If you are an experienced chauffeur with your own vehicle and licensing, Blacklane is a great way to fill in some downtime. The chauffeur car service platform operates at a global scale and locally includes Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.
This is a high end car service for high end clients, drivers should have top of the line vehicles and a professional polished look.
- What is Blacklane?
- How Does Being A Blacklane Driver Work?
- How Much Do Blacklane Drivers Make?
- What Are The Requirements To Sign Up For Blacklane?
- How To Sign Up As A Blacklane Driver
- How To Contact Blacklane
- Blacklane FAQ
Looking for other rideshare options in your city? Head over to our Choose Your City page to find out what rideshare apps are available. Learn how to get signed up in no time!
What Is Blacklane?
Blacklane is an chauffeur booking platform. Most of their clients are executives and other corporate big wigs with lots of money. The cars required for Blacklane drivers are luxury, top of the line vehicles. The drivers must be professional and presentable.
The service is usually used for airport pick ups and drop offs or transfers. Blacklanes car service can also be booked by the hour for those looking for a driver for part of the day or all day.
There are 3 different service types offered by Blacklane, Business Class, Business Van/SUV, and First Class.
Business Class is a mid-sized luxury vehicle like an Audi A6, Cadillac XTS, or Mercedes E-Class.
A higher capacity Business Van/SUV service is a luxury (you guessed it) van or SUV like a Mercedes V-Class, Chevy Suburban, or a Cadillac Escalade.
Finally, First Class is a full sized luxury sedan like a BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, or a Mercedes S-Class.
According to Blacklane’s Adam Parken, about half of their vehicles are of Mercedes make and their average vehicle age is 18 months.
Where Does Blacklane Operate?
Blacklane has partners globally but in Canada they only operate in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.
How Does Being A Blacklane Driver Work?
Blacklane is simply a booking platform for chauffeur services. Partners are required to hold their own livery licenses as well as their own insurance.
When you sign up with Blacklane you will see whichever jobs are available in the cities you operate in, much like a job board. Whether or not you accept those jobs is up to you.
This makes it super easy to fill up down time during your day if the jobs are available. If you know you will have some down time, just open the app and see which trips are available in your area. When you find one that suits your schedule just click accept and prepare for the trip.
Blacklane Vs Uber Black
To compare Blacklane and Uber Black we will look at 3 factors
- Price
- Driver
- Service Type – on demand (Uber) vs scheduled car service (Blacklane)
Price
Let’s compare Uber and Blacklane’s prices for a trip from each cities airport to a hotel in the downtown core. All prices are in CAD, Blacklane’s rates were converted from USD to CAD.
YYC
Fare price from Calgary airport to the Best Western at 1330 8 St SW
- Blacklane: $167.99
- Uber Comfort: $44.02
YUL
Fare price from Montreal airport to the Hotel Fairmont at 900 René-Lévesque Blvd W
- Blacklane: $160.33
- Uber Premier: $63.16
YYZ
Fare price from Toronto airport to the Fairmont Royal York at 100 Front St W
- Blacklane: $169.68
- Uber Black: $104.81
YVR
Fare price from Vancouver airport to the Fairmont Hotel at 900 W Georgia St
- Blacklane: $154.19
- Uber Comfort: $34.29
As you can see, the services aren’t exactly comparable in each city. We were only able to compare apples to apples in Toronto since Uber Black is operating there.
In all cases however, the fare for a Blacklane trip is higher than the fare for a trip with Uber. This is good for drivers since they will likely be paid more, assuming that Blacklane and Uber take the same amount of commission.
Driver
There is a big difference between the drivers of Uber Black and Blacklane.
Uber Black drivers are more polished than their UberX counterparts. The dress professionally, but usually the drivers responsibility is just to get the passenger from point A to point B.
Blacklane drivers are professional chauffeurs, licensed by the city they are working in. The arrive polished and will meet you wherever you need to be met. Whether they wait in the car or meet you at baggage claim in the airport. Blacklane drivers are expected to provide high-end chauffeur services to their passengers.
Service Type
Rideshare companies like Uber tend to focus on shorter inner city trips. Drivers arrive on-demand, minutes after passengers request a pick up.
When passengers book a trip with Blacklane, they schedule it in advance. Blacklane is more of a scheduled car service than an on-demand rideshare app. Trips with Blacklane usually include wait time at the pick up location so sometimes you might spend some time waiting for your passenger. Don’t worry though, this wait time is priced into the trip fare.
How Much Do Blacklane Chauffeurs Make?
How much you’ll make driving for Blacklane depends on whether you own your own business or you work for a chauffeur company that is signed up with Blacklane.
If you work for a company that uses Blacklane to fill up down time then you can probably be expected to earn your standard wage or a % of the income the company earns from Blacklane.
If you work for yourself and a directly connected to the Blacklane platform then you will make the amount that is shown for the job you accept. The number shown is the minimum amount that will be deposited into your account after completing the trip.
There are however situations where a driver may see a penalty be deducted from their portion of the fare. Showing up late or providing an unsatisfactory experience for the client might cost you.
