Blog
Notes from the road.
Pricing, airports, cruise transfers, weddings, drivers, hourly hire. Practical reading, no filler.
Hourly
· Tips
Hourly chauffeur — funeral and memorial transport
Funeral day chauffeur: family home → service venue → cemetery / crematorium → reception → home. Hourly with discretion.
1 September 20251 min readReadTrains
· Tips
St Pancras Eurostar — onward chauffeur to anywhere
Eurostar lands at St Pancras. Driver waits at lower concourse. Onward to cruise terminal, hotel, or Heathrow.
28 August 20251 min readReadTrains
· Tips
King's Cross / LNER to Edinburgh — chauffeur connection
LNER is the rail option to Edinburgh. From Southampton, the chauffeur leg is to/from King's Cross.
24 August 20251 min readReadTrains
· Airports
· Tips
Paddington + Heathrow Express — the onward chauffeur
Heathrow Express is the fastest rail option from Heathrow. Chauffeur onward from Paddington for your hotel / meeting / station connection.
20 August 20251 min readReadTrains
· Tips
Waterloo to south coast — chauffeur onward flow
Waterloo is the south-coast rail hub. Chauffeur from Waterloo to a south-coast destination matters when timing or comfort tip the math.
16 August 20251 min readReadTips
· Pricing
Southampton to London by chauffeur — by zone
Southampton → London chauffeur fares by zone. Central London £130-150 standard saloon; outer zones £85-120.
12 August 20251 min readReadTips
· Pricing
Southampton to Bournemouth — coastal chauffeur
28 miles, 45-60 minute drive. Common patterns include cruise transfers, retirement-area visits, beach days.
8 August 20251 min readReadTips
· Pricing
Southampton to Portsmouth — cruise / IOW / general
Portsmouth's the second south-coast major port. 20-mile chauffeur from Southampton via M27. Smaller cruise scene + Isle of Wight ferries.
4 August 20251 min readReadTips
· Hourly
Cotswolds day trip from the south coast
Cotswolds loop = 6-7 hour hourly chauffeur day. Honey-stone villages, gardens, country pubs. From Southampton via the A34 / A40.
31 July 20251 min readReadTips
· Pricing
Lake District long-distance chauffeur
Lake District by chauffeur is a multi-day arrangement — the distance from Southampton (~280 miles) is too long for a same-day return.
27 July 20251 min readReadPricing
· Tips
How Stripe manual-capture works for you
Stripe's manual-capture flow keeps your money on your side until we accept the trip. Here's the timeline you see.
23 July 20251 min readReadPricing
· Tips
Understanding your fare breakdown / receipt
Receipt line items explained: base fare, vehicle category multiplier, airport surcharge, congestion charge, volume discount, return discount, extras.
19 July 20251 min readReadPricing
· Tips
Group and corporate account options
If you book Fare 1 monthly or run group transport regularly, a corporate account streamlines billing and dispatch.
15 July 20251 min readReadTips
Child seats and booster policy
UK law on child seats in licensed PHV. What Fare 1 provides on request. What parents should bring.
11 July 20251 min readReadPricing
· Tips
Luggage limits by vehicle category
Standard saloon = 2 large + 1 medium. MPV = 4-5. Minibus = group rack. Detailed limits by category.
7 July 20251 min readReadTips
· Pricing
Multi-stop bookings — how to add stops
Up to 7 intermediate stops per journey. Stops are billed as route distance — no per-stop fee. With long waits at stops, hourly can beat per-mile.
3 July 20251 min readReadPricing
· Tips
Waiting time rules — by trip type
Airport pickups include 60 minutes free waiting from actual landing. Standard pickups include 15 minutes. Hourly mode includes all waiting.
29 June 20251 min readReadPricing
· Tips
Payment methods we accept
All major UK / international cards via Stripe. Apple Pay and Google Pay supported. PayPal not currently supported.
25 June 20251 min readReadDrivers
· Tips
Vehicle MOT and insurance — our standards
Every Fare 1 vehicle has current MOT, hire-and-reward insurance, council PHV plating. Re-verified annually.
21 June 20251 min readReadDrivers
· Tips
Driver handover on long trips
Long-distance and long-day trips sometimes exceed driver shift limits. Here's how we handle handover without disrupting your trip.
17 June 20251 min readReadDrivers
· Tips
Driver language and customer communication
Drivers all communicate in English. Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Polish — available on request from passengers who'd prefer a same-language driver.
13 June 20251 min readReadDrivers
· Tips
Driver uniform and presentation
Standard: smart-casual. Executive: full chauffeur uniform. Both maintain professional presentation throughout the shift.
9 June 20251 min readReadDrivers
· Tips
Dispatch team — how we actually run
Booking arrives → admin reviews → driver assigned → driver app dispatches → trip flows. Here's the actual workflow.
5 June 20251 min readReadTips
First-time chauffeur passenger — what to expect
First chauffeur booking? Here's the full sequence so you know what to expect.
1 June 20251 min readRead