The Government Car Service (GCS) is a British organisation within the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for supporting the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister and Cabinet ...

that provides a high-quality, secure car service for Ministers of

HM Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

. GCS was formerly part of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). This was an

executive agency An executive agency is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate, to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government or No ...

of the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...

, responsible for providing

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

services to the

United Kingdom government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

and wider public sector.

History

The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) was formed in 1997, when Security Facilities Executive was reformed. The GCDA closed on Sunday 30 September 2012 following discontinuation of its despatch services earlier in the year. All government car services were closed as of that date, with the exception of secure transport for ministers, the

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

, former prime ministers and other senior officials, which transferred to the

together with the supporting workshop services. GCDA was split into two businesses: Government Car Service (GCS) and Government Mail. The GCS provided secure cars and drivers to government ministers and ran other people-movement services for the wider public sector. Government Mail (formerly known as the Interdespatch Service) provided inter-departmental mail and package movements, and a secure courier service for the wider public sector. In July 2024, the GCS transferred to the

Operations

The GCS is responsible for the Prime Ministerial Car, which is stored and maintained at

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London is the official residence and office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. Colloquially known as Number 10, the building is located in Downing Street, off Whitehall in th ...

, and staffed by the Metropolitan Police.

References

Sources

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External links

Government Car Service
2012 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Defunct executive agencies of the United Kingdom government Department for Transport Cabinet Office (United Kingdom) Logistics in the United Kingdom {{UK-gov-stub