reliable contact between the passenger and chauffeur.

ChauffeurCall represents a significant advance from relying on standard mobile numbers. By allocating a unique, unchanging local number to a travelling client, we can ensure their communication is clear and that their journey schedule is always on track.

People Come First

There is one important thread running through the technology designed to improve the business traveller’s experience: people.

Providing a person-focused service with people at its heart is what makes the technology effective.

Ultimately, tech is not a substitute for excellent customer service. Rather, it is an enhancement to it.

That is why we rely on the sheer professionalism of our dedicated force of drivers. They have the extensive knowledge and experience to ensure our business clients will make their journeys in comfort, with the reassurance that they are in a safe pair of hands.

For more information, please complete our online contact form and we will be in touch as soon as possible.

-Brief Business Travel Insights

11 Jan 2024

Article

What is the future of the office?

We regularly hear the phrase ‘back to normal’, when referring to a post-Covid life, but what does ‘normal’ or ‘new normal’ look like with regards to working from home and the office?

The COVID pandemic has forced a substantial number of companies, across many sectors to help set up remote working facilities for their staff.

Many of these businesses may have previously resisted the temptation to offer this opportunity to staff, whilst many businesses operate in sectors where remote working has an impact on how their company can operate. It is safe to say that the transition to working from home, has had to be very quick.

So what is the future of the office?

The short-term working solution has been dealt? What next? Will everyone simply return to the office as usual, on a Monday to Friday, when safe to do so? Will the morning and after work commutes be as stressful and busy as before?

It seems that the working from home debate has forced most businesses to review their internal processes and plans for how they will manage this matter, long term.

Companies such as Goldman Sachs have already made it clear that working home, does not work for their company ‘culture’, whilst JP Morgan and HSBC have a slightly different view on this and will offer staff the opportunities to work from home full time and also the option of a ‘Hybrid’ working pattern – flexible working between home and the office.

From a member of staff’s perspective, the working from home experience has been equally split.

Those with ample working space at home will have found the transition much easier than those working from bedrooms, living rooms and kitchen tables. Add in the stresses of childcare and home schooling and there is definitely a section of the working population who will feel they will benefit and enjoy going back to the office again. There have also been numerous reports of staff having to work longer hours because they are at home and near to their laptops and PC’s. The return to the office offers the feeling of a more structured working week.

There will also be a large section who have enjoyed the opportunity to strike up a better work/life balance and to remove the stresses and strains of their daily commute. Both have a major impact on your mental and physical well-being. More time may have been spent with families and friends, which they may not have had previously.

Its difficult to make an argument for one particular solution, which will suit every company and their staff.

It will be crucial for companies to engage with their staff and form a plan that suits their own business. As long as the company performance, service delivery and internal staff targets are being met, does it really matter if some staff are in the office or at home?

However, many internal ideas and issues have been raised and dealt with in the office, when making a cup of tea or bumping into a colleague during the day. That is clearly much harder to do when working from home.

The ‘new normal’ may be embracing flexibility and working together in finding new, productive ways of working, which can improve both work and personal lives.

If all businesses, regardless of their working from home plans, continue to support their staff as they have, it will be a massive step in bouncing back from some of the toughest months, many businesses have ever encountered.

-Brief Business Travel Insights

10 Dec 2023

Article

Can chauffeur cars ease the stress of air travel?

If work-related stress is seen as a 21st century disease, then intense business travel schedules are likely to make it more acute. This is especially true of business air travel.

However, while chauffeur class transfers cannot affect what goes on in the air, they can very much help to soften its impact on the ground and significantly improve the passenger’s overall experience.

Why Business Travel is Stressful

There is the whole business of organising and administering business travel. This includes booking tickets and hotel accommodation, working out schedules, often with some fire-fighting thrown in when things do not go according to plan.

The whole process of travel can be stressful, and the stress is cumulative: from being separated from family for prolonged periods, to the busy clamour of airports; and the experience of the flight itself.

Furthermore, flight travel is often subject to delays and other disruptive issues, such as loss of luggage.

One of the most frequently sited sources of stress for frequent flyers is the loss of time due to delays, as well as time spent in the air.

