An airport transfer for a group in Cape Town is planned around three numbers: how many people, how many bags and how many flights. West Landau moves groups of up to 36 in matched chauffeur-driven vehicles, with one driver per vehicle, every flight tracked and the whole group on one booking and one quote. Parties of nine or more travel in two or more vehicles, and the luggage, not the seat count, usually decides how many.
Below is how the vehicle count is worked out, how staggered arrivals are handled, and when a coach is the better answer.
How many vehicles does a group need?
The fleet is five vehicles: three Hyundai Staria Luxury, each seating eight passengers plus the driver, and two Hyundai Palisade Elite, each seating six plus the driver. All five together move 36 passengers with five drivers.
On seats alone, the arithmetic looks like this:
| Group size | Vehicles on seats alone |
|---|---|
| Up to 8 | One Staria |
| 9 to 14 | One Staria and one Palisade |
| 15 to 16 | Two Starias |
| 17 to 24 | Three Starias |
| 25 to 30 | Three Starias and one Palisade |
| 31 to 36 | All five vehicles |
That table is the starting point, not the answer. The answer depends on the bags.
Why luggage decides the vehicle count
A full Staria takes around four large suitcases plus hand luggage. A full Palisade takes three to four large suitcases. A group of eight landing from Europe for a week, each with a large case, will not fit in one Staria with every seat taken.
The concierge quotes a second vehicle in that case, rather than squeezing. It is the right call for a practical reason. Bags stacked on laps and in the footwells make a long drive to Franschhoek or Hermanus uncomfortable, and they make it harder for the driver to load and unload quickly at the kerb.
When you ask for a quote, count the bags properly: large suitcases, cabin bags, golf bags, prams, equipment cases. Golf groups in particular need the bag count early, and golf transfers in Cape Town covers how the clubs travel.
Groups arriving on different flights
Most groups do not arrive together. Twelve wedding guests may come in on four flights across a day. A conference team may split between the morning flight from Johannesburg and an international evening arrival.
Each vehicle is assigned to a flight or a cluster of flights, and each one is tracked separately. The driver for the 09:40 arrival does not wait for the 14:15 one. Every driver is in the arrivals hall with a name board, and the first 60 minutes after actual touchdown are included on each transfer. If a flight is cancelled or diverted by the airline, that transfer moves to the new arrival at no charge, subject to availability, without unsettling the rest of the plan.
What the organiser needs to send is a simple arrivals list: each passenger's name, flight number, date, bags and destination. The concierge groups them sensibly and returns a single quote with one booking reference. For conferences and events, delegate airport transfers goes into the organiser's side in more detail.
One booking, one quote, one point of contact
A group booking is quoted per vehicle, never per person. All the vehicles appear on one written quote under one booking reference, confirmed on full payment by EFT. Corporate and multi-day clients can be invoiced monthly on account by arrangement.
The evening before, the organiser receives every driver's name, photograph and direct number, and can pass each one to the passengers on that driver's list. On the day, the organiser deals with one concierge, not five separate drivers.
Cancellation windows apply to the booking: free more than 48 hours before pickup, 50% retained within 48 hours, and the full value within 24 hours or for a no-show. On multi-day group bookings, the windows apply to each day. The full terms are at booking terms.
When a coach is the better choice
Be honest with yourself about what the group needs. If 30 people land on the same flight, all go to one hotel, have no time pressure and are happy to wait for everyone's bags, a coach operator will move them in one vehicle, and that is a sensible choice. Above 36 passengers, a coach is the only practical option, and the West Landau fleet is not the answer.
Matched private vehicles earn their place when the group is split across flights, when the destinations differ, when the arrival is a first impression you are responsible for, or when part of the group needs to leave the airport promptly for a meeting while the rest follow. They also earn it when the group stays together for the week. The same vehicles and drivers can run the airport arrival, a Winelands day for the group and the departure, at a discounted daily rate with one dedicated driver per vehicle.
Common questions
Can a group choose matching vehicle colours?
Colour can be chosen from pearl, black or silver and is honoured subject to availability. For a group in several vehicles, ask for matching colours when you book and the concierge confirms what can be arranged on your dates.
What if some guests go to a different address?
That is normal. Each vehicle can go to a different destination, and the concierge groups passengers by flight and by address so that nobody is driven across the city to drop someone else first.
Do you handle the departure as well?
Yes. Departures can go on the same quote. The pickup times are planned around each flight, and guests leaving together share a vehicle.
How early should a group book?
As early as the flights are known. Five vehicles is the whole fleet, and busy weekends and conference weeks fill first.
To get a group quote, send the arrivals list with names, flight numbers, dates, bags and destinations, plus any departures you already know. The concierge replies with one written quote and a booking reference. The group transport page sets out how larger bookings work.