Chauffeur glossary
The chauffeur industry,
in plain English
Definitions from R5 so you know what you're paying for before you pay for it.
Definitions
The booking vocabulary.
Chauffeur companies borrow terms from private hire and hospitality, and add acronyms from airports, stadium contracts and council licensing. A first-time customer sees “meet & greet, 60 minutes free wait, PHV-licensed, flight-tracked” and isn't sure what's included, what's a regulation, and what costs extra.
Service types.
Transfer
A one-way journey between two fixed points: home to airport, hotel to meeting, station to venue. Quoted as a fixed fare regardless of traffic.
Return
Two transfers booked together, out and back, such as to a morning meeting and home again later.
As-directed (hourly hire)
You book the chauffeur & car by the hour, not by the journey. The driver goes wherever you ask during the booked hours.
Dedicated driver
A named chauffeur assigned to a household or company on a recurring basis. At R5, the same chauffeur comes back where timing allows.
Retainer / standby
The driver stays with you or waits on call for a set period, for example across a multi-stop day or a late-finishing evening.
Meet & greet
The driver parks and meets you at the meeting point we confirm for your booking, name board in hand, and helps with your luggage to the car.
Licensing & compliance terms.
PHV (Private Hire Vehicle)
A vehicle licensed by a local council to carry passengers for hire. It must be pre-booked: unlike a black cab, you can't hail one on the street.
PHV licence / badge
The driver's personal private-hire licence, issued after DBS checks, medical, and a knowledge test. The badge is usually worn on a lanyard.
Operator's licence
The company-level licence to take bookings and dispatch PHV drivers. The operator holds it, not the driver, and the council issues and renews it.
Hire & reward insurance
Motor insurance cover that allows a vehicle to carry paying passengers. Standard car insurance doesn't cover it.
DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service)
The UK's criminal-record check. “Enhanced DBS” includes additional safeguarding checks relevant to driving children and vulnerable adults.
Plate
The numbered plate attached to the rear of every licensed PHV. It confirms that the vehicle is licensed to carry passengers for hire.
Other booking terms.
Flight tracking
The operator monitors your inbound flight and moves the collection if it lands early or late. R5 tracks the flight on airport pickups.
Waiting time / free wait
Minutes included from the moment a flight lands, or from the agreed pickup time. R5 includes 60 minutes from landing on airport pickups.
Fixed fare
A price agreed at booking and confirmed in writing, instead of a meter. R5 adds no surge or motorway surcharge.
Surge pricing
The ride-hail model where fares rise with demand.
NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)
A confidentiality agreement that covers who you are, where you're going and who's with you. R5 signs one on request, yours or ours.
Long-wheelbase (LWB)
An extended version of an executive saloon or SUV with extra rear leg-room. The Mercedes S-Class LWB and Range Rover LWB are the standard chauffeur specifications.
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Chauffeur glossary
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