Think of chauffeur-driven vehicles these days and the chances are you will immediately think of garishly daubed Hummers and bright pink stretch limo's filled with screaming hen party attendants falling over the back seat while trying to recreate Tom Hanks in Big. I certainly do.
But are we missing a trick here? Given the largely indifferent change in the amount of traffic around London due to the congestion charge, and the consistently high train prices for a decent seat, could chauffer driven services be the answer for today's legal professional? I decided to find out.
Choosing a company from the higher end of the spectrum, I gave my journey details (Manchester to Birmingham), dates and what I required. Everything was answered with a swift 'of course, sir'. Good start!
The day of my journey: the car arrived in good time and I was more than pleased to see that the Hummer, if indeed this particular company owned one, had been left at home. Getting in, I found it spacious and lightly air conditioned: 'comfortable', for want of a better term. Plus, as the weather yet again turned the blue grey hue we have long since become accustomed to in Manchester during summer time, the knowledge that I would not have to make the added 10-minute walk to the station was welcome.
Now my own personal gripe with trains is that, no matter how much money you spend, you simply cannot guarantee who you are going to be placed next to. A train compartment can hold more than a few people and possibly, God forbid, children.
The space in the limousine meant I was able to work as though in the office, while the electric charge points meant that, unlike a taxi for example, I was able to use my laptop without fear of the battery dying on me. What really impressed, however, was the in-car phone, giving a clear signal regardless of your geographical position. No more "Sorry, Geoff, I'm about to enter a tunnel": something that has happened to me on countless occasions in the past. Taxis in general simply don't offer that kind of service, so the advantage of single travel is offset by the cramped and sometimes uncomfortable conditions.
Just under two hours later and I had arrived at my destination: on time and without the usual passenger-added stress. So was it worth it? In a word – absolutely! Would I do it again? Yes, definitely. As I said, the sheer comfort is one thing, but when you add to that the office essentials, you have a journey no other form of transport can match.
Now not every chauffeur company is going to offer the services I received, so make sure you specify your conditions when booking (turning up at Goldmann & Sachs in the blinged-out pimp mobile is not going to earn you any new friends). But as an alternative to the less salubrious forms of transport more commonly used, it definitely passed the test.