In March 2018 ACRE Cars reached a major milestone with the opening of a second office in Hertford, Hertfordshire.

This article is just a short one to allow me to share some photos of the new Hertford premises and also to express my gratitude to everyone who has helped to grow the business to this stage. That is the drivers of course but also my family and office team manning the phones and keeping the drivers on track throughout the day.

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Tristan Priddis, owner of a Hoddesdon and Hertford, in Hertfordshire, pre-booked car and taxi company called ACRE Cars. The range of topics for my blog, and making them relevant is challenging, however, I keep one thing in mind and that is to be useful to the local people of Hertfordshire and to be of interest to a wider audience.

It has been a while since I last updated the ACRE Blog. What can I say, it is hard sometimes to find the time as a business owner running two busy taxi / mini-cab / pre-booked car hire offices and a fleet of drivers.

So the new Hertford Office! Where is it? Well:
Address: 78 Ware Road, Hertford, SG13 7HN
E-mail: enquiries@acrecars.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1992 509 950

The Hertford taxi office is manned every day during the day and we are starting to extend the hours into the evening. Tea and coffee is available from our new machine with a comfy waiting area and friendly staff. We also share the office with a recent new venture ACRE Heating & Plumbing, where Joe Sheldrick offers a place to meet customers, carry out the administration and provide a front face to the business in Hertford.

The new Hertford cab office is right on the corner of Caxton Hill, by Hertford Tesco’s (where incidentally we have a free phone hotline to ACRE by the entrance of the store) and next to Formula 1 Autocentre. The building used to be occupied for many years by Walton Lodge Veterinary Group and for some years was an iconic Ware Road in Hertford landmark that everyone new. We hope ACRE Cars new office frontage will be as equally recognisable going forward when referring to location or direction in Hertford.

Until next time,

Tristan
Owner ACRE Cars

Interested in becoming a hackney carriage or private hire driver? You may wish to read this article; Working as a Private Hire driver for ACRE Cars Taxi’s.

ACRE Cars is looking to recruit new drivers, If you have any questions or want to discuss the possibilities please contact me.

You can follow ACRE Cars on Twitter and Facebook.

ACRE Cars is a competitive car service. Our rates to airports and collection from airports and other transport hubs are extremely competitive to any other taxi or minicab company running similar services and ACRE also includes free of charge hire of a child safety seat, for long journeys, for each child passenger under four years and under the height of 135 cm.
We pick up customers locally from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Wormley, Cheshunt and London as well as Nazeing, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hailey and Harlow and all other neighbouring towns and villages. Popular airport taxi transfers include Stansted Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Southend Airport, Luton Airport and London City Airport. Sea Port transfers and major train stations including Victoria, Kings Cross St Pancras, Stratford Ebbsfleet and Ashford.
The views in this blog article are my own and based on my own research using the internet and not that of ACRE Cars or ACRE group.

It has been a few months since I last wrote a blog article, but with May the 25th being a milestone in the history of personal data protection with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into full effect it seemed appropriate that I firstly, just put all my customers minds to rest concerning the way ACRE Cars protects their data and assure them that data privacy is a particular subject we take very seriously and have and continue to ensure our processes and systems treat data privacy as a priority. And secondly, to just explain why data privacy is important and how this impacts other private hire operators, taxi companies and the taxi industry as a whole.

Each month I try to write a blog article. So allow me to introduce myself. I am Tristan Priddis, owner of a Hoddesdon pre-booked car and taxi company called ACRE Cars. The range of topics for my blog, and making them relevant is challenging, however, I keep one thing in mind and that is to be useful to the local people of Hertfordshire and to be of interest to a wider audience.

Further information can be found on the ACRE Cars GDPR policy here.

So what is GDPR?

Well, this is a very long answer on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website but is an extremely important point of reference. However, I found that Wikipedia had a much better answer to explain this. Please forgive the cut and pasting. I have reduced the wording as much as I could:

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union and the European Economic Area.

It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU and EEA. The GDPR aims primarily to give control to citizens and residents over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU.
Superseding the Data Protection Directive, the regulation contains provisions and requirements pertaining to the processing of personally identifiable information of data subjects inside the European Union.

Business processes that handle personal data must be built with privacy by design and by default, meaning that personal data must be stored using pseudonymisation or full anonymisation, and use the highest-possible privacy settings by default, so that the data is not available publicly without explicit consent, and cannot be used to identify a subject without additional information stored separately. No personal data may be processed unless it is done under a lawful basis specified by the regulation, or if the data controller or processor has received explicit, opt-in consent from the data’s owner. The business must allow this permission to be withdrawn at any time.

A processor of personal data must clearly disclose what data is being collected and how, why it is being processed, how long it is being retained, and if it is being shared with any third-parties. Users have the right to request a portable copy of the data collected by a processor in a common format, and the right to have their data erased under certain circumstances. Public authorities, and businesses whose core activities centre around regular or systematic processing of personal data, are required to employ a data protection officer (DPO), who is responsible for managing compliance with the GDPR. Businesses must report any data breaches within 72 hours if they have an adverse effect on user privacy.

