Many think that using a black car service is only for the societal hoity-toity. This is simply not true. Black car services are not just used by executives, celebrities and VIPs, but by people from all walks-of-life. We often receive calls from those who have never used a black car service and they usually ask "how does it work?". If you have never used a professional black car service and are interested in the general etiquette when doing so, following are some important tips to know when using a service. At the end of the article are links to additional resources that also provide significant guidance. Read through this information and you'll be an expert in no time!

TIP #1: There are Differences Between Black Car Services

Just because a service says they are a 'black car service' does not mean they offer professional service.

Almost on a daily basis we receive phone calls from people who received notice of cancellation from another car service that was supposed to pick them up that day. They are frantically trying to book service at the last minute. The reason their car service cancelled may be many, but it's usually because they booked with a service who uses all contractors to fill their orders and the service cannot find a contractor to take the order ... or, because the car service does not have integrity and the service got a better order from another client. The lesson here is to book with a company that does not use contractors and harbors integrity. If you're simply looking for "the best rate", well, good luck with that.

There are services that have not adapted to changes in the transportation industry and are struggling to survive. Some services are trying to compete with ride-share services, so they may offer you an attractive bargain rate. If you are a person who is simply buying on price, there are plenty of services racing to the bottom looking for your dollar. Yeah, the driver may show up late, the vehicle may be a rattle-box, and the driver may look and smell like Sasquatch, but you got a great rate! Well, a great base-rate anyway. Such services may add additional fees to the bill at the end of your transportation such as booking fees, tolls, airport fees, fuel-surcharge fees and on and on. All of a sudden, that great rate that you were quoted grew on your receipt.

There are other services that have adapted to the new economy, do not scrimp on quality, and offer professional service. They offer rates that are transparent. They may be more difficult to find, but those are the services coveted by those that consistently use black car services and value professional service. Such services usually do not negotiate rates because they usually have enough business to pick and choose their clients. When you encounter such a service, treat them as a partner. Relationships are a two-way street (no pun intended).

TIP #2: Know Where to Sit & Opening and Closing Doors

If you are traveling alone or with your family, this topic may be of little concern. However, it is important for those traveling with someone else who has paid for the transportation, those traveling with VIPs, and business executives traveling with a C-suite executive.

The "VIP seat" in a black car is always the 2nd row, passenger-side seat. The VIP seat should be reserved for the C-suite executive, the VIP in your group, or whoever is paying for the transportation. It will have the most legroom and be the most comfortable.

Drivers prefer that no one sit in the passenger seat beside the driver, however most drivers will readily accommodate such a request. When a high-profile VIP is in the vehicle, the front passenger seat should be reserved for the VIP's body guard. If a body guard is present, then a professional driver will never open or close the front passenger door. That is the responsibility of the body guard that is seated in that seat.

With the exception of the front passenger door, professional drivers prefer to open and close all the other doors. On entering a vehicle, the VIP passenger side door will be the first to be attended. Whether you enter the VIP door or another door is completely up to you, but the VIP should be granted access to the vehicle quickly. If you enter that door, quickly do so and move to your seat so that the VIP has convenient access. Once the VIP seat is occupied, the door will be immediately closed by the driver or body guard. Subsequently, other door(s) will be attended.

At your destination, the driver will open the door when ready for you to exit. If a door has only been opened on one side of the vehicle, exit through that side of the vehicle. The VIP's door will always be opened by the driver or the body guard (if present) and will be the last to be opened. If only the VIP's door is opened, allow the VIP to fully exit before exiting through the same door.

Tip #3: When to Contact the Driver & When to Contact the Office

Black car services are not an on-demand service. Rather, they are a scheduled service. After booking your transportation, always contact the office to make any changes to your transportation order. On the day of transportation, if a driver contacts you (usually by text) to let you know they are on-site and available, your quick response is appreciated. During transportation, consulting with the driver about any issue is perfectly acceptable. However, once your transportation is completed, you should never contact the driver. Rather, always contact the office. Even if you left something in the vehicle, contact the office so the office can contact the driver. Additional bookings should always be made through the office, never through a driver.

