Handling special passenger requests: child seats, accessibility and VIP preferences

Most complaints about special requests are not about the request itself. The client asked for a rear-facing seat, the dispatcher saw it, and the chauffeur arrived without it. Or a regular VIP asked once for still water and no conversation, and nobody wrote it down.

The requests differ, but the failure is the same: information that did not travel from the booking to the person at the kerb. Fix that and most of the problem goes away.

Capture the request properly at booking

A free-text notes box is where good intentions go to die. If a request matters, it needs its own place on the reservation, separate from general comments, so that nobody has to hunt for it.

Whoever takes the booking should ask the follow-up questions every time. Do not rely on the client to volunteer detail. For example:

• Child seats: how many children, their ages, and their height and weight if the client knows them.
• Accessibility: what the passenger needs help with, and what equipment is travelling with them.
• VIP: whether the preference is a one-off or should be kept on the client's profile.

Then confirm in writing. A short line in the confirmation email, such as "One rear-facing infant seat will be fitted before pickup", gives the client a chance to correct you before the day.

Child seats

The legal position on child restraints varies by country and sometimes by licence type, so check what applies to your vehicles and your area rather than assuming. Whatever the rules say, the practical points are the same.

Decide your policy and state it plainly. Some operators supply seats, some ask the client to bring their own, some do both. Any of these is acceptable if the client knows before they book.

If you supply seats, treat them as inventory:

• Keep a count of each type: infant, toddler, booster.
• Know which vehicle each seat will be in and who is fitting it.
• Inspect and clean them between jobs, and retire any that have been in an incident or are past the manufacturer's guidance.

If the client brings their own, ask the chauffeur to check it is fitted securely and suits the child. A chauffeur should feel able to say no to an unsafe setup, and your company should back that decision.

Accessibility needs

The worst thing you can do is guess. Ask open questions, such as "What would make the journey easier for you?", and let the passenger describe it.

The details that affect dispatch are usually practical:

• Whether the passenger will transfer to a seat or stay in a wheelchair.
• Whether the chair folds, and its approximate size and weight if it is powered.
• Whether a ramp or lift is needed, and whether the assigned vehicle has one.
• Whether an assistance animal is travelling.
• Any hearing, vision or communication preference, such as a text message on arrival rather than a call.

Be honest about your limits. If your fleet cannot carry a particular powered chair safely, tell the client at the time of the enquiry and, where you can, refer them to a partner who can. A clear no on Monday is far better than a failed pickup on Friday.

Check the rules on charging, too. In many places you cannot charge extra for assistance or for carrying mobility equipment. Make sure your pricing and your staff reflect that.

Train chauffeurs on the basics: how to offer help without taking over, how to secure a wheelchair if your vehicles are equipped for it, and how to speak to the passenger rather than to their companion.

VIP preferences

VIP clients rarely ask for much, but they notice when you forget. The preferences are usually small: a particular water, a cool cabin, a specific entrance, no conversation unless spoken to, a route that avoids a certain area.

The point is that they should only have to say it once. Record preferences on the client profile, not on individual trips, so that every future booking inherits them.

Discretion matters just as much. Keep sensitive details, such as security arrangements or the names of people travelling, visible only to the people who need them. A chauffeur needs the pickup point and the preferences. They do not need the whole itinerary.

Get it to the chauffeur

This is where most operators lose the thread. The request has to appear where the chauffeur actually looks: on the job in their app, not buried in an email chain that only the office has seen.

That is what a joined-up system is for. When the reservation, dispatch and chauffeur app share one record, a child seat or a wheelchair requirement entered at booking shows up on the job that gets assigned. Dispatchers can also match the right vehicle and driver before the job goes out, rather than after.

A simple routine helps whatever tools you use:

• Check special requests the day before, not the hour before.
• Have dispatch confirm the right vehicle and equipment is allocated.
• Ask the chauffeur to acknowledge the request in the job.
• After the trip, note what worked and update the client profile.

Price it openly

If a request carries a cost, such as a supplied child seat or a larger vehicle, show it as a line on the quote and the invoice. Surprises on the bill undo the goodwill the service earned. Where the law says an accessibility need cannot attract a charge, keep it off the invoice altogether.

The standard to aim for

A passenger with a special request should not have to repeat themselves, chase you, or wonder whether it was understood. Capture it clearly, confirm it, put it in front of the chauffeur, and remember it for next time. None of that is complicated, but it has to happen every time.