How to Hire a Trustworthy Private Vehicle?
Not all journeys on Mallorca require a mini bus. If one person, a couple, a family, or a small company needs a private transport with a driver familiar with the area of interest, this requirement should be met through private taxi hire. Choosing a private taxi in Mallorca is a matter no less important than choosing other means of transport, e.g., for transportation of larger groups of people.
In this article, one can read about the signs of a trustworthy private taxi service in Mallorca, the vehicles offered by it, as well as popular booking options that tourists prefer.
Features of a Private Taxi Service
The difference between an ordinary car and a private taxi in Mallorca lies in several aspects of booking the service. The customer pays for a dedicated vehicle and driver; all the details of pickup (location, time, exact fare, etc.) are discussed in advance. In some cases, the cost of booking the service may depend on traffic conditions that are hard to predict in peak season.
However, the advantage of booking a service becomes clear when it comes to such places as the airport, especially if the pickup takes place early in the morning. A fixed, prearranged price and pickup time will be a guarantee of safety and convenience in case of unforeseen changes in traffic.
A private taxi in Mallorca has more advantages than the services offered by ordinary drivers. An operator of such services is familiar with the specifics of local transportation and road network – for example, he can help his customers find the fastest way to avoid congestion. Such things as a dedicated phone number for the operator, an agreement on all the aspects, including payment, a possibility to track the route, and a VAC or taxi license are essential in this case.
Choosing the Type of Car
There are three basic types of vehicles offered in a private taxi service in Mallorca:
- A standard saloon for up to 4 passengers.
- A larger version of this car with more trunk space (estate car).
- MPV or van – suitable for 7 or 8 passengers.
Standard saloons are a suitable choice for couples, friends traveling in a small group, or for transportation with a limited amount of luggage (up to two pieces per passenger). Estate cars are used by passengers that need a little more trunk space to accommodate additional luggage; the number of passengers in the car remains the same – 4.
The second two types of vehicles are needed by tourists planning to visit the area of their interest together with the whole family; besides, the cost of the journey remains the same if the passengers split into two cars. The last type (MPV) can be rented not only by families but also for the purposes of wedding trips; this option is usually offered if one wants to accommodate a larger group (up to 8 passengers).
A reputable operator should always ask about both the number of passengers and luggage, because it is possible that the journey with a certain number of passengers and a little more luggage will become harder because of the limited space in the car.
The Most Popular Destinations
Airport transfers are among the most common orders of private taxis in Mallorca – the most demanded are routes between Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) and hotels or villas; journey time may differ depending on the destination (it takes 15 minutes if you are going to a hotel in Palma itself or over an hour to reach a remote hotel located in the northeastern part of the island).
Also, quite often, people traveling by ship rent a private taxi in Mallorca for transferring from the port to the hotel or from the hotel to the airport. Sometimes these services are needed on the turnaround days when several ships arrive in the port and the number of taxis becomes limited.
Tourists also order such services for their trips to Serra de Tramuntana with sightseeing tours around its famous villages; moreover, some of them want to make trips to Alcúdia or Porto Cristo (located in the eastern part of the island) – these places attract people living in southwestern areas. Business people rent private taxis from time to time for business trips around Palma, and people traveling within one resort order the service for their trips between hotels and restaurants.
What to Check Before Booking?
Before booking any service it is better to find out some things:
- Is the price fully fixed?
- Is a flight tracker applied for airport trips?
- Is a flight tracker applied for airport trips?
If all this information was not provided by the company, it is better to think twice before choosing it. A trustful and experienced operator will inform the customer about the licensing, insurance, and identity verification of the driver – and this information will be easy to check online.
