The London chauffeur Hire industry is about to be hit with a couple of tax increases that will effect our price structure. The increases are so high that it will be impossible for us to absorb.
New government, new budget, cut backs, credit restrictions; you have heard and absorbed all of the points raised by George Osbourne during his budget speech. His plan is a five year one to re build the economy via a "tough but fair" approach. Whether you believe it to be tough or fair or both, it does not matter. The only certainty is we will all feel a little poorer either individually or as companies or both.
I thought I would concentrate on a few items that have direct impact on our business with clients. The Chancellor has prepared us all to face a significant VAT increase to 20% from 17.5% that to my reckoning is almost a 15% increase. Then he has increased the Insurance Premium tax to 6% from 5% which is an increase of 20%, finally the duty on fuel will increase which will put prices at the pump up by the minimum of 3p and that will bring the price of unleaded to approx £1.20 per litre and diesel to approx £1.23 per litre. That's gone over a £fiver per gallon in old money people.
How much of these increases the chauffeur hire industry can withstand remains to be seen but I would venture to say that we will be forced to pass on the increases. However from what I understand you will be able to put a lot more money into your pension whilst paying no tax on it. I think that's where the fair bit comes in. It's only fair that the higher earners put away more of their money in a pension fund and out of the economy without being taxed on it.
It is now coming up to the silly season where we all nominate our favorite Chauffeur and Chauffeur Hire London company to the various Associations that we are all members of. I am wondering what prizes we will win this time round.
Now to more important matters, we have lost the third test to the Pakistanis making the score 2-1 from a four test series. All we need now is a draw for us to be overall winners and go into the Ashes games with a lot of confidence. Chelsea have won the first two games of the new season 6 nil and are top of the league again. (that's why we are champions). Finally we are only 5 weeks away from the Ryder Cup when we will triumph once again. This years challenge at the Celtic Manor will be a hard one but we will prevail. The news coming out is that it is already a sell out and parking will be limited. Don't forget we can get you there and bring you back at a very reasonable cost. Browns are prepared to discount every journey that is booked mentioning this weeks blog. Just tell them on the controls Peter said so.
With the weather being what it is it feels that winter has come early. Start thinking about getting the car ready for the frosty days ahead. I will tell you how to do it next week.
Have a good one people, till next time.
Monday, 23 August 2010
Friday, 13 August 2010
It is transport Jim, but not as you know it
Another week in the life of London Chauffeur Hire goes by and we still have not traced our missing visitors. Mind you with the pound strengthening against the dollar and the euro it is not supprising.
This week we have seen the start to Ramadan. This Muslim religious festival forbids its followers from eating during the day time hence the shortage of Middle Eastern clients. Usually this brings the Europeans out en force because they all seem to take their summer holidays during the month of August. Unfortunately they are not great users of chauffeur hire. London is awash with school trippers so I suppose that's good for the economy.
The only good thing about the month of August is the start to the British football season. We have all been looking forward to this day for weeks. International football is just not the same as watching your local team. We watched England this week triumph over Hungary but how many of us really care? Once upon a time people made a day of it. All the Chauffeur Hire London companies looked forward to these fixtures because they were social occasions but not any more. I would like to remind you all that we have some special deals right now, with prices being discounted by up to 30%.
News has just reached us that BAA staff are likely to strike within the next month. Before making your travel arrangements please give us the opportunity to give you a quote. Usually if there are 2 or 3 of you travelling say to Paris on the Eurostar we would probably be very competetive. Chauffeur Hire is not as expensive as people think and usually just as fast. It is also being suggested that London's tube system will come to a stop through strike action, in any event dont forget that Browns is here for you.
On that note I think we will leave it today, however we will return to the the transport tips next week.
As the saying goes "live long and prosper".
This week we have seen the start to Ramadan. This Muslim religious festival forbids its followers from eating during the day time hence the shortage of Middle Eastern clients. Usually this brings the Europeans out en force because they all seem to take their summer holidays during the month of August. Unfortunately they are not great users of chauffeur hire. London is awash with school trippers so I suppose that's good for the economy.
