Frequently asked

Car service questions.

A little clarity for your plans, with someone here to help. Find answers about airport pickups, pricing and family travel, or talk with us about your trip.

Booking & pricing

Can I book a black car taxi in advance?

Yes. Reserve our private black SUV and chauffeur for an airport pickup or another Bay Area trip. Book online for tomorrow or a later date; call to check availability for today.

Reserve a private ride

What is a black car service?

We provide our full-size SUV and a professional chauffeur, reserved for your party. Wi-Fi, phone chargers and bottled water are available on board. This is private transportation, not a shared shuttle or a self-drive rental.

See our private SUV service

How much does black car service cost?

Airport transfers are quoted for your pickup, destination and trip details. We provide our full-size SUV and a professional chauffeur for $100 per hour, with a three-hour minimum. Three hours is $300 and four hours is $400, before optional gratuity and any additional quoted items. Your SUV and chauffeur remain reserved during the booked period, including time between stops. Review the quote for your date and itinerary.

Get a quote for your trip

Is the price for the whole SUV or per passenger?

The quote is for your party’s private ride, not an individual ticket for each passenger. Include everyone traveling and your luggage details so we can confirm a comfortable fit.

Vehicle and luggage details

How do I pay, and when is my reservation confirmed?

Online bookings are paid by card through our secure payment page. You can review the price before paying. Complete payment and look for your reservation confirmation to know your ride is booked. For another payment arrangement, contact us before booking.

Book your ride

Are tolls and airport fees included in my quote?

Your confirmation identifies the fare and included charges. The quoted fare includes the tolls and taxes shown on that confirmation. Extra stops, significant route changes, additional waiting and applicable airport access fees can add charges under the booking terms. Review the full quote before payment.

Read our pricing terms

Can I book a same-day ride?

Online reservations begin tomorrow. For a ride today, please call us to check availability.

Can I change my pickup time, destination or stops after booking?

Contact BCS with your reservation number, revised addresses and times. Changes depend on availability and can change the fare or reserved duration. An hourly booking is useful when you want the chauffeur available between meetings; a direct transfer covers the agreed trip without reserving the vehicle for the rest of the day.

What's the cancellation policy?

The cancellation page shows the current schedule. Your private reservation page shows any applicable cancellation fee before you confirm an eligible online cancellation.

Read the cancellation policy

Are gratuities included?

Gratuity is optional. You can choose a tip when reviewing your booking.

When does hourly billing start and end?

Hourly time is measured from your scheduled pickup to the recorded end of your ride. Include the final drop-off when planning your booking. When an extension is available and agreed, elapsed time is rounded up to the next 15-minute increment. At a $100 hourly rate, an additional 15-minute increment is $25; a trip lasting three hours and ten minutes totals $325 before other quoted items and optional gratuity. The booked minimum still applies.

Can I book for a colleague, client or family member?

Yes. Choose the booking-for-someone-else option and enter the traveler's name and phone number. Keep your own booking contact details for the reservation. BCS can coordinate pickup with the traveler while confirmations and receipts go to the person who booked.

Can I get an expense receipt?

Yes. We provide an emailed payment confirmation or receipt with a link to view or download your receipt. Keep the reservation ID with your expense records. When booking for someone else, use the email address where the booking documents should be sent.

Can I book a return trip?

Yes. Add a scheduled return with its own pickup address, date and time. Check each leg separately, especially if a flight lands on a different local date. A direct transfer does not automatically include the ride back or waiting between trips.

Can I schedule a series of rides?

Online reservations begin tomorrow in Pacific Time. Call 415-622-8765 for same-day availability. For a series of trips, share the dates and addresses with BCS so each ride can be arranged and confirmed; availability is established for the reservations you make.

Airport & travel

Do you monitor my flight?

Yes. Your chauffeur manually checks flight status using your flight number and coordinates your pickup with you. If your plans change, we’re here to work through the next steps together.

What should I do if I can’t find my chauffeur at the airport?

Call or text your chauffeur using the contact details provided for your trip, or call BCS at 415-622-8765. Share your terminal and the nearest numbered door or sign so we can coordinate where to meet.

Call BCS for pickup help

Can my chauffeur meet me inside the airport terminal?

If you’d prefer an inside-terminal meeting or need help with luggage, let us know before booking. We’ll confirm the available arrangements, meeting location and any applicable charge.

What happens if my flight is delayed or cancelled?

Your chauffeur manually checks the flight number you provide and coordinates pickup changes with you. Let BCS know about a changed flight or arrival date. Airport waiting is measured from flight landing under the stated 45-minute allowance. If the airline cancels your flight and you cannot use the reservation, BCS waives the cancellation fee for a documented airline cancellation when you notify us.

Read our cancellation policy

Where do you serve?

The greater San Francisco Bay Area: San Francisco, the Peninsula (down to San Jose), East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, and beyond), Marin County, Napa, and Sonoma. BCS also provides transportation between Bay Area airports and Sacramento.

What vehicle do you run?

We provide our full-size SUV and a professional chauffeur, reserved for your party. Wi-Fi, phone chargers and bottled water are available on board. This is private transportation, not a shared shuttle or a self-drive rental.

How early should I leave for an SFO flight?

We’re happy to help plan your pickup around your airline’s recommended airport arrival time, with room for the drive, traffic and unloading. The time on your ride reservation is when we collect you from your pickup address, rather than your flight’s departure time.

What happens if I need the chauffeur to wait?

