If you’re a gig-worker who prefers transporting customers to their destinations over delivering food and groceries, then you’re no doubt familiar with companies like Uber and Lyft.
One company you may not know about, however, is Blacklane. Although the company is not for everyone, if you’re already a chauffeur company or entity, live in an area where Blackland provides service, and can meet their strict requirements—you could find yourself with a pretty sweet gig.
What is Blacklane?
Blacklane is a rideshare company. Instead of picking up bar hoppers and people who simply want to get across town, however, the company provides high-end private car service to business and leisure travelers.
Trips are typically prearranged and usually start with a pickup from an airport or hotel. Blacklane drivers then act as chauffeurs, catering to the needs of their passengers.
How Does Blacklane Work for Customers?
Booking a ride with Blacklane is simple and actually works a lot like scheduling a ride with Uber or Lyft. Customers (Blacklane calls them guests) book a ride through the company’s website or app. Their technology then matches the customer with a vetted local chauffeur who will pick them up at the designated location.
According to Blacklane, Blacklane does not employ chauffeurs or have relationships with private individuals. They work only with chauffeur companies. Many of them are one-person operations, but there must be a corporate entity linked to that person.
Where is Blacklane available?
Blacklane is currently available only in certain countries and cities around the world, but here is a list where they’re available in the United States:
United States
Anaheim, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore,
Beverly Hills, Boca Raton, Boston, Brooklyn,
Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland,
Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Durham
Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Fort Worth, Hartford,
Hollywood, Honolulu, Houston, Irvine
Las Vegas, League City, Los Angeles, Manhattan,
Miami, Minneapolis, Napa, New Orleans,
New York, Oakland, Orlando, Palm Beach,
Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Philadelphia, Phoenix,
Raleigh, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco,
San Jose, Santa Monica, Scottsdale, Seattle,
St. Paul, Tampa, Waikiki, Washington, D.C., White Plains
Blacklane is also available in many other countries as well.
Companies Like Blacklane
Blacklane is similar to other luxury ride providers, including Lyft Lux, Uber Lux, Swoop, and Carmel Limo.
You won’t find much difference in the companies that provide this type of service, except Blacklane operates in many more cities than other luxury ride providers.
How Much Do Blacklane Rides Cost?
Blacklane doesn’t really say a lot about their pricing upfront.
When we checked the price for a trip from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to Hyatt Place Atlanta in downtown Buckhead, however, we found that a ride from the airport to the hotel would cost us about $194.04 or $204.32, depending on whether we wanted to travel by Business Class (Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series, Cadillac XTS or similar) or Business Van/SUV ( Mercedes-Benz V-Class, Chevrolet Suburban, Cadillac Escalade, Toyota Alphard or similar).
Driving for Blacklane
There are quite a few hoops to jump through before you can become a Blacklane driver. Depending on the area you wish to drive in, you may find there are also additional requirements you must meet.
Requirements:
- Must have valid company registration, plus licenses and insurance for all chauffeurs and vehicles.
- Vehicles are required to be kept clean, undamaged, smoke-free, and you must stay in compliance with all local regulations.
- Companies are required to stay up to date with new standards and policies and ensure excellent quality.
Example of additional requirements (we have used the Atlanta area as our example):
Own or operate at least one of the following vehicles:
- Maximum 1 year(s) old (from 2021)
- GMC Yukon Denali (Color: Black)
- Ford Expedition (Color: Black)
- Chevrolet Tahoe (Color: Black)
- Maximum 2 year(s) old (from 2020)
- Tesla Model X (Color: Black)
- Maximum 3 year(s) old (from 2019)
- Lucid Air (Color: Black)
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class (Color: Black)
- BMW 5-Series (Color: Black)
- Audi E-Tron (Color: Black)
- Jaguar I-Pace (Color: Black)
- Mercedes-Benz EQC (Color: Black)
- Tesla Y (Color: Black)
- Mercedes-Benz EQE (Color: Black)
- Mercedes-Benz EQV (Color: Black)
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class (Color: Black)
- BMW 7-Series (Color: Black)
- Mercedes-Benz EQS (Color: Black)
- Jaguar XJ (Color: Black)
- Audi A6/A7 (Color: Black)
- Jaguar XF (Color: Black)
- Mercedes-Benz Metris (Color: Black)
- Lincoln Navigator (Color: Black)
- Audi A8 L (Color: Black)
- Cadillac CT6 (Color: Black)
- Lincoln Continental (Color: Black)
- Cadillac XTS (Color: Black)
- Tesla S (Color: Black)
- BMW X7 (Color: Black)
- Lincoln Aviator (Color: Black)
- Chevrolet Suburban (Color: Black)
- Cadillac Escalade (Color: Black)
- Volvo S 90 (Color: Black)
- Genesis G80 (Color: Black)
- Mercedes-Benz GLS (Color: Black)
- Volvo XC 90 (Color: Black)
- Cadillac XT5 (Color: Black)
- Genesis G90 (Color: Black)
All of the following documents:
Driver:
- Chauffeur Profile Picture
- Georgia Driver License
- Chauffeur Endorsement
Company:
- W-9 Form
- Individual, Partnership, Corporation, LLC Certficate or business registration
- Federal Tax ID / EIN Certificate
- Class “”B”” Limousine Carrier Certificate Authority (from DPS)
- Intrastate Motor Carrier (GIMC) Registration or Unified Carrier Registration (UCR)
- Copy of void check for payment detail confirmation
Vehicle:
- Certificate of Liability Insurance (min. 1million dollars Combined single limit, Certificate Holder: Blacklane GmbH, Feurigstr. 59,10827 Berlin, Germany)
- Georgia vehicle registration
- DPS MCA marking
- Georgia Insurance Policy Information Card
- HJAIA GT Airport Permit
- Photo of whole vehicle including license plate
Language Requirements:
- Chauffeurs must have basic English skills
Blacklane doesn’t specify how much drivers make, but according to Glassdoor you can expect to make around $85,535 per year as a salaried driver.
How to Contact Blacklane
Getting started with Blacklane is as easy as the click of a button. Just visit their website and follow the instructions.
Should You Sign Up for Blacklane?
It’s pretty clear Blacklane is an elite service, seeking high end drivers and cars. Their vetting process and document requirements are much more stringent than Uber or Lyft’s, but if you’re willing to go through their sign up process and have the required documentation and vehicle, you could make a lot of money with Blacklane.
On the other hand, don’t forget you may not be as busy as the typical Uber driver unless you live in an area where people are frequently taking expensive, limo-type rides. If this is your market, then check out Blacklane!
-Kate @ RSG
