At 10:30 yesterday, reader Mr. Jia called 83830000: "I want to go home for the Spring Festival and need a chauffeur, but unexpectedly the chauffeur companies are so popular now that I couldn't find one after searching for a long time."
The Spring Festival is coming soon, and the booming driving schools and car markets have led to a batch of "novice drivers" who have chosen to hire chauffeurs. Among the five chauffeur companies interviewed by the reporter, more than half of their drivers accepted long-distance chauffeur services. The chauffeur market quietly heated up before the Spring Festival. Lawyers reminded consumers to sign corresponding service agreements with chauffeur companies.
Driving home with the help of a chauffeur
Mr. Zheng is from Zibo, Shandong Province. Five years ago, he came to Shijiazhuang to do business and bought a house and a car. However, he was not confident in his driving skills after just obtaining his driver's license: "I want to drive back to my hometown, but as a novice, I haven't driven long distances before. With the Spring Festival approaching, there are so many cars on the highway, and I feel somewhat uneasy." Therefore, Mr. Zheng asked a chauffeur company to help send his family of three back to Zibo. "Hiring a chauffeur is also for safety considerations."
Long-distance chauffeur services quietly heat up during the Spring Festival
"There are 40 drivers in the company, and more than 20 of them have gone on long-distance trips," said Mr. Fu, the manager of Shijiazhuang Shunde Chauffeur Company yesterday. It is understood that with the approach of the Spring Festival, this year's business of chauffeur companies has shown a warming trend compared to previous years, especially the long-distance chauffeur services, which are abnormally popular, and the supply of chauffeur drivers is often insufficient.
"The distance for long-distance chauffeur services varies, mostly around Hebei Province, but there are also quite a few customers going to the south, and some even go as far as Sichuan," said Mr. Fu. Due to the insufficient supply in the long-distance chauffeur market, prices have slightly increased compared to previous years. The charging standard is 1 yuan/km within 500 km, and 0.5 yuan/km between 500-2000 km.
Manager Fu stated that before conducting long-distance chauffeur services, chauffeur companies will first sign an agreement with the customer. "Regarding the return trip for the driver, we will ask the customer to book a return train ticket for the driver in advance to ensure that the driver can return to the company promptly after completing the task."
In addition, Manager Biao from Shijiazhuang Chengyi Chauffeur Company also stated that the business of long-distance chauffeur services has indeed been quite busy recently. "Our company is small, with only four or five drivers, but they have all gone on long-distance trips."
The reporter randomly consulted three other chauffeur companies in Shijiazhuang, and all of them said that the business of long-distance chauffeur services has been quite busy recently, exceeding half of their total business volume. Online chauffeur services have also become increasingly popular.
Most people hiring chauffeurs are novices
Manager Fu introduced that the reasons why customers need long-distance chauffeur services mainly include two points: "Many customers have just purchased new cars and are not yet familiar with driving them, and others lack confidence in their own driving skills."
Manager Fu analyzed that having a driver's license has become one of the employment standards for many companies, and the business of driving schools is getting increasingly popular. However, due to the lack of experience, many people, despite having a driver's license, do not have solid driving skills. Meanwhile, with the improvement of people's living standards and the booming car market, more and more people are buying cars, providing a source of customers for chauffeur companies.
Officer Wang Nanhai from the Liuying Police Station in Shijiazhuang indicated that with the increasing number of private cars, inexperienced novice drivers are everywhere, and running long distances during the Spring Festival poses certain risks. Hiring a chauffeur is a safe choice.
Practical Tips: Lawyer reminds to sign an agreement
Lawyer Han Shibing from Hebei Guangxian Law Firm reminded consumers that as a new industry, the industry standards of chauffeur services are still incomplete in many aspects. In the event of a traffic accident, both the car owner and the chauffeur driver will bear joint civil compensation liability. If a serious traffic accident violates criminal law, the chauffeur driver must also bear criminal responsibility. Therefore, the driver's skills are very important. During the Spring Festival, it is best to choose a formal chauffeur company and avoid blindly looking for private chauffeurs online. Consumers must sign corresponding service agreements (entrustment contracts) with chauffeur companies before enjoying the service to clarify the rights and obligations of both parties and avoid disputes. ■ Text/Intern Gaofei of our newspaper