When the group does not fit
A family or a group with suitcases can exceed what an ordinary car holds, and then the answer is a taxi with more seats or a bigger one again. Ask the municipal dispatch ahead of time: vehicles of this size rarely sit at a rank waiting for the next passenger.
What the eight-seat car actually is
It is a licensed car whose plate authorises more seats than the usual vehicle, so the group travels seated and nobody ends up squeezed into the middle row. The authorised seat count is on the plate of the vehicle itself: if you are unsure what has pulled up at the rank, ask before the luggage starts going in.
Luggage is the part people get wrong
Hard cases swallow more space than people do, and a pushchair takes more than a case. Nobody is left behind at the rank, but a driver may decline to set off if it all will not fit, or ask you to call another vehicle. When you book, say how many pieces you have and roughly how big they are.
What to give the dispatch, and when
Ring the dispatch of the municipality you are leaving and hand over four things: the number of people, the luggage, the time and the pick-up point. For departures in the small hours or on public holidays it is worth leaving the notice the night before and confirming in the morning. This page does no booking: the call is yours.
Where a taxi stops being the answer
Beyond a certain group size the taxi is no longer the answer and you want a bus or a minibus, hired as a service with an itinerary and timetable agreed in advance rather than picked up at a rank. With a few days' notice it is worth asking for a quote and setting it against hiring a vehicle with a driver.
Frequently asked questions
Will all the cases go in an eight-seat taxi? ＋
Not necessarily: passenger seats and boot space do not grow at the same rate. Always say how many cases you are bringing before it is confirmed; where they will not fit, the options are a bigger vehicle or splitting the group across two cars.
Is it charged at a higher rate than a normal taxi? ＋
The amount comes from the meter under the fares in force, and carrying more passengers adds nothing per person. What moves the figure is the journey, the fare that applies and the supplements: raise them when you get in and keep the receipt.
What about bringing a child seat? ＋
Ask when booking if you need a child-seat anchor point: not every vehicle has one fitted and a driver cannot always fit one at the kerb. On long journeys with children, that notice belongs with the booking.