AUTHOR: Charles Dickens (181270) Oliver Twist, Chapter 51. First published serially 18371839

SUBJECT: The Law

QUOTATION: If the Law supposes that, said Mr. Bumble, the Law is an Ass an Idiot. If thats the Eye of the Law, the Law is a Bachelor; and the worst I wish the Law is that his Eye may be opened by Experience

“SUBSTANTIAL PROOF OF THE ABOVE”

QUESTION: If the Law is truly an Ass, does that mean Limousine Companies are Donkeys.

OUR OPINION: “UK Minibus Legislation is more than 10 Years Out of Date, the EC is still trying to fit a Round Peg into a Square Hole”.

1. Any vehicle with more than 8 seats is classified as a Minibus since 1986. Thousands of Limousines have up to 16 seats, they are clearly not Minibuses.

2. A Minibus must have a COIF certificate to be legally allowed to carry fare-paying passengers. The UK Authorities responsible for this will not issue any COIF certificate for 99.999% of Limousines in the UK.

3. The vast majority of Minibuses in the UK now have to have a Tachograph fitted. We have been advised that they still have not designed a Tacho that will fit onto all Limousines, and when they are fitted they do not even have to be switched on for Private Use.

4. Minibus Legislation allocates 40cm per Person for room to sit. That’s fine for sardines, but would you like to pay hundreds of pounds for a Limousine and then sit cross-legged and sweating away in a 40cm space.

5. Many Local Councils have informed their local Limousine Companies that they cannot collect passengers in adjacent areas, ie. in the next Borough which is sometimes only a very short distance from their registered address. That is classified as Cross Border Hiring which is illegal !

6. In addition the adjacent Local Councils have also informed all Limousine Companies that they cannot register in or out of their area at all and also that they will not licence any Left-Hand Drive Vehicles for Private Hire Purposes anyway. All SuperStretch American Ford & Lincoln Limousines only exist in Left Hand Drive.

7. After all these years the Government is now considering introducing a Special Licence and Compliance Test for Limousines. As of 1st January 2008 this still has not been done.

8. Contract Hire is now being abolished on 28th January 2008. No nationwide system has been created to replace Contract Hire, ie. to allow Bona-Fide Limousine Companies to operate legally in the UK.

9. Thanks to all of the above the only Insurance Company catering for Private Hire for the 16-Seater Limousines has now pulled out of the market. So Bona-Fide Limousine Companies are now having to switch their insurance on to a brand-new scheme, in order to operate legally.

10. Enforcement Officers, when they ruin your Night-Out and make you abandon your Limousine half way through your journey in the middle of nowhere for example at 3am in the morning on your way back from a night-out, claim it’s in the interest of Road Safety. All of these Limos have passed Stringent Annual Safety Tests and Monthly Roadworthy Checks in the USA and in the UK and continue to do so today.

Most Enforcement Officers, Council Staff, Hummer Limo Passengers, Limo Drivers, Limousine Companies etc are not aware of the whole of the above Info. But you the Reader are now fully aware, Knowledge is Power.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

So if you wish to book and ride legally in Super-Longbody Limousines and travel with 8 – 16 passengers on your Special Day Out, you have TWO OPTIONS.

OPTION 1: Is to book two separate 8-seater Limousines to carry your Guests and forget about the Big 16-Seater Super-Longbody Limousines. This however is no fun at all, as your Group is sadly being split into two, so that they cannot travel in a Party Atmosphere or talk to half of their Friends and also it will cost you more to hire TWO Limos instead of one.

OPTION 2: Is to carry up to 16 passengers in a Single Limousine. The way to do this legally is to book the Limousine from a Limo Rental Company and then separately find a Qualified Professional Driver for your Hummer Limousine Hire independently elsewhere.

THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE

We will find a Professional, Fully Experienced, Well Qualified Limousine Chauffeur to assist you on your Special Day (at no charge to you).

THIS IS A FREE SERVICE

Just email us and we will find a Fully Qualified Professional Limousine Driver for you. For more clarification or assistance – please do not hesitate to contact us.

FREE HUMMER LIMOUSINE DRIVER SELECTION

All of the Limousine Chauffeurs we source have over 10 – 20 years Chauffeur-Drive Experience and are well qualified to assist you on any Special Occasion (Wedding Hire, Hen-Nights, Children’s Birthday Parties, Airport Transfers, Corporate Events etc).

On receipt of your request, one of the Limo Chauffeurs will contact you to Guarantee his availability on your Chosen Day and to provide his contact Telephone Number. He will also contact your Limo Hire Company for you and confirm to them that he is your Designated Driver for that day.

PLEASE NOTE: These Drivers will be supplying their time to you the Hirer directly for pleasure/fun purposes, on a strictly UNPAID basis.

No Private Hire or Hire & Reward Scenario therefore is applicable and the Hirer will be requested by the Driver to sign an agreement form confirming this, when he arrives on the hire date before the journey can commence, ie. that the hire is for strictly Social Domestic and Pleasure use only and not in the course of any kind of Business Use.

The author does not represent or warrant the accuracy or reliability of the above information and will not be liable for any errors or omissions

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When travelling within EU member states and ASOR signatory states (Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and some Eastern European Countries) a control document in the form of a waybill or an own account certificate must be carried. This applies to all vehicles with more than eight passenger seats.

The Waybill is required by all profit-making organisations and comes in two forms: the EU Journey Form and the ASOR waybill. The EU Journey Form is for travelling in EU member states and can also be used in Norway and Switzerland. The ASOR waybill is for use when travelling outside the European Union and requires a set of translations to accompany it. Minibusclub.co.uk has a section with useful minibus advice on where to obtain waybills.

The Own Account Certificate (OAC) can be carried instead of a waybill if the minibus belongs to a non-profit making organisation and when travelling within EU member states. The OAC is free of charge and will remain valid for five years.

As well as a waybill or OAC, other documentation that needs to be carried on the vehicle at all times includes a minibus insurance certificate, European accident form, vehicle registration document and GB sticker. A Green Card is advisable when travelling abroad and the insurance company can help with this.

The driver of the minibus will require a Full Passport and a formal Permission to Drive letter from the vehicles owner, unless they are the registered keeper of the minibus. The UK drivers licence is valid for journeys within the EU and EEA. Travelling outside these member states requires an International Driving Permit (IDP).

A tachograph needs to be used for international journeys starting from the UK. The minibus driver must comply with EU drivers hours regulations for all international journeys.

This article is intended as a brief guide. It is recommended to check out all rules and regulations before driving to any international country. The International Road Freight Office, embassies and tourist information offices can provide all the necessary advice.

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