Questions
How this works
Questions about the service rather than about places — pricing, permits, timings and the things that most often catch groups out. Route and circuit pages carry their own questions about those particular trips.
Booking and the vehicle
Which seater should we book?
Start from the bag count rather than the headcount, because luggage is what actually decides it. The 10 seater carries nine passengers, the 13 carries twelve and the 17 carries sixteen, each plus the chauffeur. A group of twelve with twelve full cases is at the limit of a 13 seater rather than comfortable in it. Tell us both numbers and we will size it honestly, including telling you when the smaller vehicle is the better trip.
Why do you sometimes recommend a smaller vehicle?
Because on some roads it is genuinely the better journey. The Valparai ghat, Coorg's plantation lanes and Chikmagalur's estate approaches all favour the 13 seater over the 17, and we will say so even though the larger vehicle bills more. A vehicle that cannot reach your homestay door is not a saving.
How much notice do you need?
A few days is comfortable everywhere. Chennai, Bengaluru and Mysuru can often manage shorter notice. Madurai and Coimbatore need more, because vehicles are positioned there in advance rather than kept locally, and a same-day request is the booking we are least able to promise.
Can you tell us whether our hotel is reachable?
Yes, and please ask. Send us the property name when you book. Estate and homestay approaches in Coorg, Chikmagalur, Sakleshpur and Wayanad are frequently narrow, unsurfaced or steep, and the difference between a property a long vehicle can reach and one it cannot is invisible on a map.
Do you offer self-drive?
No, and we would not want to. Every vehicle includes a professional chauffeur. A long-wheelbase seventeen seater on a ghat road is not a vehicle to hand to someone who has not driven one, and the licensing and insurance are different besides.
What it costs
How is an outstation trip priced?
On the per-kilometre rate for the seater you take, with a minimum of 300 km per day whether or not it is run, plus driver batta of Rs1,000 per day. Late-night batta of Rs1,000 applies where the vehicle runs between 22:00 and 05:59. Tolls, parking, interstate permits and state entry taxes are charged at actuals against receipts, and GST at 5% applies to the total.
Why is there a minimum of 300 km per day?
Because a vehicle and chauffeur committed to you for a day are paid for that day whether the day involves 300 km or 90. It has a practical consequence worth knowing: for short trips the effective rate per kilometre travelled is high, and a one-way drop in each direction is sometimes cheaper. Ask us to run both and we will quote the lower one.
What is driver batta?
The chauffeur's daily allowance, charged as a separate line rather than folded into the per-kilometre rate. We itemise it because a customer comparing two quotes needs to know whether the cheaper rate has the allowance hidden inside it. It is Rs1,000 per day, with the same again as late-night batta between 22:00 and 05:59.
What is charged at actuals?
Tolls and FASTag, parking, interstate permits and state entry taxes, and hill station charges where levied. All against receipts the chauffeur keeps and hands over at the end of the trip. We do not mark these up.
What local packages do you offer?
Two: 8 hours with 80 km, and 12 hours with 100 km. There is no shorter four-hour tier. Rates are on the tariff page and on each city's local packages page. Beyond either limit the extra per-km and per-hour rates apply, and a trip outside the city is charged as outstation on the daily minimum instead — we will quote whichever is cheaper.
Is a quote the final price?
A quote is an indicative starting figure based on the seater, the distance and the days. The final charge is on real usage, with the actuals listed separately. We give both an itemised figure and an all-inclusive one on the call so you can see the difference.
Permits, timings and the things that catch people out
When do we need an interstate permit?
Whenever the trip crosses a state line — into Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra or Puducherry. We obtain it before dispatch rather than at the border, and it is charged at actuals with the receipt. Puducherry catches people out because it is a Union Territory rather than part of Tamil Nadu, so a coastal drive that never leaves the coast still needs one.
What are the forest road timings?
Several routes we run cross reserve forest that closes to through traffic overnight — Bandipur, Mudumalai, Muthanga and the Nallamala among them, currently around 9pm to 6am. There is no exemption for tourist vehicles. Reaching a gate late means waiting until morning rather than arriving late, which is why departure times on those routes are set by the gate rather than the distance. We confirm current timings before dispatch.
