PM Schlüssel

It often doesn’t happen overnight – see reference to learn how this transition often occurs. No grand decision. No pros and cons list. Someone is picked up once – driver waiting patiently at the airport, car heated, no complaints about the bags – and it changes. Quietly. Permanently. The ride-hailing app remains on the phone, but is used less and less.

It’s an interesting experiment for Norwich. It’s not a huge city where having a driver is the norm. It’s a medium sized city with a distinct character, confusing one-way streets and roads that are best navigated by someone who knows the city well rather than a satnav. It’s an art to get from Thorpe St Andrew to the station before 7am without taking three wrong turns. Some drivers have it. Many don’t.

Chauffeurs here seem to have that knowledge in their DNA. They’re not re-routing. They already know.

Corporate clients catch on fast. One sales director once told me she uses chauffeurs because she can get work done in the car and not get sick from the acceleration. That’s it. That’s it. Predictable driving makes the time we spend travelling productive. It’s a small thing but it adds up over tens of journeys.

Events are another story entirely. A group of girls going to Norwich on a Friday night don’t need a fancy car – but a wedding party on a Saturday afternoon do. Timing, presentation, reliability. These things are important on special occasions. A driver who is late to collect you for a Tuesday meeting is irritating. A driver who is late to pick up the bride is a nightmare that is told at weddings for years.

Airport pickups are the mainstay. Flight delay, change of terminal, early arrival: a chauffeur takes it all in his or her stride. You don’t have to text in a panic. They’re already watching.

There’s a luxury that’s all about looks. Good seamstress, little water bottles, mood lighting. Fine. But the one that will get you repeat customers is simpler: someone who’s there, on time, all the time, and makes the commute the least stressful part of your day.

That’s not hard to do. For some reason, it’s still pretty uncommon.