Burgundy’s Driver in France is a private transport company that offers:
- The private driver services in executive car
- Wine tour in the Côte des Vins of Burgundy
Drivers with a chauffeur-driven vehicle (VTC), a vehicle with between 4 and 9 seats, including driver, are subject to installation and operating conditions: professional aptitude, continuous training, prior reservation required, service.
Your transport service is committed to respecting the regulations in force. How to recognize a real VTC?
Since 1 July 2017, the operator VTC must have affixed a new sticker:
Each vehicle must display a signage Passenger car with driver (VTC), consisting of a self-adhesive sticker indicating:
- The enterprise registration number in the VTC register (in the 1st blank square);
- The registration number of the vehicle (in the 2nd white square).
The red sticker must conform to the model prescribed by decree.
It must be affixed:
- At the front of the vehicle: in the angle of the front windscreen at the bottom left of the driver’s place, and
- At the rear of the vehicle: in the rear windscreen corner at the bottom right, opposite the driver’s seat.
It must be removed or obscured if the vehicle is used for any activity other than VTC.
Warning: To avoid confusion with the taxi activity, it is forbidden to use a luminous external device.
Professional skills
- Have been in possession of a valid B license for more than 3 years;
- To obtain a certificate of physical aptitude issued by the prefect;
- To pass an exam (replacing initial training of 250 hours);
- Or to have experience as a professional driver of passenger transport, of at least 1 year in the previous 10 years.
Drivers convicted of certain offenses (punishment of at least 6 months in prison for theft, breach of trust, traffic law offense in particular) can not exercise.
Carte professionnelle
The driver of VTC must have a professional card to carry out his activity. The professional card must be affixed to the windscreen or to the vehicle in such a way that the photograph is visible from the outside.
The driver must return his business card as soon as he ceases his activity.
Training
The driver must follow a 5-year continuous training course of at least 7 hours, which can be divided up, provided at an approved training center.
Training should cover the general regulation of transport and road safety law, innovations in the management of customer relations and changes in professional practices …
At the end of the training period, a certificate from the training organization, signed and dated, valid for 5 years, must be given to the trained driver.
Unlike the taxi, a VTC driver can only take care of a customer if he can justify a prior reservation of the customer.
He can neither park nor drive on the public road in search of customers nor be shouted by a client in the street. Immediate care on the public road is reserved for taxis.
Exceptionally, a VTC may park in the vicinity of a railway station or an airport (or within its enclosure) in the expectation of the customer who has booked, but only for a maximum of 1 hour before taking in actual charge.
Prior reservation must be proved by means of a reservation ticket (in paper or electronic form), which must include the following information:
- Name or company name and contact details of the company carrying out the activity;
- Name and contact details of the client;
- Date and time of booking;
- Date, time and place of the client’s assumption.
- At the end of the race, the driver must return to his operator’s premises or park outside the roadway (eg a parking lot or garage), unless he warrants a previous booking.
Electronic marking by geolocation applications enabling customers to locate available vehicles is forbidden to VTC and reserved for taxis.
The driver is therefore obliged to return to the base immediately upon completion of the service, unless he or she has a prior reservation or contract with another customer.
A VTC can not be rented instead, but paid to the race.
The total price of the race can be:
- Either fixed, and determined at the time of the order;
- Either calculated after the service as a function of the travel time (duration of the service) and the distance traveled (horokilometric basis).
Prices are free and unregulated, unlike taxis whose rates are set by decree.
The transport car with driver must have:
- Between 4 and 9 seats, driver included;
- Less than 6 years (except vehicles of collection);
- At least 4 doors;
- Minimum overall dimensions: 4.50 mx 1.70 m;
- An engine with a net power greater than or equal to 84 kW.
- These conditions do not apply to hybrid and electric vehicles.
The purchase of a specific automobile insurance for the transport of persons for valuable consideration is compulsory and must be justifiable during any inspection.
