FAQ's
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01 | Booking
When you book a trip online or through our app, your requested reservation comes directly to our office staff. While you see upfront pricing and have secured your booking request with a credit card, we still have to review our team's schedule to confirm that we can provide just the right vehicle and chauffeur for you.
If we can accommodate your reservation, your credit card will be charged and the trip scheduled, similarly to how hotels confirm reservations on their end of booking apps. You’ll receive immediate confirmation notification upon booking approval.
If we cannot accommodate the reservation, you’ll receive notice and your card will not be charged. We will never charge you for a service we cannot provide. You can learn more about our booking process in our Terms & Conditions. This step is necessary to ensure we can coordinate our chauffeur schedules and vehicle routes.
Why isn’t this completely automated? While we aim for full dispatch automation in the future, it’s a complicated challenge. Even multi-billion dollar ride share companies cannot guarantee rides. They display an estimated pickup time based on available vehicles. Drivers still have to accept rides, and there is a possibility no driver will accept it or will accept then cancel on the way, leaving customers without service.
BLK is different. If we confirm your reservation, we’re planning on it. We have a vehicle and chauffeur specifically assigned to accommodate your trip and are looking forward to serving you!For best service, we recommend you book as soon as you know you’ll need a ride. This ensures your trip is secured before other clients may try to book for the same day and time. If your trip changes after you book, as long as there is no schedule conflict we will do our best to accommodate a schedule change.
Kind of.
We do our best to accommodate last minute bookings; however, for best service, please book at least 24 hours in advance.
Ride share and taxi fleets are large, making last-minute service much easier to accommodate. They can be everywhere all the time. Luxury transportation fleets are smaller, limiting their ability to respond immediately. However, during peak ride demand, ride share/taxi services may still take 30-60 minutes to get to you (and, like most other black car services, charge peak rates on top of that).We strive to respond as quickly as possible and are bucking industry norms by not charging for peak rates/surge pricing. Often, clients will find better rates and more reliable service by booking in advance with BLK over last minute peak rate ride share services.
The fastest way to receive immediate service is to call our 24-hour phone line. If available, we may be able to pick you up in as little as 15 minutes, although 30-60 minutes is generally more realistic.It depends on your trip.
If you want a one-way trip with minimal stops or no stops, book point-to-point.
If you have multiple stops such as meetings, wineries, events, or meals, book an hourly trip.
Point-to-point trips are intended to get you from point A to point B directly and quickly. Hourly trips are intended for trips with many variables, stops, and/or round trips such as wine tours, dinner and a show, corporate meetings, or anything that would require your chauffeur to wait before the next leg of your journey.Like many luxury services, luxury transportation companies are smaller and rely on advanced booking to run efficiently. When a customer cancels, the slot they booked could have been booked by another client but that opportunity may have passed.
We charge a 50% non-refundable deposit for reservations booked more than 15 days out to ensure we have a vehicle and chauffeur reserved for you. If you cancel, we may still have enough time to fill that slot with another client.
Booking a reservation less than 15 days in advance? Payments are made in full when confirmed and are non-refundable due to the fact that less than 15 days provides BLK little lead time to ensure another client can book.
You can read more about our refund policy and fee schedule in our Terms & Conditions.If we broke it, we’ll do our best to fix it. People get sick and even the best cars in the world can still break down. That’s life.
If a serious problem occurs on our end that prohibits us from being able to fulfill your reservation, we’ll do our best to help you receive the service you deserve. Whether through a refund or by securing a ride for you with another company, we’d rather lose money and help a competitor if it means getting you to your destination safely and on time.
Your satisfaction is our highest priority.Nope!
Most luxury transportation companies add additional fees for airport pickups, fuel surcharges, booking services, tolls, peak demand fees, etc.
We like to keep it simple. For the vast majority of trips, you’ll see a rate fee and the 20% gratuity. Overtime fees are charged based on use after the trip is completed. Please see our Terms and Conditions for the few exceptions such as damage or chauffeur overnight accommodation fees.
02 | Gratuity
Simplicity.
We live in a fast-paced world. People usually want to do the right thing (like tip servers and chauffeurs). They also want to be able to get out of a vehicle at the airport and be on their way with no paperwork to sign and no tip to figure out. We also have many clients that book on behalf of someone else, like an executive assistant booking for an executive.
We want to take the awkwardness out of the goodbye.
A 20% gratuity is automatically added to your bill at the time of booking and will be added for any overtime should you desire to extend your reservation. You can read more about it in our Terms & Conditions, but this process is clean, simple, and transparent for corporate accounting procedures.