The only good thing about the month of August is the start to the British football season. We have all been looking forward to this day for weeks. International football is just not the same as watching your local team. We watched England this week triumph over Hungary but how many of us really care? Once upon a time people made a day of it. All the Chauffeur Hire London companies looked forward to these fixtures because they were social occasions but not any more. I would like to remind you all that we have some special deals right now, with prices being discounted by up to 30%.
News has just reached us that BAA staff are likely to strike within the next month. Before making your travel arrangements please give us the opportunity to give you a quote. Usually if there are 2 or 3 of you travelling say to Paris on the Eurostar we would probably be very competetive. Chauffeur Hire is not as expensive as people think and usually just as fast. It is also being suggested that London's tube system will come to a stop through strike action, in any event dont forget that Browns is here for you.
On that note I think we will leave it today, however we will return to the the transport tips next week.
As the saying goes "live long and prosper".
Friday, 6 August 2010
Chauffeur Hire London, is it worth it?
It's been an odd sort of week in the Chauffeur Hire industry, we seem to have misplaced all the foreign visitors to our shores. All the top hotels are only 35% full and most of those people are corporate guests who do not as a rule use our services. With most of our clients away on holiday it's been a little quiet in our offices. Still this has given us the opportunity to have all of our fleet valeted and brought back to showroom standard. I did a little comparison on prices against a black taxi and guess what, for a journey that is longer that 14 miles we are cheaper. As hard as it is to believe Browns is cheaper than a black cab for journeys to the airport.
With competition in the London Chauffeur Hire industry so strong we have decided to update our core standards and re-trained our chauffeurs in the art of etiquette. So, as from today when you get into one of our cars you should be asked if the temperature and the radio station are to your liking, you should be informed of how long to your destination and what the traffic is like. Sometimes it helps if you inform your chauffeur of your preferred route. We will be providing a morning newspaper, bottled water and magazines for you at no extra cost. I would appreciate it if you could let me know if your chauffeur and car is not up to standard because I value your feed back, after all unless you tell me I cannot mend it and please be assured that whatever you tell me will be strictly confidential between you and me.
On the sporting front our cricketers have done us proud and like I said last week we gave the Pakistanies a real good spanking. I noticed that all the press are now demanding that KP be dropped from the first eleven. Do they not understand that Cricket is a team game and does not depend on a single person. Browns Chauffeur Hire London supports KP and will continue to do so. I took a ride to Celtic Manor where the next Ryder Cup will be held. It took me just over an hour and a half so during the championship with the extra traffic on the road it should take a couple of hours. Unfortunately for people who live in or around London the only way to get there is via the M4. Celtic Manor is a beautiful venue, but murder to get out of at the end of play if you are visiting for the day. I am contemplating starting a share scheme to get people there and back for day trips during the four days of the Ryder Cup. If this is of interest to you or if you prefer to travel alone then please contact me for prices. Time is approaching fast for this event, time is right for you to make your travel arrangements.
This weeks motoring advice has to do with speed. Most of the cars being sold these days are fast and those that are not can be adjusted to go faster than they are designed for. Most of us drive too fast without considering our stopping distances. Most of the accidents occur not when you are doing 90 miles per hour on the motorway but when you are doing 40 miles an hour in the back streets of your town. You must remember that most of our roads were designed and built in the days that cars could only do 30 mph at top speed. The moral of this advice is for you to keep your distance, drive at a speed that would allow you to stop before you smash into whatever is in front of you. Always remember that life is precious. London Chauffeur Hire companies are in full support of local authorities that enforce speed restriction around schools and shopping centres.
From me and all at BCH have a safe week and look after the ones who look after you.
