Ski bags, children and groups

Children under 12 need a proper seat for this trip, because it starts on Swiss roads where taxis have no exemption. For a family or group with ski bags, a private vehicle booked for your exact numbers is usually the simplest way up, and at four people it works out at 38 to 56 euros each, against advertised shuttle starting prices of 19.50 to 45 (our arithmetic).

Child seats: two countries, two rules

A drive from Geneva Airport to Chamonix starts in Switzerland and finishes in France, so it runs under both sets of rules.

• Switzerland: under 12 and under 150 cm

  The driver must restrain children under 12 in an approved seat (UN-ECE R44/03, R44/04 or R129) until they are 150 cm tall. The Swiss accident prevention council lists the exemptions, and taxis are not among them. The Swiss touring club says the same applies to taxi drivers.

• France: under 10

  The Code de la route, article R412-2, requires an approved restraint suited to size and weight for every child under 10. Taxis and public transport are exempt.

The French taxi exemption does not help on this route, because the Swiss stretch comes first. In practice, give each child's age (and height if close to 150 cm) when you ask for a transfer, and check that the offer includes the seats. Some shuttle operators state it on their own sites: Mountain Drop-offs says child seats are free, Alpine Fleet says they are available on request.

Ski bags, by the way you travel

• Geneva taxi from the rank

  The cantonal tariff allows CHF 1.50 per pair of skis, per bag of 5 to 30 kg, or per dog, and CHF 3 per bag over 30 kg. The regulation says no other supplement may be added.

• Coach

  FlixBus includes one hand bag and one checked bag in the fare. If a ski bag is extra to that, check its luggage rules before you book. See bus and shuttle.

• Shared shuttle

  Mountain Drop-offs says skis are carried if you declare them when booking. Alpine Fleet says ski luggage is included. Declare every ski bag, because the van is packed for the whole group of passengers.

• Train

  Check SNCF's luggage rules for the regional trains (TER) and the Mont-Blanc Express before you travel, and remember the train route has three changes in the timetable.

• Private transfer

  The vehicle is chosen for your load, so the ski bags have to be in the request. A carrier can only send the right vehicle if it knows what is coming.

What to put in a request for a group

Vehicle sizes differ between carriers, so we do not list what fits in which model. Give the numbers and let each carrier offer a vehicle that takes them:

• the number of people, adults and children;
• the number of suitcases, and any that are oversized;
• the number of ski or snowboard bags, and boot bags if separate;
• child seats needed, with each child's age;
• the flight number and landing time.

Cost per person for a group

Private transfers are advertised per vehicle and shared shuttles per seat, so the more of you there are, the closer a private car comes to the shared price; the prices page works it out by group size.

Quick answers

Rules and prices on this page were read on 23 September 2026. Child seat rules are summarised from the sources linked above; the legal text is what counts.