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Hourly as-directed service reserves the vehicle and the chauffeur for a block of time rather than for a single route. The car waits while you do whatever you came to do, the itinerary can change halfway through, and nobody is standing outside a restaurant at 10:40 trying to arrange a way home.
01 — Definition
It is an old chauffeur-industry term and a slightly opaque one. The idea behind it is simple.
You reserve a vehicle and a chauffeur for a period of time, and they go where you direct them for the duration.
There is no fixed route agreed in advance and no per-leg booking. The chauffeur waits at each stop rather than dropping you and leaving, so the vehicle is outside when you come out — whether that is forty minutes later or two hours later than anyone planned.
The itinerary can change while it is happening. Add a stop, reorder the afternoon, skip the third winery, leave the party early. None of that requires a new booking, and none of it produces a new fare negotiation at the curb.
What you are buying is not a car. It is the removal of a recurring question — how are we getting to the next thing, and how are we getting home. On a day with four stops, that question comes up four times, and each time it comes up it costs someone attention they would rather spend elsewhere.
02 — The choice
One question settles it: do you know now when and where the day ends? If yes, book point-to-point. If no, book hourly.
| Hourly as directed | Point-to-point | |
|---|---|---|
| Priced by | Time reserved | Route |
| Itinerary | Open, can change during the block | Fixed, agreed at booking |
| Stops | Unlimited within the region | Those listed at booking |
| Between stops | Chauffeur waits with the vehicle | Vehicle released after drop-off |
| Return trip | Already covered by the block | Booked separately or as a round trip |
| Minimums | Hourly minimums apply, quoted at booking | None beyond the quoted fare |
| Best for | Multi-stop days, uncertain endings, waiting | Airport runs, single transfers, known routes |
Two or more stops, or an ending you cannot name, usually means hourly. One trip to a known destination almost always means point-to-point. If you are genuinely unsure, describe the day to dispatch and we will tell you which is cheaper — including when the answer is that you do not need hourly at all.
03 — How it works
You do not need a finished itinerary. Tell dispatch the start time, the party size, roughly where you are going, and when you think it ends. From that we recommend a vehicle class and a number of hours.
You receive an upfront quote for the reserved block, with the applicable hourly minimum stated. There are no meters and no surge pricing, and the overage rate is disclosed at the same time so you know what extending would cost before you need to decide.
The reserved time runs from your scheduled pickup through to the final drop-off. Waiting between stops sits inside the block rather than being billed on top of it, because the vehicle is held for you throughout. Exact terms are confirmed in writing when you book.
Days run long. Additional time is billed as hourly overage in increments at the rate already quoted, and dispatch confirms the vehicle is free before extending. This is why we suggest booking slightly more time than the plan suggests rather than exactly the minimum.
04 — Typical day shapes
Guidance rather than rules — every itinerary differs. These are the durations these bookings tend to land on once the day is over.
| Occasion | Typical block | Usual vehicle | Where it tends to run long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodinville wine day | 5–7 hours | Metris or Sprinter | The last tasting room always takes longer |
| Wedding day | 8+ hours | Sprinter or Suburban | Photographs, and the reception ending late |
| Executive roadshow | 6–10 hours | Sedan or SUV | Meetings running over, one after another |
| Dinner and a show | 4–5 hours | Sedan or SUV | Drinks after the show |
| Conference shuttle loop | 4–8 hours | Sprinter | Sessions overrunning the published schedule |
| Medical appointment | 3–5 hours | Sedan or Metris | Procedures and discharge timing |
| Shopping or city day | 4–6 hours | Sedan or SUV | Lunch, and one more stop |
| Game or concert night | 4–6 hours | Any class | Extra innings and encores |
Almost every column above has the same theme: these days end later than planned, not earlier. Extending is possible and usually straightforward, but it depends on the vehicle still being free. Booking an extra hour at the outset costs less attention than negotiating for one at 9:50 p.m., and if the day finishes early nothing is lost by having had the margin.
05 — What gets booked hourly
Investor, sales, and diligence days across downtown, Bellevue, and Redmond, with the chauffeur waiting while meetings run over. Usually billed to a corporate account.