Airport arrivals include 45 minutes from flight landing, including time spent disembarking and collecting bags or clearing customs. Waiting beyond that allowance incurs a $100 one-hour waiting charge. Regular, non-airport trips have a 30-minute waiting allowance; exceeding it, including a requested pickup delay of more than 30 minutes, incurs a $100 one-hour waiting charge. Please contact us promptly if you are delayed.

Can I request an airport car service with child seats?

Child seats are available on request. We provide a requested child seat for $10 on a one-way trip, subject to availability. Tell us the child's age and the seat type needed so we can confirm availability and the appropriate seat. Include children in the passenger count.

Can I bring my dog or cat?

Contact us before booking with your pet’s size and carrier details so we can confirm whether we can accommodate your trip.

Are you licensed and insured?

Yes. Black Car Service is TCP-licensed and commercially insured. Contact us if you need credential or insurance details for your booking.

How much luggage can we bring?

Our full-size SUV provides generous luggage space for airport transfers. For planning, allow approximately six pieces of mixed-size luggage—for example, four large rollers and two carry-ons. Smaller bags can allow more pieces, and folding unused seats creates additional luggage space when the passenger count allows. Seating affects luggage space. Capacity depends on suitcase dimensions and the seating arrangement. Share your passenger count, bag sizes and any strollers or oversized items so we can confirm the arrangement for your trip.

Where do I meet my chauffeur at SJC?

For a prearranged limousine pickup, SJC lists Terminal A's Hourly Lot 2 garage at the first-floor baggage-claim level, International Arrivals at Stop 3 on that garage's southeast side, and Terminal B's Hourly Lot 5 outside baggage claim. Collect your bags, contact your chauffeur and confirm the current meeting point before walking out. These locations differ from rideshare pickup areas.

Events & wine country

Can passengers enjoy wine or drinks during the ride?

Yes. Passengers aged 21 and over can enjoy wine or other alcoholic drinks while we handle the driving, subject to California law. Trips that include passengers under 21 have additional legal requirements; contact BCS to confirm the arrangements before travel.

California Vehicle Code section 23229

Can you take us to a game or event?

Yes. We’ll help bring the outing together, from dinner before the game to a convenient ride home. We’ll talk through your event and coordinate the arrival and pickup plan. Hourly service keeps your chauffeur available during the reserved hours. Event tickets are separate, and pickup arrangements follow the venue’s access rules.

Explore teams and game-day guides

Can I book transportation between wineries?

Yes. We’ll help shape the ride around your tasting appointments, lunch and the pace you’d enjoy. Hourly service keeps your chauffeur available during the hours you reserve. BCS provides transportation only: we have no winery affiliations and do not provide winery access. Reservations and admission are arranged directly with each venue. For a day that combines an airport trip with winery visits, contact BCS before booking so we can bring the transportation plan together.

Plan a Napa or Sonoma winery day

About the service

How is booking directly with BCS different from booking through a rideshare app?

You arrange your trip directly with BCS, review your quote before payment and reserve a private SUV for your party. We coordinate the pickup with you and can help plan airport transfers, return rides or several stops with hourly service.

Explore our private SUV service

What if I leave something in the vehicle?

Contact us with your trip details and a description of the item. We’ll make a reasonable effort to locate it and arrange its return.

Read our lost-property terms

Where can I read Black Car Service customer reviews?

Read what our passengers say on Google.

Read our customer reviews on Google

How long does the drive to the airport take?

These airport-bound planning estimates already include our extra 10 minutes. Departure times are Pacific. They are sampled Tuesday trips, not live traffic forecasts. Your address, terminal and travel date can change the drive.

Minutes of driving, including the allowance. Google Maps samples for October 13, 2026, checked October 7.
Pickup → airport5 a.m.8 a.m.Noon5 p.m.
Union Square → SFO Terminal 226–3432–4528–4532–50
Fisherman’s Wharf → SFO Terminal 234–4540–6538–6045–70
Marina District → SFO Terminal 234–4545–7540–6045–75
Downtown San Jose → SFO Terminal 245–5560–9050–6560–85
Downtown San Jose → SJC Terminal B19–2220–2819–2820–26
Palo Alto → SFO Terminal 234–4538–6038–5545–75
Palo Alto → SJC Terminal B30–3632–5032–5045–100
Downtown Oakland → OAK Terminal 122–2622–3024–3232–50
Downtown San Rafael → SFO Terminal 245–6560–9550–8060–100

For a flight departure, work backward from your airline’s recommended terminal-arrival time and use the upper end of the relevant range. Check the route for your actual pickup time. Airport check-in, security and boarding time are separate; traffic incidents can exceed these ranges. Trips from the airport need their own estimates, plus baggage and customs time where applicable.

Select a route above to start your quote, or check the current drive:Union Square → SFO Terminal 2 on Google MapsFisherman’s Wharf → SFO Terminal 2 on Google MapsMarina District → SFO Terminal 2 on Google MapsDowntown San Jose → SFO Terminal 2 on Google MapsDowntown San Jose → SJC Terminal B on Google MapsPalo Alto → SFO Terminal 2 on Google MapsPalo Alto → SJC Terminal B on Google MapsDowntown Oakland → OAK Terminal 1 on Google MapsDowntown San Rafael → SFO Terminal 2 on Google Maps

Red towers of the Golden Gate Bridge spanning blue bay water and the Marin hills
The Golden Gate from the San Francisco shoreline
Photo credits

Chris Linnett · Photo source · Unsplash License. Resized and cropped to fit.

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