Trans Dispatch FAQ: car service, limo and charter bus questions

Black car service is a discreet sedan or SUV booked ahead at a quoted price, the usual choice for airport runs, meetings and transfers. Limo service means a stretch limousine or Sprinter limo, normally by the hour, for weddings, prom and nights out. Both include a chauffeur.

A taxi is hailed and metered; a rideshare is matched on demand at a price that moves with demand; a black car is booked ahead, quoted flat and dispatched by a person you can reach. For a 6 a.m. flight or a client you cannot keep waiting, the difference is the point.

Rideshare apps offer premium car tiers matched on demand. A stretch limousine, party bus or coach booked through a dispatcher who confirms the vehicle in advance and watches the trip is a different product altogether.

Yes. Calls and emails reach a dispatcher around the clock, nights, weekends and holidays included, so a dawn flight or a late change can be handled at any hour.

Every trip is run by a licensed, insured operator. Our desk books the vehicle, briefs the chauffeur or driver and stays your one contact; when a partner supplies the vehicle, that operator carries the license and insurance its vehicle class needs.

A sedan or SUV can often be arranged the day before. Sprinters, party buses and coaches are worth a week or more of notice, and Saturdays in wedding and prom season go first, so hold those months ahead. If the date is fixed, reserve the vehicle and refine the details later.

Yes, all of them. Pick the trip type on the quote form; for a multi-location trip, list every stop in the notes, and your quote shows how the trip is priced.

Only on request. List the children’s ages in the notes when you book; the written quote says whether suitable seats are available for that vehicle or whether you should bring your own.

Gratuity is shown as its own line on every quote, so you see it before you confirm rather than discover it on the day.

If gratuity is already on your quote, nothing more is expected. If it is not, 15 to 20 percent of the fare is the usual range for a chauffeur; bus and shuttle drivers are tipped the same way, often as one amount from the group.

Give us the airline and flight number, and the pickup follows the real landing time rather than the schedule. When you book, choose a curbside pickup or a chauffeur waiting inside with a name board. The JFK, LaGuardia and Newark pages cover each airport.

Your quote lists exactly what is covered. Typically that is the coach, the driver, fuel and the hours or mileage stated, with tolls, parking, driver accommodation on overnights and gratuity as separate lines. Restroom, reclining seats and luggage bays are typical on full-size coaches; Wi-Fi varies by vehicle.

Lighting, a sound system and a bar area are typical of the class, and larger buses add a restroom. Features vary from bus to bus, so the quote lists what the vehicle you are booking actually has.

Sedan up to 3; SUV up to 6; executive Sprinter up to 14; Sprinter limo 10 to 14; stretch limousine 8 to 10; party bus 10 to 40; SUV stretch limousine 14 to 20; minibus 24 to 35; motorcoach up to 56. Class-typical figures; the confirmation names the exact vehicle.

Yes, all from our own dispatch, with any positioning time included in the quote. The Hamptons fall within the Long Island service area and the Jersey Shore within New Jersey. A cross-state night, such as New Jersey to Manhattan and back, is booked as one trip with tolls itemized.

The drinks policy for your vehicle is written on your quote. If anyone in the group is under 21, tell dispatch when you book.

Cancellation and no-show terms are stated on the quote. Because airport rides are timed to the live flight, a rebooked flight is usually a change rather than a cancellation.

Not on this website. You confirm the quote by reply and payment terms are stated on the quote.

Yes. Companies that book regularly can open an account; the corporate transportation page lists what the desk needs to set one up.

Party buses usually carry a minimum block of hours rather than a single hour, because the bus and driver are committed for the night. Your quote states the minimum for the bus you choose.

A local day is quoted as a day rate covering the hours and mileage stated; multi-day tours are per-day figures with the driver’s hours and accommodation planned in. Date, distance and vehicle size move the number.

Yes, though the coach and driver still have to return, so a one-way run is often quoted close to a round trip. A partner coach based near the destination sometimes makes it cheaper; dispatch will say.

Both are possible. An as-directed Sprinter day is hourly with a minimum by class; a fixed transfer is flat. The quote states which, along with any minimum that applies.

A pre-booked, fixed-price ride between an airport and a home, hotel, office or venue, in either direction. Unlike the taxi line or an app, the vehicle and its price are settled before you fly.

The dispatcher works on a replacement vehicle and keeps you informed while it happens.

You can ask, and dispatch will hold it when it is available. The quote names the vehicle class; the confirmation names the vehicle and the chauffeur.