How do you keep your VTC clients coming back?

Why is a regular client worth more than a new ride?

A client who books you direct costs you no platform commission, and they book ahead, which lets you plan your days. They also talk about you. Run the numbers for someone who flies twice a month, there and back: 48 rides a year. Keeping them is worth more than finding ten one-off passengers.

What should you do during the ride?

Nothing extraordinary. Consistency is what brings people back.

• Arrive ten minutes early, especially for an airport or a station. For a 7:12 a.m. train from Gare de Lyon, a client who finds you already parked outside has less reason to call someone else next time.
• A clean car, water, a charger.
• Remember their habits: the terminal, the radio off, the route they prefer.
• Hand over your card if they ask for it.

One caution about the apps. If the client got in through Uber or Bolt, that trip stays under the app's terms: do not offer to redo the ride outside it.

What should you do after the ride?

1. Send the invoice the same day, especially to a business client.
2. Save the contact with a note (first name, usual trips, preferences). Keep only what you need to drive them, and delete it if they ask.
3. Confirm the next booking in writing: date, time, pickup address, price. That message also serves as your record of the advance booking.

How do you bring a client back without pestering them?

One message at the right moment, not a campaign. The day before a trip they make every month, before the school holidays, or before a trade fair they go to every year ("Still 7 a.m. on Thursday for the fair?").

Keep the same price for their usual trips: once they know it, they have no reason to shop around. And reply fast, because a client left waiting for your answer ends up opening an app.

For promotional messages, the French data protection rules (CNIL) apply. A client who has already booked you may receive offers for similar services, as long as they can opt out easily in every message. Someone who has never been a client must agree first.

How do you start word of mouth?

• Hand over two cards, one for them and one for someone they know.
• Send a link that is easy to forward, for example your page in a WhatsApp message.
• After a trip that went well, ask for a Google review. A recent, specific review helps the next client choose you.
• Thank whoever recommends you, with a word or something off their next ride.

Why does the business card still matter?

A number read out in the back of a car gets lost. A card goes in a wallet and turns up again three weeks later. With a QR code, the passenger opens your page in one tap and books you without copying anything. Choose a QR code that goes through a fixed address: it keeps working even if your page changes, so the cards you already printed stay useful. See What should a chauffeur business card say?

Which tools help you keep your clients?

• For nothing: your phone contacts with notes, WhatsApp Business and its saved replies, a spreadsheet for your bookings.
• A plain business card from any printer, with a QR code to your page.
• Chauffeur Pro gives VTC and private-hire drivers a website, a QR code and business cards so their passengers book them direct, with no commission. Its QR code goes through a fixed address, and the sharing kit includes a WhatsApp card to send to your clients. Chauffeur Pro is not affiliated with any ride-hailing app.

Frequently asked questions

How do you stay in touch with your VTC clients?

Save every client in your phone with a note about their trips, and always confirm their bookings in writing. Before their usual trips, a short message is enough to remind them you are available. A card with a QR code also lets them find you without searching.

Does a VTC driver need a loyalty card?

Rarely. What keeps a client is mostly a fixed price they know in advance and a punctual driver who replies fast. If you want to offer a perk, keep it simple and put it in writing, for example money off one trip after several bookings.

Can you send promotional texts to your clients?

Yes, to a client who has already booked you, for similar services, if they can opt out easily in every message. For someone who has never been a client, you need their prior consent (CNIL rules on marketing messages).

What if a regular client books less often?

Just ask them. Maybe they changed jobs, or a late pickup annoyed them. A client who tells you why they book less often tells you how to keep them.