I recently looked into chauffeuring a limousine as a way to supplement our income now that I am either (unemployed or in early retirement). I found it interesting that virtually all Limo services do not have employees, their drivers are considered independent contractors with no benefits. Furthermore, the Chauffeur only gets paid from the time they pick up the customer to the time that they drop the customer off. (Which on the front end sounds fair.) But on the other hand the time to prep the Limo, (I.E. Wash, gas , put ice in the coolers, replenish the drinks, etc.). and then clean up the limo (empty the trash, sweep the carpets, and get the car ready for the next trip is on the Chauffeurs own time, unless they are the owner of the Limo service). For example: If one charters a Limo for a three hour dinner outing. Depending on the location the driver could spend one to two hours on the front end getting the car ready. Then spend another hour or more on the back end driving back to the home base and getting the car ready for the next driver.

So, taking that all into consideration: If you hire a limousine for a special occasion make certain that you tip the Chauffeur appropriately for the number of hours used (at least) or if you wish to be kind add a bit extra. (unless they are the owner of the service).

Knowing that now, I should have given a bigger TIP to the limo drivers that I hired in my past.

Just a thought.

 

Matt, the one and only time I had a limo was when I got married. The driver drank the champagne that a friend put in the car for us and was weaving down the Ventura Freeway all the way from the reception to the hotel. I should have had him arrested.

 

Having lived in Southern California for three years and having been in one limo during that time frame I think that I know what the problem was. He was NOT a chauffeur, he was an actor that made his living as a driver. When we lived in Huntington Beach we use to go to Alexander's in Costa Mesa (a nice restaurant / bar with art deco decor) on Adams. The bartender (Tom) was very professional as a bartender but he was not one if you asked him, he was an actor by trade.

 

Not in this case. He was more like a drunk that got pulled off the street. Not a good person.

 

We only hired limos a couple of times to ride to the airport in style and not deal with traffic and parking.

Our experiences were good, and we knew that a decent tip was expected. Now if you book a ride to the airport with these companies, they tack on 20% for the tip for the driver. Hope the driver gets the 20%.

I don't know if the drivers are all contract labor or if they are responsible for the cleanliness of the vehicles. If they are, they should get some kind of hourly wage, otherwise it sounds like they are "working off the clock" a la __________-Mart policies

There are always bad apples in any line of work. We have heard stories of limo drivers drinking on the job, when they were hired to keep kids from drinking and driving on prom night. Thankfully, those stories are few and far between.

We know you like to drive, Matt. Hope your part time job is pretty much a no stress gig.

 

We have used Limos for parties and concerts and use a car service 2-3 times a year. The service we use bids the jobs, airports etc. or by the hour. The gratuity of 20% is built into the price, and therefore I generally do not tip additionally unless I get outstanding service.

My next door neighbor drives a limo (bus, car, etc.) and does okay at it. He is not going to get rich, but he's doing okay.

We have also used car/limo services in Fl and Ca, and they too built the 20% in.

When the company builds in the gratuity to the cost, I generally do not feel compelled to give additional.

 

We've used the airport limo many times both to/from home. We have always gotten good service and tip the driver. We've not used them for other purposes.

 

I've used livery services on plenty of occasions, usually I do not tip if they say it is inclusive of the cost. If not, I would tip similar to that of a cab. I haven't been impressed the last few times on how clean the car was. I doubt they did anything before picking me (or after). If it is for work and I am expensing it, I am more inclined to tip.

 

IMO it is a big mistake for businesses to automatically add gratuity. Restaurants often do this, particularly for large parties. I usually tip much more than the 15% that they add, but am annoyed by the fact that gratuity is automatically added, particularly when the service is substandard. I actually think that in many instances the server does not work as hard, because they already know they have it coming.

 

When I was promoting rock concerts, we used lots of them. The band's in the bus. The stars in the limo.
Limo's live a hard life. There's lots of tarnished ones around. I only know a couple limos that are driver owned.

In Key West there's a bar called Schooners Wharf. It's an open air bar on the waterfront. Early in the morning, on the far end of bar, you'll find local limo and taxi drivers coming off the night shift. Some are smiling and some aren't. They're sharing their tales o last night in Key West. Buying a round gets you included.

Maybe that's why Key West attracts writers and drunks.

fltsfshr