The car does not leave.
The vehicle and the chauffeur are yours for a block of time. There is no destination on the reservation, because there does not have to be one.
Which sounds like a small thing and turns out to be the whole difference, because most of what goes wrong on an evening out is a car that is somewhere else.
What the hours buy
- The stops do not have to be decided in advance
- Point to point is priced on a route, so changing the route changes the price. On an hourly reservation there is no route to change. Add a stop, drop one, stay somewhere an extra 40 minutes.
- Waiting is inside the quote rather than metered
- Nobody is watching a clock while you finish dinner, and there is no second fare when you come back out. This is the single biggest practical difference and the one people notice.
- The same vehicle and the same chauffeur all evening
- Your things stay in the car. You come back to the person who dropped you off, in the place he said he would be, rather than to whoever accepts the next request.
- It works where a car cannot come back for you
- At some venues this is the only structure that works at all. Alpine Valley turns its roads one way out hours before a show ends, so a car that leaves cannot return. A car that never left can.
When you should not book hourly
An airport transfer, a hotel to a dinner, a single run with a known start and end. Those are cheaper point to point and we will tell you so rather than selling you hours you do not need.
Point to point reservations are priced on distance and time rather than by the hour. Airport work is on the airport page.
Minimums
- Weekdays
- 3 hours
- Weekends
- 4 hours
- Packers game days and the bigger concert nights
- Longer, set by the date
- Point to point
- No minimum at all
Three hours on weekdays, four at weekends. Packers game days and the larger concert nights run longer, usually set by what an average reservation on that date actually looks like.
A minimum exists for one reason and it is not the obvious one. At a big venue the leg that matters is the one home, and that is the leg where there is no supply: plenty of cars will take you TO Milwaukee and almost none will be waiting to bring you back from a field outside Elkhart Lake at 11 at night. A drop-off only booking leaves you solving that problem yourself, at the worst moment, which is not a service we are willing to sell.
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 people book it for
Nobody books a car service for a Tuesday. They book one because something is happening.
- A proposal
- Timed to the minute, because the whole thing is the minute.
- An anniversary
- Dinner downtown without deciding who is driving home.
- A milestone birthday
- The thirtieth, the fiftieth, the one with the whole group in one vehicle.
- A wedding
- The couple, the party, and the guests who should not be driving.
- A first concert
- Parents who want the night to happen and the ride home handled.
- A first Packers game
- Two hours each way to Lambeau, which is its own part of the day.
- A championship night
- The ones this city does not get often, and nobody wants to be parking.
Also, regularly:
- Brewery and distillery afternoons
- Company parties and holiday evenings
- Prom and homecoming
- A night out with a group across several places
- Wedding days, where the shape of the day is the whole point
- Funeral days, where the family should not be driving
Questions people ask
What does as directed actually mean?
The vehicle and the chauffeur are yours for a block of time. There is no destination on the reservation, because there does not have to be one. You tell the chauffeur where next when you know where next.
Is there a minimum?
Three hours on weekdays, four at weekends. Packers game days and the larger concert nights run longer, usually set by what an average reservation on that date actually looks like. Point to point has no minimum at all, so a short airport transfer is still a short airport transfer.
Is hourly more expensive than point to point?
For a single trip with a known start and end, yes, and we will say so. An airport transfer, a hotel to a dinner, a single run with a known start and end. Those are cheaper point to point and we will tell you so rather than selling you hours you do not need. Hourly is worth it when the shape of the evening is not decided, or when the vehicle has to wait.
Do I pay extra if we run over?
Time can be added and it is charged at the same rate. Nothing is charged for waiting inside the hours you have booked, which is the point of booking them.
Can the car wait rather than leaving and coming back?
Yes, and at some venues it is the only thing that works. Alpine Valley turns its roads one way out hours before a show ends, so a car that leaves cannot get back in.
How much does it cost?
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. As directed by the hour runs $110 to $150 depending on the service level, all-inclusive. Chauffeur gratuity is included at 20% and shown on the quote. Anything further is entirely up to you.
Where hourly is the only thing that works
- Alpine Valley Music TheatreRoads one way out before the encore. Hourly only, and the chauffeur holds the spot.
- Erin Hills in a championship weekRemote, shuttled parking, and a car that drops at the gate cannot wait at it.
- Wedding daysSix or seven journeys, no fixed route, and timings that always move.
- Events and concertsEvery venue, and what goes wrong getting out of each one.
You do not need the itinerary to get a quote.
The date, the start time and roughly how long is enough. The stops can be decided on the night, which is rather the point.
rides@luxsuv.com