Retained service
Monthly private chauffeur services
The same chauffeur, the same car, every day — without hiring anyone, insuring anything or arranging holiday cover. A retainer buys continuity, which is the one thing ad-hoc booking cannot give you.
The case for a retainer
What changes when it is the same person every day
Ad-hoc booking is fine for a trip. It is a poor fit for a life. If you are in a car five days a week, the value is not in the vehicle — it is in the chauffeur who already knows the answer before you ask.
No briefing, ever again
Your chauffeur learns the school gate that is impossible at 8:15, the office entrance the barriers actually open, the cabin temperature you like and the route you refuse to take. None of that survives a different driver each morning.
A vehicle held for you
A dedicated car in the class you choose, not whatever is free that morning. Your child seats stay fitted, your preferences stay set, and the boot is empty when you need it.
None of the employer obligations
No payroll, no employment contract, no commercial insurance to arrange, no servicing schedule to manage, and no scramble when your driver is ill or on holiday. Cover is ours to solve, and the replacement is briefed before they arrive.
One predictable invoice
An agreed monthly figure against an agreed pattern of hours, rather than a folder of individual journey receipts that nobody can reconcile at quarter end.
Shapes of retainer
Three patterns most clients start from
These are starting points, not fixed packages. Every retainer is written to the pattern you actually need, and reviewed after the first month once we both know what that is.
Business hours
Roughly 160–200 hours a month across weekdays, covering a commute at each end and meetings in between. The most common shape for an executive or a family office.
Split shift
Mornings and evenings with the middle of the day released. Suits school runs plus an evening schedule, and costs meaningfully less than a continuous day.
Full availability
Extended cover including evenings and weekends, usually rotated across two chauffeurs so nobody is driving fatigued and there is always someone briefed and available.
How a retainer is priced
Three inputs only: the vehicle class, the committed hours per month, and the hours of day they fall in. Overtime beyond the commitment bills at an agreed hourly rate, and unused hours in a short month can be carried once. We quote it in writing after a short call — there is no standard price list, because there is no standard pattern.
Selection & cover
Who ends up driving you
Retainer chauffeurs are drawn from the experienced end of our roster: full commercial licensing for their jurisdiction, a background check, a defensive driving assessment and a track record on discretion-sensitive work. Where a client needs it, we will run an enhanced check and arrange an NDA before the first day.
You meet the proposed chauffeur before the retainer starts. If it is not the right fit, we change them — a retainer only works if the personal match is right, and pretending otherwise wastes everyone’s year.
Holiday, sickness and rest-day cover is planned rather than improvised. Your named substitute is briefed on your routes and preferences in advance, so a cover day feels ordinary.
Questions
Retainer questions
What is the minimum commitment?
One calendar month, then rolling with thirty days’ notice on either side. We do not ask for a year up front, because a retainer that is not working should be easy to end.
Can I use the car without the chauffeur?
No. The vehicle is insured for chauffeured operation, and self-drive would fall outside that cover. If you also need a self-drive car, we can arrange one through the travel desk.
What happens if I travel abroad for a month?
Tell us in advance and we will either suspend the retainer for that period or redeploy the chauffeur, depending on how long you are away. Suspended months are not billed at the full rate.
Can the retainer cover more than one person?
Yes. Family retainers commonly cover a couple plus school runs, and corporate retainers are often shared between two or three executives with a booking calendar we manage.
Do you provide a vehicle, or can you drive mine?
Both are possible. Most clients take our vehicle, which keeps maintenance and insurance with us. If you would prefer your own car driven, we can supply the chauffeur alone, subject to confirming your insurance permits a professional driver.
80 countries served by our own fleet and vetted affiliate operators
Reserve
Need a car before the retainer starts?
Book individual journeys here while we set the retainer up. Retainers themselves are quoted by a coordinator, not through the online booker.
Prefer to speak to someone? Call (877) 403-1177 or send us the details and a coordinator will quote it by email.