Black car service in Milwaukee
Most car service bookings are a time and an address. The ones people remember are the other kind.
Nobody books a car service for a Tuesday. They book one because something is happening. A proposal, an anniversary, the birthday with the whole group in one vehicle, the first concert, the first game at Lambeau. Those nights have a shape, and the car is part of it or it is in the way.
We are a chauffeured service, owner operated, in Milwaukee since 2017. Tell us what the evening actually is and we will build it around that rather than around the pick-up time.
Nobody books a car service for a Tuesday.
- A proposal
Timed to the minute, because the whole thing is the minute. - A wedding
The couple, the party, and the guests who should not be driving. - A championship night
The ones this city does not get often, and nobody wants to be parking.
- An anniversary
Dinner downtown without deciding who is driving home. - A first concert
Parents who want the night to happen and the ride home handled.
- A milestone birthday
The thirtieth, the fiftieth, the one with the whole group in one vehicle. - A first Packers game
Two hours each way to Lambeau, which is its own part of the day.
We are not the cheapest way to get from one place to another, and we are not trying to be. We are the version where the evening is planned rather than dispatched.
What planning the evening actually means
It is not a longer form. It is four or five questions at the start that change how the night runs, and none of them are about the address.
- What is the occasion. A proposal and a dinner reservation are the same pick-up and a completely different job.
- Where does it actually happen. Which entrance, which door, where a vehicle can legally wait, and how long the walk is in the shoes she is wearing.
- What should be on the screens when the doors open.
- How the night ends. The last stop is the one most services never ask about, and it is the one people remember.
Then it is one chauffeur for the evening rather than a different driver for each leg, which is the whole reason as-directed hourly exists. See hourly and as-directed.
The screens
Rear-seat displays are customized per trip. We load what the occasion calls for and coordinate with a marketing team where there is one.
- A named welcomeA welcome message on screen when a VIP opens the door, prepared with your marketing team.
- The wedding filmThe couple's own video playing on the way from the ceremony.
- The game, liveNobody misses the first quarter because they are in the car.
- Something for the kidsA film that lasts the drive to O’Hare, which is the difference between a long ride and a quiet one.
Most operators treat a screen as a fitted option. We treat it as part of the booking, which is a deliberate expense and not every operator makes it. The screens are in the newer Escalades rather than across every vehicle. If the occasion depends on them, say so when you book and we will assign one.
The vehicle
A late-model Cadillac Escalade ESV, the long-wheelbase version. The full-length ESV, for the cargo room. We do not run the shorter Escalade. Two of them, one Premium Luxury and one Sport.
- Passengers
- Up to 6
- Luggage
- 6 large suitcases, or the equivalent
- Service levels
- SUV, VIP SUV, VVIP SUV
- Larger groups
- Partner operators
Maximum seating requires one passenger in the front seat.
More than one vehicle
A wedding party, a milestone birthday with 20 people, a roadshow across a day. Multi-vehicle bookings are routine, coordinated as one reservation rather than several, and larger groups are coordinated through vetted partner operators.
What it costs
The quote is the number you pay. All fares, fees, taxes, tolls and chauffeur gratuity are in it, and each line is shown rather than buried.
- Hourly, as directed
- $110 to $150 per hour
- Point to point
- By distance and time
- Chauffeur gratuity
- Included at 20%
- Minimum booking
- None
No fuel surcharge, no credit card processing fee, no fees added after the reservation. Milwaukee area, depending on the service level. All-inclusive on the same basis.
Our quotes do not always look like the lowest at first glance, and that is the point. A lower number that grows on the invoice is not a lower number.
Black car, town car, limousine
Three words for the same booking in this market, and the reason they have not settled is that the vehicle changed and the vocabulary did not. A town car has not been the answer for years. A stretch limousine is a different product for a different night. The modern version of all three is a chauffeured Escalade ESV, and the City of Milwaukee still issues the permit for it as a limo permit.
If limousine is the word you were searching for, that page is written for you: limousine service in Milwaukee.
Where we drive in this city
Hotels, venues and the places an evening actually happens. Fiserv Forum, Summerfest and the lakefront grounds, Lambeau when the night is in Green Bay, the downtown hotels and the venues themselves. Pick-ups run from the North Shore and the western suburbs as often as from downtown, and every city page carries its own drive times.
Airport work is the other half of what we do. See airport car service for published drive times to six regional airports, or corporate accounts if this is for work rather than for an evening.
Questions worth asking
What actually makes one black car service better than another?
Not the vehicle. Everyone in this market runs a black SUV. What differs is whether anyone asked what the night was before quoting it, whether the chauffeur has driven the route and knows which door to use, and whether the same person is still with you at the end of the evening. Those are the things worth asking any operator about, including us.
Is this the same as a limousine?
Same booking, same vehicle. The modern limousine in this market is a chauffeured Escalade ESV, and Milwaukee still issues the permit as a limo permit. If that is the word you were searching for, the limousine page covers it properly.
Can you help plan the evening, or do I just book a pick-up?
Either. Most first-time bookings start as a pick-up and turn into a plan once we ask what the occasion is. Tell us what the night actually is and we will build the timing around it.
How far in advance should I book?
We have reservations on the books 14 months out, and we can often take something for tonight. Neither is the useful answer. The useful answer is that the more notice we have, the more of the evening we can actually plan. A last-minute booking is a ride. An early one can be the part you remember.
Can we make more than one stop?
Yes, and that is how most evenings are booked. As-directed hourly means the vehicle and the chauffeur are yours for the evening rather than for a single leg, so dinner, the show and the drink afterwards are one reservation rather than three.
