An as directed chauffeur booking puts a vehicle and its driver at your disposal for a set block of time, and you decide where it goes as the day develops. You book the hours rather than each trip, and the driver stays with you between stops. In Cape Town that usually means a half day of 5 hours or a full day of 10 hours, priced per vehicle.
The term comes from corporate travel, where an itinerary often changes after the car has been booked. It is also the simplest way to run a Winelands day, a wedding or a roadshow.
What "as directed" actually means
On a point-to-point transfer, the driver collects you at one address, drops you at another, and the job ends. If you need to go somewhere else later, that is a new booking with a new pickup time.
On an as-directed booking, the driver does not leave. They wait near the meeting, the restaurant or the estate, and when you come out the vehicle is there. If the next meeting moves from Century City to Stellenbosch, you tell the driver and the day carries on. You do not need to know the full route when you book, although it helps to share what you do know.
The same arrangement is sometimes called "at disposal" or "hourly hire". In each case you are paying for time and a vehicle, and the route is yours to set.
How an as-directed booking is priced
West Landau prices as-directed work per vehicle, in two standard blocks.
| Booking | Hours | Distance included | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half day | 5 hours | 100 km inside the Cape Town metro | A morning of meetings, a city tour, a dinner with the drive home |
| Full day | 10 hours | 250 km | The Winelands, Cape Point, the Whale Route to Hermanus, a full programme of meetings |
Driver, fuel and tolls are included, along with Wi-Fi, chilled water and privacy glass. If the day runs over, extra time is billed per hour and extra distance per kilometre at the rates on your quote. The Garden Route, overnight itineraries and anything more than about 200 km from Cape Town are quoted individually.
Because the price is per vehicle, the number of passengers does not change it. Six colleagues in a Palisade pay the same as one.
When as-directed is the right booking
As-directed hire makes sense when a vehicle would otherwise spend the day being booked, released and booked again. The common cases in Cape Town:
- A day of meetings across the metro. The Foreshore at 09:00, Century City at 11:30, lunch in Constantia, a site visit in Bellville. Separate transfers would leave gaps where your visitor waits on a pavement for the next car.
- A Winelands day. Estates sit some distance apart, tastings run long, and nobody in the party should be driving. The driver waits at each estate.
- Weddings and functions. The vehicle has to be outside the moment the bridal party or the host is ready, which no fixed pickup slot can promise.
- Investor roadshows and site visits. Meetings run over, get added or move across town. The guide to running an investor roadshow in Cape Town covers this in detail.
There is also a quieter benefit. A driver who stays with you all day learns the shape of the day. They know which entrance you used, where the bags are, and that the 15:00 meeting usually overruns.
When it is not worth it
If you need one ride from the airport to a hotel, or a single drop at a restaurant with no return, an as-directed booking is more than you need. A fixed-fee transfer does the job for less.
The same applies to a day with two short trips five hours apart. The driver would spend most of the booking parked. Two transfers make more sense. The comparison of point-to-point and hourly bookings sets out the arithmetic.
A working rule: if the vehicle would be idle for more than about half the booked time, book transfers. If you expect three or more stops, or you do not yet know when you will finish, book the hours.
Planning an as-directed day in Cape Town
You do not need a full itinerary, but a few details make the day run better.
- The first pickup and the likely last drop-off. This starts the clock and tells the concierge whether a half day or a full day fits.
- The stops you already know. Even three addresses let the driver plan the order around traffic. The N1 and N2 are busiest on weekday mornings and late afternoons, so a Stellenbosch meeting at 08:30 and one at 13:00 are very different drives.
- Who is travelling. The number of passengers and bags decides between a Staria and a Palisade. Parties of nine or more travel in two vehicles, one driver each, on one booking.
- Anything with a fixed time. A flight at the end of the day, a lunch table, a tasting. On curated days the concierge can book tables, tastings and tee times.
If you suspect the day may run long, say so when you book so the quote reflects it. The guide to choosing a half day or a full day helps if you are unsure which block fits.
Common questions
Does the driver wait during meetings and meals?
Yes. That is the point of an as-directed booking. The driver stays with the vehicle near the venue, and you can message them on their direct number when you are ready to leave.
Can I change the plan during the day?
Yes. Tell the driver where you want to go next. If the change takes the day beyond the included hours or kilometres, the extra is billed at the rates on your quote.
Can a half day go outside the city?
A half day covers 5 hours and 100 km inside the Cape Town metro. A day that reaches the Winelands, Cape Point or Hermanus is a full day, which includes 250 km.
Can I book several as-directed days in a row?
Yes. Multi-day bookings run at a discounted daily rate with one dedicated driver per vehicle for the whole booking. The cancellation windows apply to each day separately.
To get a quote, send the date, the first pickup address and time, the stops you know about, the number of passengers and a rough finish time. The concierge replies within the hour during business hours with a written quote. The corporate chauffeur page sets out how business bookings run.