Chauffeurs and Drivers: What’s the difference?

written by Lim Zhi Min
05 · 8 · 2121

What is the Difference Between Chauffeur and Driver?

The Difference between Chauffeurs and Drivers

How do you know if a driver is a chauffeur? There are many differences between the two, which we will explore here.

What is the definition of a driver?

A driver provides transportation services for passengers, as well as transporting goods and luggage. The word “driver” can also be used to describe someone who steers or guides something such as an aeroplane, ship or motor vehicle.

What is the definition of a Chauffeur?

On the other hand, a chauffeur only transports passengers in cars – this job requires more skills than that of a driver. They are hired to attend to the needs of their passengers and operate the vehicle with expertise in driving it safely. And they are highly experienced and licensed professionals.

A chauffeur does not say “no” to anything, even if it is a difficult job.

The difference between drivers and chauffeurs is often blurred because people use these words interchangeably to refer to anyone who drives professionally for both business and pleasure. But in the end, their roles are very different and chauffeurs deserve to be paid for the extra skills they have developed during their years of experience.

In this blog, we will discuss what the difference between these two professions is, what skills a chauffeur has that a driver does not and why they deserve to be paid more for the work they do.

The Difference between a Chauffeur and a Driver

There are many qualities that chauffeurs possess that drivers do not. These are some of the things that the best chauffeurs do well:

  1. Pay attention to details
  2. Maintain the vehicle in impeccable condition inside out
  3. Impeccable Appearance
  4. On-Time Every Time
  5. Excellence customer Service
  6. The Can-Do Attitude
  7. Take Ownership and Pride in their work
  8. Familiarity with the city
  9. Knowing when to Talk
  10. Discretion and Confidentiality

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Attention to detail that never waivers

Attention to Details

A chauffeur pays attention to every detail of the trip. He anticipates your needs before you ask. The chauffeur will greet you, check the weather to suit accordingly and get into his car with a smile on his face because he’s happy that he gets to drive someone who appreciates being treated like royalty for once in their life.

The driver doesn’t care about detail or customer service.

The vehicle is in impeccable condition,‌ ‌inside‌ ‌and‌ ‌out

IMPECCABLE CONDITION
For a chauffeur, the most important thing is to take proper care of their vehicles both inside and out. A chauffeur is usually held to a higher standard than that of a driver. While they are both expected to know how to drive comfortably and accurately, chauffeurs are expected to be meticulous about the condition of the vehicle they’re driving in addition – which means not only can they not drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, but also park safely and follow speed limits. They are expected to clean the outside of their vehicle and make sure that it is free of dirt. Additionally, they must make sure the interior does not contain any debris.

The driver is only concerned about who his next customer will be. Their responsibilities don’t go beyond that.

Impeccable appearance

Impeccable appearance - Dress Code
The definition of ‘impeccable’ is being flawless and without fault. If you strive to be impeccable in appearance, you’ll look great every day! An impeccable appearance is important for a professional chauffeur.

One of the responsibilities of the chauffeur is dressing in uniform and following the dress code of the company. In order to look impeccable, the uniform should be clean, wrinkle-free, and pressed.

Drivers, on the other hand, usually arrive at work in whatever attire they feel comfortable in.

Timekeeping

Keep Track of Time
Timekeeping is of utmost importance.

Ensuring‌ ‌plenty‌ ‌of‌ ‌time‌ ‌to‌ ‌reach the location well in advance of the pickup time, so the chauffeur can assess traffic conditions and plan the best route while having alternative routes available in case anything needs to be changed.

This is one of the keys to distinguishing a chauffeur from a driver.

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Customer service that is passionate and committed

Good Customer Service | service with a smile
A chauffeur will possess a high level of customer service expertise. They are able to understand individual needs and anticipate the next request before they have been asked for it. This is because they are passionate about the service that they provide and committed to delivering it with professionalism.

A driver is not prepared or willing to provide such a service.

The Can-Do Attitude

What is “The Can-Do Attitude’?

The can-do attitude is a positive, proactive and confident mindset. It’s an outlook that you have when there are challenges in front of you, but also opportunities to help someone else succeed at the same time.”

A chauffeur who has a Can-Do Attitude is one who has a zest for life.

One with the drives to go above and beyond their daily work duties, such as meeting new people or taking on responsibilities not assigned by bosses is someone you want in your corner at all times.

Does the driver have “The Can-Do Attitude”?

Ownership and pride in‌ ‌their‌ ‌work

Great chauffeurs take pride in their work as well as that of their entourage. While taking ownership of their work, they never forget to give credit to others.  They have a great work ethic and understand that their profession is not just about driving. It’s an art form, where they are creating memories for others to cherish in the future.

A chauffeur never forgets who they’re working with on any given day because it is critically important to remember that each person has different needs at various points of time.

The Driver just want to finish his day as soon as he could.

Creating memories? Most probably thinking about how much paycheck he is going to get this week.

Familiarity with‌ ‌the‌ ‌city

Knowing a city’s traffic patterns will make it easier to handle peak traffic hours and traffic incidents. A chauffeur will have a better understanding of the city.

There are times business travelling clients may need to locate dry cleaning services or a nice ambience restaurant to entertain their guests.  Knowing‌ ‌these‌ ‌aspects‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌city‌ ‌will give the clients a great impression and encourage customer loyalty.

A typical driver is more focused on driving and getting you from point A to Point B.

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Knowing when to Talk

Art of Talking
It is an art to know when to talk.

A chauffeur knows just when to talk. This will help determine how they broach a topic or offer assistance in making sure that you are as comfortable as possible during your experience with them.

Being a good chauffeur observe the customer’s environment and gauge their mood before speaking. And takes the ability to know when and what type of conversation is appropriate. You need to be able to gauge whether or not your passengers want company, so you always make sure they are comfortable with being around you before speaking too much. If it’s near time for them to get off at their destination and they’re in an excited mood because they’ll see friends, family members, etc., then joking might work out well since many people become more talkative during these times anyway! But if someone just wants some peace while travelling from point A to B without any extra chit-chatting involved? Then waiting until that person asks questions about something personal would likely do the trick better than trying anything on your own accord beforehand.

The ability to know when and what is appropriate to joke, talk, or stay quiet comes from experience. The best chauffeurs are the ones who have a lot of it.

Drivers, on the other hand, can be either very chatty or very quiet.

Discretion and confidentiality

Discretion and confidentiality

A chauffeur will often drive business leaders and celebrities. Discretion and confidentiality- these are the two things that make a good chauffer great for any client’s needs.

The chauffeur understands the importance of discretion. Especially if the information is confidential, they will be cautious and careful in their speech and actions.

They are the trusted confidants of the rich and famous who will never share what they know, especially if it involves their clients’ privacy or whereabouts.

Keeping secrets is not something anyone can do it easily.

Conclusion

All drivers are not chauffeurs.

All chauffeurs are great drivers. To be a great chauffeur, it’s more than just driving. They will have to possess the above characteristics listed above.

Chauffeurs know the ins and outs of navigating a car in traffic, how to get around construction zones, parking lot shortcuts. They understand that being on time is more important than anything else when it comes to making your client happy. And they have learned the importance of keeping their clients comfortable by anticipating needs before they arise – like knowing what music to play is best for clearing up road rage or when to turn down the volume when clients are having a meeting. All these skills make chauffeurs worth every penny they’re paid and deserve recognition as professionals who provide invaluable service to their customers. Thus, it’s important to hire a reliable limousine company that offer professional chauffeur services.

We hope you have found this blog post to be informative and that it has helped you understand the difference between drivers and chauffeurs.

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