TIP #4: Passenger Count Accuracy

Your driver will prepare the vehicle for the number of passengers you have indicated on your order. While the driver can make last minute changes, providing the correct number of passengers when booking your transportation helps the driver provide professional service. If your passenger count changes after you book the transportation, contact the service ASAP. If you do not notify the service that your passenger count has increased and the vehicle will not accommodate your group, you may be faced with leaving someone behind to find an alternative transportation or ordering an another vehicle at additional cost. A professional black car service will never allow more passengers into the vehicle than is allowed by their agreement with their insurance and/or the number of seat belts.

TIP #5: Timeliness

For certain transportation types, such as Point-to-Point, Airport Drop-offs, and Wedding Escapes, your timeliness to access the vehicle and get underway is important for the service to maintain their daily schedule. Your vehicle will most likely arrive 5 to 10 minutes before the scheduled pickup time. That does not mean that you need to rush out the door when the vehicle arrives, but a timely exit at the designated pickup time is appreciated. A client that is late may throw the schedule of a service in disarray and adjustments may need to be made to accommodate subsequent clients. For Airport Pick-ups, a professional service will track your inbound flight and automatically adjust the pick-up time accordingly. But, your timeliness in exiting the aircraft and meeting your driver is important. A stop in the concourse to use a restroom is certainly OK, but stopping to shop or eat in the airport is not good etiquette.

A service cannot risk being late to their next client because of a client who is practicing bad etiquette. Clients who are chronically late are usually fired by a professional service.

If you think your schedule will be in flux, then order an "Hourly" service where you can hire a vehicle for a number of hours and you can access it at will. Make sure you reserve the vehicle for the hours you need it and do not expect the service to automatically extend the service time. If you need additional time, ask whether the vehicle and driver is available.

TIP #6: Convey Changes in Advance

If your destination changes or you need to add a stop, make sure you contact the service ASAP and let them know. Changes to a transportation order may require the service to adjust subsequent transportation orders. As well, a professional driver likes to know what to expect so the driver can plan the most efficient and safest route. Being a good partner with a black car service is practicing good form. With the exception of Hourly As-Directed service, please note that if you add stop(s) to your order, most services will add a 'stop charge' to each stop.

TIP #7: Luggage Capacity / Handling of Luggage

If you think your luggage may not fit in the vehicle you have ordered, contact the service to upgrade your vehicle to the next size. A professional service will not allow carry-on and checked luggage in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. If you have more luggage than the vehicle can accommodate, you may be faced with a choice of leaving some luggage behind or ordering up another vehicle at additional expense to accommodate your luggage. To help you determine luggage capacity, we have created this Luggage Guide.

Do not place your luggage in or remove your luggage from the luggage compartment. If you are handling your luggage out to the vehicle, place it near the rear of the vehicle and let the driver handle it from there. The vehicle is the driver's office and professional drivers take pride in their vehicles, so luggage is handled in such a way to not scuff the bumper or inside of the vehicle. Just leave it to the driver! That said, if you have pieces of luggage over 50 pounds and/or luggage that is cumbersome to lift, the driver may appreciate that an offer of assistance.

One final word on luggage. If you are moving your household and you have an inordinate pieces of luggage, let the service know in advance and also reward the driver. Professional drivers are not movers! If you need a mover, hire a mover.

TIP #8: Cleanliness

Professional black car services and their drivers take personal pride in their vehicles. Much time and effort is spent keeping vehicles clean and well maintained. Leaving empty water bottles is acceptable, but trashing a vehicle with candy wrappers, cookie crumbs, and the like is very bad etiquette. Although a general cleaning is done between clients, having excess trash in the vehicle may require the vehicle to be taken out of service in order to be detailed. Long-time users of black car services are always respectful of the vehicle. Those that constantly trash a vehicle are fired by a professional service. It's easy ... just leave the vehicle how you found it.