With competition in the London Chauffeur Hire industry so strong we have decided to update our core standards and re-trained our chauffeurs in the art of etiquette. So, as from today when you get into one of our cars you should be asked if the temperature and the radio station are to your liking, you should be informed of how long to your destination and what the traffic is like. Sometimes it helps if you inform your chauffeur of your preferred route. We will be providing a morning newspaper, bottled water and magazines for you at no extra cost. I would appreciate it if you could let me know if your chauffeur and car is not up to standard because I value your feed back, after all unless you tell me I cannot mend it and please be assured that whatever you tell me will be strictly confidential between you and me.
On the sporting front our cricketers have done us proud and like I said last week we gave the Pakistanies a real good spanking. I noticed that all the press are now demanding that KP be dropped from the first eleven. Do they not understand that Cricket is a team game and does not depend on a single person. Browns Chauffeur Hire London supports KP and will continue to do so. I took a ride to Celtic Manor where the next Ryder Cup will be held. It took me just over an hour and a half so during the championship with the extra traffic on the road it should take a couple of hours. Unfortunately for people who live in or around London the only way to get there is via the M4. Celtic Manor is a beautiful venue, but murder to get out of at the end of play if you are visiting for the day. I am contemplating starting a share scheme to get people there and back for day trips during the four days of the Ryder Cup. If this is of interest to you or if you prefer to travel alone then please contact me for prices. Time is approaching fast for this event, time is right for you to make your travel arrangements.
This weeks motoring advice has to do with speed. Most of the cars being sold these days are fast and those that are not can be adjusted to go faster than they are designed for. Most of us drive too fast without considering our stopping distances. Most of the accidents occur not when you are doing 90 miles per hour on the motorway but when you are doing 40 miles an hour in the back streets of your town. You must remember that most of our roads were designed and built in the days that cars could only do 30 mph at top speed. The moral of this advice is for you to keep your distance, drive at a speed that would allow you to stop before you smash into whatever is in front of you. Always remember that life is precious. London Chauffeur Hire companies are in full support of local authorities that enforce speed restriction around schools and shopping centres.
From me and all at BCH have a safe week and look after the ones who look after you.
Friday, 30 July 2010
Dont you just hate disraptive holidays.
Good Morning all,
Just when things were going so well August arrives with a bang. It's the time of the year when most of our clients go away on holiday with their families. This means that Browns has loads of cars sitting around doing nothing. It also means that Browns is in a position to give you good deals for the next four weeks. With your first booking of the month I will not only give you a 30% DISCOUNT but also a free surprise gift. If you are reading this and want to take advantage call our control office and quote the phrase "Peterpan is very generous" and you will immediately qualify for the discount and free gift.
July has been all of what we wanted and more, August is always quiet because of the holidays and then a build up of bookings for September onwards till the end of the year. This is the time of the year that I compare our services with our competitors and decide on our pricing for the next six months. BCH prides its self for being very competitive without compromising the quality of the service provided. So you can imagine my horror when the results from my comparisons with other companies came in. People have the audacity to charge similar prices to ours whilst providing inferior cars and drivers. I am at a loss as to why they should be adding an admin fee on top of the published prices. One thing that stands out in all this, people have a number of hidden charges that are add ons to their published prices. Not nice, not the Browns way of doing things.
On the sporting front, England are playing Pakistan and it looks like we are going to give them a good spanking. The debate now is, should Peterson be dropped or should we persevere with him for a while longer. I am in his camp for the time being because I think he is our best cricketer by miles . The middle of the month sees the start to the football season (about time) and the first major game the Community Shield between Chelsea and Man U. Browns will be offering a shuttle service to Wembley at a very reasonable cost. Browns will be supporting Chelsea.
This weeks motoring tip.
DISTRACTIONS.
It is a well known fact that men during the summer months are involved in more accidents than women. The reason being that men tend to take their eyes of the road to look at passing women dressed, lets say nicely.
So my sermon of the week is, please keep your eyes on the road not the girls and please check your mirrors, radio stations and make sure you have your mobile connected to a hands free device before you start your journey. You should not be putting on make up whilst driving nor should you be shaving. Drinking your morning coffee should be limited to the breakfast table not the car and you should never read the morning paper in the car because you are stuck in traffic. You should only be concentrating on the road. By participating in any of the above you are breaking the law, so you are liable to be prosecuted if caught. Value your licence, value your life, and definitely value the people around you.