It was adopted on 14 April 2016, and after a two-year transition period, becomes enforceable on 25 May 2018. Because the GDPR is a regulation, not a directive, it does not require national governments to pass any enabling legislation and is directly binding and applicable.

Ok, so that is rather a lot to take in, but in short that is why you have been receiving hundreds of emails about confirming that you wish to opt-in to receiving further marketing and other communications from all those companies we have supplied our email addresses to in the past.

If a taxi company takes a booking it is without a doubt processing personal data, it is also collecting it and therefore storing it and it should be done so in compliance with the law and also ensure it is secure and not used for any other purpose.

ACRE does not engage in email marketing campaigns so you have at least been spared by us.

So why should the taxi industry be taking this so seriously?

Well, beyond the obvious that it is legally binding, it is also about giving our customers confidence that we take our customer’s personal information seriously and that it has been provided with trust and that it will not be abused or used in ways than it was originally intended to be used for.

We as the providers of a service need to ensure we are doing our utmost to be leaders in this area, to be seen as professional, and morally responsible.

There will be those companies that think it does not apply to them or is just a waste of time or are pro-brexit and is exactly why they voted out i.e. EU law being put on us. And they may be right. However, data privacy has always been a concern of the world and EU law or not it is something we should take seriously.

Finally, if your next taxi company competitor is not taking GDPR seriously, you can bet your customers are and therefore it is a point of competitive advantage to show that you take it seriously, that you have procedures in place to process customer information.

So why not just get on board and make sure you are compliant. It is good for business.

So rest assured ACRE Cars has taken GDPR seriously and has a written policy in place and GDPR statements explaining this on the website. Please read more here.

Until next time,

Tristan
Owner ACRE Cars

Interested in becoming a hackney carriage or private hire driver? You may wish to read this article; Working as a Private Hire driver for ACRE Cars Taxi’s.

ACRE Cars is looking to recruit new drivers, If you have any questions or want to discuss the possibilities please contact me.

You can follow ACRE Cars on Twitter and Facebook.

ACRE Cars is a competitive car service. Our rates to airports and collection from airports and other transport hubs are extremely competitive to any other taxi or minicab company running similar services and ACRE also includes free of charge hire of a child safety seat, for long journeys, for each child passenger under four years and under the height of 135 cm.
We pick up customers locally from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Wormley, Cheshunt and London as well as Nazeing, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hailey and Harlow and all other neighbouring towns and villages. Popular airport taxi transfers include Stansted Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Southend Airport, Luton Airport and London City Airport. Sea Port transfers and major train stations including Victoria, Kings Cross St Pancras, Stratford Ebbsfleet and Ashford.
The views in this blog article are my own and based on my own research using the internet and not that of ACRE Cars or ACRE group.

Another year has passed and lightning quick. It has been a great year for ACRE cars with further growth in bookings, new drivers, developing adjacent business areas and a couple of cracking holidays. Notably, our pre-booked taxi airport transfer service is as popular as ever which means our customers are having some cracking holidays too! And quite right too!

Each month I try to write a blog article. So allow me to introduce myself. I am Tristan Priddis, owner of a Hoddesdon pre-booked car and taxi company called ACRE Cars. The range of topics for my blog, and making them relevant is challenging, however, I keep one thing in mind and that is to be useful to the local people of Hertfordshire and to be of interest to a wider audience.

Last year I had a bit of a ramble, so this year a bit of the same. I like to know what The Borough of Broxbourne’s coming year theme will be and this year I could not be happier with Broxbourne Council announcing that 2018 will be a special Year of Community with the aim of bringing all people together as one. The year of the community follows on from the Year of the Environment.

This is also very much in keeping with the Give Your Town The Run Around fun runs brought to Hoddesdon I think in 2014 by the Your Town initiative. Your Town is local entrepreneurial initiative that has the aim of creating consistent community through fitness. Did you know there is a Your Town Street Office in Hoddesdon in Fawkon Walk? Did you take part in any of the Hoddesdon events? If not please look out for them in 2018.

2018 has also been designated the ‘Hertfordshire Year of Physical Activity’ and will see a number of organisations from both in and out of the sporting arena working together in support of making Hertfordshire the most active county. This is driven by the Hertfordshire County Council and Herts Sports Partnership, the campaign builds on previous ‘Years of’ which have already taken place for cycling, walking, mental health and volunteering.

Broxbourne Council has announced exciting new plans for the Borough which I am also very interested in.

Their statement on the council’s website states that by 2030 the Borough of Broxbourne will have a thriving and prosperous economy that is underpinned by innovation and enterprise with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. Sounds good to me! I will be doing my bit for the local economy.

