Vaughn Joseph decked out his taxi in a Burberry pattern expecting it would get some attention from locals.

He was surprised when the move also got him some high-profile recognition from overseas.

The 45-year-old driver was featured on thepointsguy.com last weekend.

The popular travel advice site has more than 1.5 million unique visitors each month; its 229,000 Facebook followers are worldwide.

Mr Joseph’s partner, Kristy “Miss Thang” Burgess, came up with the idea to redo the interior of his Toyota Alphard.

“When I purchased this taxi it was pre-owned and already two years old,” Mr Joseph said. “I wanted to add my own look.

“The wood grain in the car was burgundy and it looked out of place by itself. We went online and Kristy picked out this Burberry check pattern with burgundy stripe in it. At first I didn’t like it, but the upholsterer who did it from Touch Tech Upholstery did a great job with it.

“People tell me it looks very classy and it’s very clean. I like it because it helps me give my customers what I would expect when I’m travelling.”

Residents now call it The Burberry Taxi.

“It’s easier to be recognised. People stop me just to take pictures and give me lots of press because of what I have done and people hadn’t seen this anywhere else in the world in a cab,” Mr Joseph said.

It’s the reason why the car received such fanfare from thepointsguy.com.

Mr Joseph unknowingly picked up its editor-in-chief, Zach Honig, and contributor Sarah Silbert from the airport on April 25.

“A lot of influential people come in unannounced,” he said.

“They want to see the Island’s beauty first-hand rather than people knowing they’re from a special agency in tourism.

“I was there at the airport and they just happened to be next in line for my taxi and asked to be taken to The Reefs hotel. I gave them a mini-tour and a little sneak preview of Bermuda — who we are, what we do.

“That was the end of that. I dropped them off, gave them my business card and left to go and do my next job. A day later they e-mailed me.

“The gentleman complimented me on the service and let me know who he was and asked if it would be okay if he featured me and took some photos because he had a site [and] millions of readers go there to find out about travelling worldwide.”

Mr Joseph happily agreed — extra bookings have been trickling in ever since.

“It took them a little while to get the story up on the site because they travel all around the world,” he said.

“It still hasn’t hit me that it’s worldwide, but the first time it was online I had people calling me for tours and things like that. Another lady whose father passed away wanted to take her mom in a ride in my taxi because the mother loves Burberry and they pretty much begged me. I also had a lot of ‘likes’ on the site when I last checked.”

Mr Honig has travelled to more than 40 countries.

He said it’s common for him to feature anything he finds interesting during his travels on the site.

“Vaughn seemed like a really nice guy and I was happy to send some business his way as well,” he said.

“I’ve always had a fantastic experience in Bermuda taxis — the fares aren’t cheap, but the drivers are always very friendly and helpful.

“Vaughn’s taxi looks relatively ordinary from a distance, but when he opened the door I was immediately impressed. All of the Bermuda taxis I’ve ridden have been very clean, but Vaughn’s was exceptional. It looked brand new.”

Mr Joseph started driving taxis in 2012. He found that hospitality came naturally to him. His father Stanley Ingham was an industry veteran. He drove his own taxi for 25 years before he retired.

“I used to be in the construction industry working as a project manager for a roofing company,” he said. “At the same time when things started slowing down in construction my uncle, who drove a taxi, had to have a hip operation. I was driving his car and realised I might as well start my own business, Prestige Transport, and be an ambassador for Bermuda.”

His efforts paid off. In 2013 Mr Joseph won the VIP Excellence Award for Best Taxi Driver.

These days he strives to keep his car in tip-top condition. He wipes it down daily and uses special mats to keep dirt and sand at bay.

After that his only task is to show off his friendly, outgoing personality.

“Everyone is going through things and feeling the pinch here and there, but customer service and your personality means a great deal,” he said.

“People are coming on vacation and just want to relax. They don’t want to hear about your problems. The beauty of the Island on its own is a very relaxing tool, but if you add a positive experience to that you can’t lose.”

As a bonus to riders, he accepts major credit cards for payment and gives wifi access.

“There are only about four or five of us who offer that,” he said. “It helps because if you get a person going to the hotel and they like your service they will also want to get you to drive them going back.”

E-mail v.eric.joseph@gmail.com or visit thepointsguy.com/2015/07/bermudas-decked-out-taxicab/