Till next week, have a good weekend.
Peter.
Just when things were going so well August arrives with a bang. It's the time of the year when most of our clients go away on holiday with their families. This means that Browns has loads of cars sitting around doing nothing. It also means that Browns is in a position to give you good deals for the next four weeks. With your first booking of the month I will not only give you a 30% DISCOUNT but also a free surprise gift. If you are reading this and want to take advantage call our control office and quote the phrase "Peterpan is very generous" and you will immediately qualify for the discount and free gift.
July has been all of what we wanted and more, August is always quiet because of the holidays and then a build up of bookings for September onwards till the end of the year. This is the time of the year that I compare our services with our competitors and decide on our pricing for the next six months. BCH prides its self for being very competitive without compromising the quality of the service provided. So you can imagine my horror when the results from my comparisons with other companies came in. People have the audacity to charge similar prices to ours whilst providing inferior cars and drivers. I am at a loss as to why they should be adding an admin fee on top of the published prices. One thing that stands out in all this, people have a number of hidden charges that are add ons to their published prices. Not nice, not the Browns way of doing things.
On the sporting front, England are playing Pakistan and it looks like we are going to give them a good spanking. The debate now is, should Peterson be dropped or should we persevere with him for a while longer. I am in his camp for the time being because I think he is our best cricketer by miles . The middle of the month sees the start to the football season (about time) and the first major game the Community Shield between Chelsea and Man U. Browns will be offering a shuttle service to Wembley at a very reasonable cost. Browns will be supporting Chelsea.
This weeks motoring tip.
DISTRACTIONS.
It is a well known fact that men during the summer months are involved in more accidents than women. The reason being that men tend to take their eyes of the road to look at passing women dressed, lets say nicely.
So my sermon of the week is, please keep your eyes on the road not the girls and please check your mirrors, radio stations and make sure you have your mobile connected to a hands free device before you start your journey. You should not be putting on make up whilst driving nor should you be shaving. Drinking your morning coffee should be limited to the breakfast table not the car and you should never read the morning paper in the car because you are stuck in traffic. You should only be concentrating on the road. By participating in any of the above you are breaking the law, so you are liable to be prosecuted if caught. Value your licence, value your life, and definitely value the people around you.
Till next week, have a good weekend.
Peter.
Friday, 23 July 2010
The Bird has Landed
Hi people,
Finally we can relax and get on with our day to day business, it's been hectic here at Browns HQ with the Farnborough Air Show. Our chauffeurs are on their last legs so we have given them the weekend off to rest and prepare for the upcoming month. When I say they have the weekend off to rest what I'm saying is that they will spend hours on end at Windsor Great Park watching the Polo whilst relaxing and getting paid for it.
August will bring us the Glorious Goodwood racing festival which after Ascot has the best card in the Flat season. Our Middle Eastern Friends will bring their best horses over from Dubai for the meeting. So happy days are still here. This time of the year we have a large amount of tourists that come to our shores from the US who demand that they be treated like Lords. Needless to say all of the BCH staff are trained in art of etiquette so no problems there, we teach them all to say "have a nice day" with a smile on there face and mean it. At this stage I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our staff which include our sub contractors for the hard work over the past two months and to tell them that it has not gone unnoticed.
I have spent this last week trying to work out our financial forecasts for next year and whether we should increase our prices or not when it hit me that the blasted VAT goes up by 2.5% as from January the 1st 2011, that coupled with the impending fuel rise leaves us in no mans land. It's becoming very hard to keep our prices down to compete with the big boys out there but as usual Browns will manage. What we have decided to do, is simply to pass on the increases and no more and hope that our clients understand our predicament.
This weeks motoring tip.