Key elements of the local plan include:

• Walking and cycling strategy
• Bus strategy
• Possible new railway stations at Turnford and Park Plaza
• Major highways interventions
• Grade separation at Church Lane
• Widening approaches to College Road or bus gate
• Hamburger junction at Park Plaza
• Turnford interchange – Brookfield link road
• M25 Junction 25 – segregated northbound slip, widen southbound slip

I will pass on the national and international politics of the year. Let’s just say if they were not so serious they would be very amusing. Bring back the Spitting Image show!

Finally, if you are out and about this Christmas and New Year please do not drink and drive. Call a taxi instead!

Happy Christmas and Happy New Year!

Until next time,
Tristan
Owner ACRE Cars

Interested in becoming a hackney carriage or private hire driver? You may wish to read this article; Working as a Private Hire driver for ACRE Cars Taxi’s.

ACRE Cars is looking to recruit new drivers, If you have any questions or want to discuss the possibilities please contact me.

You can follow ACRE Cars on Twitter and Facebook.

ACRE Cars is a competitive car service. Our rates to airports and collection from airports and other transport hubs are extremely competitive to any other taxi or minicab company running similar services and ACRE also includes free of charge hire of a child safety seat, for long journeys, for each child passenger under four years and under the height of 135 cm.
We pick up customers locally from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Wormley, Cheshunt and London as well as Nazeing, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hailey and Harlow and all other neighbouring towns and villages. Popular airport taxi transfers include Stansted Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Southend Airport, Luton Airport and London City Airport. Sea Port transfers and major train stations including Victoria, Kings Cross St Pancras, Stratford Ebbsfleet and Ashford.
The views in this blog article are my own and based on my own research using the internet and not that of ACRE Cars or ACRE group.

It has been a couple of months since the last blog but I hope to get back into the rhythm of things again in the run-up to Christmas.

Each month I try to write a blog article. So allow me to introduce myself. I am Tristan Priddis, owner of a Hoddesdon pre-booked car and taxi company called ACRE Cars. The range of topics for my blog, and making them relevant is challenging, however, I keep one thing in mind and that is to be useful to the local people of Hertfordshire and to be of interest to a wider audience.

Earlier in the year, I put together a blog article entitled “Staying safe when using taxis and minicabs” which you should always bear in mind when booking any pre-booked car, minicab or taxi. The majority of minicab, taxi and pre-booked car drivers are reputable and decent people and all of ACRE Cars Taxi’s drivers are too. Uber drivers, due to their sheer volume and the controversial business model of Uber, have been highlighted as including some more undesirable drivers with stories of unroadworthy vehicles, abuse, not knowing routes and even assaults. You only have to google Uber driver arrested to get further insight. However, these are global news stories albeit the UK has had its fair share of horror stories when it comes to taxi drivers and companies and not just Uber drivers.

So why is your local taxi company as good as Uber in fact probably better?

Well, firstly in areas such as Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Hertford, Ware and Stanstead Abbotts, the professional taxi and minicab drivers all work regular or full-time hours or shifts which means their livelihood and their families livelihoods depend on repeat bookings. You only get repeat bookings if you deliver a good service. Being local drivers and driving regularly plus also having to sit a version of the knowledge to become licensed means drivers are nearly always immediately available, timely and know the areas and routes such as to and from airports extremely well.

There are probably fewer Uber drivers in these areas as they need to be registered and licenced by the local authorities such as The Borough of Broxbourne which among a number of requirements require drivers to have passed the written Borough of Broxbourne knowledge assessment. More can be read in my article “Working as a Private Hire driver for ACRE Cars Taxis”

More and more established prebooked car service companies such ACRE Cars are providing smartphone booking apps for customers. More information on ACRE Cars taxi booking app can be found here – “Hoddesdon and Broxbourne Based Taxi Company Promotes Its Smartphone Booking App”.

This method of booking a car in advance to pick you up, when and where you want is proving increasingly popular with user rates of the ACRE Cars booking app increasing each week. No doubt spurred on by Uber’s business model based on a smartphone app but many different users are learning to trust and prefer using these convenience and personal online cab hailing tools.

It is worth noting that the Acre Cars App is going through an overhaul and will soon be released with new payment features in addition to account and cash bookings. Follow us on Facebook to find out more.

Another reason why your local pre-booked car service is better than Uber is that fortunately, they are not in the news week after week for something you would not really want to be associated with. Just recently stories when checking Google and a few well known national tabloids and broadsheets include:

• Uber to take appeal over ruling on drivers’ status to UK supreme court
• Uber hacking: customers not at risk of financial crime, says minister
• Uber faces slew of investigations in wake of ‘outrageous’ data hack cover-up
• Uber launches appeal against loss of London licence
• Uber’s ‘disruption’ is far from benign – but it’s not too big to ban
• Police slam Uber over sex attack drivers
• Uber stalls on pledge to cut drivers’ long hours
• Russian criminals suspected of hacking Uber users’ accounts

However, some more interesting articles which highlight the truly disruptive force of Uber include:

• Uber wants to cure travel sickness with light, air blasts and moving seats
• Uber plans to buy 24,000 autonomous Volvo SUVs in race for driverless future

So when you need to be picked up in London, an airport transfer or even local taxi rides, try your local taxi company first. They are better and you won’t be disappointed!

