Newly self employed - should I not be charging for this time?

[WearsblackLoveschocolateAvoidspeople]

I started my own small home help business this year. Up to date it has mainly involved helping local elderly clients. I walk their dogs, collect prescriptions and help with light housework etc. I have not be asked nor do I need to take any of my clients anywhere, until recently.

I have been approached by someone I know of (friend of a friend type of thing). Their adult dc who is a wheelchair user lives independently approx. 6 miles from them. They have asked if I could work for their dc for 4 hours on a Friday taking them out to lunch and helping them with shopping etc. I have said this is fine, happy to do this.

The wheelchair user client has their own disability car which I am to use but it is garaged at the parents house. This isn't a problem as the parents live in the next village to me so I am to leave my own car at theirs, collect the disability car then travel to the clients house, pick them up and do what we need to do in the 4 hours etc. I will then drop them back off at their house and drive back to their parents house to drop the car off at theirs, collect my own car and go home.

I have done a couple of trial runs with them and due to the fact their dc lives in the middle of a very busy city the traffic is a nightmare. It takes me around 15-20 mins to get there after initially picking up the car and coming back to drop it off can take me up to an hour as it is the start of rush hour. I have tried a few routes but they all take roughly the same amount of time.

So I have explained that if I were to take this job on my invoice will obviously need to include the time I am in traffic but they have said they are not prepared to pay for that time, they only want to pay for the 4 hours I am actually with their dc. The mother then added that not many people are paid for going to and from work. I have explained that it isn't travelling to and from work because I am using their car so in all sense and purpose I am still working for them until I actually drop the car back off and get into my own. They can not see this.

So, would I be in the wrong to expect to charge them for this time even though I am in their car. Surely that would still be classified as working? or are they right?

You should charge as you could be using the additional journey time working for someone else and you need to earn a living, it would be different it you were driving for friends.

The DD would be entitled to a disabled space outside her home. There must be some sort of parking anyway as the car needs to be parked there when the carers go and pick her up.

It seems highly suspicious that this car is kept so far away from the person that needs it. If it is a Motability car they could well be breaking the rules of the scheme.

The parents use the car regularly for their own purpose. I imagine that's why the mobility car is at theirs 99% of the time?
It's not right but there you go!

As long as the mobility car is being used for the disabled persons benenfit (and it sounds like they do use it for him) then nominated drivers can use the car for daily activities without the disabled person in it. If they were keeping the car and never using it for the disabled person when they needed that would be breaking the rules as far as I understand it.

presumably the disabled person in this scenario cannot drive themselves?

It’s not the OP’s problem whether the car is being used strictly within the rules, though - the only question is whether she wants to negotiate with these CFs or walk away