Usually Blacklane drivers do not get tips as gratuities are included in the fare the passenger pays. You never know though sometimes you may just get a little extra for outstanding service.
How Bidding for Jobs Works
To pick up work with Blacklane, drivers must bid on the available jobs. When a passenger requests a trip, it is added to the bidding board. The trip will start at its lowest price and will increase in price over time until a driver picks it up.
For example, a trip might show up on the bidding board at $100. As time passes and drivers skip bidding, the payment for the trip will increase in price. Eventually the trip might end up with a payment of $150 or $200. If no one bids on the trip, the price may drop back down to its lowest and start the climb again until a driver picks it up.
If the bidding process does not attract any drivers the company might start calling drivers in the area to negotiate acceptable rates for the trip.
What Are The Requirements To Sign Up For Blacklane?
Each city has their own regulations and requirements for livery drivers. Below is a breakdown of some of the city specific requirements you may encounter in Canada.
- General Requirements
- Calgary Requirements
- Montreal Requirements
- Toronto Requirements
- Vancouver Requirements
General Requirements
Company Requirements
- Business registration
- Commercial insurance
- Livery license or permit for chauffeur services
Driver Requirements
- 25+ years old
- Must have a valid drivers license
- Have at least 1 year chauffeur experience
- Hold a livery/chauffeur license or permit in your city
- Pass a background check
- Conversational english
- Certified in first aid
- Great driving skills
- Knowledge of your service area
- Outstanding service attitude
Vehicle Requirements
- Model must be 3 years old or newer (some models 2 years)
- Vehicle registration
- Liability insurance
- Maintenance records
- Photos of all sides of the vehicle and the license plate
Calgary Requirements
Company Requirements
- Business registration
- Corporate certificate
- Tax ID certificate
- Vehicle for Hire License
- Void Cheque
Driver Requirements
- Valid Class 1,2 or 4 Alberta drivers license or higher
- Chauffeur driver license
- Chauffeur profile picture
Vehicle Requirements
- Certificate of insurance
- Vehicle registration
- Calgary Limo License
- Airport driver permit
- Photo of vehicle showing limo plates and decals
Montreal Requirements
Company Requirements
- Business number with the CRA
- License to operate as a limo owner
- Void cheque
Driver Requirements
- Valid Class 4C Quebec drivers license or higher
- Drivers permit issued by SAAQ
- Understand, speak and read French and English
Vehicle Requirements
- Proof of insurance certificate
- Vehicle registration
- Photo of the vehicle showing limo plates
Toronto Requirements
Company Requirements
- Business number with the CRA
- State of information of a Corporation
- License to operate as a limousine owner
- Void cheque
Driver Requirements
- Valid Class G Ontario drivers license or higher
- Vehicle for Hire driver permit
- Chauffeur profile picture
Vehicle Requirements
- Certificate of liability insurance
- Picture of the vehicle showing the limousine license
- Vehicle insurance card
Vancouver Requirements
Company Requirements
- Business registration or sole proprietorship
- CRA business number
- Passenger Transporation license
- Void Cheque
Driver Requirements
- Valid Class 4 BC drivers license
- Chauffeur driver permit
- Chauffeur profile photo
Vehicle Requirements
- Liability insurance certificate
- Vehicle registration
- Commercial vehicle inspection report
- Passenger Transportation Vehicle certificate
- Picture of the vehicle with limousine license plates
How To Sign Up As A Blacklane Driver
Signing up with Blacklane is a little different than with Uber or Lyft. Blacklane does not work with drivers directly (unless they own their own companies). This makes the sign up process a little more involved.
First, head over to Blacklane’s driver registration page and begin the sign up process by submitting you company name and email. Then finish answering the few questions they will ask. Click submit when you are done.
The second part of the sign up process involves Blacklane contacting you to complete the sign up process and document submissions.
The important thing is to have all of your documents and requirements in order before they contact you. This will significantly expedite the sign up process.
How To Contact Blacklane
Below you’ll find the best contact phone numbers to use to get in touch with Blacklane.
For drivers, the best way to contact the company is to use the “call” button in the driver app.
Customer Care Phone Numbers: +1 (415) 429-1027
General Email: info@blacklane.com
Partner Email: partner@blacklane.com
Driver Registrations Email: driverregistration@blacklane.com
Blacklane FAQ
Blacklane is not overly transparent with their rates. But for drivers, the amount you see when bidding on a job is what you will be paid for the trip. There may be bonuses or additional services billed, there may also be penalties for being late or unprofessional.
Generally, the tip is included in the rate you pay to Blacklane. They will forward the tip portion to the driver. Sometimes passenger may go above and beyond and tip drivers anyways if they provide outstanding service.
Sign up is easy, just head over to the driver registration page on their website and fill in the form. Blacklane will give you a list of documents and licenses you will require to work in your chosen city. Prepare these before completing the sign up form.
In Canada, Blacklane runs in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Each city has their own requirements and regulations as well.
