Weather fluctuations in London can cause many disruptions in your PCO journey. The city can experience all kinds of weather situations on the same day. One moment the sky is clear, and the next minute it's raining heavily. If you drive a PCO car in London, here are some tips to help you keep up with the city's notoriously unpredictable weather.
Check Your Car in the Morning
The first thing you should do is thoroughly check your vehicle and ensure everything is working properly. This includes checking tyres, wipers, lights, turn signals, seat belts, etc. If you find any issue get it fixed before accepting any ride requests.
Plan Your Day
No matter the season, you must plan your day in advance before starting your PCO journey. This includes checking your area's news and weather forecasts, connecting with other drivers for any updates, choosing suitable routes, etc. Most drivers take the least congested routes to avoid paying Congestion charges and complete their rides quickly. Some of these routes may not be ideal during bad weather conditions. You may lose signals, or the car may break down in the middle of nowhere. Planning your routes and using well-maintained roads will keep you and your passengers safe.
After starting your day, you should check the latest weather updates every hour because the weather in London takes unexpected turns. It can be sunny one minute and rainy the other. If you get any weather warning, make sure to stay put and don't put yourself at risk.
Planning your day not only ensures safety but also minimises downtime and helps you select an optimal time for picking up rides.
Keep an Emergency Kit
You spend most of your day in your PCO car, so make sure to carry all essential things with you. Getting stuck in rainy or snowy weather can be dangerous for you. An emergency kit will help you seek help or keep yourself safe. Here are some of the things you can keep in your car:
- Winter boots, gloves, a jacket and a blanket
- Essential medicines
- Water bottles and non-perishable food
- First aid kit
- Windshield washer fluid
- First aid kits
- Umbrella
- Road flares and reflective triangles
- Spare tyres and tools to change them
- Snow chains and ice scrapers
- Portable chargers and a spare phone
- Map
Get All-Season Tyres
When driving a PCO car, it's crucial to maintain safety throughout the ride. During rainy or snowy weather, usual tyres can affect your driving performance because they have low rolling resistance. You'll experience poor acceleration, long brake distances on slippery roads, and extreme damage to the tyres. Similarly, if you use winter tyres during summer, their softer material made for snowy roads will offer poor fuel efficiency along with traction and handling issues. So why not get something that can withstand cold and warm weather, like all-season tyres?
All-season tyres combine the technology of summer and winter tyres to offer optimal performance during snowy, rainy, or sunny days. They have sipes in the tread, allowing the tyres to maintain stability on slippery, dry or snowy roads. This way, you don't have to change tyres frequently and can keep up with the unpredictable weather. However, during extremely snowy weather conditions, it's best to use winter tyres temporarily because they offer the best performance.
Buy a Good Phone
You need your smartphone to accept ride requests, communicate with passengers, find routes to the destination, and stay updated with traffic and weather situations. It's important to have a reliable smartphone with good battery life, so it doesn't give up on you during an emergency. Most rideshare drivers keep a spare phone to deal with unexpected situations.
Maintain a Safe Distance
The stopping distances during snowy or rainy weather are ten times greater than usual, so you must maintain a safe space between your vehicle and others. Weather can also get quite foggy during these months, and you may not be able to view other vehicles or pedestrians properly, so maintaining a safe distance and slow speed will minimise the likelihood of incidents.
Don't Drive When Sick
Changing weather also comes with sickness. If you're not well, hold off on your trips until you recover. Driving with a cold is not only uncomfortable, but medicines can make you drowsy and increase the risk for your passengers.
Get a Suitable Car
Older cars tend to break down during extreme weather conditions and require frequent servicing and maintenance. Make sure you get a modern, reliable car that can withstand weather damage and usual wear and tear.
G&M Direct Hire, a company specialising in PCO car hire in London, offers a wide range of Uber-ready and licenced PCO cars for rent. You can rent a brand-new electric vehicle or a hybrid at a lower price with free servicing, MOT and tyre changes. Contact them for more details or visit their website.
