As the Covid-19 lockdown eases and the UK government announces the lifting of air travel restrictions to most European destinations, those involved in long stay vehicle parking, shuttle transfers and static parking are looking to gear up their business operations for a busy summer. It may not be completely back to normal, but for those in the parking and transfer business it is at least a slight return to the status quo; and those insurance liabilities still remain in place to stay legal and to protect both customers and staff.
It’s not all doom and gloom for air travel. Even in this pandemic year, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority predicts air passenger growth of 25 percent by 2030. The British government has also given its full support to local airport expansions in its draft 2050 Aviation Strategy. Manchester airport is expecting to see 10 million extra passengers by end of the decade and Southend is planning a new terminal and runway with capacity set to rise from 1.4m currently to 10m by 2030.
Long Stay and Car Jockeys
A long stay parker insurance policy is designed with the car park owner or car jockey in mind. Insurance should provide cover for vehicles left temporarily in the care of the parking company, which may also include the movement of vehicles to and from parking bays, transporting passengers to or from a particular destination such as the terminal or bus link and car park-based risks. However, it also accommodates further usages, including hotels, clubs, restaurants, event organisers and festival and wedding parkers.
Despite not driving the customers’ vehicles for any length of time, there is still potential for accidents. Any trips taken on the road means that you will need cover. And, with some potentially high-value cars in the hands of you and your employees, it’s essential you have adequate protection in place.
Getting the right cover
As well as all the standard protection you would expect to see in a long stay parker insurance policy, we can also provide a range of additional covers that includes:
• Public and employers’ liability
• Static parking risks
• Specified driver, any endorsed driver and any employee policies
• Multiple premises
• Flexible customer vehicle indemnity limits
• Full value of all vehicles at one location • Office, contents and equipment • Other usages for the directors/principals of the firm including social, domestic and pleasure use for company vehicles and personal vehicles used for business
Car jockey insurance provides cover against the particular risks you and your business could face, allowing you to drive vehicles of different engines sizes, values and specifications legally.
Basic vehicle insurance just won’t do, because as a car jockey you’ll need to be able to be insured on all the cars you drive. A car jockey insurance policy can be tailored to meet your needs and can include flexible customers’ vehicle indemnity limits, employers’ liability and office, contents and equipment cover, business interruption and theft. It can also cover specified driver coverage, static parking risks and compound cover, which insures against the full value of all vehicles at one single location.
For younger drivers just starting out as an airport car jockey, Tradex offers a special bonus scheme for those with no bonus to accrue a year’s no claim bonus within six months of clean driving, which can subsequently be used on a full-term policy.
Chauffeur Insurance
Many long-stay parking companies now offer a meet and greet service. If you are thinking of offering your expertise as a specialised driver, a chauffeur insurance policy is designed for chauffeurs with executive saloons or MPVs used for corporate contract work or special pre-booked events. An extension for hire & reward can also be made that allows chauffeurs to drive their customers’ vehicles to special events.
If you are looking at taxi driving, private hire insurance will cover you to pick up customers that have pre-booked a journey with you. Public hire insurance will allow you to pick up customers from the street or a taxi rank and should include public liability, personal accident, breakdown and windscreen cover as standard.
You can even add your everyday vehicles to the policy. Office, contents and equipment cover is also available as part of the motor trade insurance.