You can enjoy your ride knowing the details are all settled in advance!Of course! We encourage additional gratuity for exceptional service. Feel free to tip your chauffeur whatever you'd like beyond the initial 20%.
Don’t have cash on you? No problem. Our chauffeurs typically provide modern payment service options like Venmo and Cash App. BLK is not responsible for handling transactions beyond its digital payment platform. If clients choose to offer gratuity via cash or other payment services such as Venmo or Cash App, they do so at their own discretion and risk.
You may also add gratuity using your original form of payment by completing an additional gratuity authorization slip provided by your chauffeur or by contacting BLK Customer Service.
Nope! 100% of all gratuities go to your specific chauffeur. In some cases you may reserve multiple BLK vehicles and chauffeurs and request to split a tip between all of them. We can process this as one fee and split it for your convenience. We want to ensure your gratuities go to chauffeurs exactly as you intend.
03 | Scheduling Details
We get it. Sometimes clients don’t know the exact time our services will no longer be needed. No problem! As long as the chauffeur isn’t scheduled for another client, they can extend the reservation.
You’ll only pay for the time you use in 15-minute blocks of time at the same hourly and gratuity rate as the rest of your trip. If the chauffeur has a tight turnaround to service their next client, we will try to provide advance notice that we cannot extend the reservation. You can read more about our overtime policy in our Terms & Conditions.Maybe. If we have reasonable advance notice and there are no schedule conflicts, no problem! We understand plans change and want to do our best to accommodate such circumstances. However, if we have already dispatched a chauffeur and they are on their way, we may need to charge for the additional time. They can wait at your pick up location until you are ready, but you would be billed for the extra time your trip extends until your drop off. You can read more about variations in service in our Terms & Conditions.
Nope! Everybody needs a pit stop. Unlike other companies, we plan for it. We include 10 minutes of stop time for each hour of your point-to-point reservation. You can use this time each hour or you can take a 20-minute stop in a two-hour window.
It’s your time to use how you want. If, however, you exceed the total allotted stop times, you will be billed for the extra time based on the 15-minute block overtime fee which you can read about in our Terms & Conditions.Easy! We go where you go. Our chauffeurs can travel with you for your entire trip. If your reservation requires overnight accommodation for your chauffeur, we charge $350 per night. This enables BLK to cover lodging, per diem, and an overnight bonus for your chauffeur. You can read it under in our Terms & Conditions.
04 | Using a Black Car Service
Private black car service especially shines in two key ways:
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Luxury accommodation
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Personalized hospitality
You can expect both (and then some) from BLK.
In comparison, ride share and taxi services rely on quick pick up and drop off times with cheaper vehicles that are usually not detailed between passengers. They profit from volume.
Black car services allot more time and care for each trip. Chauffeurs arrive 5–10 minutes before scheduled pick up times with freshly detailed vehicles, always ready and waiting to serve you for the duration of your reservation.
What to Expect:
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You’ll receive confirmation of your booking after our office verifies that we can provide you with a vehicle and chauffeur at your requested time. You will also receive contact information for your chauffeur.
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You’ll receive a text or call from your chauffeur prior to your reservation to confirm trip details. This also provides you with the ability to directly communicate with them.
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Your chauffeur will text you when they are on their way and when they arrive at your pre-determined pickup location.
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Your chauffeur will help you load any luggage or items, assist you with entry and exit of the vehicle, and can even run errands during a stop if requested. For example, if you need a catered lunch picked up and delivered to your meeting or a winery during your stop, they can take care of that for you. Please make sure the items they pick up are prepaid or you give them cash to cover the cost. It is unethical to expect a chauffeur to use their own funds to purchase anything with the hopes of being reimbursed or expecting their gratuity to cover it.
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If you need help crafting or modifying your itinerary, your chauffeur can usually assist with that as well. As your butler on wheels, your chauffeur possesses a keen knowledge of the area and is well versed in helping clients find appropriate restaurants, identifying points of interest, and knowing how to navigate traffic patterns and distances to help ensure a realistic, hassle-free luxury travel experience. If your itinerary includes wineries or restaurants, your chauffeur will typically double check the reservation for you to ensure a smooth itinerary.
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Chauffeurs understand they may be privy to highly sensitive phone calls or conversations overheard in the vehicle. You can count on your chauffeur to take your privacy seriously, leaving you free to conduct business as you see fit. However, if any criminal activity is overheard, it will be reported to proper authorities.
