Guide
Group ski transfers: private or shared for your party
Updated
This decision changes a transfer quote most, and it is not purely about money. It is how much of your first and last day you spend in a vehicle.
The trade being made
- Shared transfer
- You share a vehicle with other parties heading to the same valley. The vehicle cost is split, so the price per person drops. In exchange you wait at the airport until the vehicle fills or its departure slot arrives, and you stop at other resorts or accommodation on the way.
- Private transfer
- The vehicle is yours. It leaves when you are through arrivals and drives to your accommodation. You pay for the vehicle whether there are two of you or eight.
Group and family ski transfers: where the crossover sits
A private transfer prices the vehicle, not the head, so the per-person gap narrows fast as a group grows. For a couple, shared is normally a lot cheaper. For a family of four or a group of six, the difference is often much smaller than expected, and the time saved is substantial on a changeover Saturday.
We do not publish the crossover point as a number, because it moves with route, season and operator. Ask for both quotes and compare them yourself: it takes one extra line in an enquiry.
When private is worth it regardless of price
- Small children. Waiting in an airport for a shared vehicle to fill, then stopping four times, is a long afternoon.
- Late arrivals. Shared services thin out at night, and a missed connection can leave you without one.
- Lots of kit. Ski and board bags take vehicle volume. A shared vehicle's luggage allowance is usually stricter.
- Accommodation off the main strip. Shared routes serve fixed drop points; a chalet up a side road may be a private-only destination.
- Tight flight timing on the way home. A private departure leaves when you need it to.
When shared is the better buy
- One or two of you, travelling midweek, going to a well-served resort.
- Daytime arrival with a flexible afternoon.
- Light luggage, or hire kit booked in resort.
- A budget that would otherwise come out of the lift pass.
Questions that apply to both
- How long do you wait free of charge after the flight actually lands?
- What is the maximum wait at the airport before a shared vehicle departs?
- How many stops are scheduled before mine?
- What vehicle is allocated, and how many ski bags does it take with this party size?
- Are child seats supplied, and at what cost? France does not require them in taxis or public transport vehicles, so they are not automatic.
- What is the cancellation policy if my flight is cancelled rather than delayed?
Above eight passengers plus the driver, Swiss law brings a different licensing regime into play, and larger vehicles are a scarcer resource in the Alps in peak weeks. Groups of nine or more should book earlier than everyone else.