Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Limousine Rental Service: Knowing About Gratuities, Drinking Alcohol and Hourly Rental Charges

For those who haven’t tried renting out a limousine yet, there are a lot of factors to consider, in order to make the experience a much memorable and hassle-free one for customers.

As the rates, perks and regulations may differ with each service provider, or the laws may differ with each city or state, it helps to research, and ask important questions first from a prospective rental firm before you sign a contract and pay the down payment for renting these for your special occasion.

Standard Costs For Renting A Limo

Renting limousines these days would generally range from around $50 to $300 per hour, for SUV’s, and have a minimum two or three hours booked. Most rental firms require a minimum of 2 or 3 hours to provide service, except for the standard airport service. When you talk about renting a limo, it’s quite to renting a hotel room.

There is a large array of quality and service levels to select from, and the factor in deciding price is usually determined by what you get or don't get. It usually happens that you get what you pay for, and you need to focus your concern to what you don’t get, because the limousine industry in most US states is lightly-regulated and may be prone to poor service or padding of excessive charges for non-existent services.

Why's It Hard To Rent A Limo For Just One Hour?

Generally, most private limo rentals require a minimum 2 or 3 hour booking to be able to rent the vehicle, because of the large expense and cost involved in securing and maintaining these types of vehicles. As we all know, the average limo can cost around $70,000-$110,000 for brand-new units, therefore one-hour rental will not be cost-effective since the vehicle is only in 'paid-service' for just an hour, and the actual running time may be more than 2 hours. Other factors that make a 1-hour rental not feasible, is vehicle preparation time and the driver’s salary.
Aside from that, during events like proms or other high-demand seasons, the minimum hourly booking requirements could increase to 5-8 hours due to the rising demand from customers, however, rental service firms may offer special exceptions to this rule, and would depend on the availability of vehicles and their current scheduling considerations.

How Will You Know When The Rental Charges Begin?

Generally, most rental firms begin charging you the rental fee at your designated pickup time and location. For example, if you say, "pick me up at 6pm at 123 Main St', then this would be the start of your rental charge. Some service providers begin charging on a portal-to-portal basis and charge 'travel-time'.

To be specific, your rental time may start at the moment the limo begins its travel to your first pickup location. It would be better to ask your rental firm specifically how they charge, as this may help explain the price differences. The charges for travel time is usual, especially in far-flung towns or areas where the closest limo rental service may be miles away.

Do You Have To Tip Your Driver?

The answer would be yes. As your driver is working in the service industry just like a waiter or bartender, but plays a much more responsible role. Usually, standard tips are is 20% of the total fare. However, if you strongly feel that your driver has performed exceptionally well, then it would be up to you to tip more. Some rental firms would automatically include the gratuity (tip) in their overall price quote. Before you make a reservation, ask the firm if the gratuity is included in the total price, because if it is not, then you need to set aside an extra twenty percent to give to your driver afterwards.

How About Drinking Alcohol in The Vehicle?

This would depend if it is legal in your state, town or city. The laws usually vary from state to state, so ask your rental firms first about this concern. However, it’s absolutely illegal for underage riders to drink, no matter what state you live in.

Vanessa Arellano Doctor.

1 comment:

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