Passenger Conduct & Acceptable Use
Last updated
Almost every journey passes without incident. This policy exists for the few that do not, and to set out plainly what passengers and chauffeurs can expect of one another.
These policies are published in good faith and describe how Executive Chauffeurs UK works in practice. They are reviewed annually and reissued sooner where our operation or the law changes; the date at the head of each page shows when the current version was issued. If anything here is unclear, or you need a detail that is not published, our client service desk will answer on WhatsApp at +44 7775 554848 or through the contact page.
1. What we ask of passengers
Treat the chauffeur with courtesy, wear a seat belt, keep the vehicle in the condition you found it, and follow reasonable instructions relating to safety. That is the whole of it for the overwhelming majority of journeys.
The client who places a booking is responsible for the conduct of everyone travelling under it, whether or not the client travels. Where a booking is made for a group, please make sure the group knows what applies before the vehicle arrives.
This policy forms part of our Terms and Conditions of Booking and applies to every passenger carried by us or by a licensed partner operator working on our behalf.
2. What our chauffeurs will do
Your chauffeur will arrive early, present the vehicle clean and prepared, assist with luggage, drive smoothly and within the law, and take the route agreed unless conditions make another route obviously better.
They will keep conversation to your preference, whether that is silence, a briefing on the route or ordinary company, and will adjust climate, seating and music on request. Journey details and anything overheard in the vehicle stay in the vehicle.
They will not accept changes to the route, timing, stops or duration of the hire. Those go through the client service desk on WhatsApp at +44 7775 554848 so that they are recorded, priced and confirmed properly.
3. Conduct that is not acceptable
- Abusive, threatening or violent behaviour towards the chauffeur or any other person.
- Discriminatory language or harassment of any kind, which is treated with equal seriousness whoever it is directed at.
- Smoking or vaping in the vehicle, which is unlawful in a licensed private hire vehicle.
- Carrying or using illegal drugs, or carrying a weapon or any other prohibited item.
- Interfering with the vehicle's controls, or distracting or obstructing the chauffeur while driving.
- Instructing the chauffeur to exceed the speed limit, use a bus lane unlawfully, or otherwise break the law.
- Carrying more passengers than the vehicle's licensed seating capacity.
4. Alcohol, illness and soiling
Passengers who have been drinking are carried as a matter of course; getting people home safely is part of the job. Carriage may be refused where a passenger is so intoxicated that they cannot be carried safely or cannot indicate where they are going.
If you feel unwell, tell the chauffeur early. They will pull over where it is safe to do so, and there is no embarrassment in asking. It is a far better outcome for everyone than continuing.
Where a vehicle is soiled and requires specialist cleaning, a valeting charge is applied reflecting the actual cost of the clean and the lost availability of the vehicle. The charge is itemised and evidenced rather than applied as a flat penalty.
5. Luggage, items and animals
Tell us the number and size of cases when you book so that the right vehicle class is allocated. Luggage is stowed so that nothing can move in the cabin under braking, and the chauffeur may decline to carry an item that cannot be secured safely.
Assistance dogs travel free of charge in every vehicle and never need to be requested in advance, although telling us helps us plan. Other animals are carried by prior arrangement and must travel in a suitable carrier.
Hazardous, illegal and hazardous-by-nature items are not carried under any circumstances. Where the chauffeur is not satisfied that an item can be carried lawfully and safely, they will decline it and refer the matter to the desk.
6. Children and young passengers
Children must travel in a restraint appropriate to their age, height and weight. Tell us at the time of booking so that the correct seat is fitted; a chauffeur cannot supply one at the kerbside.
Responsibility for a child in the vehicle remains with the accompanying adult. Chauffeurs will assist but will not secure a child in a seat or take charge of them.
Unaccompanied passengers under eighteen are carried only under the arrangements set out in our Safeguarding Policy, agreed in writing before the journey.
7. Ending a journey early
A chauffeur may end a journey where behaviour makes it unsafe or unlawful to continue, after giving a warning where it is safe and sensible to do so. They will stop at a safe location, notify the desk, and where the passenger is vulnerable will remain until an alternative arrangement is in place.
Where a journey ends for this reason the full fare remains payable, and any damage or specialist cleaning is charged in addition. The chauffeur's account of the incident is recorded and reviewed by a director.
We may decline future bookings from a client or passenger following a serious incident. Serious matters, including violence, threats and criminal damage, are reported to the police and to the authority that licenses our operation.
8. If you disagree with a decision
If you believe a journey was ended wrongly, or a charge applied unfairly, raise it with the client service desk and it will be reviewed under our Complaints Procedure. We would rather correct a decision than defend one that was wrong.
Reports made by chauffeurs are recorded and reviewed, and the same standard of conduct applies to them. A complaint about a chauffeur's behaviour is investigated with the same seriousness as a report about a passenger.