Reference
Limo industry glossary
The limousine and chauffeured transportation business has a vocabulary of its own. This glossary explains the terms in plain language, from how trips are booked and billed to the roles at an airport pickup and the permits a company carries.
A
Affiliate network
A group of independent operators who cover trips for one another in markets where they do not run their own vehicles. When a client needs a car in a city you do not serve, you hand the trip to a trusted partner in that market.
Airport transfer
A trip to or from an airport. A pickup meets an arriving passenger and takes them onward, while a dropoff takes a passenger to the terminal to catch a flight.
Related: Meet and greet, Curbside pickup, Staging
As-directed
A booking in which the vehicle and chauffeur are placed at the client's disposal for a block of time and the client sets the itinerary as the day unfolds, rather than following a fixed route. It is usually billed by the hour with a minimum.
Related: Hourly minimum, Point-to-point
B
Base rate
The core price of a trip before extras such as gratuity, tolls, wait time, and fees are added. It is the starting figure a quote is built on.
Black car service
Premium chauffeured service in late-model sedans or SUVs, usually dark-colored. It sits above standard taxi service and below the stretch limousine in formality.
Related: Chauffeur, Stretch limousine
C
Charter
Exclusive hire of a vehicle, often a bus or larger vehicle, with a driver for a dedicated trip or event over a set period. The whole vehicle is reserved for one group.
Related: Fleet
Chauffeur
A professional driver of a hired luxury vehicle who provides a higher standard of service than an ordinary driver, including passenger assistance, discretion, and etiquette.
Related: Black car service
Corporate account
A billing arrangement in which a company's travel is grouped under a single account and invoiced to the business, rather than charged to each passenger. It lets a firm manage and pay for many riders' trips together.
Related: Duty of care
Curbside pickup
A pickup where the chauffeur meets the passenger at the curb outside a terminal or venue, rather than walking in to greet them. It is faster than a meet and greet but offers less assistance.
Related: Meet and greet, Airport transfer
D
Deadhead
The part of a trip a vehicle travels empty with no paying passenger, such as the drive from the garage to the first pickup or the return after a final dropoff.
Related: Garage-to-garage
Dispatch
The work of assigning drivers and vehicles to trips and coordinating their movements so every booking is covered. It can be done by a person or handled automatically by software.
Related: Run sheet (trip sheet)
DOT number
A United States Department of Transportation identifier that certain commercial motor carriers must register for and display. It is used to track a carrier's safety and compliance record.
Related: TCP number, Livery
Drive time
The portion of a booking spent actually driving on the road, as opposed to time spent waiting for or between passengers.
Related: Wait time
Duty of care
The responsibility a company holds to protect the safety and wellbeing of the people it moves. In ground transportation it underpins expectations around vetted chauffeurs, proper insurance, and the ability to locate a trip in progress.
Related: Corporate account
E
ETA
Estimated time of arrival, the projected time a vehicle will reach the pickup point or the destination. It is what clients most often want to know about a trip in progress.
Related: Wait time
F
Farm-in
A trip you receive from another operator to cover on their behalf, usually through an affiliate network. It is the other side of a farm-out.
Related: Farm-out, Affiliate network
Farm-out
A trip you hand to a trusted partner operator to cover, typically because it falls outside your service area or you have no vehicle free. The partner runs it under your client relationship.
Related: Farm-in, Affiliate network
FBO (fixed-base operator)
A private aviation terminal at an airport that serves private and charter flights. Chauffeurs often pick up and drop off private-flight passengers at the FBO instead of the main commercial terminal.
Related: Airport transfer, Staging
Flat rate
A single fixed, all-in price for a defined trip, agreed in advance and not affected by small changes in time or distance. A set airport-to-downtown fare is a common example.
Related: Base rate, Point-to-point
Fleet
The full set of vehicles a company operates, across every class from sedans to stretch limousines and larger vehicles.
Related: Stretch limousine, Charter
G
Garage-to-garage
A billing method that charges for the entire time and distance from when the vehicle leaves its garage until it returns, including the empty deadhead legs at each end.
Related: Deadhead
Gratuity
A tip for the chauffeur, often added to the fare as a set percentage of the base rate. It may be included automatically or left to the client.
Related: Base rate
Greeter
A staff member who meets arriving passengers inside the terminal, frequently holding a name sign, and walks them to their vehicle. A greeter is the person who performs a meet and greet.
Related: Meet and greet, Airport transfer
H
Hourly minimum
The smallest number of billable hours a company will accept for an hourly or as-directed booking, such as a three-hour minimum. It ensures short jobs still cover the cost of committing a vehicle and chauffeur.
Related: As-directed
L
Livery
A traditional term for for-hire passenger vehicle service. Livery vehicles are licensed to carry passengers for a fee, and the word still appears in regulations and license-plate classes.
M
Meet and greet
An airport service where the chauffeur or a greeter meets the passenger inside the terminal, often at baggage claim with a name sign, rather than waiting at the curb.
Related: Greeter, Curbside pickup, Airport transfer
N
No-show
A booking where the passenger never appears at the pickup within the agreed wait window. It is typically still billed because the vehicle and chauffeur were committed.
Related: Wait time
P
Peak pricing
Higher rates applied during periods of strong demand, such as holidays, major events, or prom and wedding season. It reflects the premium on limited vehicles when everyone wants one at once.
Related: Base rate
Point-to-point
A trip booked and priced as a direct ride from one specific pickup to one specific dropoff, as opposed to an hourly or as-directed arrangement.
Related: As-directed, Flat rate
R
Run sheet (trip sheet)
The document or screen that lists a trip's full details for the chauffeur: passenger, times, addresses, stops, and any special instructions. It is the driver's single reference for the job.
Related: Dispatch
S
Staging
Positioning a vehicle at or near the pickup ahead of time so it is ready the moment the passenger is, such as waiting in an airport holding lot before a flight lands.
Related: Airport transfer, FBO (fixed-base operator)
Stretch limousine
A luxury sedan or SUV that has been professionally lengthened to add passenger seating, the classic stretch limo used for weddings, proms, and group outings.
Related: Fleet, Black car service
T
TCP number
In California, a Transportation Charter Party permit number issued by the state regulator that authorizes a company to provide charter-party carrier service, including limousine work. It must be displayed on the vehicle.
Related: DOT number, Charter, Livery
TNC (transportation network company)
A company that connects passengers with drivers through a mobile app, the model used by app-based rideshare services. It is regulated as a separate category from traditional livery and taxi service.
Related: Livery
W
Wait time
Time a chauffeur spends waiting for a passenger beyond the scheduled pickup or an included grace period. It is usually billed at a set rate.
Related: No-show, Drive time
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