Service 01
A dark sedan at the kerb, a chauffeur who already knows the route, and a fare agreed before anyone gets in. No surge, no roof sign, no guessing which car is yours.
01 — Definition
Black car work is deliberately unremarkable. One car, one chauffeur, a pickup time and a destination. Nothing about it is dramatic, which is exactly why it is the service that shows whether a company can run a schedule. A stretch limousine forgives a late start because the evening is the event. A 6:40am pickup for a 9am boardroom does not forgive anything.
It is pre-booked, never hailed. You choose the vehicle class when you reserve, and that class is what turns up. If a car has to be swapped for a mechanical reason, dispatch tells you which vehicle is replacing it before it leaves the yard — you are not left comparing the number plate on your phone with the one at the kerb.
It is quoted, never metered. The figure you agree is the figure that clears. Tolls and parking, where a venue charges them, are the only things added afterwards, and they are shown as themselves rather than folded into a mystery total. There is no multiplier that appears because it started raining.
It is driven by our own chauffeurs. We are a direct operator: the cars are ours, the upkeep is ours, and the person driving has worked with our dispatchers before. When you telephone about a booking, you reach the desk that can actually move the car, not a call centre that will pass the request to a third party.
Looking for something more specific? Executive car service covers the same vehicles on a corporate account, and hourly and as-directed work holds the car for the day instead of a single leg.
02 — Why it holds up
None of them are visible in a photograph of the interior.
A chauffeur who leaves when the clock says so has already failed. Ours leave early, with the traffic pattern for that hour on that corridor factored in, and airport runs are timed against the live flight rather than the schedule. If we think your requested pickup time is too tight, we say so while you can still change it.
(323) 799-3190 is answered every hour of the day by the desk that dispatches the cars. A flight diversion, a meeting that collapsed, a second stop nobody mentioned — one call fixes it. There is no ticket queue and no chat window that promises a reply within a day.
Six vehicle classes and ninety-nine vehicles means a puncture is an inconvenience for us and not a cancellation for you. The replacement comes from the same fleet, held to the same standard of upkeep, and you are told which car is coming before it sets off.
Our chauffeurs sign non-disclosure agreements. Passenger names, addresses and anything said in the back of the car stay there. No photographs, no posts, no recognising anyone out loud — and no small talk unless you start it.
03 — Who books it
04 — From enquiry to kerb
Date and time, where from, where to, and how many people with how much luggage. That is enough to price the job. Everything else — a preferred route, a child seat, a second stop, a name board at arrivals — is a note we attach afterwards.
You get the class of vehicle and the fare in writing. If a set-price route covers your journey we quote that instead of the hourly rate, because it is usually the cheaper of the two. If hourly is cheaper for what you are describing, we say that as well.
Nothing is charged and no car is committed until you say yes. The confirmation restates the time, the vehicle, the fare and anything you asked for, so a misheard address surfaces on the page rather than on the morning.
Ahead of the pickup you receive the chauffeur's name, the vehicle and a direct number. On airport work the chauffeur is already tracking the flight and adjusts to the actual landing time without being asked.
Standard practice is to be in position before the booked time. The chauffeur will not ring the bell unless you have asked for it — a text saying the car is outside is usually enough.
The agreed fare, plus any toll or venue parking shown as its own line. No cleaning fee invented after the fact, no rounding up, and no charge that was not discussed with you first.
Standing arrangements — the same 7:15am pickup every Tuesday, or a car for whichever director is in town — are set up once and then simply run. Ask dispatch to put a recurring booking on the diary rather than reserving it week by week.
Two of us from a hotel on Figueroa to a dinner in Culver City and back, four hours apart. The same car and the same chauffeur both ways, no roof sign, nobody circling the block asking which one of us had ordered it.
The second leg was quoted at the same rate as the first, which is not what I am used to at half past ten at night.
05 — The two cars
A sedan for one to three passengers, an SUV when the luggage or the legroom argues for it. Both come from the same fleet and the same workshop schedule.
The default. Quiet at freeway speed, rear seats that let you arrive uncreased, and a boot that takes two large cases without a conversation. This is the car we send unless you tell us otherwise.
A step up in height and luggage without the presence of a full-size SUV. Useful for a fourth passenger, for golf clubs, and for anyone who would rather not drop down into a sedan.
Larger parties move to an Escalade ESV, a Yukon Denali or a Suburban at six to seven passengers, and to a Sprinter at fourteen. All six classes are set out on the fleet page, and group work is covered under group transportation.
06 — Pricing, in the open
Published figures are starting points for a specific journey, not a rate card that pretends every job is identical. Your written confirmation is the number that counts.
07 — Questions
A pre-booked, chauffeur-driven car in a plain dark colour, quoted as a fare rather than metered. There is no roof sign, no livery and no hailing. You reserve a specific vehicle for a specific time, and the same car and chauffeur stay with the booking.
Hourly work starts from $85 per hour. Common point-to-point runs are set fares instead: Beverly Hills to LAX, Santa Monica and Hollywood start from $125, Malibu, Newport Beach and Irvine from $150, and LAX to San Diego from $525. Every figure is confirmed in writing before the booking is accepted.
Per car. A sedan takes up to three passengers and an SUV up to six or seven, and the fare does not change with the number of people inside it. If the group grows past the vehicle's capacity we move you up a class and requote before you confirm.
A single transfer is quoted as one fare with no hourly commitment. If you want the car held between stops, that is hourly work from $85 per hour, and your written confirmation states any minimum that applies to the date and vehicle you have chosen.
Yes. Dispatch sends the chauffeur's name, the vehicle and a contact number ahead of the pickup. If a vehicle has to be substituted, you hear about it from us before the car turns up rather than after.
Call dispatch. On hourly work the extra time is added at the same rate you agreed. On a point-to-point fare we tell you what holding the car costs before it is charged, so nothing appears on a card statement that was not discussed first.
Anything not covered here can go to dispatch on (323) 799-3190, or read the terms and conditions for how quotations, waiting time and cancellations work.
08 — Reserve
One sedan, one chauffeur, one fare agreed in advance. Reserve online in a couple of minutes, or say it once on the phone and let dispatch write it down.
(323) 799-3190Answered every hour of the day, including holidays and overnight airport runs.