Until next time,

Tristan
Owner ACRE Cars

Interested in becoming a hackney carriage or private hire driver? You may wish to read this article; Working as a Private Hire driver for ACRE Cars Taxi’s.

ACRE Cars is looking to recruit new drivers, If you have any questions or want to discuss the possibilities please contact me.

You can follow ACRE Cars on Twitter and Facebook.

ACRE Cars is a competitive car service. Our rates to airports and collection from airports and other transport hubs are extremely competitive to any other taxi or minicab company running similar services and ACRE also includes free of charge hire of a child safety seat, for long journeys, for each child passenger under four years and under the height of 135 cm.
We pick up customers locally from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Wormley, Cheshunt and London as well as Nazeing, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hailey and Harlow and all other neighbouring towns and villages. Popular airport taxi transfers include Stansted Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Southend Airport, Luton Airport and London City Airport. Sea Port transfers and major train stations including Victoria, Kings Cross St Pancras, Stratford Ebbsfleet and Ashford.
The views in this blog article are my own and based on my own research using the internet and not that of ACRE Cars or ACRE group.

It is my monthly blog time and this month I thought I would produce some useful information on one of the UK’s major airports – Heathrow or LHR.

Heathrow Airport is located 14 miles West of Central London in the London Borough of Hillingdon, the westernmost borough in Greater London. Hillingdon is also where British Airways is headquartered.

Accessible from the M25 motorway it is convenient and accessible by car and taxi especially from the M3, M4 and the North of London. Heathrow airport is the third busiest airport in the world by international traffic according to Wikipedia.

Heathrow dates back to 1929 which was then a small airfield next to the Hamlet of Heathrow, hence the name Heathrow. Having started to be developed during World War 2 but not completed before the end, in 1946 it was opened as London Airport in 1946 and in 1966 renamed to Heathrow Airport.

Heathrow Airport has some 80 airlines flying to 185 destinations in approximately 84 countries and is, of course, the primary hub for British Airways. Terminal 1 is not used now as a passenger terminal and the T5 opened in 2008 and is the main British Airways terminal. Travelling between Heathrow’s terminals is straightforward. Terminals 2 and 3 are a short walk from each other and terminals 4 and 5 are served by free trains and buses.

There are some 82 shops at Heathrow all major brands from clothing to cosmetics and 37 restaurants.

For the kids during July to September 2017, there are in-terminal special events including various kids’ craft sessions and visits by Mr Adventure, the fun lasts all summer in departures at Heathrow. Believe it or not in Terminal 2 during certain dates in July 2017 there is live music in terminal 2!

Feel free to post any fun and exciting photos of your travels through Heathrow Airport on the ACRE Cars Taxi’s Facebook page.

Getting to Heathrow and distances

In non-rush hour periods, it takes about 50 mins to get to Heathrow Airport from Hoddesdon or Broxbourne in Hertfordshire by car or taxi. The price of a stay of a week in the Long Stay car park can vary depending on how far in advance you book so you will need to check this on the official Heathrow parking website. However, consider taking a taxi or pre-booked car from an Airport Transfer Specialist such as ACRE Cars from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Hertford, Ware and surrounding areas including Cheshunt and other areas in the Borough of Broxbourne. ACRE Cars benefits can be found at the end of this blog.

You can, of course, get London Underground tubes and overground trains to London Heathrow Airport. Heathrow has three London Underground stations. The Piccadilly Line for Terminals 2 and 3 and also Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 both of which have their own station.

Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 station is between the terminals, which is a few minutes’ walk away via pedestrian subway. Heathrow Terminal 4 and Heathrow Terminal 5 underground stations are in the basements of the terminal buildings. All stations are in Travelcard Zone 6.

By overground train, there are two services. Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect from London Paddington.

Numerous bus companies run services to Heathrow also.

Don’t forget to check journey times, service availability and track closures and first and last train times of course!

Parking options at Heathrow are numerous and I have excluded non-official as if you are going for one of these you might as well just call ACRE Cars, it will save you time and most likely money and inconvenience in the long run. However, Heathrow official parking offers various services including Short Stay, Business, Meet and Greet, Long stay, POD Parking and Valet Parking.

Please note ACRE Cars offers the obvious drop-off and collect, in terminal Meet and Greet if pre-booked, no need to park your car and get shuttle bus service and complimentary child seats when requested also.

So when your local taxi company and pre-booked car service in Hoddesdon and Broxbourne can provide a full door-to-door service at competitive prices to airport parking and also take you there in style in a new 8 seater including the Mercedes V-Class and Ford Galaxy and at the same time remove all the stress and hassle and ensure enough luggage space, why would you even consider any other travel option.

Visit our website or call +44 (0) 1994 45 11 11.

