IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT

As the luxury transport service industry gains more momentum in Malta, Darren Zarb, managing director at Dacoby Chauffeur Service Malta, drives MONEY through his journey to becoming one of the island’s leading luxury transport providers.

Your chauffeur business caters for clients who require a luxurious travel experience. What do you think has been the reason for your success in this sector?

If I had to give you a short answer, it would be our efficient and personalised approach and our high standards. With Dacoby, every client feels uniquely cared for by a team dedicated solely for them. We obsess over delivering an unmatched customer journey and experience.

Apart from this, Dacoby now boasts one of the largest, most modern luxury fleets in Malta. A wide range of amenities is available on each vehicle, including bottled water, hand sanitiser, tissues, and hand wipes, among others. Each vehicle is also equipped with all the brands of smartphone chargers and Wi-Fi connection.

Furthermore, we also ask each client for any specific requests such as the brand of water or any beverages they would like to drink during their journey. Once their preferences are in the system, we ensure his or her requests are met on every trip. We even specify the temperature of the vehicle and whether the client enjoys interacting with the chauffeur or not. We’ve always been one step ahead when it comes to personalising our services, and this has been one of the keys to our success. Initially, some used to question our decision to include bottled water in every vehicle, but today it is common practice within the industry.

Apart from our efficient service, a state-ofthe-art fleet and personalised approach, our team of professional chauffeurs has been our main selling point. A chauffeur service company involves far more than merely transporting people from point A to point B. Our chauffeurs are highly trained, patient, well-mannered and genuinely enjoy communicating with people. Chauffeurs are instructed to arrive at their pick-up location 15 minutes before their call time and wait

until the client is ready to go. They are discreet and will never question any delay from clients.

Clients are informed beforehand regarding the identity of the chauffeur that has been

assigned to them, and they would be able to contact their chauffeur directly regarding any changes and updates relating to their trip if they wish. Furthermore, we also offer information about the specific route the chauffeur will be using if such information is requested.

All our clients are given optimum privacy, and our chauffeurs are obliged never to disclose any personal or professional information in relation to our clients. Our discretion and professionalism are what have helped us earn the trust of our esteemed clients who continue to choose us as their preferred form of transport in Malta.

You started off working with your dad as a bus driver... Over a decade after, you own a VIP chauffeur service. What helped boost the popularity of your service in the last decade and what gives you a boost to continue to deliver this service?

One thing that I have always believed in is that you start slowly and keep growing steadily. Dacoby first started as a one-person, one-car company, and after a couple of years, we started expanding our fleet and workforce. I was always one to take calculated risks and was not afraid to experiment with new niches, and approaches in the industry.

As time went by, Malta managed to attract larger companies and diversified its business environment, which meant more opportunities were created for the local transport industry. Subsequently, we explored more innovative and creative ideas and evolved together with our customers. Our passion for what we do enables us to innovate and always remain a step ahead of our competition.

Today Dacoby has one of the largest market shares in the luxury transportation industry and is the popular choice for luxury hotels, private jets as well as luxury yacht charters and celebrities visiting our island.

What checks and balances do you have in place to keep a high-quality standard?

All vehicles are cleaned and sanitised before and after every journey and equipped with all the standard items provided on each

Our passion for what we do enables us to innovate and always remain a step ahead of our competition.

trip. Periodically, we provide training to all our chauffeurs, covering various topics, including etiquette. Something which we have always believed in is the feedback of clients. We try to gather as much feedback as possible, whether positive or negative as that allows us as a company to identify our pitfalls and work to improve on them. We have also engaged mystery shoppers to ensure we understand all aspects of the level of service we are providing our clients.

Was COVID a slap in the face for your industry too? How did you get along?

It is a tough time for the entire industry,

as many clients cancelled their travel plans and social commitments. Seeing the full fleet parked inside the garage was heart breaking; however, we were thankful that all our staff and families were safe. Having said this, we took the slowdown as an opportunity to investigate our internal processes and see where we can continue to improve and optimise our service.

In fact, during this period we relocated our offices to a larger area which is closer to the fleet base, which means that Dacoby now has all its operations under one roof. We have also taken the time to invest in the best cleaning and sanitising procedures and equipment to make sure that all our chauffeurs and our clients are safe.

Tell us more about your personalised chauffeur services.

I love comparing our job to that of an artist. For artists to paint a timeless piece, they need a vision, research, the right materials and tools, canvas and other components which combined, help deliver an excellent result. The same applies to our industry. The booking office must have the vision of the client’s needs, and in turn can provide all the necessary information to the chauffeur who will then plan the best route for the journey, ensure all the amenities requested by the client are in place and above all give the best service to our clients that is in line with their expectations.

Clients choose a personalised chauffeur service because they want the guarantee that their journey is smooth and hassle-free.