PCO car hire is a term you will hear a lot if you are looking for a flexible way to earn an income with Uber, Bolt, Ola or Kapten. Before you get started in the world of PCO, you need to know the finer details and where to begin. At Rent2Ride we are experts on all things PCO, we will help you manage the finer details so that you can focus on the earning.

The Basics

PCO stands for the Public Carriage Office, this is a department of Transport for London (TfL). A PCO car is a car that is ‘ride hailing app’ ready. This means it meets the TfL requirements for personal transport, in order to do this, it must have a Private Hire Vehicle licence, this is proof that TfL have approved the car for private hire.

All rideshare drivers in London must have a valid PCO licence, no matter what platform they are using to work. Anyone who has a valid driver’s licence, and who has at least 3 years of driving experience can apply for a PCO licence. Once you have your PCO licence it is valid for 3 years.

Your PCO Car

To get a PHV licence your car must meet certain criteria. It must have a Euro 6 petrol or diesel engine, or a Euro 4 petrol-hybrid engine, it must have 4 independent opening doors and it must be in good condition with no cosmetic damage and no branding on it. 

Keeping your car within the parameters of the PHV regulations, and keeping up with the paperwork, can be a lot of admin. It demands time and attention that you would probably rather dedicate to driving and earning.

PCO car hire is the solution to this issue, it ensures you and your car are always ready to work. When you opt for PCO car hire your car will be part of a fleet, and it will be the PCO hire companies’ duty to keep everything up to spec.

The Pros and Cons of PCO Car Hire

Most people think that ride sharing drivers use their own cars, although this may be true in some cases, in most cases the driver is probably renting their PCO car. 

Pros

• Minimum commitment: some PCO car hire companies will allow you to hire the car for as little as 4 weeks, so if you think the job isn’t for you anymore you can hand the car back easily.

• All-inclusive packages: The PCO car hire package will include the PHV licence, insurance and most of the routine maintenance.

Cons 

• You don’t own the car: although you can choose to pursue rent to buy, with PCO car hire you never own the car.

• A select number of makes and models to choose from.