Private driver or taxi in La Rochelle: the real differences before you book

A private driver is booked, a taxi can be taken at the rank

This is the basic difference, set by law. A taxi can be hailed in the street, taken at a rank (outside La Rochelle station, for instance) or ordered. A private-hire car cannot be hailed and cannot wait for clients on the public highway: it comes because you booked it, in your name, for a given time and address. In practice, this means that with a private driver you do not queue, and nobody else gets into the car meant for you.

The booking can be made long in advance or a few minutes before: at MyCourse, the phone is answered 24/7 and many of our clients call as they step off the train. But the principle stays the same, the driver sets off because a ride has been assigned to him.

The fare: given before departure on one side, on the meter on the other

A taxi charges on the meter, at a regulated rate that depends on distance, time, hour and day. The final amount is known on arrival. A private-hire car has the opposite obligation: the fare must be agreed before the journey. At MyCourse, it is given to you on the phone, in the app or on the quote, and it does not move afterwards, whether there is traffic on the ring road or the Île de Ré bridge is busy.

This fare set in advance can differ from one period to another: a festival night or a Saturday in August is not charged like a Tuesday in November. The difference with the meter is that you know it before you get in, not after.

Reserved lanes and the station: an advantage for taxis

Let us be fair: taxis have ranks and, in some cities, reserved lanes. At La Rochelle station, the taxi rank is on the forecourt. A private driver has no rank: your chauffeur waits for you at an agreed meeting point, which he sends you by text message, next to the bollards on the forecourt side in the case of the station. If you want to jump into the first available car without planning anything, a taxi is made for that. If you want someone waiting with your name, who has tracked your train and knows your destination, that is the private driver.

The vehicle and the driver

A taxi can be a standard saloon or a high-end vehicle: it depends on the operator. A private-hire service is, by positioning, a chauffeur service: at MyCourse, drivers wear a suit, the vehicles are Mercedes V-Class and Vito Tourer vans with 7 and 8 seats and Tesla Model Y cars, prepared before every ride, with water on board. Child seats are requested when booking, and the driver loads and unloads your luggage.

Groups: the real practical difference

Beyond four people, a standard taxi is no longer enough. A private-hire van takes up to 8 passengers and their luggage, and for a wedding, a seminar or a team, several vans are coordinated on the same schedule, up to 18 vehicles on a single day to date. It is the request we get most often after station and airport transfers.

So, private driver or taxi in La Rochelle?

If your journey is predictable, even by a few minutes, a private driver gives you a firm fare, a chauffeur waiting for you and a vehicle suited to the number of people. If you do not want to plan anything and a rank is right in front of you, a taxi will do the job. Many of our clients use both depending on the situation. What we offer is to be the alternative to a taxi that reassures you when the journey matters: a train not to miss, children, suitcases, a night out, a late arrival.

To book, three ways: the phone, 24/7, the quote form for a group or a return trip, and the MyCourse app for your regular journeys.

Frequently asked questions

Kamel ScattolinFounder and managing director of MyCourse, private chauffeurs in La Rochelle since 2019.