Coach Rental Across France

Wedding guest transport by coach

At a wedding, the coach takes guests from their hotels to the ceremony, on to the reception and home at night. The late return needs the most planning.

Guest shuttles

Count the guests at each hotel and set one pickup time per hotel. A midi-coach with 29 to 35 seats suits a smaller party; a full-size coach takes 49 to 57. Any guest vehicle bigger than 9 seats, driver's seat included, must come from a registered passenger transport company.

Send the addresses of the ceremony and the reception, and ask the venue whether a coach can reach its gate. Country estates often sit on narrow lanes. Where a coach cannot turn, the driver confirms a stopping point nearby and guests walk the last stretch.

Stretch limousine, exterior
Stretch limousine, exterior

A car for the couple

A car with driver hired in France is a VTC, and it runs only on prior booking. Look for the VTC sticker on the windscreen and rear window. The driver carries a VTC professional card issued by the préfecture. Most cars take the couple and one or two others comfortably.

In Lyon, the Presqu'île is a limited traffic zone, but VTCs may always enter it. The couple can be set down at a hotel or restaurant door there.

Rules organisers should know

  • A car with driver hired in France is a VTC (voiture de transport avec chauffeur): a vehicle of fewer than 10 seats that can be used only on prior booking
  • Guest transport in vehicles with more than 9 seats including the driver is carried out by a company entered in the register of road passenger transport companies

The last run home

Plan the return as two runs: one around midnight for early leavers, one at the end of the night. Give the operator the full timetable. A driver needs at least 11 hours of rest in each day, so a coach that did the late-morning hotel run will need a second driver for the 02:00 return.

Organisers ask

Does the coach wait during the reception?

Usually it parks away from the venue and comes back for the return runs. Agree those times when you book.

Do guests wear seat belts on the coach?

Yes, on every seat that has one. That applies to the wedding party too.

Can we add a run the next morning?

Yes. A brunch shuttle or a run to the station is a separate journey. Add it to the request with its time and addresses.

Cities

Vehicles with a driver