How should a VTC driver set prices for direct clients?

What should a VTC fare cover?

More than you think if you only look at the kilometres. Write the list down before you settle on a number.

• Fixed costs, the ones you pay even on a day with no rides: the car (loan or rental), insurance, professional card, accountant, phone, subscriptions.
• Energy, servicing and tyres, which you count per kilometre.
• Time, and not only the trip itself. Pickup, waiting when the flight is late and the empty drive back all take your time too.
• Social contributions, plus VAT if you are registered (in France, 10% on passenger transport).
• Your income, meaning what you want to earn per hour worked.

How do you work out a price: an example

Take a 35 km airport transfer that takes 1 hour in total. The figures below are assumptions, so redo the sums with your own.

Rounded, that is a €40 fixed price. Before you quote it, check two things. It has to stay above what you would earn on an app for the same time, and it has to look credible next to what the apps show for that trip.

Fixed price or hourly rate?

A fixed price suits anything that comes back often: the airport, the station, business travel. The client knows the price before booking and does not have to think about it during the ride.

An hourly rate is for hire by the hour. A wedding, a day of business meetings or sightseeing, in other words the days when nobody knows in advance how far you will drive.

Either way, French law sets the frame. The total price of a VTC ride is set at the time of the advance booking, and only a price calculated purely on duration may be settled after the service (Code des transports, article L3122-2). So give your price in writing, when the client books.

Do you have to be cheaper than the apps?

No, and you would not last long playing that game. Your best clients do not choose on price alone. What they pay for is a driver they know who picks up when they call, at a price agreed in advance that does not jump on a rainy Friday night. On frequent trips, stay in the same price range as the apps and make your margin on reliability.

Should you show your prices?

Yes, at least for the trips people ask you for most. "Airport from €55" reassures more than "on request". Put those prices on your page, which you change in a minute, rather than on printed cards (the day fuel goes up, you will not have a box of cards to throw away). For everything else, a price given in reply to the request is enough.

Which tools help you announce your prices?

• For nothing: a saved WhatsApp Business message with your fixed prices, and your prices on your Google profile.
• Your own Wix site, if keeping a prices page up to date doesn't put you off.
• 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. You write a price for each service ("from €45", "€95 an hour") and change it from your phone. Chauffeur Pro is not affiliated with any ride-hailing app.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average price of a VTC ride?

On the platforms, 60% of rides were paid between €9 and €15 in 2024 (ARPE, ONT3P observatory). An airport transfer or a long-distance ride is priced separately, based on the distance and the time it takes you.

Is there a minimum fare for a VTC driver?

On the platforms, yes. The sector agreements approved by the ARPE set at least €9 net per ride for the driver, €30 per hour of activity and €1 per kilometre. With your direct clients nobody imposes a fare on you, and it is up to you to make sure your prices cover your costs.

Can a VTC driver use a meter like a taxi?

In principle, no. The price of a VTC ride is set at the time of the advance booking (Code des transports, article L3122-2). The exception is a service charged purely by duration, such as hire by the hour, whose price may be settled afterwards.

Do you charge VAT on a VTC ride?

Yes if you are registered, at 10% for passenger transport. Under the franchise en base you invoice without VAT, with the required mention on the invoice. Your accountant or URSSAF can confirm your situation.