Blacklane enters Providence market with luxury car, SUV rides

BLACKLANE, A German company that specializes in pairing business travelers with luxury car and SUV rides, expanded its service to the Providence area Tuesday.
BLACKLANE, A German company that specializes in pairing business travelers with luxury car and SUV rides, expanded its service to the Providence area Tuesday.

PROVIDENCE – A German company that specializes in pairing business travelers with luxury car and SUV rides expanded its service to the Providence area Tuesday.
Blacklane, based in Berlin, has operated in Boston since August 2013, and many of its customers traveling through Logan International Airport had expressed interest in a Rhode Island expansion, according to CEO and co-founder Jens Wohltorf.
Unlike other taxi alternatives, such as Uber and Lyft, Blacklane uses professional drivers who already are licensed and insured, Wohltorf said. And the trips must be reserved in advance. The company service is available through its website and mobile apps, which connect the passengers to drivers.
The Providence market is now among 40 U.S. cities served by Blacklane.
The service will meet the Rhode Island requirement that all rides-for-hire, outside licensed taxicabs, charge at least $40, according to company officials.
That minimum charge, set to be enforced in December, has been put on hold until a court hearing this month, following a court appeal filed by several transportation companies, according to Thomas Kogut, a spokesman for the R.I. Division of Utilities and Carriers.
San Francisco-based Uber, which allows passengers to hire drivers on demand, had said the $40 fee would force it from Rhode Island.
Blacklane does not operate on-demand, and rides must be reserved. Its prices are fixed in advance, with no “price surging” at times of peak demand. The company is pairing with professional driving services that have “black car” vehicles with downtimes between passengers, according to Wohltorf.
“There are no hidden fees, no surge pricing,” he said. “Even the tip is included.”
According to its website, a one-way trip from downtown Providence to T.F. Green Airport, for example, would cost $51.21 if the passenger chose a business class BMW 5 Series sedan, and scheduled the pickup at least two days in advance.
The company requires a one-hour minimum advance to request the service.

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