Driverless: Secure your luxury journey

There is a shortage of drivers in the private hire industry.

If you haven't been able to reserve a driver recently, we apologize. We are experiencing unprecedented high demand. We advise you to book the trip through your driver as soon as possible. We are an exclusive service and have a limited number of first-class drivers. Find out what caused this "perfect storm".

CHAUFFEUR SHORTAGES AND HIGH DEMAND

THE CAUSE, AND HOW TO BOOK YOUR TRAVEL

If you haven't been able to reserve a driver recently, we apologize. We are experiencing unprecedented high demand. We advise you to book the trip through your driver as soon as possible. We are an exclusive service and have a limited number of first-class drivers.

The private hire industry is facing first-class hostage of drivers as thousands have left the profession after being affected by Covid.

We probably retained more drivers than most licensed operators. But we are still sad that we have lost some great drivers. We have placed full-page ads and other promotions to help attract new talent. But finding the cream takes time.

The BBC reports that more than half of licensed private hire drivers have not returned to the trade since the pandemic.

We reserve vehicles for regular clients, but in 17 years we have never seen such a demand. Rejecting new bookings is heartbreaking, especially for clients who have used our services since we launched.

A PERFECT STORM

The Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA) has described the shortage of private hire drivers in the trade as "a perfect storm".

The LPHCA estimates the industry is down 160,000 from its previous workforce of 300,000.

"This is truly a national issue that affects everyone," said LPHCA President Steve Wright.

A staggering 70% of regular taxi users faced problems or failed completely when trying to book a taxi from December 2021.

The IRU's annual driver shortage survey shows that commercial driver vacancies worldwide are increasing at an alarming rate.

The private rental industry is in a period of transition to electric vehicles. Our sustainability page provides more information about our vision. But the difficulties of Covid mean that drivers will find it difficult to finance new vehicles.

The cost of buying a new high-end chauffeur-driven luxury car is getting very expensive. A jump of around £80,000 to £120,000, an increase of 50%.

Other operating expenses have also increased accordingly. For example, our TfL operators' licenses have increased significantly. And have most of us noticed the substantial increase in fuel prices as well?

The obvious thing is to increase our prices massively. But we always look at the long term, and that doesn't sit well with us. We recently increased our prices by a small percentage.

But our goal, as always, is to offer the best driver-driven cars. We have no desire to be the greatest.

If you are an experienced professional driver, please visit our partner page to see if you have what it takes to partner with Limo Lift.

In the future, and especially in the summer, please book as soon as possible. We're sorry that demand outstrips supply, but we believe that it's better to be disappointed every now and then than to compromise on the quality of our service.