TIP #9: Make Sure Kids are Not Unruly

Unruly kids are not tolerated in professional vehicles. By unruly, we do not mean a crying baby or a restless child that just wants to get home. However, parents of kids that trash the inside of a vehicle and/or kick the back of leather seats will most likely find themselves finding another black car service. Do not expect a black car service to provide infant seats. Many state laws do not require kids to be in special seats in for-hire vehicles. Many commercial insurance companies will not allow a transportation company to provide such seats. Bottom line: Your kids are yours and your responsibility.

TIP #10: Do Not Consume Food in Vehicle

Consuming food in a black car is very bad form. A black car service's vehicle is not a restaurant. Food smells get into fabric and crumbs are mashed into carpet. If you need to consume food, choose an energy bar or something that is easily consumed. Never give any food to kids. Never ask a driver to stop for fast food or sandwiches.

TIP #11: How to Enter a Vehicle

Do not enter a vehicle by climbing in head first. Rather, enter a vehicle by turning your back to the vehicle, sitting on the seat and swinging your legs into the vehicle. If you need to move within the vehicle, slide, do not climb.

TIP #12: Be Courteous to the Driver

It's the simplest of all rules: Just be courteous. Drivers transport people from all walks of life. Many people mistakenly believe that chauffeur drivers encounter many "high-maintenance" clients. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most clients are very kind and courteous to drivers. In fact, most VIPs, celebrities and other high-profile clients treat drivers like a valued employee. The only people that are 'high-maintenance' are generally those that are trying to be something they are not. Trying to look influential by being rude only shows what one isn't. Don't be one of "those" people!

TIP #13: Driver Gratuity

Most professional services will include gratuity into the rate because executives value efficiency and do not want to be dealing with cash. Where that gratuity goes varies depending on the service and relationship with the driver. For drivers that are paid an hourly wage, the gratuity is generally passed to the driver. For senior executive drivers that are paid a salary and benefits, the gratuity is usually retained by the house. In any case, if the service includes a tip in your rate, giving additional cash gratuity should be done only if the driver has done something up and above the call of duty (handled excess/heavy luggage or carried luggage up/down flights of stairs, accommodated an unusual request, provided superior service). That said, most clients that hire a vehicle and driver for a half a day or more or who are transported for long-mileage trips usually provide an additional tip.

TIP #14: Alcohol Consumption

Consuming alcohol is perfectly acceptable in the back seats of a black car with a licensed chauffeur driver behind the wheel (at least in the state of Texas). What is not acceptable is to be snot-slinging drunk. Everyone likes to have a good time, but no one wants to deal with someone who abuses alcohol. Those who are spilling alcohol and/or overly inebriated people risk ruining the transportation for everyone if the driver decides that the person is too drunk and/or abusive to be in the vehicle and subsequently terminates the transportation. Consume alcohol responsibly.

TIP #15: Trying to Hire a Driver "Off the Books"

Every once in a while a "player" comes along and tries to hire a driver "off the books" thinking that they can save some money by hiring a driver directly. Such an action is very bad form. Drivers are required to report such clients and those clients are immediately fired by the service. If a service finds that an offer was made and the driver did not report the incident, the driver's employment may be terminated. At the end of the day, making such an offer to a driver usually is quite futile. Professional services track vehicles and any unscheduled vehicle movements are noted. Being deceptive is never good form and places drivers in an uncomfortable position.

Etiquette for using a black car service is really quite simple. Just be kind, courteous and respectful of the vehicle, the driver, fellow passengers, and the service. 99.9% of clients are quite pleasant to work with ... and we bend over backwards to accommodate their needs.

Other Resources:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Service Descriptions
• Article: Secrets of the Black Car Industry
• Luggage Capacity Guide