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When your reservation is completed, you’ll receive a final receipt if any overtime charges or additional fees related to trip modification apply, similarly to how one might incur and be billed for additional charges at a hotel. The automatic 20% gratuity is included at the time of booking to make closing out the ride as simple as walking away. No paperwork. No awkward tip conversation. Additional gratuity can always be added if you desire.
If gratuity seems like a lot, please remember that chauffeurs are like servers at high-end restaurants. They receive bigger tips but only have a few tables (rides) per day, and it makes up a significant and expected part of their income. They are the highest trained and qualified drivers in the passenger ground transportation industry. Safety and quality of service are our two highest priorities, and we look forward to serving you!
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Many companies today use computer-generated customer service agents. While BLK utilizes modern systems for automatic confirmation and trip reminders, you will also always get a text or call from a real person. Your chauffeur will contact you prior to your service to ensure every detail is just right and so you can communicate directly with them.
At BLK we like both modern, sophisticated systems and vehicles paired with the timeless, unmatched service only real humans can provide.Absolutely! We’re happy to load and unload your bags for you. If you or someone in your party needs assistance entering and exiting the vehicle or stowing a wheelchair/walker we are more than happy to help with that as well!
Traditionally the right rear seat is the VIP seat. The front passenger seat is typically moved forward to allow for the most legroom for the passenger in the rear seat. This provides a level of separation and privacy from the chauffeur, allowing you to do your business and the chauffeur to focus on driving. It also allows you to enter and exit the vehicle curbside for safety and best service.
A second passenger would sit in the other rear seat. If three passengers are present, we recommend using the front passenger seat, but you can fit three adults in the rear seat if desired.
If you are traveling with an assistant or security personnel, they typically sit in the front passenger seat to provide discreet instruction to the chauffeur, to assist in loading and unloading, and for situational awareness.Yes! Our vehicles are spacious and can accommodate three adults in the back seat. Just keep in mind that a middle seat is still a middle seat. Thankfully, you are likely to find it more comfortable than a middle seat on an airplane, and you will usually spend less time in it than you would on a flight.
Absolutely! We understand ground transportation can cause nausea to some passengers in the back seat and want to help make your trip as enjoyable as possible.
Typically, the VIP seat is the right rear seat, so our chauffeurs plan for that to be the primary seat. However, if you would prefer to sit in the front, simply ask. Your chauffeur will be more than happy to allow you accommodate your request.Yes!
We monitor traffic and typically choose the fastest route but not always. Sometimes the smoothest route is a few minutes longer. Our chauffeurs try to choose the best option for overall client satisfaction. For example, the fastest route to wine country from the airport is typically through the city but is full of rough roads and stop lights. Your chauffeur will likely take the freeway around these issues. While it may take a few minutes longer, it will be a much more pleasurable experience.
Feel free to request a specific route if desired. The chauffeur will accommodate your request even if they might have a different preferred route.It’s your ride, you’re the boss!
It depends. If you want your vehicle to be parked in a nearby lot, you’ll need to purchase a parking pass in advance or be prepared to purchase one when arriving at your event. Unless a client secures this, chauffeurs are trained to drop clients at an event and head to a nearby area with free parking. They will come pick you up when you are ready to leave.
Regarding non-alcoholic drinks: Yes! All non-alcoholic beverages are permitted.
Regarding food: We discourage eating in BLK vehicles due to our desire to keep vehicles free of crumbs and stains for all clients. However, we also recognize clients may want to eat something, especially on longer trips.
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Light snacks are permitted, but we request you refrain from snacks that leave significant residue on fingers.
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Meals such as boxed sandwiches or any greasy foods such as fries and pizza cannot be consumed in the vehicle.
We are happy to transport food but ask that meals be consumed outside of the vehicles. Special accommodations can be made on a case-by-case basis.
BLK is proud to be able to make in-vehicle refrigerators (and even freezers) available to clients. Want to save your boxed lunch for later? Bringing home some delicious leftovers? Want to keep your wine chilled for when you get to your destination? Did you buy a pint of ice cream at Salt & Straw and want to take it back to your hotel? No problem! Let us refrigerate or freeze it for you! Just remember we can only refrigerate or freeze. (We can't do both at once.)-
It sure is! (How cool is that?!)
BLK is proud to be able to make in-vehicle refrigerators (and even freezers) available to clients. Want to save your boxed lunch for later? Bringing home some delicious leftovers? Want to keep your wine chilled for when you get to your destination? Did you buy a pint of ice cream at Salt & Straw and want to take it back to your hotel? No problem! Let us refrigerate or freeze it for you!
