· 1 min read
Why hourly hire has a minimum, and how to use it well
The minimum is not a sales tactic. It reflects what a held car actually costs to run — and used properly it is the best value we sell.
Every operator applies a minimum booking period to as-directed hourly work, and it is worth understanding why, because once you do, hourly hire stops looking expensive and starts looking like the efficient option it usually is.
Why the minimum exists
When you hold a car by the hour, that vehicle and that chauffeur are yours. They are not taking other work, and the chauffeur has to get to you and home again either side. A one-hour booking can easily represent three hours of committed time. The minimum makes that viable rather than making it profitable.
Roughly how it works
Minimums are shorter inside the GTA and longer for engagements further out, because the positioning time is longer. Specialty vehicles and peak dates carry longer minimums than a sedan on a Wednesday. The exact figure for your date and area is on the quote before you commit.
When hourly beats point to point
- Three or more stops in a day.
- Any schedule that might move — a meeting overrunning, a viewing taking longer.
- Anywhere you want luggage, coats or shopping to stay in the vehicle.
- Wine tours, golf days, shopping days, city tours.
- Evenings that will not end where they started.
When point to point is better
A single journey with a known destination. An airport transfer. Anything that is genuinely A to B. Paying by the hour for a straight run is money wasted, and we will tell you so. The full comparison is in hourly versus point to point.
Using it well
Give a rough plan and then change it freely. That is what as-directed means — the schedule is yours. See hourly chauffeur service.
