Car Rental in India: Tips to Find Professional Drivers

India is a beautiful country filled with bustling cities which gives you a unique travel experience. However, navigating on Indian roads can be a difficult task especially if you are not aware of routes and traffic patterns.

To avoid such situations it is always advised to book professional drivers. When you have a professional and knowledgeable driver with you it will ensure a comfortable journey.

In this article, we will discuss hints and tricks to help you select car rental services in India with a team of proficient drivers.

How to Ensure Driver Trustworthiness?

It is important to take extra measures to ensure driver trustworthiness for your safety. Following are some key points that you can consider:

Driver's License: Always verify the driver's license before starting your journey. It is important to check whether it is issued by an appropriate authority or not.
Credentials of Guide: If you have hired a tour guide verify their credentials like a license that is issued by the government of India.
Examine the Vehicle: To examine the vehicle you can check the registration certificate. A registration certificate contains information like the year of manufacturing and model. You should hire vehicles that are not older than three years.
Pollution Certificate: You should check the pollution certificate (PUC) before starting your trip as it is mandatory for all vehicles in India.
Discuss the planned route: Before starting the trip, clearly communicate with the driver about the intended route. Ask if they want to sidestep toll roads as it could save money but might take longer. Inquire if the driver wants to make any unplanned stops. They can make stops at restaurants where they may get commissions.
Assess the Driver's Behavior: You can assess the driver’s behaviour by ensuring that they do not have any concerning habits like smoking or consuming tobacco.

How to Evaluate Car Rental Service Standards?

When you are looking for a car rental service in India it is important to analyze standards of driver training. Additionally, it is crucial to check how the company provides quality assurance. It is important to know how a company works with drivers to evaluate a car rental service. Now, we will discuss aspects that any reliable car rental service company would follow.

Background Checks and Screening: Conducting background checks should be a top priority for any company. These background checks and verification processes guarantee clean records of the driver. These background checks reduce possible risks of violent behavior thus assuring passenger safety.
Training and Skill Development: Regular training of drivers is the foundation of a professional driver. During training, drivers go through assessments which helps them to stay up-to-date with traffic rules and regulations. Not only traffic regulations but it helps drivers to understand safety protocols hence reducing the risk of accidents.
Performance Tracking and Feedback: The company should have a system to track the performance of drivers and to give proper feedback. This practice allows us to locate the areas of improvement. Therefore, a company can easily address concerns regarding any performance issue or conduct.
Maintenance of Vehicles: For a car rental service company well-maintained vehicles are a must. That is why they need to ensure vehicle quality through regular inspections. Inspections will ensure a comfortable riding experience for the customer.
Refund Policies: Check the car rental service's refund policies before booking your trip just in case you are not satisfied with the driver's behaviour or service quality.

How to Do Research for Reputation and Reviews?

Before choosing any cab service you should look for the reputation and reviews of the company. You can do this research by asking past customers of the company. There are various travel forums that can provide you with original feedback.

Furthermore, there are many online review platforms that you can use to check reviews and ratings of the company.

Reading online reviews can tell you a lot about driver expertise, vehicle conditions, and customer support. Apart from online reviews, following word-of-mouth suggestions of locals or frequent travellers can also help you find a good car rental service.

Companies like Stayfari, which is an online travel company providing chauffeur-driven cab services in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Mauritius. The company is known for their well-trained professional drivers, newer vehicles, and wallet-friendly.

Besides these online reviews the recognition in the industry and awards won for services can be evidence of excellence.

Go for Regulated and Licensed Services

To add extra enamel of security you should select for regulated and licensed car rental services. A regulated and licensed company will have strict eligibility criteria for driver licensing, training and vehicle inspection.

What’s more, is that regulated companies have extensive insurance coverage to ensure passenger safety. Thus if you are opting a regulated car rental service your journey and mind would be at ease.

What Questions Should You Ask from Car Rental Service Companies?

When you are booking your taxi do not shy away from asking the following questions about their service:

How does the company train and evaluate the drivers?

At what interval does the company do performance assessment or retraining to keep the drivers up-to-date?

Does the company provide any incentives or employee recognition for expert drivers to promote constant improvement?

Ask the company what measures are in place for the safety of drivers and client satisfaction.

Communication and Trust

When you are done with selecting a car rental service try cultivating open communication because it is important during the ride. You should not step back from expressing your concern on selected routes. Even if you feel that the driving style is not good as the driver is speeding or going very slow, you have to raise it politely.

When you clearly raise your concern then any professional driver should be able to give an explanation for their actions. However, to get your queries addressed and concerns solved you have to be vocal about any issue that you are facing.

The next step is to always give your valuable feedback be it negative or positive. Your feedback can be of great help to the company to make changes and improvements. The company can well utilize your feedback to design training programs and assess their quality of service. For example, if you come across an exceptionally good driver you give direct feedback about them to the company. This little action of yours might make them the employee of the month and they might receive an incentive.

Conclusion

Being on roads that are bustling with traffic can be a daunting task. However, choosing the right car rental service in India can make a huge difference.

That is why before visiting India do detailed research to evaluate the best car rental service available in the market.

Yes, comfort and price range are important but one should not jeopardize security for any reason. Therefore, one should always invest in a car rental service company that does not cut corners and jeopardise the customer's safety and security. A company’s commitment towards quality will translate into a comfortable journey for you.