Just remember that we can only refrigerate or freeze. (We can't do both at once.)Nope. State law prohibits these activities in commercial vehicles. SUVs do not have a separate compartment like limo vans and buses. If another company allows these activities inside an unmodified SUV, they are operating illegally.
We understand the desire some clients have to travel with their pets. Unfortunately, due to allergy concerns, BLK cannot accommodate pets including pets classified as “hypoallergenic.” Out of respect for all clients and our chauffeurs, BLK prohibits pet transportation.
Service animals may accompany clients as required by law. Small service animals may ride in a client’s lap. Larger service animals must ride in the hatchback trunk.
Clients are responsible for their service animals. Unruly animals will be asked to leave the vehicle. In such cases, handlers will be welcome to continue to receive service from BLK without their service animals. Handlers are responsible for any excessive messes or damage caused by service animals according to BLK’s excessive mess/spills/vomit/damage policies/fees. You can read more about this in our Terms & Conditions.
BLK does not recognize emotional support animals as service animals in accordance with the ADA and the States of Oregon & Washington. We recognize the valuable role emotional support animals play in the lives of some individuals, but emotional support animals are not allowed in BLK vehicles.
How have we developed our Service Animal policy? Through this guidance from Disability Rights Oregon, the City of Portland, and the Northwest ADA Center.BLK vehicles offer Bluetooth connectivity for client use. Vehicles may also come equipped with streaming media services and WIFI, but BLK cannot guarantee streaming media service and WIFI availability. Clients are requested to communicate with their chauffeur regarding specific media requests.
05 | Airports
Our key advantage comes with advance reservations. If you’ve ever arrived at an airport late at night, you may have experienced long wait times and high prices for ride share due to peak demand. You might actually pay similar prices to a private black car service but wait longer for a dirtier, cheaper vehicle with a less qualified driver. The truth is, you just don't know what you're going to get.
Skip the long wait line and the gamble on pricing. Your BLK reservation ensures your ride will be waiting for you before you arrive with a freshly detailed luxury electric vehicle and a highly vetted & trained chauffeur ready to serve you.Private car service providers serve clients in a specific waiting area at the Portland International Airport (PDX).
Exit PDX with your luggage from the baggage claim level. You’ll see signs for Islands 1–3. Walk to Island 3 using one of two crosswalks.
There are specific numbered stalls against the wall of the parking garage. Your chauffeur will text you which stall they are in when they check in with airport security.If you need special accommodation with meet and greet service please contact BLK Customer Service. We do not typically provide this service due to airport security protocol but can review requests on a case-by-case basis.
Please note: Chauffeurs are not permitted to leave their vehicles unattended.We’ll adapt as best we can. Let’s face it: flight delays and cancellations mess everything else up. Transportation has limitations including weather, mechanical, and staffing challenges (just to name a few).
We monitor our clients’ flights and adjust plans accordingly. If your flight is early, we will do our best to adjust our schedule to arrive early as well. If we can't accommodate an early pickup, at worst you’ll need to wait until the expected pickup time.We also build in a one hour buffer for airport arrivals. However, if a flight delay or cancellation puts your arrival during another client’s booking and we have no available vehicles and/or chauffeurs, you may need to procure a separate transportation service.
We will do our best to adjust, but as is traditionally the case with missed flights and unused hotel rooms, we cannot guarantee a rebooking, refund, or service beyond what was scheduled. These issues are handled on a case-by-case basis. We will do our best to balance the changing needs of our clients and ensure our business operates efficiently so we can be around to service you in the future.
You can read more about our airport service policies in our Terms & Conditions.We’d love to but we can’t. Chauffeurs must remain with their vehicles at all times per security compliance with the Port of Portland. However, if you need baggage accommodation or meet and greet service, please contact BLK Customer Service as we may be able to arrange for additional staff to assist depending on our availability and your needs. Additional fees will apply and are handled on a case-by-case basis.
Want to see this policy change? So do we! Contact the Port of Portland and ask to speak to someone in ground transportation. Use your celebrity status to help us make the world a better place!
06 | Electric Vehicles
This is a common question. Electric vehicle range is often a concern for travelers who are not accustomed to using this new technology. However, our vehicles can travel over 300 miles on a charge. This is plenty for nearly all black car trips and about the same range as a typical car. If you plan on traveling farther than that, vehicle charging stops usually take no more than 15 minutes and can coincide with a restroom or meal stop.