Hope this was useful and helps you decide on the best travel options to Heathrow Airport and whether you should consider a taxi or pre-booked car and also provided some pub quiz knowledge concerning the airport.

Until next time,

Tristan
Owner ACRE Cars

Interested in becoming a hackney carriage or private hire driver? You may wish to read this article; Working as a Private Hire driver for ACRE Cars Taxi’s.

ACRE Cars is looking to recruit new drivers, If you have any questions or want to discuss the possibilities please contact me.

You can follow ACRE Cars on Twitter and Facebook.

ACRE Cars is a competitive car service. Our rates to airports and collection from airports and other transport hubs are extremely competitive to any other taxi or minicab company running similar services and ACRE also includes free of charge hire of a child safety seat, for long journeys, for each child passenger under four years and under the height of 135 cm.
We pick up customers locally from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Wormley, Cheshunt and London as well as Nazeing, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hailey and Harlow and all other neighbouring towns and villages. Popular airport taxi transfers include Stansted Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Southend Airport, Luton Airport and London City Airport. Sea Port transfers and major train stations including Victoria, Kings Cross St Pancras, Stratford Ebbsfleet and Ashford.
The views in this blog article are my own and based on my own research using the internet and not that of ACRE Cars or ACRE group.

Summer officially started on the 21st June and we have had a cracking start with some record temperatures although some may say it is too hot, which is always the way in the UK. That said with the school holidays coming and some fantastic destinations in mind now is the time to think about how to spend the many hopefully glorious weekends and if you haven’t booked your trip away this year, it is time to think of where you would like to go. If you are hoping to go on holiday outside of school holidays now is definitely time to be generating some ideas and doing some research.

It is my monthly blog time again and rather than a serious topic this month I thought I would ramble a little about holidays!

My drivers and I enjoy hearing about people’s holidays whether it is on the way to the airport or sea port or even the train station for the Eurostar and our passengers are excited about the holiday or trip away planned and equally when our pre booked car (taxi) driver collect our customers from the airport or alike and hear about the fun time and adventures that have been had.

One thing we don’t often get to see though are those family holiday photos.

So feel free to post any fun and exciting photos on our Facebook page.

The ACRE Cars Taxi’s team are so excited about holidays we have even made a couple of short videos which you can watch here:

Top holiday destinations are suggested every year in the papers and on travel programmes, however, I thought I would put some of mine forward.

Florida – I may be biased here as I visit several times a year, I simply love it and the lifestyle – Walt Disney World and all the theme parks and so much more. Not least the climate. If you need a recommendation or a villa to rent do get in touch.

Majorca – Some great deals out there for a long weekend, a week or a longer break for couples or the whole family. Sun, sea and sand obviously is a key draw, however, the stunning views, mountain roads and the huge amount of activities make it a top destination from hiking to mountain biking and rock climbing to snorkelling. I personally enjoy soaking up the atmosphere around the pool!

Venice – Simply somewhere I have wanted to go, this destination is more of a short break but is meant to be magical and is definitely on my short list for 2017. I understand one of the best ways to get around is on the Vaporetto which is another name for a water taxi or water bus in Venice. Basically, for the visitor to Venice, you have two options to get around, walk or by water. If you don’t want to walk the water bus service is the affordable way to get around. A 3-day travel card is supposed to be about €40 which gets you a long way and is good value for money when you look at all the islands you can visit with this. A gondola I believe can cost upwards of €80 for 40 minutes!

I will stop there as I could go on and on. Maybe I will post some of our customers’ airport taxi suggestions of travel destinations over the coming weeks. Or indeed feel free to make suggestions on this blog post! I would welcome some more ideas for me and the family!

Until next time enjoy the weather and if you are heading off to the airport, Eurostar or catching a cruise and live in Hoddesdon and Broxbourne and the surrounding areas please do give ACRE Cars a call for a quote for a taxi transfer.

Tristan
Owner ACRE Cars

Interested in becoming a hackney carriage or private hire driver? You may wish to read this article; Working as a Private Hire driver for ACRE Cars Taxi’s.

ACRE Cars is looking to recruit new drivers, If you have any questions or want to discuss the possibilities please contact me.

You can follow ACRE Cars on Twitter and Facebook.

ACRE Cars is a competitive car service. Our rates to airports and collection from airports and other transport hubs are extremely competitive to any other taxi or minicab company running similar services and ACRE also includes free of charge hire of a child safety seat, for long journeys, for each child passenger under four years and under the height of 135 cm.
We pick up customers locally from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Wormley, Cheshunt and London as well as Nazeing, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hailey and Harlow and all other neighbouring towns and villages. Popular airport taxi transfers include Stansted Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Southend Airport, Luton Airport and London City Airport. Sea Port transfers and major train stations including Victoria, Kings Cross St Pancras, Stratford Ebbsfleet and Ashford.
The views in this blog article are my own and based on my own research using the internet and not that of ACRE Cars or ACRE group.

