The History of Chauffeuring
A symbol of luxury and taste, we know chauffeurs today as suited gentlemen who drive cars around for rich people, but where did this tradition come from, and why “chauffeur”?
Well, let’s start there; the term itself actually means “stoker” in French, as chauffeurs originally had to stoke the hot coals for the earliest motorized vehicles, as they all ran on steam at the time. Fun fact, huh?
But why French? The answer lies with our American friends. In the late 19th century, Americans decided to use the French term “chauffeur”, instead of the English “driver”, because at the time the best cars came from France. The wider political climate at the time here saw the international relationship between America and France as arguably the strongest it’s ever been, with an infatuation on America’s part with Paris’ internationally celebrated World Fair (where the infamous Eiffel Tower was presented), and an equally famous piece of structural art gifted to America by France; the Statue of Liberty. This happened to have been in 1886, the exact same year that motorized vehicles were invented. Coincidence…?
So how did the profession of chauffeuring come about in the first place? Well, the idea of paying for someone else to drive you is as old as people needing to be transported from one place to another — before cars as we know them today were even invented.
Aristocrats in the 15th Century needed dedicated and skilled automobilists to drive and maintain their horse-drawn carriages, and it wasn’t until the advent of motorized vehicles that these “coachmen” became “chauffeurs”. Chauffeurs, at the time, had the extra responsibility of maintaining the cars as well as driving them. This would include carrying out any mechanics, performing routine maintenance, and ensuring that their employer’s car was always operating in top shape. As skilled mechanics, chauffeurs would often need to sort breakdowns and punctures en route, which were very common in the early years of the automobility, as you can imagine.
From this time in the late 19th Century, chauffeurs worked for a single employer, as part of the general household staff, however, as time progressed and the economy worsened, having so many staff to pay became less of an option for members of the upper class, and so many had to learn to drive themselves. Amazingly, this trend did not kill the profession — it merely evolved its model and today, the idea of simply hiring a chauffeur (instead of employing a chauffeur full-time yourself), still stands.
In fact, the pleasantly surprising fact there was a weekly magazine devoted purely to chauffeurs and their industry showed the steady demand for these highly-trained professionals. The magazine, called simply: The Chauffeur, ran from the turn of the 20th Century in 1907, until the start of the First World War in 1914 (yet another sign of diminishment alongside a weakening economy).
What’s important to bear in mind at this stage in our timeline is that handling a vehicle in the 1900s was nothing like it is today. The level of physical labour, manual manoeuvres and complicated coordination — let alone the customer service provided — made chauffeuring a tough job back in the day. The wealthy aristocrats who could afford chauffeurs in the first place were more than happy to leave the intimidating complications of this machinery to an expert.
This is likely to have helped define and cement a chauffeur’s role as one of high pedigree, where only very professional operators with an extremely high calibre could qualify for the part.
Today, in the early 21st century, we’ve seen an explosion of tech advancements of course and therefore a level of experimentation that sees the rule book completely ripped up and stitched back together again in a way that best fits our modern society.
At Havn, the pieces we’re stitching together are the best from all different areas; the level of quality, care, attention-to-detail, and service provided historically by traditional chauffeurs, as highly-trained professionals, to the exciting innovation in technology. We’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, what people want, and what they really do not — both the customers and drivers themselves included. By doing things differently, we are breaking away from the recent trend of gig economy workers and side-hustling sole traders, to provide a level of employment that is responsible to the chauffeurs, and offers a consistent level of care to the passengers.
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To find out more about Havn and how we are doing chauffeuring differently, please visit our website, download our app, or enquire about our corporate packages.
