Medical transport in London
Chauffeur-driven cars and seven-seaters for hospital appointments, discharges and transfers between sites — a passenger, a companion, and room for what comes with them. Not an ambulance service.
What this is, and what it is not
Non-emergency patient transport, driven by a vetted, uniformed chauffeur, in a car from the same fleet everything else here comes from. An appointment across town, a discharge home, a transfer between two sites, a relative brought to a ward in the afternoon and taken back again in the evening.
It is not an ambulance service. There is no clinical care in the vehicle, no stretcher, no oxygen and no medically trained crew, and in an emergency the number to ring is 999 rather than this one. What Season Car Rental provides is the transport itself: a comfortable car, a driver who knows London, and a journey that happens when it is supposed to.
The vehicles
Seven-seaters do most of this work. The Mercedes V-Class has doors that slide rather than swing — which matters in a hospital drop-off, where the space beside the car is not yours — a flat floor, and room behind the third row for whatever travels with the passenger. The EQV is the same shape and electric. The Vito takes nine, which is often the number that decides whether a family travels together or in two cars.
Where the passenger travels alone or with one other person, a saloon is quieter and easier to get into and out of than an SUV. The car is matched to the person and the journey rather than offered as a category, so tell us who is travelling rather than which model you think you need. The seven-seaters and people carriers are all in the fleet.
How the journey is arranged
Tell us the pickup, the destination, the appointment time and who is travelling. We work backwards from the appointment rather than forwards from the pickup, because a hospital does not hold a slot open for traffic, and an outpatient list that has slipped an hour is not a reason to be sent home.
Where there is a return leg the driver waits. Waiting is inside the time you booked rather than charged by the minute, and the car parks somewhere legal nearby rather than outside the door — on a red route those are two different places. Where a discharge time is not known in advance, we book the day rather than the hour and the driver comes back when the ward gives you one.
The figure quoted is inclusive: VAT, mileage and comprehensive insurance are inside it, and there is no delivery charge anywhere in London. The driver is priced per day on top of the vehicle, as its own line, so both numbers are visible before anything is agreed.
Hours, and what that means for an appointment
Monday to Saturday, 06:00 to 23:00. Sunday is by appointment, arranged in advance. An early clinic list and a late discharge both sit comfortably inside that, and most planned patient journeys are neither of the extremes.
This is not a 24-hour service, and it is worth saying so rather than letting you find out. If the journey is at three in the morning, or cannot be scheduled ahead of the day, we are the wrong people to ring — and ringing 0207 046 0048 will get you that answer straight away rather than after a form.
For hospitals, clinics and private offices
Repeat work runs better on an account: one named contact, journeys booked against a cost code, and one itemised invoice a month rather than a card payment each time. Who inside the organisation may book is agreed when the account opens, which for a clinic usually means a practice manager and two or three others. It is the same arrangement corporate car hire in London runs on.
Discretion is part of the brief rather than an extra. Drivers are briefed that what is said in the car stays in the car, and a passenger’s name and destination are not discussed outside the booking. Season Car Rental has been driving in London since 2006, and 20 years of it is mostly knowing which entrance, which side of the building, and where a car is actually allowed to wait.
Questions, answered
Is this an ambulance service?
No. Season Car Rental provides non-emergency patient transport by chauffeur-driven car: no clinical care, no stretcher, no oxygen and no medical crew on board. In an emergency, ring 999. This is for planned journeys — appointments, discharges, transfers and visits — where the passenger can travel seated in a car.
Can you carry a wheelchair?
A folding wheelchair travels in the boot of a seven-seater and the driver will handle it. We do not operate ramp- or lift-equipped wheelchair-accessible vehicles, so a passenger who cannot transfer into a car seat needs a specialist operator rather than us. Say which applies when you enquire and you will get a straight answer on the call.
Can a relative or carer travel with the patient?
Yes, and it is assumed rather than charged for. Tell us how many people are travelling and whether anything is coming with them — a bag, a walking frame, a folded chair — and the vehicle is chosen for it. A V-Class takes eight and the Vito takes nine.
Will the driver wait during the appointment?
Yes, and the waiting sits inside the time you booked rather than being charged by the minute. The car parks somewhere legal nearby and comes back when you call. Where a discharge time is not known in advance, we book the day rather than the hour and the driver returns when the ward gives you a time.
Are you available at night or on a Sunday?
Not as standard. The phone is answered and the diary runs Monday to Saturday, 06:00 to 23:00, and Sunday is by appointment, arranged in advance. There is no overnight service — and rather than imply one, we would rather you rang 0207 046 0048 and heard it plainly.
Can a hospital or clinic set up an account?
Yes. One named contact, agreed rates, a cost code against each journey and one itemised invoice a month rather than a card payment per trip. Who may book is agreed when the account opens. It runs on exactly the same basis as a corporate account, which is described in full on that page.
What is inside the quoted figure?
VAT, mileage, comprehensive insurance and delivery anywhere in London are all inside the figure quoted, and nothing is added afterwards. The driver is a separate line on top of the vehicle, so you see two numbers rather than one blended one — which matters when the journey is going on an invoice somebody else has to approve.
Tell us the dates. See every car and its price.
Free delivery anywhere in London. VAT, mileage and comprehensive insurance are inside the price.