This is a short article in support of the Borough of Broxbourne’s 2017 initiative which is in support of making Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Waltham Cross, Cheshunt, Turnford and Wormley an even nicer place to live through environmental awareness, local improvement and health development.

The Borough of Broxbourne’s website states six themes for the borough during 2017:

● Recycle – Encouraging residents to waste less and recycle more
● Clean – Keeping Broxbourne clean and encouraging residents to get involved in volunteering schemes such as adopt-a-street
● Grow – Encouraging residents to grow fruit and vegetables in their own homes, gardens and allotment site
● Nature – Encouraging residents to make use of the beautiful parks and open spaces in the Borough and encouraging wildlife and biodiversity
● Air – Encouraging residents to walk and cycle rather than drive to reduce pollution and benefit their health and wellbeing
● Save – Encouraging residents to save water and energy

Acre Cars Taxis completely supports this initiative and would like to add an option in the interest of good business. Using a taxi service rather than running your own car can help contribute to the fifth environmental theme of Air.

I broached this subject in my Christmas Blog Article and would like to reiterate a couple of points concerning taxi’s in the Hoddesdon and local area for local journeys and also for airport transfers and even trips to events such as Royal Ascot, where taking a taxi has safety and enjoyment benefits too.

We haven’t gone electric or hybrid yet but expect things to go that way in the future as these technologies develop further. A taxi is an efficient way of getting around. As households typically have more than one car, giving up a car and utilising cycle lanes or paths (if there were more and interconnected), using buses, trains and even walking and then filling in those journeys that require transport by car by calling a taxi or cab, then overall traffic in the Borough would reduce and the contribution to the environment would be greater. Just a thought!

Taking an 8 seater taxi to an event in London or as mentioned to even for those of you that like a day at the races such as Royal Ascot has an immediate environmental positive instead of potentially taking two or three cars for the same group of people. Plus you can have a drink and enjoy your winnings worry free when it comes to having to drive yourself.

Driving is part of my job along with running a taxi company, so for me, a walk with the dogs is a means of light healthy relief. But could you think of using the car less or even getting rid of your car? Just think about your day, could you do some of your journeys alternatively, rather than dragging your car around with you? Would it be cheaper overall just by booking a taxi just when you need it, rather than running your car all year-round? Would your journeys actually be quicker and stress-free? Possibly!

If you are like me, then you just enjoy driving and appreciate cars. But not everyone is the same and it is definitely worth considering other transport options including cycling, walking, bus and taxi, as the traffic and the cost of running vehicles continues to increase, not to mention the emissions that will continue to increase especially during peak periods in Hoddesdon, Broxbourne and Waltham Cross.

Appreciating the environment is not just about reducing cars and pollution it is also enjoying the open countryside we have in Hertfordshire and all the woodland, parks and open spaces we have. Another reason to be positive for 2017, we live, work and socialise in a great area and are lucky to be able to enjoy such opportunities.

Tristan
Owner of ACRE cars

Interested in becoming a hackney carriage or private hire driver? You may wish to read this article; Working as a Private Hire driver for ACRE Cars Taxi’s.

ACRE Cars is looking to recruit new drivers, If you have any questions or want to discuss the possibilities please contact me.

You can follow ACRE Cars on Twitter and Facebook.

ACRE Cars is a competitive car service. Our rates to airports and collection from airports and other transport hubs are extremely competitive to any other taxi or minicab company running similar services and ACRE also includes free of charge hire of a child safety seat, for long journeys, for each child passenger under four years and under the height of 135 cm.
We pick up customers locally from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Wormley, Cheshunt and London as well as Nazeing, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hailey and Harlow and all other neighbouring towns and villages. Popular airport taxi transfers include Stansted Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Southend Airport, Luton Airport and London City Airport. Sea Port transfers and major train stations including Victoria, Kings Cross St Pancras, Stratford Ebbsfleet and Ashford.
The views in this blog article are my own and based on my own research using the internet and not that of ACRE Cars or ACRE group.

Get home safely with our practical guide and tips to avoiding dodgy cabs and touts.

Taxis and minicabs are an easy way to get around but unfortunately, there are risks associated with using unlicensed minicabs and taxis not associated with local operators and also unreputable drivers working for unreputable pre-booked operator companies.

Unlicensed drivers may be unlicensed for a number of reasons such as because they don’t have hire-and-reward insurance, they may not know their way around very well and therefore cannot get a license from the local licensing authority such as the Borough of Broxbourne, or may even have a criminal record.

As an owner of a reputable and safe taxi company, I am able to provide some guidance that you can apply to any taxi journey you wish to make with any company.

