A company of forty-three people: one Director of Operations, a small management team, and forty chauffeurs — each selected, trained, and trusted to maintain the standard of the company.
Victoria Ashworth-Chen joined Mayfair & City Carriages as Director of Operations in 2022, having spent ten years at Goldman Sachs in London and New York, where she held senior roles in the Securities division. She is Sir Geoffrey Ashworth's granddaughter and grew up with the company — attending her first Wimbledon transfer at the age of twelve, riding in the Silver Cloud on special occasions.
Her decade in finance gave her a framework for operational discipline that she has applied methodically to the company: streamlined booking procedures, a rebuilt digital infrastructure, and a formal training programme for new chauffeurs that codifies the institutional knowledge that has previously been passed informally from senior to junior.
The character of the service — its discretion, its standards, its insistence on the personal relationship — has not changed. What has changed is the systems that support it. "Sir Geoffrey ran this company on trust and personal knowledge," she has said. "Our job now is to make sure those things scale."
Our forty chauffeurs are selected through a process that takes, on average, three months. Each candidate must have held an advanced driving qualification for at least five years. Each is interviewed three times — by the operations team, by a senior chauffeur, and by a member of the directorship. References are taken from previous employers in professional driving and, where relevant, from household or personal service.
New chauffeurs complete a structured induction: the history of the company, the geography of London (tested formally), the vehicle fleet, and the protocols of client interaction. The central protocol is one that Sir Geoffrey stated in the original company handbook in 1978 and that has not been revised since: speak when spoken to; act before being asked.
The average tenure of our chauffeurs is eleven years. Several have been with the company for more than twenty. This continuity is not accidental — it is the result of a working culture that values the individual and a compensation structure that reflects the quality of people we are fortunate to employ.
All chauffeurs hold an advanced driving qualification — typically the Institute of Advanced Motorists Gold Standard or equivalent. Minimum five years of professional driving experience required.
A formal test of London's streets, postcodes, hospitals, airports, venues, and principal addresses — equivalent to the Knowledge for taxi licensing purposes.
A comprehensive course in client interaction: how to address clients, how to manage luggage, how to handle requests, and how to exercise discretion in all circumstances.
A formal discussion of the company's confidentiality obligations — what may not be said, what may not be repeated, and what the consequences of any breach are. Non-disclosure agreements are signed on appointment.
Available by telephone or enquiry. Response within one hour.