Make sure that you check your engine oil every 1000 miles. The oil needs to be clean and clear to be effective and always make sure you wipe the dip stick before checking as well as after and check it at least twice. Whilst you have the bonnet up you should check the level of water in your radiator as well as your washer fluid for the windscreen. This only takes a couple of minutes but it could save you hundreds of pounds in repairs. Drive carefully and if you are drinking call Browns to do the driving think of us as your fourth emergency service and keep our number in your wallet.
Have a good weekend people.
Finally we can relax and get on with our day to day business, it's been hectic here at Browns HQ with the Farnborough Air Show. Our chauffeurs are on their last legs so we have given them the weekend off to rest and prepare for the upcoming month. When I say they have the weekend off to rest what I'm saying is that they will spend hours on end at Windsor Great Park watching the Polo whilst relaxing and getting paid for it.
August will bring us the Glorious Goodwood racing festival which after Ascot has the best card in the Flat season. Our Middle Eastern Friends will bring their best horses over from Dubai for the meeting. So happy days are still here. This time of the year we have a large amount of tourists that come to our shores from the US who demand that they be treated like Lords. Needless to say all of the BCH staff are trained in art of etiquette so no problems there, we teach them all to say "have a nice day" with a smile on there face and mean it. At this stage I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our staff which include our sub contractors for the hard work over the past two months and to tell them that it has not gone unnoticed.
I have spent this last week trying to work out our financial forecasts for next year and whether we should increase our prices or not when it hit me that the blasted VAT goes up by 2.5% as from January the 1st 2011, that coupled with the impending fuel rise leaves us in no mans land. It's becoming very hard to keep our prices down to compete with the big boys out there but as usual Browns will manage. What we have decided to do, is simply to pass on the increases and no more and hope that our clients understand our predicament.
This weeks motoring tip.
Make sure that you check your engine oil every 1000 miles. The oil needs to be clean and clear to be effective and always make sure you wipe the dip stick before checking as well as after and check it at least twice. Whilst you have the bonnet up you should check the level of water in your radiator as well as your washer fluid for the windscreen. This only takes a couple of minutes but it could save you hundreds of pounds in repairs. Drive carefully and if you are drinking call Browns to do the driving think of us as your fourth emergency service and keep our number in your wallet.
Have a good weekend people.
Monday, 19 July 2010
Come Fly with us.
Finally the Farnborough Air Show has began. The A3 is clogged up and the skies around Farnham are full of airplanes. It's a magical sight all those flying machines buzzing around. Off course it is supposed to be a military airshow but these days it is used to sell commercial air crafts.
London is awash with buyers from all over the world, these are people who have the authority to place orders for billions of pounds without a blink of an eye. Browns has been looking after them for years and years and this year is no different. They order cars and coaches without asking for prices because they know that getting cars this week is almost impossible.
After this week we begin with the real tourists, people who visit our shores to experience our hospitality and see our historical sights.BCH has a set rate for sight seeing tours in London and around the country. We have chauffeurs who specialise in this form of transport and are very knowledgeable about our history. London's theatres are now sold out and most of the top end restaurants are fully booked for weeks on end. As I have told you in the past our controllers are able to obtain tickets for theatres or book you into your favourite eatery at no extra cost.
A new service is available to you for the upcoming football season form Browns. We have managed to get hold of some season tickets for all the premier league games at Chelsea so if you are interested in going to Stamford Bridge let me know and I will put you on the list. It is a good afternoon out, you hire a car to take you there wait for you and bring you back, and the price well that depends on which game you want to see.
And now for this weeks motoring tips. When was the last time you checked the pressure of your car tyres? Did you know that if you get that right you could save up to 5% of you fuel consumption at a stroke. Get it wrong and not only do you waste your petrol you also wear out your tyres twice as fast. It only takes a minute so lets see you doing it.
London is awash with buyers from all over the world, these are people who have the authority to place orders for billions of pounds without a blink of an eye. Browns has been looking after them for years and years and this year is no different. They order cars and coaches without asking for prices because they know that getting cars this week is almost impossible.