1. Always use a licensed taxi/minicab / pre-booked operator.
2. Taxis (Hackney Carriages) can be hailed in the street. In London, black cabs are obvious but check to make sure they have a Hackney Carriage licence plate on the back that is to date and matches the vehicle number plate and has an illuminated taxi sign on top. Similarly, check other Hackney carriage cars that the rear plate is valid.
3. Always use licensed minicabs. Minicabs / pre-booked cars should not be hailed in the street. They must be pre-booked by phone or in person at the operator’s office. The driver should have ID and the vehicle will have a license displayed on it. Minicabs (not Hackney Carriage) that pick up fares on the street, without being pre-booked, are illegal, potentially uninsured and most likely very dangerous.
4. When booking a taxi or cab, ask for the driver’s name and the make and colour of the car that will be collecting you. Confirm the driver’s details when they arrive – is it the car you booked? Do they know your name i.e. the person they are collecting?
5. Sit in the back of the car behind the driver if you are alone and be careful not to give out any personal details to the driver.
6. Trust your instincts and if you are at all worried, ask the driver to stop in a busy area and get out of the car. If the driver refuses to stop, use a mobile to call the police and alert other drivers and pedestrians by waving or calling out the window.

ACRE Cars like any other professional pre-booked car operator and brands local Hackney Carriage drivers vehicles also understands the do’s and don’ts only too well as we see the mistakes people make when hailing down a taxi for example on a busy night in Hertford. How do you know who you are hailing down? Are they preying on vulnerable people? Is the car safe and roadworthy? Is the driver fit to drive?

You can hail a black cab or Hackney Carriage in the street, while a mini-cab can only be used if you’ve pre-booked it. These will have an extra licence plate on the back of the vehicle showing that they are registered and, therefore, legitimate. However, in Hoddesdon, Hertford, Broxbourne, Ware, Stanstead Abbotts, Cheshunt and surrounding areas including Waltham Cross and Waltham Abbey it is highly advisable to pre-book your car or take a taxi from an official taxi rank.

You can book an ACRE Car anytime by calling 01992 45 11 11 or email us or use our APP for iPhone or Android or even contact us via our Facebook page.

The last blog from ACRE covered the safety benefits of using the ACRE Cars taxi booking app, with features such as text a friend or relative when your journey is complete. Read more here.

This may apply more to London and other major cities possibly but touts who ply for business late at night will claim to offer cheapest prices and best service and this is becoming more commonplace in towns.

Touts may not have the correct insurance, some will rip you off. As you are being lured into what is a stranger’s car, there is also the risk of being mugged or attacked.

Only use licensed taxis, and if you are unsure, ask a police officer which companies you can trust.

Book your taxi online, by phone, or in a taxi/cab office, and not through someone on the street. Ask for the name of your driver when you book it and when you are collected ask to see their ID and ask what the name is of the fare they are booked to pick up (as an imposter will not know your name!).

Is the taxi or pre-booked car clean and well presented? If it isn’t, then you should refuse to get in. A poorly presented or car that doesn’t look properly maintained may be a sign that it isn’t roadworthy, while a professional driver will always do their best to make a good first impression.

If you are travelling alone, always sit directly behind the driver. This makes it almost impossible for the driver to overpower you and it also places you away from the kerb, making it harder for anyone to open the rear door from the pavement to snatch your bag.

If your instinct tells you that something is wrong, then ask the driver to stop so you can get out, pay the full fare and stay around a public area until you can call ACRE Cars for a car. We will always try and help and you will be safe. A few pounds lost is probably worth it!

If the driver refuses to stop, phone the police, shout out of the windows and wave your hands at other drivers and passers by to gain their attention.

It’s tempting to accept a stranger’s offer to share a cab to cut costs, but this is a mistake. Your fellow passenger may well be in league with the driver, leaving you vulnerable.

I hope this information is useful and if you have any questions please do get in touch.

Tristan
Owner of ACRE cars

Coming Up:

• Year of the Environment – 2017 is Broxbourne’s Year of the Environment

Interested in becoming a hackney carriage or private hire driver? You may wish to read this article; Working as a Private Hire driver for ACRE Cars Taxi’s.

ACRE Cars is looking to recruit new drivers, If you have any questions or want to discuss the possibilities please contact me.

You can follow ACRE Cars on Twitter and Facebook.

ACRE Cars is a competitive car service. Our rates to airports and collection from airports and other transport hubs are extremely competitive to any other taxi or minicab company running similar services and ACRE also includes free of charge hire of a child safety seat, for long journeys, for each child passenger under four years and under the height of 135 cm.
We pick up customers locally from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Wormley, Cheshunt and London as well as Nazeing, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hailey and Harlow and all other neighbouring towns and villages. Popular airport taxi transfers include Stansted Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Southend Airport, Luton Airport and London City Airport. Sea Port transfers and major train stations including Victoria, Kings Cross St Pancras, Stratford Ebbsfleet and Ashford.
The views in this blog article are my own and based on my own research using the internet and not that of ACRE Cars or ACRE group.

ACRE Cars likes to be current and utilise useful technology, it stands-to-reason that a smartphone app to book your local taxi for pick up or collection in Hoddesdon and Broxbourne and the surrounding areas makes complete sense.

We believe we are the only company in Hoddesdon at the time of writing to offer taxi bookings via an app, others will follow I am sure, and why not, taxi companies exist to be helpful and useful.

