THE RECESSION here hasn’t deterred Washington-based chauffeur group Carey International from recruiting a new Irish franchisee.

Dublin-based Michael Devine Chauffeur Services Ltd takes over the contract from July 1st.

Part-owned by Avis Budget Group, Carey generates more than €300,000 a year in revenues into Ireland from its corporate customers globally.

Devine, a family-owned group set up in 1978, will drum up its own business locally and refer Irish customers to Carey.

Nick Riley, the UK-based vice president of Carey’s international network, insists the service is cost effective for cash-strapped corporates. “We compete on price with the black cab in London,” he said, adding that the hourly rate in Dublin will be €42.

Carey’s business is down about 20 per cent year-on-year globally, Riley said. And in Ireland? “Revenues have been flat in the first two quarters but we’ve started to see it increase recently. But I’d be nervous about talking about green shoots of recovery.”

Carey uses a fleet of Mercedes Benz, which could no doubt tell a story or two. A number of Lehman Brothers executives were in the back of Carey cars when the bank went wallop last year.

Here’s hoping a similar fate doesn’t befall its Irish customers.