For most people, booking a private driver means booking one journey: a pick-up point, a destination, a time. But some days do not fit that pattern. You have five appointments in three districts. You want to show the region to visitors without watching the clock. Or your programme simply is not settled yet.
That is what hiring a car and driver by the day is for: the driver and the vehicle are reserved for a length of time, not for a route. Here is how it works, when it genuinely beats a string of separate bookings, and what we need from you to organise it.
- How it differs from a standard transfer
- Five situations where it makes the difference
- Half a day, a full day: setting the length
- How the day actually runs
- Which vehicle for your day
- Frequently asked questions
How it differs from a standard transfer
A transfer answers a simple question: getting you from A to B. That is the format for airport runs, station arrivals, and journeys to a stadium or a concert hall. The route is known in advance, and that is exactly what allows us to quote a firm price.
Hiring by the day answers a different question: staying with you for a set length of time, with as many stops, detours and waiting periods as your programme requires. The driver does not leave between stops. He stays with you, your belongings stay in the car, and you set off again when you are ready.
The practical consequence is this: you no longer have to plan your day to the minute. A meeting that overruns, a visit that takes longer than expected, an unplanned stop along the way. None of it breaks the arrangement, because there is no next booking waiting elsewhere.
Five situations where it makes the difference
Not every day calls for this format. These are the ones where it genuinely changes things.
- A working day with several appointments. Three or four visits across the metropolitan area, files and equipment to leave in the car, timings that drift. Booking four separate journeys means betting on a schedule nobody keeps to. The wider picture for business travel is set out on our private car service in Bordeaux page.
- A day trip. Arcachon Bay, Cap Ferret, the Perigord, the Basque Country, the ocean beaches. These outings involve several stops and a return time that depends on the weather and on how the day goes. Two of the most popular are Arcachon Bay and Sarlat and the Perigord Noir, with the Basque Country as a full-day option.
- Hosting visitors or a delegation. Collecting guests, taking them to their hotel, driving them to a site, then bringing them back at the end of the day. That is one continuous service, not four bookings to coordinate.
- An evening or an event. When the finishing time is not known in advance, reserving a length of time rather than a return slot saves you from guessing.
- A family day out. With young children, pushchairs, bags and last-minute changes of plan, having the same vehicle all day makes the logistics considerably simpler.
Conversely, if what you need is one journey out in the morning and one back in the evening at a known time, two transfers will cost you less. We will tell you so plainly when we quote.
Half a day, a full day: setting the length
The service is booked in blocks of time. Our published rates start the format at a four-hour booking, which corresponds to half a day. The full conditions are on our rates page, which we keep up to date rather than copy out here.
Beyond that, the length is set by your actual programme: a full day, an evening, or a tailored window. Two things drive the quote: the duration and the distance covered. Half a day inside Bordeaux and half a day with a return run to the coast are not the same journey, even if the clock says otherwise.
For a recurring need, such as several days in the month or staff to move regularly, a corporate account with single invoicing is usually simpler. How that works is set out on our corporate transport page.
How the day actually runs
The principle is deliberately simple.
- Before the date, you send us the outline of your day: starting point, preferred time, the stops you have in mind, and roughly when you expect to finish. None of it has to be final.
- On the day, the driver collects you at the agreed address and stays with your programme for the whole booked period.
- Between stops, he waits nearby with the car. Your belongings can stay in it, so you are not carrying them from one appointment to the next.
- The programme can change as the day goes on: a stop added, another dropped, the order rearranged. That is precisely the point of the format.
If your day begins with an arrival by air or by rail, it can also start the moment you land or step off the train. Pick-up then takes place in the arrivals hall, as it does on our transfers from Bordeaux-Merignac airport.
Which vehicle for your day
Our SUV covers the large majority of these bookings: individual travellers, couples, small groups. For a larger party or a substantial amount of luggage, a van or a seven-seater can be arranged on request.
One point many clients discover at the last minute: it is the volume of luggage that decides, not just the number of passengers. Four people with hold suitcases and professional equipment do not take up the same space as four people with one bag each. Tell us both, and we will settle the vehicle accordingly.
For families, we carry two child booster seats. This is not a comfort but a legal requirement. The exemption that applies to taxis and public transport does not extend to a private hire vehicle with a driver. Tell us that children are travelling as soon as you enquire, so that we can answer you precisely.
Within Bordeaux itself, hiring by the day also settles the parking question, which has become the real constraint in the city centre rather than the traffic.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum length?
The format starts at a four-hour booking, which is half a day. Below that, a standard transfer or a there-and-back journey will suit you better and cost less.
Can the programme be changed during the day?
Yes. That is the whole purpose of the format: the driver is reserved for you for a period of time, not for a fixed route. Adding a stop or reordering the visits is no difficulty as long as you stay within the booked period.
What if the day runs longer than planned?
Tell us as soon as you sense it coming, rather than at the last minute. An extension is nearly always possible; it is handled when it is decided, not afterwards.
Does it work outside the Gironde?
Yes, particularly for day trips to the Perigord or the Basque Country. Those destinations fall outside our usual area, so they are quoted on the basis of your programme.
Can we book for a group split across two vehicles?
That is possible, and it is sometimes the better answer when the luggage exceeds what one vehicle can take. Give us the exact number of passengers and bags, and we will propose the right arrangement.
How far in advance should we book?
As early as you can. Hiring by the day ties up a driver for half a day or a whole day, which mechanically limits the number of slots available, particularly at weekends and in busy periods.
Just tell us the date, the hours you have in mind and the number of passengers, and we will build the day around your programme. Request a quote or get in touch.