Pursuitist Q&A with Dr. Jens Wohltorf, CEO and Co-Founder of Blacklane

Pursuitist talked with Blacklane CEO and co-founder Dr. Jens Wohltorf to learn more about the premium car service brand and how it started. While the brand competes with ridesharing companies like Uber Black and towncar or limo services like Carey, Blacklane has quickly carved an upscale niche in the ground transportation segment. It has generous wait time and cancellation policies while also offering a reliable product. Perhaps its secret to success is focusing heavily on both the passenger and driver experience. A common complaint of drivers is that they feel as if they are not compensated or treated fairly by their company.

Blacklane has turned this model on its head showing that happy employees lead to happy customers. Wohltorf explains how the company started and shares some of the newly launched services around the world.

How did the idea for Blacklane develop?

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Back in 2011, I was with Boston Consulting Group, and unsurprisingly, traveled a lot as a consultant. What I found during those times was that the last mile – for example, the transfer from the airport to our client – was the biggest travel challenge. Most of the time, cabs were not available and if you wanted a chauffeur, you needed to have a contact at a local chauffeur agency. We explored this gap in the luxury transportation market and founded Blacklane in 2011. Our goal was to create a platform that offered a curated experience with reliable, high-quality chauffeurs at transparent prices on a global level. Today, we offer our services to more than 50 companies globally.

How is it different from other premium car and premium rideshare services?

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Our goal is to create a feeling of being taken care of during the journey while offering our chauffeurs sustainable income streams. It’s not just about getting from A to B– it’s about the how.

Our cars and limousines are always the latest models and include Wi-Fi. We proactively track flight and train delays and adjust pickup times accordingly while including up to one hour of wait time in the case of delays. There is also a generous, free cancellation policy of up to one hour ahead of booking time. Airport transfers are the core business, but Blacklane also offers city-to-city and inter-city transfers as well as chauffeur services by the hour, which has become popular with hopping between meetings or shopping trips.

What cities do you operate in now, and where do you plan to grow?

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Blacklane is now active in more than 50 countries, with the U.S. being the leading market. We recently added a new “City-to-Beach” service that takes people from major cities to popular beach destinations like Boston to Falmouth, New York to Montauk, and Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, for example. We are also focusing a lot on the UK as well as the Middle East.

Are there any partnerships with other brands or loyalty programs? Do you have a loyalty program?

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There is no Blacklane loyalty program, but the brand partners with a range of premium travel companies like Emirates Airlines, Silversea and American Express. Customers can also book Blacklane rides with SIXT or enjoy a budget when booking an “ultimate all-inclusive fare” from Regent Seven Seas Cruises to use during their journey.

But, travelers who use credit cards that earn a bonus when paying for travel and transportation services would earn extra points when paying for Blacklane rides.

What’s next for Blacklane?

Some exciting new expansion announcements are coming soon with new countries and locations so stay tuned!