Hourly Chauffeur Service in Boston
A vehicle and driver held for your day rather than your route. Here is exactly how it is billed, including the part most companies leave out.
The Simplest Service, and the Least Understood
A Boston limo ride booked point to point is easy. You go from one place to another and you pay for that trip.
Hourly is different. You are not buying a journey, you are buying a block of time in which a vehicle and a chauffeur belong to you and nobody else.
That means you can change your mind halfway through the day, add a stop, sit in a meeting that overruns, or wait out a rain shower before you leave a restaurant. The car is not going anywhere.
It also means the billing works differently, and that is where people get caught out. So this page explains it before you book rather than after.
Check Availability Call 877-954-LIMO
When Hourly Beats a Fixed Transfer
| Book hourly when | Book a fixed transfer when |
|---|---|
| Your day has more than two stops | You are going from one place to one other place |
| The timings between stops are not fixed | The timing is known |
| You need the vehicle to wait rather than leave | You do not need the car afterwards |
| You want the same chauffeur and vehicle all day | One driver, one leg, one price |
| Luggage, equipment or shopping stays in the car | Nothing needs to stay in the vehicle |
The rough arithmetic
Three separate point to point trips in one day usually cost more than a four hour hourly booking, and the hourly booking gives you the car in between. If you are booking your third transfer of the day, you should be booking hourly instead.
How Hourly Billing Actually Works
This is the section other companies leave off their websites. It is not complicated, it just needs saying.
Where the clock starts
Across this industry, hourly charters are commonly billed garage to garage. That means the meter starts when the vehicle leaves our base to collect you, not when you get in, and it ends when the vehicle returns. It is standard practice and it is why the same journey can look different on two quotes. What matters is that you know before you book. Ask us and we will tell you plainly.
Minimum hours
Hourly charters carry a minimum. Across the industry it usually runs from two to four hours, higher on weekend evenings and during peak season. The minimum exists because a vehicle assigned to your afternoon cannot be sold to anyone else, and it still needs cleaning, fuelling and driving to you.
How overtime is counted
Overtime is calculated from your booked end time, not from when you actually finished. Book until ten and finish at nine, you pay to ten. Finish at ten forty, you pay for the extra at the standard hourly rate. The practical lesson is to book the honest number of hours rather than the optimistic one.
What sits on top of the hourly rate
Depending on the trip: tolls and parking, airport access fees on airport pickups, a fuel surcharge on longer runs, gratuity which many operators add automatically at 15 to 20 percent, and a service area surcharge if the trip runs well outside Greater Boston. Ask for all of them in writing before you pay a deposit, with us or anyone else.
Five things you should be told before you book
The rate
The hourly rate and exactly which vehicle it applies to.
The minimum
How many hours you have to book for your date and time.
The clock
Whether billing is garage to garage or from your pickup.
The extras
What is included in the rate and what is added to it.
The cancellation terms
What happens if your plans change, and by when.
If any operator will not put those five things in writing, that is your answer on whether to book with them.
What Clients Book Hourly For
Meeting days and road shows
Four meetings across Boston and Cambridge in one afternoon. The chauffeur holds the schedule, the vehicle waits, and nobody parks anything. See our corporate transportation.
Nights out
Dinner, a show at the Opera House or the Wang, then a late drink. One vehicle for the evening rather than three rideshares and a surge at midnight.
City tours
Freedom Trail, Beacon Hill, the North End, Fenway and the harbour, at your pace, with your bags staying in the car.
Shopping and appointments
Newbury Street, the medical district, legal and financial appointments where the timing is unpredictable.
Wedding party days
Getting ready, ceremony, photographs, reception. Covered in detail on our wedding transportation page.
Airport plus a stop
Landing at Logan and needing an office or hotel stop before the final destination. See our Logan Airport car service.
Which Vehicle for an Hourly Day
| Vehicle | Passengers | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Cadillac XTS, Volvo S90, Lincoln Continental | 3 | Solo executive, couple, appointments |
| Mercedes S580 | 3 | Client hospitality, board level |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid, Tesla | 3 | Where a lower emissions option is required |
| Escalade ESV, Suburban, Navigator L | 6 | Small groups, equipment, shopping |
| Chrysler 300 or Lincoln MKT Stretch | 6 to 12 | Nights out and celebrations |
| Corporate Style Sprinter | 14 | Teams and production crews |
| Executive Seating Bus | 18 to 28 | Larger groups on a tour or event day |
What Affects an Hourly Day in Boston
Parking, or the lack of it
Much of the Financial District, Back Bay and Beacon Hill has nowhere legal for a vehicle to wait. Your chauffeur holds nearby and returns on a call. It costs you nothing in time, and it is why your schedule matters more than your mileage.
Tunnel timing
Seaport to Cambridge is twenty minutes on a map and can be an hour at four in the afternoon. We build that into the plan rather than the map.
Event weeks
Marathon weekend, graduation season and major conference weeks change traffic across the whole city. Book earlier for those dates and allow more time between stops.
Winter
Snow changes everything on a multi stop day. If your date falls between December and March, build in buffer or expect the schedule to move.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Minimum Booking?
Hourly charters carry a minimum that depends on the vehicle, the date and the time. Tell us your plan and we will confirm it before you commit to anything.
Does The Clock Start When I Get In The Car?
Ask us for your specific booking and we will tell you plainly. Garage to garage billing is common across this industry, and any operator quoting you should confirm which method they use before you pay.
Can I Change The Plan On The Day?
Yes, that is the point of hourly. Add a stop, change the order, wait longer somewhere. As long as you are inside your booked hours there is nothing to arrange.
What Happens If We Run Over?
Additional time is charged at the standard hourly rate and depends on the vehicle being free afterwards. On busy evenings it may not be, which is why an honest estimate at booking beats an optimistic one.
Is Gratuity Included?
Ask when you book. Many operators add it automatically at 15 to 20 percent. We will tell you exactly what is included in your quote.
Can The Chauffeur Stay With The Vehicle All Day?
Yes. On an hourly booking the same chauffeur and vehicle are yours for the whole block.
Do You Cover Trips Outside Boston?
Yes. Longer runs to Cape Cod, Providence, Worcester, New Hampshire and beyond are usually quoted as a package rather than hourly, because a fixed price works out better for you on those.
Can I Book Hourly For A Wedding?
Yes, and most wedding bookings are hourly. See the wedding transportation page for how the day is usually structured.
Tell Us About Your Day
Send us the date, roughly how many hours you need and where you are going. We will come back with the vehicle, our Boston limo service rates and everything that sits on top of them, in writing.
