[Mrs Nicholls]

Hi everyone!!

I have a questionas usual.

as some of you know, we use public transport to get around as we can not drive yet, we have had a thought about maybe hiring a driver to take us out to cleans instead of 4 of us gettin bus/train fare each week, which is costing a fortune now the rates have gone up.
The driver who ahs mentioed this to us, only wants petrol money, but i'm not sure how to do this properly.

I thought travel expenses (petrol) was 25p or whatever p/mile, how would we go about his wage? he would only be driving us to a location, and collecting us again after to go to another, so it's probably not practical to do hourly rate.

Any ideas?
Thanks
Lisa

[need a cleaner]

this is just a sugestion but why dont you hire a cleaner that can drive

[drivewasher]

Why don't you put him the petrol in his motor that you use, and just put the reciept through your books. I don't see what's wrong with this as long as you don't do 10 miles a week and put reciepts through for £200

My son has his own business, and it's better for him to run his own personal car, and charge his company a mileage charge. I think it's 35 pence a mile.

PS thinking about this if you used a taxi you put put taxi reciepts through your books as expences, why can't he give you a bill for the transport?

[Mrs Nicholls]

Hi
First of all, i've had discussions about this before, and in Shrewsbury a cleaner/driver doesn't exist. I've been advertising for one for about a year, every applicant i get, doesn't drive. I'm learning but got a long way to go yet.


Drivewasher: Would he have to be self employed to bill me for this service?

[drivewasher]

I don't think so, as you are only reimbersing his expences. My son is empoloyed by his LTD company, so he technically isn't self employed but gets his car expences back tax free. I think the inland revenue put a figure on the mileage charge like say 25p per mile.
If you put petrol in his motor at least what he uses, then why can't you just put that through your books as fuel. He gets his expences paid and a bit of fuel for himself, you get to claim it off your tax through your books.

[DREAM CLEAN]

Hi Lisa,

Cleaner/drivers are very hard to come by, why not do a week crash course to learn to drive and then put it through your books.

Nick

[JJdomestics]

Hi

My domestic cleaning busness has been ging for 2 years now and I find it very hard to find cleaners who drive. I do have one lady who is an angel and works really hard and drives too. The way I have worked things out now is that I no longer do cleaning work myself (unless to cover) and I drop off and pick up cleaners from the houses. I have no choice but no to work as I am having a baby in 10 weeks. I have found some advantages though of this situation. I know what time they start and finish, lone workers do not need to contact me on entry and exit of the houses and most of the time I get to nip in and double check the standard of cleaning just for piece of mind that things are being done well. Disadvantages are, the car is not big enough, I spend my whole day running from one to another, and sometimes a client wants to change and it clashes with the travel time for another cleaner. I did emply a friend just for a week to drive my cleaners to work whilst I was on holiday and this did seem to work quite well. Sorry this is a bit long but I thought I would let you know how I manage things.

[John Kelly]

Best of luck to you. This must be a major disadvantage to your business, however if you get through this you deserve to succeed. Motoring costs are now in excess of 50p per mile.
Have you contacted your local business link as there may be funding available to put you and your staff through driving lessons, including intensive training.

[Mrs Nicholls]

really? i idn't think it was one of those things that can be put against biz loans and money.

an advisor said about a year ago that she didn't think driving lessons would be allowed. she didn't know much anyway.

its not a proper biz expense is it.

anyway, i have no choice of what to do, i'm still learning to drive, have a job a little bit out of town where there are no regular buses, and am having to 'employ' a driver. his own car i might add.

anyone got any common sense answers about what to pay him? can't do it hourly.

Thanks for your input everyone 

[JJdomestics]

Hi

How many days per week would he/she have to take you? What is the time in between leaving you and picking you up? 

[Mrs Nicholls]

well, at the moment it would possibly be fridays, shrewsbury-chuch stretton (we do 4.5 hrs or so there) and back.

if get new weekend job. shrewsbury-condover and back (not sure how long there possibly 3 or so hours sat and sun)


wednesdays s hrewsbury-market drayton and back (up to 3hrs there p/w)
tuesdays  Shrewsbury-minsterley and back (monthly 3hrs)
tuesdays  Shrewsbury-craven arms and back (monthly 2hrs there)
plus others when they arise. We are normally ok with the bus with the local jobs in nd around the town centre.

[JJdomestics]

So it would take up most of thier day then. It's a tricky one. I know I paid £50 to my person who helped me. I just imagined how much fuel he would use? As I drive myself it was fairly easy to work out how much he would use and then I just gave him extra on top for his trouble. Another way to think of it would be how much are you spending at the moment on public transport? by how much do you want to reduce this by?. for example if you are spending £50-60 p/w on public transport and he uses an estimated £25 p/w on fuel perhaps offer £40 p/w to your driver. I'm sorry I can't really help more but as I am not from your area I don't know how far the journeys are. If you find someone willing to take you I think you are pretty lucky. I know I wouldn't do it for less than £100 p/w as it would ruin my whole week.

Best of luck

[Mrs Nicholls]

hi
Thanks for your help.
We went to condover today to do the survey, door to door 13 miles. took 1hr including 20 mins survey time, and bad traffic and roadworks.

I guess i'm going to have to declare him as an employee then? I've said i'll get him a milage record, it's only me and biz partner he'll be driving around for now anyway.

should i just pay him drivetime and milage? we have some jobs coming up about 40 mile round trip. not sure he'd want to go back to base just to return 3 hours later.