The Mace-Bearer Magazine - Guild of Mace-Bearers

THE ART OF THE CHAUFFEUR
In the current difficult economic times it is hardly surprising that many civic offices are looking closely at their
transport arrangements and the ongoing debate about in-house cars and chauffeurs verses external private hire cars
or the civic driving themselves seems set to rage for years to come so let’s have a look at the issues.
First, let me declare my interests. I was a private hire driver for a
chauffeur car company before becoming a Mayoral Officer/ chauffeur
for 12 years, and three years ago I left the authority to go freelance
again. Now some of my biggest customers are civic offices where the
civic heads are often expected to drive themselves but can hire a
chauffeur driven car if required.
In driving for a wide range of Mayors, Chairmen, Lord Mayors, High
Sheriffs and Lord Lieutenants in both authority owned vehicles and my
own limousine it becomes apparent that the requirement to use a
chauffeur seems dependent on what the authority expect from their
civic head. If the role is chiefly that of chairing the council meetings and
an incidental side effect is that the chairman might occasionally be asked
to attend a local function then it does not seem unreasonable for the
civic to drive themselves to many events, however if the civic head is a high profile representative of the council and
its people who has a prominent role attending hundreds of functions both in the area and on a wider platform then
there are likely to be more occasions when the use of a chauffeur is a necessary requirement.
Make no mistake, whatever the size of the authority the civic head when out in public is “playing a part” and
whether it’s a one-man show at a small village school or as the starring role in a massive production in which there
might be a part for a chauffeur, it is all about giving the public the performance they want and expect. Most event
organisers will have invited their civic head with the thought that it will raise the profile of their event, and lend it
some formality and prestige. Matching their expectations is vital and having a self-drive civic turn up late because
they have struggled to park then seeing them root around in the boot of the car for their chain, sling it over their
shoulders and enter the venue unannounced will do nothing to increase the public demand for the service and the
number of invitations a year they receive.
The alternative, of having the civic driven up to the door on time, well
briefed and introduced and accompanied by a well turned out chauffeur
can have a dramatic effect on the dignity and gravitas of the whole event
and the way the authority is viewed by the community.
So if you are fortunate enough to work as civic chauffeur, whether
employed by an authority or freelance, what can you do to ensure your
civic doesn’t become a victim of the economic cuts and become self-driven?
The answer is to make yourself as indispensable as possible!
1. Make sure you know exactly where you are going. Not just the address of the venue but which door do you
need to arrive at? If you are not sure then go and find out in advance, and if the venue is too far away to
justify a recce make use of the internet. Does the venue/organisation have a web-site? Can you see the
venue on Google Earth/Maps/Streetview?
2. Remember that if you do nothing more than deliver the civic to the door then take them home again they
might just as well drive themselves or book a taxi.
3. Make sure you know who is meeting the civic so you can introduce them on arrival. If you arrive at the venue
and there is no-one waiting to meet your civic, leave them in the car while you go and locate the host, bring
them out to the door and make your introductions there.
4. If you can’t remember the hosts name or you have to introduce the civic to someone you don’t know then
just reverse the introduction. Instead of saying “Mr Mayor, may I introduce Mrs Xxxxx” try starting with
“May I introduce the Worshipful the Mayor of Xxxxxx and wait for the host to (hopefully) to say “Hello Mr
Mayor, I am Mrs Xxxxxx”
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