Back in the Blacklane

Blacklane (Miami and surrounds)

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Service

A block from the Miami Beach Convention Center, at the end of Art Basel, I was feeling exhausted and somewhat marooned. I needed to get to The Standard for one last party and — dreading long wait times and surge pricing from Uber and Lyft — briefly considered walking the mile and a half there. Instead, I opted to fire up Blacklane, the “global chauffeur service” app that offers on-demand and scheduled car pick-up services in Miami and other cities around the world.

I’d tried the app earlier that weekend during peak Friday night party time, and it timed out without a chauffeur in sight. But now, as the festivities wound down, an Escalade was en route. Before I knew it, the driver hopped out, walked around the car and opened the door for me. Inside, the seats were leather and water bottles were waiting — a far cry from the inconsistent quality you get with Uber and Lyft in Miami.

For the rest of the week, hotel-hopping on assignment between South Beach, Downtown, and the Design District, I kept using Blacklane. I got accustomed to traveling exclusively by Escalade or Mercedes EQS sedans, and no longer worrying about negotiating who’d handle my luggage, knowing someone would soon be alighting to take care of it. The app’s interface is intuitive and drivers were always easy to reach and communicative, calling or texting if they were running later than expected. The on-demand pricing was comparable to Uber and Lyft, typically between $15 to $21, while arranging an in-city pick-up ahead of time is typically between $65 and $95.

The service added a new layer of luxury to getting around town. Considering its global reach, I’ll definitely keep Blacklane’s city-to-city services in my back pocket the next time, say, I need to hire a driver between Rio de Janeiro and the Costa Verde. –Shayne Benowitz

→ Ride: Blacklane (Miami and surrounds) • on demand, plus bookable hourly and for city-to-city transfers.