"VLTP" (chauffeur car service in France)
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Presentation
Light Passenger Vehicle providers offer transport for individuals, which means for a maximum of 8 passengers, either for "public service" transport (under the control of "organizing authorities") or for "occasional services" (private transport) discussed here.
The "VLTP" in "occasional services" (chauffeur driven cars) work with tour operators, travel agencies and other private clients for occasional services (tourism, events, transfers).
Their trips are carried out from their pick up areas to any point in French territory.
The benefits :
- Personalised service
- Their range of vehicles and services
Safety
The profession
The "VLTP" companies (chauffeur driven cars) must hold a "national transportation license" (licence de transport intérieur), and if not an authorisation from the Prefect to conduct their activity.
These companies offer 2 types of services:
- Tours for individuals that return travelers to their original location and for which each place is sold separately.
- Shared services for groups of at least two people
The driver must hold a category B driver's license and a Prefectoral attestation issued after his/her physical assessment. He/She must have onboard a copy of the national transportation license.
These companies must of course be subscribed to an insurance for transporting passengers in return for payment.
Reservation and Price
Regulations require an advance booking by the client with the company.
The VLTP regulation does not specify any determined prices, therefore the prices can vary following the provider. Companies are therefore free to quote their services and prices as part of the reservation contract with the client.
There are 2 ways to reserve a VLTP:
- By reserving directly with the service provider.
- By using the monTransport.com platform
Using monTransport.com gives the opportunity to compare prices between different service providers and to select the best one according to your needs.
The vehicle
For a "VLTP" provider, the cars used are of all ranges and all categories: sedans, cruisers, hatchbacks, 4x4, minivans and limousines able to accomodate a maximum of 8 passengers (not including the driver).
A little history
The history of the "VLTP", in "public or private service" is strongly connected to the one of the bus and coach that were developed after the 1st world war at a time marked by very strong regulation (rail route coordination) and by the development of mass tourism with the creation of paid holidays (1936).
In 1937 the license to drive a coach or a bus became mandatory.
Following the interlude formed by the Second World War, a 1949 decree states that occasional transport services (private service as opposed to public)) are those that are repeated at certain periods throughout the year, such as the tourist excursion services or which take place on the occasion of winter sports or of public events (sport related or others) repeated several times per year. The occasional transport services contrast one-off services such as transport services organised for mariage ceromonies or funerals.
Since 1982, the original national or community regulations profoundly modified the applicable set of legal rules for occasional services.
Two types of "occasional services" are outlined: services with the capacity of transporting a maximum of 8 passengers (VLTP) and the bus/coach services (more than 8 passengers). The first requires a "national transportation license" whereas the latter need a "community drivers license".
Occasional services also includes one-off services, a category that the regulation has removed.
