Choosing the right vehicle for your group

Most people pick a vehicle by the number of passengers, and most of the time that works. The cases where it goes wrong are nearly always about luggage. A party of four with one large suitcase each fits the Economy van well. The same four with two suitcases each, a pushchair and a bag of beach toys bought at the airport does not.

• Economy van: up to four passengers with normal holiday luggage, roughly one large case and a cabin bag each
• Standard van: seven seats; the right choice for five or six people with full luggage, or four with bulky extras
• VIP van: six passengers in individual leather chairs, for those who want more space and comfort on the way
• Minibus: up to sixteen passengers, with a luggage hold at the back for a whole group's suitcases

A useful rule of thumb: one golf bag takes about the space of two suitcases. A folded pushchair counts as roughly one case. When the numbers are close, take the next size up; on most routes it costs only €5 more, and the drive is more comfortable with nobody holding a bag on their knees.

All of these travel at no extra cost, provided the vehicle has room for them. Golfers heading for the courses at Belek, or staying in Side and playing there, usually take the Standard van or the minibus so that bags and clubs ride flat in the back.

Pushchairs and buggies are carried folded. A folding wheelchair goes in the luggage area; if the passenger needs help moving from the chair to a seat, or uses a chair that does not fold, please tell us when booking so we can say honestly what is possible and which vehicle suits best.

Ski equipment and diving gear are not typical on the Side coast, but they do turn up. Treat a ski bag or a large dive bag like a golf bag when counting space, and mention it in the booking notes.

Child seats and boosters are free, and they are fitted in the vehicle before it leaves for the pickup. The only thing we need from you is each child's age, and if you know it, their approximate weight. That is how dispatch decides which seat to send.

1. 1Infant seatFor babies from birth to around their first birthday. It is fitted rear-facing, which is the safest position for very young children.
2. 2Child seatFor toddlers from roughly one to four years old. It has its own harness and faces forward.
3. 3BoosterFor children from about four years until they are tall enough for the adult belt alone. It raises the child so the vehicle's seat belt sits across the shoulder and hips rather than the neck and stomach.

Every vehicle we use is a licensed passenger vehicle with commercial registration, which is what Turkish rules require for carrying passengers for payment. Each carries the compulsory passenger insurance that covers the people inside it, in addition to standard vehicle insurance.

Drivers hold the professional certificates required by Turkish law for passenger transport, including the SRC certificate. They drive the airport road and the hotel roads of the Side coast every day, which matters as much as any document: they know where the road narrows, where the summer traffic builds up, and which hotel entrance is easiest for a minibus.

Whichever size you book, some things do not change. Every vehicle has air conditioning, which in July and August is the difference between arriving fresh and arriving exhausted. Smoking is not allowed in any of our vehicles, by drivers or passengers, and the cars are cleaned between rides, so the van that collects you does not carry traces of the previous journey.

The difference between the tiers is space and finish, not care. The Economy van follows the same rules as the VIP van: the same passenger licence, the same insurance, the same no-smoking rule and the same cleaning between rides. Every seat has a seat belt, and we ask every passenger to wear it, in the back as well as the front; in Türkiye that is the law, not only good advice. A lower fare never means a lower standard of vehicle.

“A good van is one you stop noticing after the first five minutes. Cool air, a clean seat, a belt that works, and the coast going past the window.

If you have a particular need, such as a passenger who gets travel sick and prefers the front, or a request for a quiet drive after a night flight, simply mention it in the booking. Small requests like these are easy to meet when we know about them in advance.