An as directed chauffeur service is the simplest way to hire a driver for the day in London: you book a MILE5 Mercedes and its chauffeur for a block of time rather than a single journey, and direct where it goes as the day unfolds. A day of meetings across town, a roadshow, a wedding party, or a visitor from breakfast to the last dinner reservation. Hourly hire is quoted individually.
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What “as directed” actually means
Most chauffeur bookings are point to point: an address, a destination, a fixed price. As directed hire, which people also search for as hourly chauffeur hire, a chauffeur for the day or hiring a car with a driver in London, works the other way round. You book the car for a number of hours, and the route is yours to decide. You can add a stop, extend a lunch, send the chauffeur to collect a colleague, or sit in the car for twenty minutes taking a call outside a building. Nothing needs to be re-booked and nothing is a surprise on the invoice, because you are paying for the chauffeur’s time rather than for each leg.
In practice an as directed day with MILE5 looks like this. The chauffeur arrives at the agreed address a few minutes early, in the car you booked. You give a rough plan for the day, or none at all. Between stops the chauffeur waits nearby, so there is no waiting for a car to arrive each time you step outside. Bags, shopping, laptops and presentation boards stay in the car. At the end of the hire the chauffeur drops you wherever you finish, which does not need to be where you started.
When hourly hire beats booking several journeys
A day of meetings
Canary Wharf at nine, Mayfair at eleven, a lunch in St James’s and a 4pm in the City. One car, one chauffeur, no app refreshes between them, and somewhere to take a call in private.
Roadshows and site visits
Investor days and multi-site inspections rarely run to the printed schedule. An as directed chauffeur absorbs the overruns; a string of separate bookings does not.
A visiting executive or family
A guest who does not know London gets a driver for the day rather than a series of strangers. Hotel to office to restaurant to hotel, with the same face at every door.
Events and evenings
Awards dinners, theatre, a wedding party moving between venues. The chauffeur waits, so leaving early or late is your choice.
The rule of thumb is simple. If your day has three or more stops, or you do not yet know when each stop will end, hourly hire is usually the calmer and simpler way to do it. If you have one journey with a known start and finish, our fixed-price booking is the better tool.
How MILE5 quotes as directed hire
We do not publish a flat hourly rate, because an as directed quote depends on things that differ from one booking to the next: how many hours you need, whether the day stays inside London or heads out along the M4 or M40, which vehicle you want, and whether it is a weekday, a weekend or a bank holiday. Tell us the shape of the day through the contact form, or by phone or WhatsApp, and we will come back with a quote that covers the hire in full. If the day runs over, additional time is charged at the rate agreed in that quote, so there is nothing to negotiate at 11pm.
| Tell us | Why it matters to the quote |
|---|---|
| Start time, finish time and start address | Sets the hours and whether an early or late start applies |
| Rough list of stops, or the furthest point | A day inside Zone 1 and a day to Oxford and back are priced differently |
| Passengers and luggage | Decides between E-Class, S-Class and the seven-seat V-Class |
| Anything unusual | Child seats, a second car, a specific chauffeur, discretion requirements |
The vehicles
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Up to three passengers. The usual choice for a working day in London: quiet, unshowy, easy to step in and out of thirty times.
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
For a senior guest or a day where the car itself is part of the impression. More rear legroom, more silence.
Mercedes-Benz V-Class
Up to seven passengers with luggage, or a smaller group who want to face each other and talk between stops. The right car for a family or a team.
All MILE5 vehicles are Mercedes replaced on a three-year cycle and cleaned between every job, and every chauffeur is DBS-checked and TfL-licensed, working under MILE5’s operator licence 009161. Chauffeurs are used to confidential passengers; what is discussed in the car does not leave it.
As directed hire and airport days
As directed hire pairs naturally with an airport arrival. A common booking is a chauffeur meeting a visitor inside arrivals at Heathrow or London City, then staying with them for the afternoon’s meetings before the hotel drop. The airport leg brings the usual MILE5 arrival service: flight tracked, name board inside the hall, 60 minutes of free waiting from landing. If the visitor is flying out the same evening, the hire simply ends at the departures kerb. For a plain airport transfer with no stops, use the fixed-price booking page instead; it will be cheaper than hourly hire for a single journey.
Get a quote for an as directed day
Send us the date, the hours and a rough plan and we will quote the full hire. For companies that book regularly, the same service is available on a corporate account with dedicated invoicing.
As directed chauffeur hire: frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire a chauffeur by the hour in London?
MILE5 quotes as directed hire individually rather than publishing one hourly rate, because the price depends on the number of hours, the vehicle, the day of the week and how far outside London the hire goes. Send the details through the contact form and you will receive a quote for the whole hire, including what any extra time would cost.
Is there a minimum number of hours?
As directed hire is intended for bookings of several hours and multiple stops. Any minimum that applies to your date and vehicle is stated in the quote before you confirm, so you are never charged for hours you did not agree to.
Can I hire a driver for a full day in London?
Yes. Full-day hire is one of the most common as directed bookings: a chauffeur and car from morning to evening for meetings, sightseeing, shopping or a family occasion. Tell us the start time, the likely finish and the general plan and we will quote the day as a whole.
Does the chauffeur wait while I am in a meeting or a restaurant?
Yes. Waiting is the point of as directed hire. The chauffeur stays nearby between stops and is ready when you come out, and your bags and coats stay in the car.
Can the hire start at an airport?
Yes. The chauffeur meets your passenger inside arrivals with a name board, with the flight tracked and 60 minutes of free waiting from landing, and the hourly hire continues from there.
Can I change the plan during the day?
Yes. Adding a stop, changing the order or extending the hire is done by telling the chauffeur or calling the office. Extra time beyond the booked hours is charged at the rate set out in your quote.
Can I book as directed hire for someone else?
Yes. Assistants and travel bookers arrange most of our hourly hires. Give us the passenger’s name and mobile number and we deal with them on the day while confirmations come to you. Regular bookers can use a corporate account with dedicated invoicing.
MILE5 is a TfL-licensed chauffeur company operating from Heathrow since 2011. See the full range of chauffeur services in London, read about MILE5, or get in touch to plan a day.
