The minibus: 9 to 16 seats and a driver
This is the vehicle most of our trips are built around. A minibus seats 9 to 16 passengers besides the driver: an extended family, the wedding party's closest guests, a ski group or a junior squad. It is big enough to share and small enough for roads where a coach would be a squeeze.
Luggage: the number that matters
The luggage space sits at the rear and gets tight when every seat is taken. Twelve people with small bags is one trip; twelve skiers with boots and boards is another. Give the count of cases, skis and pushchairs, and the operator chooses the layout, or a bigger vehicle.
On board
- Commercial passenger transport with more than eight passengers besides the driver needs the BAV admission as a road transport undertaking (Art. 3 Abs. 1bis Bst. a STUG)
- Children under 12 need a suitable child restraint on seats with seat belts unless they are at least 150 cm tall; on seats with lap belts only, children from 7 years need none (Art. 3a Abs. 4 VRV)
- In domestic traffic, drivers who use passenger vehicles with no more than 16 seats besides the driver for professional passenger transport come under ARV 2 instead of ARV 1 (Art. 4 Abs. 2bis ARV 1)
- A minibus up to 3.5 t needs the motorway vignette (sticker or e-vignette); a minibus over 3.5 t pays the flat-rate heavy vehicle fee (PSVA) instead (Art. 3 NSAG; Art. 1 and 3 SVAV)
- Swiss law calls a passenger vehicle with more than nine seats including the driver a Kleinbus if it weighs up to 3.5 t, and a Gesellschaftswagen if it weighs more (Art. 11 Abs. 2 Bst. c and d VTS)
- Subcategory D1 covers passenger vehicles with more than eight but not more than 16 seats besides the driver (Art. 3 Abs. 2 VZV); the minimum age is 21 (Art. 6 Abs. 1 Bst. e VZV), and professional drivers need the CZV certificate (Art. 2 Abs. 1 CZV)
What Swiss law says about a minibus
Up to 3.5 t, a passenger vehicle with more than nine seats, the driver's included, is a Kleinbus and uses the motorway vignette; a heavier one is a Gesellschaftswagen and pays the flat-rate heavy vehicle fee instead. The driver needs category D1 and, working professionally, the CZV certificate.
Children under 12 who are below 150 cm need a child restraint on belted seats; on seats with only lap belts, from age 7 they need none. Tell the operator the children's ages so the right seats are ready.
A shortcut a coach cannot take
The Lötschberg car-carrying train between Kandersteg and Goppenstein accepts buses with up to 22 seats on its hourly large-vehicle trains. A minibus can therefore link the Bernese Oberland and the Valais through the mountain, handy for a week that combines Grindelwald and Zermatt.
In car-free resorts nothing changes: the drive ends at Täsch for Zermatt and at Lauterbrunnen for Wengen and Mürren.
Questions travellers ask
Can we hire a minibus without a driver?
No. Every vehicle on this site comes with a driver from a licensed partner operator.
What if we are only eight people?
Up to eight passengers, a car with driver or a Sprinter-style van set up as a car is enough. From nine passengers the vehicle is legally a bus.
Do passengers have to wear seat belts?
Yes, wherever belts are fitted, and the driver checks that children under 12 are properly secured before setting off.
Other trips we arrange
- Company days out and congress weeks, one minibus at a time
- Ski week transfers: airport to chalet in one minibus
- Class outings sized to fit one vehicle
- Away days for clubs, squads and supporters
- Getting your wedding guests there, and home again
- Day trips by minibus: lakes, falls and panoramic trains
- From the gangway to your next stop by minibus
- Accessible trips for groups with wheelchair users
Book a minibus with driver
Send the dates, the route, the number of travellers and every bag. A licensed partner operator supplies the minibus and its driver for the transfer, the day trip or the whole week.
Request a quote or call 35227647770