VW Bus Bern

VW Bus Bern is a small Bern business, run by Naemi and David Stalder from Bottigenstrasse 4 in 3018 Bern, that rents out two vintage Volkswagen buses as chauffeured wedding cars and as a photo booth on wheels. Its footer gives 2017 as the founding year. The wedding car page publishes a clear price, a list of what is included and a menu of priced extras, and the business has built its own instant-film photo booth, the Polarmaton, which it can install in the same bus. For a relaxed, colorful wedding where the car doubles as the evening's photo booth, it is a distinctive option.

The two buses

The site introduces both buses by name, with full details:

• VW T2 "Sugus", 1975, based in Bern-Bümpliz: 6 seats including the chauffeur, child seats available in all sizes, a 1.8 L air-cooled petrol engine with 50 kW (68 PS), a top speed of 127 km/h and a cruising speed of 100 km/h. Extras include a parking heater, a tow hitch, an optional table in the passenger area and seat belts in the back. Its longest trip, the page says, was to the Sahara in Morocco.
• VW T1 "Nordie", 1963, available from Chur in Graubünden or from Bern: 7 seats including the chauffeur, no child seats, a 1.2 L air-cooled petrol engine with 25 kW (34 PS), a top speed of 105 km/h and a cruising speed of 90 km/h. It has a panoramic folding roof and a table in the passenger area. Its longest trip was to Scotland.

The page puts the appeal plainly under the heading "Hippiebus statt Limousine" (hippie bus instead of limousine): the colorful bus stands for freedom, spontaneity and an easygoing mood, and it also stirs nostalgia among the older guests. For the couple, it suggests, the drive from the ceremony to the aperitif or the evening venue is a chance to relax together, and the chauffeur can stop for a photo shoot and place the bus where the photographer wants it.

Price and what it includes

The wedding car costs CHF 290 for 2 hours, and each additional hour or part of an hour costs CHF 120, with discounts from 10 hours. The rental time is counted from and back to the company's base in Bern or Chur, so travel to a distant venue is part of the booked time. Included are:

• the chauffeur
• unlimited kilometers and fuel
• decoration of the interior and the exterior mirrors
• optional route planning by the company for an exact arrival time
• cleaning
• child seats (T2 only)
• carbon offsetting
• flexible booking length

The FAQ explains the carbon offsetting: every ride is compensated through the Swiss foundation myclimate, at the company's own cost, and the certificate is sent to the couple with the invoice.

The extras

The page prices its options clearly:

• Photobus, CHF 450: the vintage photo booth in the bus
• Flowers, CHF 125: two generous arrangements by professional florists, plus CHF 100 for two more at the back
• Lettering "Namen mit Herz", CHF 90: the couple's names with a heart on both sides of the bus, each 40 cm, designed by the company
• Romantic Package, CHF 50: champagne, chocolates and savory snacks for the ride
• Your song, CHF 15: the couple's song played during the drive
• Picnic, CHF 75: a well-filled basket for two on a Moroccan blanket at a nice spot
• Child seats, free: in up to 4 of the 5 passenger places in the T2
• Gift bus, free: the bus serves as the gift table
• Home decoration, free: after taking the gifts home, the team decorates the couple's home with the car flowers

The Polarmaton photo bus

The home page calls the Polarmaton "the world's only instant photobooth": a photo box that does not print, but lets the pictures develop in the guests' hands within a few minutes. It uses a mirrorless 35mm full-frame digital camera with real buttons and a retro coin slot, the image is uploaded at once, and the digital files go to the couple afterwards. The booth is available in the bus, with two decorated backdrops, "Beach Style" and "Fotokabine", or as a stand-alone vintage photo box that can even be shipped. For large events of more than 1000 guests, the site says it works with up to 3 photo buses and several photo boxes. Polarmaton is a registered trademark of VW Bus Bern, and the site describes the booth as made in Switzerland. The wedding menu also lists instant camera rental, a wedding advice section, a page on a Swiss Wedding Award and a list of recommended suppliers.

The wedding page's money-saving tips explain how the two combine. Booking the wedding car and the photo bus together costs much less than booking both separately, and the same bus follows the couple and guests through the day. And if the couple do not know when the party will end, the bus can wait as a photo booth: the couple let the company know shortly before they want to leave, the team converts the photo bus back into the wedding car, and they drive off, so the waiting time is not wasted.

What the site does not settle

The site is in German only and says nothing about English, so couples from abroad should ask whether the Stalders can handle the booking and the day in English. It gives no cancellation or deposit terms on these pages; the AGB are linked from the menu. The combined price for the car and photo bus is referred to but not shown on the page. The footer lists places served across Switzerland, from Bern, Thun and Biel to Basel, Chur and St. Gallen, but since time runs from Bern or Chur, a wedding far from either base will cost more.

Who it suits

VW Bus Bern suits a couple in the Bern or Graubünden area planning a relaxed wedding who want a cheerful, chauffeured vintage bus with room for a few people, clear prices, and the option of turning the same bus into the photo booth for the party.

It suits less well a formal wedding that calls for a limousine, a couple who need English-language service guaranteed, or a wedding far from both bases.