Can you arrange darshan tickets or temple access?
No. Darshan arrangements go through each temple's own administration and we take no part in them. Anyone offering to arrange them on your behalf is worth treating with caution. Tell us what you have booked and we will build the day's timing around it, which is the part we can do well.
Can you book safari slots?
No. Safaris at Bandipur, Nagarahole, Muthanga and Periyar are booked through the forest departments and run in their own vehicles — private vehicles are not permitted on safari routes. Book the slot first, tell us the timing, and we will build the day backwards from it.
What else needs booking in advance?
Nilgiri Mountain Railway seats, a Berijam Lake forest permit at Kodaikanal, and a Chembra Peak permit in Wayanad all have caps or fixed slots and all fill. None can be produced on the morning and none is arranged by us.
On the road
What if someone gets travel sick?
Tell us when you book. The rearmost row of a long vehicle is where it announces itself, so a middle row helps considerably. On the hardest climbs — Valparai, Kodaikanal, the Ooty ghats — it can be a reason to take the 13 seater rather than the 17, or to choose a coastal trip instead. We would rather have that conversation before the booking than during the drive.
How do you plan the chauffeur's rest?
Deliberately, and it shapes the itinerary. Multi-day circuits have short days built in for that reason. Where a plan would need one person to drive long consecutive days, we propose a second chauffeur or decline the itinerary rather than run someone tired on a ghat road.
Where do you stop?
At places that can actually take a seven-metre vehicle, identified before setting off rather than improvised. On ghat roads and inside reserve forest the options thin out considerably and stopping is sometimes not permitted at all, which is why we plan halts rather than pulling over.
What if someone in the group cannot walk far?
Tell us at booking, because it genuinely changes what we recommend. Temple towns, hill shrines and archaeological sites vary enormously in how close a vehicle can get, and some — Ahobilam's upper shrines, Shravanabelagola's summit — have no vehicle alternative at all. We would rather adjust the plan than have someone wait in the vehicle.
Is smoking or alcohol allowed in the vehicle?
No. Cleaning and damage charges are levied at cost where a vehicle is returned needing more than normal servicing.
About us
Who operates this service?
SARA CAB, an independent chauffeur-driven rental operator with offices in Chennai, Bengaluru and Mysuru. SARA CAB is a registered trademark in India, Reg. No. 4595875, Class 39. This site is dedicated to the Force Urbania; SARA CAB runs a wider fleet.
Are you connected to Force Motors?
No. Force Urbania is a trademark of Force Motors Ltd. SARA CAB is an independent rental operator and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a dealer for Force Motors Ltd. We use the model name descriptively to identify the vehicles in our fleet.
Do you serve Madurai and Coimbatore?
Yes. Vehicles are positioned there in advance rather than kept locally, which means those bookings reward a few days' notice and a same-day request may not be possible.
Why are there no customer reviews on this site?
Because we have not collected any that are real and verifiable. We would rather show nothing than a star rating nobody earned. When genuine reviews exist they will appear here.
Why does the site not show photographs of your vehicles?
Because the ones we would need are photographs of our own fleet, and they are being taken. The destination images on this site are illustrative rather than photographs of a specific trip. We will not use manufacturer press images or stock interiors to stand in for a vehicle you would be booking.
Rates
| Seater | Configuration | From, per km | Driver batta / day | Minimum / day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Seater | 9+D — up to 9 passengers | ₹38 | ₹1,000 | 300 km |
| 13 Seater | 12+D — up to 12 passengers | ₹42 | ₹1,000 | 300 km |
| 17 Seater | 16+D — up to 16 passengers | ₹45 | ₹1,000 | 300 km |
Fares shown are indicative starting rates. The final charge is based on real-time usage — distance, hours or days, tolls, parking and permits. Outstation trips are charged on a minimum of 300 km per day. Driver batta is ₹1,000 per day; late-night batta of ₹1,000 applies between 22:00–05:59. GST at 5% applies to the total.
Last reviewed 2026-09-02.