Five to seven hours across tasting rooms, with the chauffeur waiting between them and nobody appointed designated driver.
Ceremony, photographs, reception, and hotel — the vehicle stays with the day as it runs long, which it invariably does.
Dinner in one neighborhood, a show in another, drinks in a third. One reservation instead of three, and no surge on the way home.
Procedures requiring a ride home and appointments with no fixed end, where the calmest arrangement is a chauffeur who simply waits.
Repeating loops between hotel, venue, and dinner across an event window, usually in a Sprinter.
A relative in town for the day with four things to see and no interest in working out parking at any of them.
Real estate tours and site inspections across several locations, where the schedule depends on how long each stop takes.
An evening meant to feel unhurried, which is difficult when someone is watching the clock for the return booking.
06 — Vehicles
Larger vehicles generally carry longer hourly minimums, since committing a Sprinter for an afternoon removes it from the fleet for the day. Minimums are quoted before you book.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Bags | Common hourly use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln MKT | Up to 3 | 3 | Roadshows, evenings out, medical appointments |
| Chevrolet Suburban | Up to 6 | 6 | Small groups, site visits, wedding party transport |
| Mercedes-Benz Metris | Up to 7 | 6 | Wine days and family groups needing easy access |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter | Up to 14 | 14 | Wine tours, weddings, and conference shuttle loops |
07 — What is included
Everything on the right is disclosed when you are quoted. Nothing appears on a receipt that was not agreed before the ride. Open alcohol is not permitted in the vehicle under Washington State law.
08 — Hourly charter questions
It reserves a vehicle and chauffeur for a block of time rather than for a single route. The chauffeur stays with you for the duration, waiting at each destination, and the itinerary can change during the reservation without rebooking. It is the structure used for roadshows, wine tours, wedding days, multi-venue evenings, and appointments of uncertain length.
Point-to-point is quoted for a defined route and the vehicle is released after drop-off. Hourly is quoted by time reserved, with unlimited stops in the region and the chauffeur waiting between destinations. Point-to-point suits airport transfers and single trips; hourly suits days with several stops or an uncertain ending.
Yes — common hourly minimums apply and vary by vehicle class, day of the week, and season, and they are disclosed when you are quoted, before booking. Larger vehicles such as the Sprinter typically carry longer minimums than a sedan.
The block runs from your scheduled pickup time through to the final drop-off. Because the vehicle and chauffeur are held for you throughout, waiting between stops sits inside the block rather than being billed separately. Exact terms are confirmed in writing when you book.
Additional time is billed as hourly overage in increments at the rate quoted at booking, and dispatch confirms availability before extending. Because plans commonly run long, we recommend booking slightly more time than the itinerary suggests rather than the exact minimum.
Yes — that flexibility is the point. Stops can be added, reordered, or dropped during the block without rebooking, provided the changes stay within the service region and the reserved time.
Yes. The chauffeur and vehicle remain with the reservation and wait at each destination, so there is no rebooking between legs and no waiting for a vehicle to be dispatched again.
Estimate the itinerary and add a margin. A Woodinville wine day typically runs five to seven hours, a wedding day commonly eight or more, and dinner with a show usually four to five. Extending is possible subject to availability, but booking slightly long is simpler than depending on the vehicle still being free.
Any vehicle in the fleet — the Lincoln MKT sedan for up to three, the Chevrolet Suburban for up to six, the Mercedes-Benz Metris for up to seven, and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter for up to fourteen.
Hourly includes unlimited stops within the standard service region. Travel well beyond it, such as Portland or Vancouver BC, is generally quoted as long-distance point-to-point instead. Dispatch will advise which structure fits your itinerary.
For a day with two or more stops it is frequently comparable or less, since separate bookings each carry their own fare plus the risk of no vehicle being free for the return. Hourly also removes the work of rebooking each leg. For a single transfer, point-to-point is usually better value — and we will say so.
Earlier than a point-to-point transfer, because a vehicle and chauffeur are committed for an extended period. Several days ahead is recommended, and considerably earlier for wedding season, summer weekends, and full-day Sprinter bookings.
Reserve
Roadshows, wine days, weddings, and evenings that will not hold to a schedule. Dispatch answers around the clock.
206-747-0485