Both! We see technology as a helpful assistant. There are things people do better, like customer service and judging intentions of other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. There are also things technology does better, as with accident avoidance systems and precision driving. BLK utilizes the best of what humans can do and the best of what the most advanced tech can do to seamlessly provide you with the best experience you can have: a smooth, relaxed, and safe ride.
07 | Business Model
BLK is Oregon’s first and only all-electric luxury private black car service.
Why are we doing this?
As experienced professionals, we started noticing some challenges in the car service industry which we realized we could address through modern technology and old-fashioned professionalism and hospitality.
Electric vehicles provide clear advantages to our clients and business:
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They require much less maintenance and are significantly less likely to have a mechanical breakdown. This means our fleet is more available for you and your trip is less likely to be affected.
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They also provide smoother acceleration and a quieter ride. No multi-gear transmission and instant torque means there won’t be the typical lag and clunky acceleration from a dead stop that combustion vehicles are known for. City driving is much more pleasurable this way.
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They are also much safer than traditional black car service vehicles. Removing the engine block from the design allows for more crumple space for front collisions. For this and many other reasons, electric vehicles consistently receive the highest safety scores (including a 5-star NHTSA rating). There is no safer black car service vehicle on the road.
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No engine also means no idling noise or air pollution. Since our vehicles sit for long periods of time, chauffeurs waiting on clients can remain comfortable in their climate-controlled vehicles without any sound or air pollution.
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Many popular destinations offer vehicle charging, so our vehicles can charge while they wait for you. They also charge at the shop, eliminating fuel stops for our chauffeurs when they return from a shift. These efficiencies lower cost and provide us with more opportunities to expand our business and improve our vehicle options. It’s better for you and better for us.
We like win-win scenarios, and we’ve built a company around that so you can enjoy your ride at prices that make sense.
Okay, I get electric vehicles make a great option for a black car service, but what about that old-fashioned professionalism and hospitality you mentioned?
We don't want to throw shade on our competition, but we realized this industry could use some more players who operate by the book and follow through with their commitments to integrity and excellence. We could do that, no problem. It's who we've always been and how we've always operated.
It's our highest priority to serve clients with the utmost in professionalism and hospitality. We are in full complicance with local, state, and federal laws/regulations. We don't cut corners. We treat people right. We honor our commitments. It is our privilege to do so. You can count on BLK!-
Yes!
The vast majority of black car service clients require service for 1–2 people and their luggage. Do you really need a boat to fit all that? Of course not. We’ve tested the big box SUVs and found they don’t provide any more legroom or headroom than our vehicles. And luggage? Not a problem. We can accommodate 3–4 large suitcases plus carryons and personal items.
When you book with BLK, you get to ride the same vehicle our astronauts use to get to their rockets. Oh, and they’re wearing spacesuits too. (We know you're not.) You’ll find you have all the space you need (and then some)!Yes! We aren’t committed to one specific vehicle and are looking forward to expanding vehicle options in the future.
We understand some of our clients may want to fit 5–6 passengers or more and/or desire additional space. There are some exciting electric 3-row vehicle options coming to the market right now which we see as potential candidates to add to our fleet so that we can meet these needs.
We are also excited about electric van development and may add higher capacity vehicle options to our lineup. However, we have no plans to add any larger vehicles than this. BLK will not operate stretch limousines (for safety and style reasons) or buses (to keep things simple).
Any electric vehicle BLK adds to its fleet must meet three primary requirements:
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They must be luxury grade
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Have a range capacity of greater than 300 miles
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Be sourced from a manufacturer that can provide local service if needed.
Thankfully, we see many such options on the horizon. We are excited about the future of electric vehicles!
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Nope! We are grateful for the increase in ride share adoption as it has made it easier for people to utilize for-hire transportation services.
Did you know the largest ride share company in the world started as a luxury black car service? And they didn’t put all the others out of business. An expanded market creates more opportunities and options.
When people get tired of the inconsistent and lower quality service of ride share, they will want to upgrade their experience by trying BLK. Once they get used to the upgraded experience, they won't want to go back.
We also provide service for pickup times and locations ride share services don’t, like rural ranches, ocean front destinations, and mountain resorts. Robotaxi fleets will likely replace ride share services, but adoption will take some time and the vehicles will be utilitarian in nature.
Luxury transportation isn’t just about getting from one place to the next. There are many ways to do that. It’s about unmatched quality, personalized hospitality, and an exceptional overall experience. We’re committed to providing the most advanced and sophisticated vehicles with the timeless luxury and hospitality only a human chauffeur can deliver.
With BLK you get both a robot vehicle and a human butler on wheels! You can count on BLK!
