The Executive Car with a Chauffeur

Not every movement needs a coach. A speaker, a bridal couple or a board member travels better in a car with a chauffeur. A saloon seats one to three passengers in comfort; a van version takes as many as eight.

The chauffeur's permit

Carrying passengers in a hired car with a chauffeur is professional transport under ARV 2. On an ordinary category B licence, the chauffeur must first earn a federal permit to carry passengers for a living, by passing an added theory exam on working hours and an added driving test. Holders of a D or D1 licence receive it without further tests.

Cars with at most eight passenger seats need no BAV admission. Cantons set their own taxi and limousine rules, and the canton where the trip starts is the one that counts.

Seats and bags

Seats: 1-3 (up to 8 passengers in a van-type car)
Luggage: Boot space; choose a larger vehicle for more passengers or luggage

On board, and the rules that apply

Passenger transport with hired vehicles and a chauffeur counts as professional passenger transport under ARV 2 (Art. 3 Abs. 1ter ARV 2)
A driver who carries passengers professionally with a category B car needs the permit for professional passenger transport (Bewilligung zum berufsmässigen Personentransport, Art. 25 VZV); it is entered on the licence as code 121. Holders of a D or D1 licence receive it without a further test (Art. 25 Abs. 4 VZV)
To obtain the permit with a category B licence the driver passes an extra theory test on drivers' hours and an extra practical driving test (Art. 25 Abs. 3 VZV)
Trips are "professional" under ARV 2 when they are made at least twice within less than 16 days and the fare exceeds the vehicle costs and the driver's expenses (Art. 3 Abs. 1bis ARV 2)
Vehicles with at most nine seats including the driver are outside the federal passenger-transport monopoly (Art. 8 Abs. 1 Bst. a VPB), and cars with at most eight passenger seats need no BAV admission as a road transport undertaking (Art. 3 Abs. 1bis Bst. a STUG)
Cantons have their own taxi and limousine rules; check the canton where the service starts

At the airports

At Zurich Airport, cars with a driver use the inner lanes with a limousine-service permit and wait at P12-100. Geneva Airport's P6, where coaches collect, turns away low vehicles of nine seats or fewer, so a chauffeured car meets its guest from the VTC area or a car park. No airport publishes a meeting point; it is agreed when booking.

Alongside a coach

At events the car often runs next to the coach. VIPs leave when they are ready, and the guests keep to the timetable. Book both together so the times match, and give the chauffeur the same programme as the coach driver.

What organisers ask us

How much luggage fits?

What a boot holds. With several large cases or more than three passengers, book the van version or a minibus.

Is the car right for a wedding couple?

Yes, it is one of its most common uses. The chauffeur holds the same professional permit whatever the occasion.

Does the chauffeur keep to working-hours limits?

Yes. Under ARV 2 the chauffeur drives no more than 9 hours between two daily rests and no more than 45 in a week, and takes a break after 4.5 hours.