Have you ever wanted to splurge on a last minute limo service and ended up disappointed when all local limo rentals were reserved and unavailable? Well, you may be in luck. A new service, called Blacklane, seeks to satisfy limo clients like you while working with professional limo services like us to provide quick and seamless reservation and transportation opportunities.
It’s essentially Uber and Lyft for limos and local town car services, and it can help reduce excess capacity among limo rentals and black car services across the board.
“We’re just trying to flip this equation around by leveraging technology,” co-founder and CEO of Blacklane, Dr. Jens Wohltorf, told PYMNTS in a recent interview.
There are approximately 7,000 stretch SUVs and 8,000 non-stretch SUVs licensed for limousine and charter services in the United States. According to Dr. Wohltorf, many limo services’ vehicles often go unreserved, losing the companies money. Dr. Wohltorf says that Blacklane’s digitally optimized platform is designed to help smaller companies expand their areas of service and bring them more success.
In the United States, stretch limousines are the second most requested vehicle type for business clients, so it should come as no surprise that Blacklane typically provides rides that are longer and business-oriented. Approximately 50% of limousine service is provided for business and corporate customers during the week, making this a huge opportunity for business travelers and limo rental companies alike.
Unlike Uber and other rideshare companies, Blacklane is often used numerous times within the span of one international business trip: once you arrive at your destination airport in a different country, Blacklane will dispatch a driver to drive you to your final destination.
“So, for every round-trip flight, you can envision a circle where Blacklane can be utilized four times,” Dr. Wohltorf said.
However, Blacklane is has very high quality standards when it comes to working with professional and reputable limo drivers and companies.
Ultimately, Blacklane hopes for geographical expansion in the future, but Dr. Wohltorf feels confident in the company’s current position.
“I always feel we haven’t even started yet,” Dr. Wohltorf said. “Instead of now looking to other industries and distracting us from our focus, I think it’s smarter to stick to what we do and continue to make it better.”