Download the ACRE Cars APP here:

ACRE Cars is going through a period of growth, this is down to a few key factors.

1. Our customers are fantastic, they are loyal, we think they enjoy travelling with ACRE. Thank you to all our customers.
2. Our drivers provide excellent, helpful service. Thank you to all the ACRE drivers.
3. We collectively provide great service.

This month I would like to make an appeal to our customers and our drivers to take the ACRE story even further.

WE ARE HIRING – Please read about our attractive incentives below.

Today

ACRE has a strategy of long-term sustainable competitive advantage. That means we are in for the long haul and will be around for a long time to come. To ensure this and be competitive we have invested in our processes, both customer facing and those that our customers do not directly see, but are part of how we deliver our service and ensure reliability and safety such as driver vetting, licencing, the customer booking system, the ACRE booking mobile app, the ACRE website and not least passenger vehicles.

Part of our strategy of sustainable competitive advantage is about growing organically, through superior customer service, and not by fly-by-night approaches, or by trying to purchase other taxi companies, or even pursuing mergers with other companies. We believe that would just dilute our ability to deliver a first class service and would also be not in the interests of our customers.

Why do we think it is not in the interests to the customer? Well, quite simply, competition is healthy and ensures fair pricing and high standards of service provided to the local market i.e. the customers. Private hire operators (that is advanced booking taxi companies to you and me) out to ‘buy’ the market share (buying another company, merging with another company and/or slashing prices) are putting themselves at risk. Those that don’t do this will differentiate through a high standard of service. The customers will be happier and the taxi drivers and operators will earn a fair fee. Afterall, a cheap pre-booked car that doesn’t turn up or is late is actually an expensive taxi.

How can you be part of the bright future?

ACRE is growing and will continue to grow as the Borough of Broxbourne (Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Cheshunt, Wormley, Turnford, Waltham Cross) and surrounding towns such as Hertford and Ware expand. Also, an increasing focus on the environment is encouraging people to utilise taxi’s more and as competitors come and go, by not servicing the customer as well as they should.

To keep up with this growth we need more drivers to join ACRE Cars. And to incentivise drivers to join us we are offering you the chance to benefit also and hence be part of the bright future of advanced bookings and taxi’s.

In October 2016 we first discussed this http://www.acrecars.co.uk/working-as-a-private-hire-driver-for-acre-cars-taxis/

The Incentive

Drivers introduce other drivers

Our drivers know other drivers both in the area and outside of the area. We have no desire to steal other companies drivers as we would not want that to happen to ACRE, however reduced commission payments are available to any new drivers joining ACRE Cars for the first month and this applies to any drivers that make the introduction, although the rate will vary between the two. Terms and conditions apply. For more information please call me (Tristan) on 01992 45 11 11 to discuss and see if we can grow the business together.

Customers introduce drivers

Customers may know existing drivers or someone who wants to become a taxi driver and looking for a fair and forward-looking business to represent i.e. ACRE Cars. If you successfully refer someone who then joins ACRE Cars as a driver and stays with the business we will provide you with a complimentary two-way airport transfer or similar. Terms and conditions apply and we do not provide cash equivalents. So please send us an email (Click here) copying both us and your referral and we will follow up and then contact you if successful to provide you with your free advance booking for an airport transfer. Again our customers can be part the bright future in more than way!

Part Time Passenger Assistants

We are also wishing to hire part-time passenger assistants to accompany drivers that are taking children to schools and also to assist customers with disabilities. Times would vary. Please do get in touch if you would like to earn some extra money and yet retain flexibility with hours. Your help would be greatly appreciated by us and our customers.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope to hear from you with any questions or ideas you may have.

Tristan

Coming Up:

● The importance of staying safe
● Being innovative locally – ACRE Cars has its own UBER Style App.

Interested in becoming a hackney carriage or private hire driver? You may wish to read this article; Working as a Private Hire driver for ACRE Cars Taxi’s.

ACRE Cars is looking to recruit new drivers, If you have any questions or want to discuss the possibilities please contact me.

You can follow ACRE Cars on Twitter and Facebook.

ACRE Cars is a competitive car service. Our rates to airports and collection from airports and other transport hubs are extremely competitive to any other taxi or minicab company running similar services and ACRE also includes free of charge hire of a child safety seat, for long journeys, for each child passenger under four years and under the height of 135 cm.

We pick up customers locally from Hoddesdon, Broxbourne, Wormley, Cheshunt and London as well as Nazeing, Stanstead Abbotts, Ware, Hertford, Hertford Heath, Hailey and Harlow and all other neighbouring towns and villages. Popular airport taxi transfers include Stansted Airport, Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Southend Airport, Luton Airport and London City Airport. Sea Port transfers and major train stations including Victoria, Kings Cross St Pancras, Stratford Ebbsfleet and Ashford.

The views in this blog article are my own and based on my own research using the internet and not that of ACRE Cars or ACRE group.