From scaffolding to the steering wheel: Tom’s story as an Addison Lee driver

Tom’s route into private hire wasn’t a master plan. It was, in his words, a practical one.

“I chose to become a private hire driver because I used to be a scaffolder – and scaffolding in the rain is not as fun as driving in the rain.”

It’s a throwaway line, but it points to something real. Trade work and site work are physical jobs that don’t pause for weather. A PCO career trades the building site for the driver’s seat: the same self-reliance, none of the exposure to the elements. For a lot of drivers making the switch, that’s a quality-of-life decision as much as a career one.

And it’s a switch plenty of people make. London has tens of thousands of licensed private hire drivers, and the PCO route – a Private Hire Licence issued by Transport for London – is one of the most accessible paths into self-employed driving work in the capital.

A common worry for new PCO drivers is what happens when things go wrong. A flat tyre on a Tuesday morning. A diagnostic fault halfway through a shift. A question about a booking that needs answering fast. For self-employed drivers, downtime is lost income – which is why Tom rates the backup he gets.

“I get tons of support from the Addison Lee team. They are always there on the phone when you need them. Anytime you have a problem with your car, they are happy to help out and get you back on the road as soon as you can.”

Practical support matters. A driver who can reach a real person when something’s off the rails spends less of their week worrying about the worst-case scenario – and more of it earning. That’s the difference between a platform that treats drivers like users and one that treats them like part of the business.

Ask Tom about the concrete benefits of driving for Addison Lee and he ticks through them quickly.

“The benefits that I get from Addison Lee would probably be the pension, there’s tons of schemes that you can sign up to, and the flexibility. I enjoy that because it means I get a bit more family time.”

Pension contributions are rare for self-employed drivers. Most PCO drivers are on their own when it comes to long-term saving. Having a scheme built into the platform removes a barrier a lot of drivers never get around to sorting themselves.

Driver schemes cover everything from bonus structures to reduce vehicle rental to breakdown cover to fuel-related support. These aren’t headline features – they’re the quiet savings that add up across a year.

Flexibility is the one most new drivers ask about. A PCO career should give you control of your time. Tom puts it in the clearest terms: more family time. That’s the real-world test of whether a driving job is working.