Why would any limousine company claim to be based in London when they are not?

 

This is a good question, but it is not so easy to answer and can only lead to some educated guesswork. For example, why would a company based miles outside of London, choose a domain that suggests their business is based in London, maybe even using a generic name that once again suggests that the business is local? Is it their intention to travel into London to complete the hire? Surely if this is the case, then they would be more expensive than a company actually based in the London area? That notwithstanding, the London limo hire business is very competitive, so how could anyone travel into London and offer a lower price than a local business, if they are offering a comparable service and limousine?

 

Perhaps it is their intention to sub-contract the hire to a London company? If this is the case, then surely they should be upfront about it, there is no need to pretend to be based in London is there? However, if a company from outside London intends to sub-contract the hire, then they must be getting a commission or a fee for their trouble, if this is the case, then you must be paying for it? Maybe the most important question is, if a company needs to pretend to have a London operating base in order that they can persuade you to place your business through them, is there anything they wouldn’t do to secure your business? Also, how can you be sure about the type of limousine or company that your business is being passed to?

 

Of course, London based Limousine Operators will have to be Licensed through the Public Carriage Office, which was set up to afford some protection to the travelling public in London and to regulate the industry. If a company has no legitimate base in London, then they can’t be registered with the PCO, which means that it is not a level playing field and the London based commuter will not have the benefit of the oversight provided by the PCO. There may be a few limousine companies that operate under a Bus Operators Licence in London, but these operators also have a regulatory framework that they must operate under and their Licence can also be checked online. So, if the company is sub-contracting your limousine hire to a third party, how can you be sure that they are passing your hire to a PCO registered Limousine Operator or a Bus Operator registered with Transport for London?

 

The bottom line is there are just too many unanswered questions, so what should you do? The best advice has to be to look for a local company, check their operating address and their address for clues as to their whereabouts. Better still, only use a company registered by the Public Carriage Office, that way you will know that they are based in London and are subject to regulatory oversight. You can check the validity of a PCO Registered Limousine Operator by going to the Transport for London website and entering their trading name or Licence number.