After this week we begin with the real tourists, people who visit our shores to experience our hospitality and see our historical sights.BCH has a set rate for sight seeing tours in London and around the country. We have chauffeurs who specialise in this form of transport and are very knowledgeable about our history. London's theatres are now sold out and most of the top end restaurants are fully booked for weeks on end. As I have told you in the past our controllers are able to obtain tickets for theatres or book you into your favourite eatery at no extra cost.
A new service is available to you for the upcoming football season form Browns. We have managed to get hold of some season tickets for all the premier league games at Chelsea so if you are interested in going to Stamford Bridge let me know and I will put you on the list. It is a good afternoon out, you hire a car to take you there wait for you and bring you back, and the price well that depends on which game you want to see.
And now for this weeks motoring tips. When was the last time you checked the pressure of your car tyres? Did you know that if you get that right you could save up to 5% of you fuel consumption at a stroke. Get it wrong and not only do you waste your petrol you also wear out your tyres twice as fast. It only takes a minute so lets see you doing it.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Finally the Final is upon us.
We now know who the finalists will be for the 2010 world cup. With Spain and Holland contesting the final. After Sunday we can hopefully get back to normal. By the way the phones are ringing it appears that we are about to have a huge influx of tourists into London. The problem is that most hotels are fully booked with people attending the airshow.
It is going to be a fantastic weekend for sports fans they have the British grand prix, Sandhurst polo weekend and the world cup final to look forward to not forgetting the cricket . Browns can help by driving you to wherever you are going so that you can let your hair down have a drink and enjoy yourself without worrying about how you will get home.
This week has been really hard as we have had a lot of interviews for chauffeurs. We must have had a thousand applicants and trying to weed out the unfit is really hard especially when you hear some of the hard up stories people tell you. One thing that has become apparent is that there are a lot more people unemployed out there than the Government is telling us.
This week starts the countdown for the busiest week in the private hire calender. Every person who has a car will be looking to make some money so please remember my blog of last week only use licenced cars. Another tip, always make sure you know what your trip is going to cost you prior to departure because once you have arrived at your destination you have to pay what the driver asks for. Not everybody advertises their prices like Browns so be careful.
To those of you who have as yet to book your cars for the upcoming events please do so as soon as possible, we have reserved a few cars for our regular clients but we cannot hold them indefinitely.BCH will be well represented at the grand prix this year, so look out for a familiar face and say hello.
Finally I would like to congratulate Chris and Emma, Alexis and Charlotte and Andreas and Kerrie for the birth of their children ( there must have been a power cut). Its amazing that we have not had a birth for at least 9 months and then three come at once.
That's all for this week folks but don't forget if you need help in arranging your transport call me at Browns.
Peter.
It is going to be a fantastic weekend for sports fans they have the British grand prix, Sandhurst polo weekend and the world cup final to look forward to not forgetting the cricket . Browns can help by driving you to wherever you are going so that you can let your hair down have a drink and enjoy yourself without worrying about how you will get home.
This week has been really hard as we have had a lot of interviews for chauffeurs. We must have had a thousand applicants and trying to weed out the unfit is really hard especially when you hear some of the hard up stories people tell you. One thing that has become apparent is that there are a lot more people unemployed out there than the Government is telling us.
This week starts the countdown for the busiest week in the private hire calender. Every person who has a car will be looking to make some money so please remember my blog of last week only use licenced cars. Another tip, always make sure you know what your trip is going to cost you prior to departure because once you have arrived at your destination you have to pay what the driver asks for. Not everybody advertises their prices like Browns so be careful.
To those of you who have as yet to book your cars for the upcoming events please do so as soon as possible, we have reserved a few cars for our regular clients but we cannot hold them indefinitely.BCH will be well represented at the grand prix this year, so look out for a familiar face and say hello.
Finally I would like to congratulate Chris and Emma, Alexis and Charlotte and Andreas and Kerrie for the birth of their children ( there must have been a power cut). Its amazing that we have not had a birth for at least 9 months and then three come at once.
That's all for this week folks but don't forget if you need help in arranging your transport call me at Browns.
Peter.
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