Who this is for
This is for a UK one-car chauffeur who wants clients to book and pay directly, not through a platform that keeps a share of each fare. The setup is a booking form, a card payment link and a daily record, but it starts with a licence check: in England and Wales, taking private hire bookings yourself needs an operator's licence.
The steps below are a proposed setup, not a legal or tax service. MileBetter covers the last step only; the other four use tools you choose yourself.
Step 1: check who may take the booking
In London, Transport for London states that anyone who wants to accept private hire bookings must be licensed as a private hire operator, and that taking payment for bookings without that licence is breaking the law. TfL also expects operators to offer a way for passengers to speak to someone during booking hours and to send weekly details of the drivers and vehicles used.
Elsewhere in England and Wales, section 46 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 bars anyone from operating a private hire vehicle in a controlled district without an operator's licence, and section 80 defines operating as making provision for inviting or accepting bookings. If you drive under another firm's operator licence, ask your licensing authority before you publish your own booking form. Rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Step 2: put a booking request form where clients find you
At one car, a request form that you confirm by reply is enough. It keeps you in control of which jobs you accept and what you charge. Put it on your own website, or on a free form or scheduling page linked from your messages and business profile.
If you would rather have instant quotes and online payment built in, dispatch tools charge a monthly or per-booking subscription rather than a commission, though their built-in card processing is still a percentage. Our comparison of Limo Anywhere alternatives lists their published prices.
- Date and pickup time.
- Pickup and drop-off addresses.
- Number of passengers and bags.
- Flight or train number for transfers.
- A name and phone number for the passenger on the day.
Step 3: take payment with a card link
Once you confirm the price, send a payment link for a deposit or the full fare. Stripe, as one example, offers no-code Payment Links, and its UK pricing page, read 17 October 2026, lists 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards and 2.8% + 20p for premium UK cards, with no setup or monthly fee. Other providers publish different rates.
On a £120 airport transfer, that card fee is £2.00 on a standard UK card and £3.56 on a premium one. Every 5% of commission on the same fare is £6, so any commission above about 1.7% costs more than a standard card payment, and above about 3% more than a premium one. This is arithmetic on a fictional fare, not a quote for any platform.
A platform also finds the client, and its commission pays for that. A payment link only collects the money, so direct bookings depend on clients who already know how to reach you.
| How the client pays | Cost to you | Left from the fare |
|---|---|---|
| Payment link, standard UK card (1.5% + 20p) | £2.00 | £118.00 |
| Payment link, premium UK card (2.8% + 20p) | £3.56 | £116.44 |
| Each 5% of commission (illustration) | £6.00 | £114.00 at 5% |
Step 4: keep one booking record
Keep a simple list of each booking: date, client, pickup, agreed price, payment status and the payment reference. A spreadsheet is enough at one car. MileBetter does not store individual bookings or client details, so this record lives outside it.
Collect only the passenger details you need for the job, and keep them out of general notes.
Step 5: close the day in MileBetter
At the end of each working day, enter the day's earnings, tips, expenses, hours and trips. Record card fees, and any platform commission that was not already deducted, as expenses, so the day's net, which is earnings plus tips minus expenses, reflects what the work left you.
MileBetter does not split income by source on its own. If you want to see later how much came direct, add a short note such as "two direct, one platform". Your vehicle payment, insurance and maintenance budget sit in fixed costs, so the weekly view shows progress against a take-home goal after those costs.
Where MileBetter fits and where it does not
MileBetter is a business manager for UK self-employed drivers, not a booking platform.
- It fits the daily close: earnings, tips, expenses, hours, trips and a note, with the day's net and the week's progress after fixed vehicle costs. Manual logging is free.
- Premium adds voice and screenshot logging, the forecast, the opportunity calendar of UK demand windows and the AI manager.
- It does not provide a booking form, payment links, invoices, client records or dispatch.
- It does not check licensing or work out tax. Use your licensing authority and GOV.UK guidance for those.
Can I take private hire bookings directly without an operator licence?
In London, TfL says anyone who accepts private hire bookings must hold a private hire operator licence, and taking payment for bookings without one is breaking the law. Elsewhere in England and Wales, the 1976 Act requires an operator's licence in controlled districts. Check with your licensing authority; this guide is not legal advice.
What does a card payment link cost a UK chauffeur?
Stripe's UK pricing, read 17 October 2026, lists 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards and 2.8% + 20p for premium UK cards, with no setup or monthly fee. On a £120 transfer that is £2.00 or £3.56. Other providers charge differently, so compare their published rates before choosing one.
Do I need dispatch software to take direct bookings?
Not necessarily with one car. A request form you confirm by reply, a card payment link and a booking record cover the job. Dispatch software adds instant pricing, driver apps and scheduling for a monthly or per-booking fee, which starts to pay off when you run several cars or more bookings than you can confirm by hand.
Does MileBetter take bookings?
No. MileBetter does not take bookings, process payments or store client details. It records each working day's earnings, tips, expenses, hours and trips, calculates the day's net, and shows weekly progress against a take-home goal after your fixed vehicle costs. Manual logging is free; voice and screenshot logging are part of Premium.
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