Quick Tips on Choosing the Best Vehicle for Your Event

Choosing Your Chauffeured Transportation Vehicle

Picking a vehicle for your event can be a confusing task. You need to determine how many passengers will be involved to choose the appropriate sized vehicles. Always estimate an extra person or two in your count just in case someone gets added last minute and because you do not want to have the maximum number of people that a vehicle can hold. For example, if you have 10 passengers, you want to aim for a 12-14 passenger vehicle, so people have some room otherwise it would be very tight. Once you have an idea on the passenger number decide what vehicle type would be best for your occasion and then you can focus on a specific brand and style.

Vehicle Selections

Sedans: Great for airport transfers or other corporate travel. Sedans can hold 3 passengers traveling with luggage or 4 without luggage
SUVs: The SUV’s are good for small group trips for corporate or other social events. They have room for more than 3 passengers with plenty of leg room and room for luggage
Stretch Limousines: Stretch limousines are a good choice for many different occasions; whether corporate travel, night on the town or wedding. Some models feature L-shaped seating which is popular because it features easy access to the vehicle’s amenities. Stretch limousines usually fit about 10-14 passengers depending on the vehicle.
SUV Limousines: SUV limousines can accommodate approximately 10-20 passengers. They usually feature AM/FM/CD Stereo, TV, VCR, bar, ice compartments, privacy divider’s and more. The SUV limousines are usually higher off of the ground and are sometimes easier to get in and out of than a stretch limousine.
Party Bus: Party buses can accommodate 16-35 passengers that are ideal for nights out, weddings and other social events. . A party bus will allow for more room between passengers for a more comfortable ride, especially when wearing formal attire. Passengers can also stand, dance and move around the party bus while in motion. Most feature special lighting, bar areas, stereo systems with iPod hook ups, air conditioning and tinted windows.
Shuttles Buses: Shuttle buses hold up to 22-29 passengers with forward facing seats, room for luggage and ample leg room. Great for large group functions, shuttling guests and party transportation. Shuttle buses are good for getting your guests from one location to another so that they do not have to drive and worry about parking.
Motor Coach Buses: Motor coaches can hold 48-56 passengers and are great for large group functions and long distance trips. Features tinted windows, individual forward facing seating, restrooms and luggage space. Motor coach buses are very popular for large group transportation for school trips, conferences and other corporate or social trips.

Vehicle Pricing

The majority of transportation companies have an hourly minimum for certain days of the week and that may increase or decrease during high and slow times during the year. For example, there may be specific rates from May-October because of wedding season.

Each vehicle normally has a flat rate that is charged for that specific vehicle. Gratuity and fuel charges may also be included in the flat rate. Chauffeured transportation companies want to make the pricing easy to understand for their clients and so it is helpful to have everything rolled into one price and to not have any hidden fees. A parking fee may sometimes be included as well for airport transfers.

After reserving your vehicle there is a deposit that needs to be paid to secure the vehicle for that day. The deposit rate may differ depending on the company and normally is non-refundable. Make sure you understand everything about the process of reserving your vehicle and paying deposits.

If overtime occurs then there is usually a grace period of a certain amount of time and then the overtime charges go into effect. The overtime fees include the hourly rate of the vehicle and gratuity. Some companies charge by the half hour and others by the hour for the vehicle.

Other fees that could be charged are cancellation fees and clean up charges. Cancellation charges usually go into effect if a service is cancelled without 24 hours notice. Clean up charges would include excessive messes and vomit that the company has to clean up. Each company may have their own particular policy on how vomit clean up is charged, but typically it is per person per each time it happens.

Keeping all of this information in mind will help you to understand the vehicle quoting process and determine the best vehicle for your occasion!

Are you looking for transportation for your event? Contact Aristocat Transportation to learn more about the variety of vehicles that are offered to accommodate every group size!

Posted on October 9th, 2012 in Corporate Travel & Advice, Special Events, Useful Tips.