Luxe chauffeur service Blacklane has hit the roads in Riyadh
A ride that’s well worth hailing…
Ride-hailing apps are a dime a dozen here in Riyadh. And being in a city in perpetual motion, it pays dividends to fall back on a service that whisks you seamlessly – and safely – from A to B.
Enter Blacklane, an upscale ride-hailing company where expertly trained chauffeurs, premium vehicles, and an unrivalled in-car experience combine to create a single, smooth experience.
The good news is that it has finally brought its gold standards to Riyadh. The bad news? It depends on how you look at it, but once you experience travel like this, you may not want to go back (or even get out of the car).
Already available in Dubai, London, and Paris, the iOS- and Android-compatible app offers a sleeker, more refined alternative to its counterparts on the market. And you will really feel like a VIP.
To set the tone for each journey, your chauffeur will meet you dressed in a smart suit, open the door for you, assist with your luggage, and confirm your preferences regarding the route, car temperature, and music. They will also wait for 15 minutes before reaching out to you.
For your convenience, Blacklane rides can be booked either on-demand or in advance through the app – with one-way, by-the-hour journey and city-to-city bookings available.
Next comes the car itself – the vehicle that will ferry clients to and from the airport, to the office, or during the early-morning school run for their children.
Each time you request Blacklane’s services with a tap of your finger, the car that arrives at your designated destination will be a sleek, sophisticated Mercedes-Benz. It will be either a Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz EQS, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, or Mercedes-Benz V-Class – regarded as among the very finest in their class.
Other nice little extras, such as charging cables and complimentary water, ensure that riders will be catered to for all their needs during the journey.
Is it worth the price, though? For example, an on-demand ride from Kingdom Centre to Boulevard World in Hittin (who enjoys driving that journey?) at 3pm would cost around SAR128. A trip from KAFD to King Khalid International Airport at the same time would cost approximately SAR255.
But the idea of our ride-hailing service always showing up early, the chauffeur being smartly dressed, opening the door for us, and an impeccably cleaned high-end car with all the amenities inside is something we rather like and don’t mind splurging on.
So, whether you need a ride from the airport to your home or hotel, want to explore Riyadh by the hour, arrive at dinner in a blissfully relaxed state, get the smoothest ride possible into a high-stakes business meeting, or enjoy a stress-free journey from city to city, your Blacklane chauffeur is just a tap away.
Forget what you know about ride-hailing and get used to travelling like a VIP…
The Blacklane app is available on GooglePlay and Apple stores. @blacklaneme
Images: Social