Many senior business executives travel so much that their stress levels have no time to re-set themselves. Research suggests that frequent air travellers experience different levels of stress to occasional travellers.

There is also the issue of travelling alone, and how this also contributes to the stress of business travel.

Behavioural and Health Risks

Analysis of data from research by the Global Business Air Travel Association and American Express reveals that there are common threats to health that are largely ignored when it comes to corporate travel advice.

These include stress, sleep interruption and unhealthy eating and drinking.

Frequent business air travel can have a lifestyle impact, and, over time, these issues can increase the risk of chronic diseases.

Another potential psychological impact from air travel comes with air rage. Flying makes people angry. It comes from a combination of experiencing a loss of control and of difficulty in empathising with others.

All these factors can then have a negative impact on business performance.

If business executives are travelling by air, what can they do to help them feel more at ease, and more business-ready when they reach their destination point?

The Benefit of Chauffeur Class Transfers The first and last mile or so of a journey can be critical in affecting the overall outcome for the passenger.

This is something that informs the delivery of chauffeur class transfers.

It is about much more than getting business executives from A to B. It is about the whole journey experience and ensuring that passengers using executive car services can expect some aspects of their journey to be comfortable, reliable and seamless.

Will this alleviate the effects of stressful air travel?

They are not a complete cure, obviously, but executive chauffeur class transfers can make a big difference at crucial points in a journey.

They can reassure the traveller when their journey commences that they are on schedule and that the details are taken care of.

And at the end of a journey, they can provide a much-needed source of comfort and efficiency, in preparation for the day’s business ahead.

For more information about Driven Worldwide’s chauffeur class transfer services, please complete our online contact form and we will be in touch as soon as possible.

-Brief Business Travel Insights

11 Nov 2023

Article

Is business travel still important?

With an increasingly joined-up world of digital communications, is business travel still important?

While there are convenient, advanced video-conferencing and communications applications such as Skype for Business and Zoom, they are still a form of remote working.

Business is about people and, people do business with other people they like, trust and value.

To build these relationships, there is no substitute for real human interaction, which is why business travel, as an enabler of this, is still important.

Deals and Decisions in Person

People want to put a name to a face where a business deal is involved. Similarly, important decision-making often requires the reassurance of having someone actually in the room.

Research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology indicates that asking for help, or looking for co-operation, gets a far more positive response in person than online, via email.

Many leading companies will not sign a contract without company leaders meeting face to face.

You can derive a lot of unspoken information from someone’s body language, for example, making face to face a superior medium of communication.

Human interaction helps build valuable foundations for future business relationships, and bolsters existing relationships.

Communication skills can help people negotiate difficult terms, and see where they have common ground with others.

Leadership and Opportunity

One of the most vital qualities a successful leader in business must have is the ability to inspire others, including colleagues and clients.

An effective means of doing this is by having good visibility and not simply relying on remote communication.

Consequently, leaders who regularly make the effort to be with other people in person, are likely to develop a more impactful style of leadership.

Another benefit of meeting people face to face is opportunity.

Being away from the desk offers a greater degree of freedom in terms of interacting with others, and the opportunity to strike up new, potentially valuable business relationships.

You cannot network as effectively remotely or digitally as you can in person.

Again, this is about the personal aspect of relationship-building, and of reading how others respond close up.

How Business Travel Enables Better Communication

Business travel drives face to face business communication, often literally.

Executive car services, whether business class or chauffeur class, help individuals connect meaningfully, providing the critical infrastructure links that are not covered by air or rail.

These services are also vital because they operate fully in context – they are specially tailored to meet the demands of busy and complex itineraries.

Moreover, just as the mechanics of business travel are important in facilitating face to face business meetings, so the travel experience itself supports this kind of interaction.

By ensuring the traveller reaches their destination in as stress-free, comfortable and business-friendly a means as possible, this helps with their focus and performance when it comes to meeting others.

Maximising Business Travel to Minimise Hassle

Specialising in executive car services, Driven Worldwide provides essential, expert business support in getting people to where they need to be, taking care of itineraries, connections and the comfort of its clients.

For more information, please complete our online contact form and we will be in touch as soon as possible.