# Chauffeur price list template: how to build your rate grid

> How to lay out a chauffeur rate grid by vehicle class and service type, with fixed routes, surcharges, extras, waiting and cancellation, plus a free template.

URL: https://odobase.com/blog/chauffeur-price-list-template
Published: 2026-10-15
Author: The Odobase team, Product team at EqualPixels Technologies
Tags: pricing, chauffeur, templates
Last updated: 2026-10-15

## The short answer

A chauffeur price list is a grid of vehicle classes against service types, backed by four short tables: fixed routes between zones, surcharges, extras, and your waiting and cancellation rules. Fill it in from your own costs, keep each surcharge on the base fare only, and start from the free template in Excel or PDF.

A price list is what lets anyone in your office give the same quote twice. Without one, prices live in the owner's head, the phone answer depends on who picks up and an old quote cannot be explained. This guide shows how to build a chauffeur rate grid, table by table, and gives you a template to fill in.

## How should a chauffeur price list be structured?

Build it as one main grid of vehicle classes against service types, then add short tables for fixed routes, surcharges, extras, and waiting and cancellation. That keeps each decision in one place. When fuel costs rise, you change the grid; when the airport raises its parking fee, you change one line in the surcharges table.

## What goes in the main rate grid?

The main grid has one row per vehicle class and one column per service type. A typical layout, with illustrative numbers in a neutral currency unit:

| Vehicle class | Transfer: base fare | Transfer: distance rate | Minimum fare | Hourly (min. 3 hours) | Day hire |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saloon, up to 3 passengers | 25 | 1.20 | 35 | 40 | 280 |
| Executive, up to 3 passengers | 35 | 1.60 | 50 | 55 | 380 |
| People carrier, up to 7 passengers | 40 | 1.80 | 55 | 60 | 420 |
| Minibus, up to 16 passengers | 60 | 2.40 | 80 | 80 | 560 |

The figures are examples only. Work out your own from what each class costs to run; our guide on [how to calculate a chauffeur fare](https://odobase.com/blog/chauffeur-fare-calculation) shows the method.

- **Base fare** covers getting the car to the pickup and the start of the journey. You can include some distance in it.
- **Distance rate** is the price per unit of distance after that.
- **Minimum fare** makes sure the shortest trips still pay.
- **Hourly** is for bookings where the customer keeps the car, with a minimum number of hours.
- **Day hire** is a fixed price for a full day.

Describe each class by what fits in it. Customers choose by passengers and bags.

## How do you set up fixed routes?

List the journeys you run most often as fixed prices between named zones, one row per route and one price per vehicle class. Airports, the city centre, main hotel areas and nearby towns are the usual zones.

| From | To | Direction | Saloon | Executive | People carrier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airport | City centre | Both ways | 55 | 70 | 80 |
| Airport | Business district | Both ways | 50 | 65 | 75 |
| Station | Airport | One way | 45 | 60 | 70 |

Fixed routes are the prices customers compare most, so make them easy to find and easy to quote. For airport pricing in detail, read [how to price airport transfers](https://odobase.com/blog/how-to-price-airport-transfers).

## Which surcharges belong in the table?

Only those that reflect a real extra cost: night hours, peak dates, last-minute bookings and airport fees. Give each one a name, when it applies and whether it is a percentage or a fixed amount.

| Surcharge | When it applies | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Night | 22:00 to 06:00 | 20% of the base fare |
| Holiday | Public holidays and listed dates | 25% of the base fare |
| Last minute | Booked less than 3 hours before pickup | 10% of the base fare |
| Airport fee | Pickup or drop-off at the airport | 6 |

Write down the rule that percentages apply to the base fare only. Otherwise a night pickup on a holiday, booked late, multiplies three times and nobody can explain the total.

## How should extras be priced?

Price extras by how they cost you: per booking, per item or per hour.

| Extra | Charged | Example price |
|---|---|---|
| Meet and greet in arrivals | Per booking | 10 |
| Child seat or booster | Per seat | 5 |
| Extra stop on the way | Per stop | 8 |
| Extra hour beyond a booked hourly hire | Per hour | The class's hourly rate |

## Where do waiting and cancellation rules go?

Put them in the last table of the price list and in your terms, in the same words. Cover the free waiting period at addresses and at airports, what you charge for extra waiting and in what blocks, when a wait becomes a no-show, and your cancellation deadlines and fees. Our guide on [how much to charge for waiting time](https://odobase.com/blog/waiting-time-charges) goes through the choices.

Close with a few general lines: whether prices include tax, how totals are rounded and any discount for a return booked with the outbound trip.

## Download the chauffeur price list template

The template follows the structure in this article: the rate grid, fixed routes, surcharges, extras, and waiting and cancellation. Every figure in it is an example, to be replaced with your own.

- [Download the chauffeur price list template for Excel (.xlsx)](https://odobase.com/templates/en/chauffeur-price-list-template.xlsx)
- [Download the chauffeur price list template as a PDF](https://odobase.com/templates/en/chauffeur-price-list-template.pdf)

Use the spreadsheet to work out and keep your prices, and the PDF to print or share a filled-in copy.

## How does Odobase use a rate grid like this?

The [Odobase price list](https://odobase.com/features/price-list) is built on the same structure. You set rules by vehicle class and service type: transfer, airport transfer, hourly, day hire and round trip. Zones are circles on a map, and fixed routes run from zone to zone, one way or both. Distance pricing takes a base fare, included distance, tiers and a minimum fare. Surcharges by time window, weekday, date range, pickup or drop-off zone, airport fee and last-minute booking can each be a percentage or a fixed amount, and percentages apply to the base fare only. Extras, an extra-stop fee, a return-trip discount, prices including or excluding tax, one rounding step and client rate cards with start and end dates complete it, and "Test a price" shows the breakdown for any journey.

## Frequently asked questions

### What should a chauffeur price list include?

Prices for each vehicle class and service type, fixed prices for your common routes, surcharges for nights, peak dates and airports, priced extras, and your rules for waiting and cancellation. Each part should be written once, so every quote comes out the same.

### How many vehicle classes should a price list have?

As many as customers can tell apart, and no more. Most operators describe each class by what fits in it, such as passengers and bags, so customers can choose without help.

### Is the template free?

Yes. The Excel and PDF files on this page are free to download and use. Replace every example figure with your own prices.

## Written by

The Odobase team, Product team at EqualPixels Technologies. We build Odobase, fleet management software for car rental, chauffeur and transport companies, and write about what we learn from the fleets that use it.

[About Odobase](https://odobase.com/about)

## More from the blog

- [How to calculate a chauffeur fare: costs, time, distance and margin](https://odobase.com/blog/chauffeur-fare-calculation)
- [Free chauffeur quote template (Word and PDF)](https://odobase.com/blog/chauffeur-quote-template)
- [How to price airport transfers: fixed fares, surcharges and waiting time](https://odobase.com/blog/how-to-price-airport-transfers)

[See all guides](https://odobase.com/blog)