How many people fit: companions, wheelchairs and seat counts
10. 8. 2026
The most awkward moment in senior transport happens outside the front door: the driver arrives for one person and three are waiting. Nobody lied — nobody asked.
Ask every time, even when it seems obvious
The number of passengers belongs on every booking, including bookings from regulars. Circumstances change: a lady who used to travel alone starts bringing her daughter once her eyesight gets worse. The question "Is anybody coming with you?" takes two seconds.
It helps to be specific:
- Is anyone travelling with you?
- Are you bringing a wheelchair, a walking frame or a stick?
- Do you have bags or anything bulky?
The last one produces the most surprises. An ordinary boot is full once a folding wheelchair goes in.
A companion is not an extra fare, but an extra seat
Who pays for a companion is a matter for your price list and your agreement with the council. Who takes up a seat is a matter of physics. The two get confused, and it ends with four people at the car and a booking for one in the records.
The recommendation: count everyone who sits down as a passenger, and handle the question of who pays separately. The monthly report then matches what actually happened on the road.
Fill in the seat count honestly
Passenger seats means seats not counting the driver. A five-seat car carries four passengers. If the vehicle record says "5" because somebody copied the number from the registration document, it will cost you a ride one day.
For a car that carries a folding wheelchair, record the real situation: an unfolded chair often takes a seat, or only fits with the rear row down. Write it into the vehicle's notes.
Let the application watch it, not somebody's memory
A dispatcher cannot remember how many seats each car has, especially when vehicles rotate. In Viacurso the seat count is visible when you assign a car, and if the ride does not fit, a red warning appears.
It deliberately blocks nothing. The dispatcher may know what the application does not: that a second car is following, that the companion gets out after two streets, or that the seat count on the vehicle is simply wrong. The point is only that nobody is surprised at the kerb.
When they do not fit
You have three options, and all of them are better thought through in advance than in the street: send a bigger car, split the ride in two, or drive twice. For regular customers, write the answer into their notes — next time you will not have to ask.
The seat count is set on the vehicle (Vehicles → vehicle → number of seats) and means seats for passengers, excluding the driver.
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