How many people fit?
Up to 6 in the Escalade ESV and up to 7 in the Chevrolet Suburban, in both cases with one passenger in the front seat. Behind the chauffeur it is 5 and 6. The rear figure is what each tier is sold on: the bench seats six and the captain's chairs seat five, which is the trade that buys third-row legroom. The front passenger seat is there on top of that when a group would rather stay in one vehicle than split across two. Larger groups are coordinated through vetted partner operators.
How much luggage fits?
Six large suitcases at standard checked size, or the equivalent. More with soft-sided bags, fewer with hard cases that do not give. Golf travel bags take more room than their dimensions suggest, though golfers tend to know that already. Tell us what you are actually carrying and we will tell you what fits. With two passengers we fold the third row down, which roughly doubles what fits. Worth mentioning when you book, because it changes the answer.
Do you do airport runs as well?
Regularly, and it is the largest part of what we do. Airport transfers have their own page with published drive times to six regional airports.
What can you put on the screens?
Rear-seat displays are customized per trip. We load what the occasion calls for and coordinate with a marketing team where there is one. A film for the drive, the game live, or something prepared for the occasion.
Are you actually based in Milwaukee?
Yes, and have been since 2017. Owner operated, and the owner still drives.
How much does it cost to rent a black truck?
Rent is the word most people search, but this is a chauffeured service rather than a self-drive rental, so what you are booking is the vehicle and the chauffeur together. As directed by the hour runs $110 to $150 an hour depending on the service level, all-inclusive. A single trip from one place to another is priced on distance and time instead, which usually works out below the hourly equivalent. Point to point has no minimum. Airport transfers and hotel shuttles are often under an hour, and consecutive trips can be booked back to back. Hourly, as directed carries a minimum of three hours on weekdays and four at weekends.
What is black car service?
Pre-arranged ground transport in a premium vehicle with a professional chauffeur. At Luxury SUV Rides every one of those vehicles is a full-size SUV: Suburban, Yukon or Escalade ESV.
Do you do black truck service?
Yes, and it is the same service under a different word. Everything we operate is a full-size SUV, a Suburban, a Yukon XL or a Cadillac Escalade ESV, which plenty of people call a truck and plenty of others call a black car. We answer to both. If you searched for black truck service you have found the right place, and the vehicle you are picturing is the one that turns up.
Are you licensed to do this?
Our vehicles carry a City of Milwaukee limousine permit, issued per vehicle by the City Clerk, and we hold a separate permit for passenger pick-up and drop-off at Milwaukee Mitchell International. Each vehicle is also registered with the City of Chicago, which is what allows pick-up at O’Hare and Midway rather than drop-off only.
Are you commercially insured?
Yes, and above the minimum Wisconsin requires of livery operators. Policy information is available on request.
What will the chauffeur be wearing?
A black suit, a pressed white shirt, a black, gray or silver tie, and polished black shoes. It is a standard rather than a suggestion, which is not true everywhere.
How will I know where my chauffeur is?
Both alerts are texts. The first goes out 24 hours ahead of the pick-up, to the passengers and the booking contact, with the reservation details, the vehicle, and the assigned chauffeur's name and mobile number. The same details go out again an hour before the pick-up time.
How can I pay?
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, cash, company check, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Bitcoin. For a retail reservation a card is required and is charged in full when the booking is confirmed. Corporate accounts can request monthly billing instead.
Can we drink in the vehicle?
We cannot provide alcohol, but passengers 21 and over may bring their own and drink it in a chauffeur-driven vehicle in Wisconsin. Our public passenger license is a limo permit, which is what allows it. The chauffeur can end a trip without a refund if it stops being reasonable, which has more or less never come up.
Can we eat in the vehicle?
Yes, and ordinary crumbs are ordinary. The line is a mess that needs professional cleaning to put right, which carries a cleaning fee starting at $250. In practice the only time we have ever charged it was for smoking.
Can we smoke in the vehicle?
No. Every passenger after you is entitled to a vehicle that does not smell of the last one, and it is the one rule we have actually had to enforce. Ignoring it carries a cleaning fee starting at $250. The booking contact is responsible for everyone in the party, not only the lead passenger.
What hours do you run?
Reservations run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The office is not staffed overnight, so anything arriving overnight is answered by the next morning.
What if I need to cancel?
It depends what you booked. Airport transfers are free to cancel up to four hours out, ordinary reservations up to 24 hours, and dated events like game days and weddings run on a sliding scale because the date cannot be resold. Whatever a cancellation does cost you can go toward a future reservation instead, for 12 months.
Can I bring a dog?
Yes. The only condition is the same one that applies to everything else in the vehicle: a mess that needs professional cleaning carries a cleaning fee starting at $250. Tell us at booking so the chauffeur knows.
Can you carry a wheelchair user?
Partly, and it is worth being clear about which part. If the passenger can transfer into the vehicle with some assistance, yes, and the chair travels in the back. If the passenger needs to stay in the chair for the journey, no. Our vehicles are SUVs and none of them takes a ramp or a lift, so that is a job for an operator with a purpose-built vehicle.
How far ahead do I need to book?
For a Milwaukee pick-up, often the same day. The further out the pick-up is, and the more vehicles are involved, the more notice helps, because the chauffeur has to get there before you do. Game days, Summerfest weekends and wedding season fill up well in advance.
Tell us what the night is. Not just where it starts.
Requests sent during the business day are answered the same day.
rides@luxsuv.com