Hourly car service in San Francisco
Reserve a car and a professional chauffeur by the hour, from a 3-hour minimum. They stay with you between stops, so a day of meetings, shopping or sightseeing runs on your schedule.
Hourly service facts
- Minimum
- 3 hours
- Includes
- Vehicle and chauffeur
- Extra time
- Per minute at hourly rate
- Coverage
- All 9 Bay Area counties
- Available
- 24/7
What you're booking
The car comes with the chauffeur
Hourly service, sometimes called as-directed service, reserves a vehicle and a professional chauffeur together for a set number of hours. It's our car and our chauffeur. We don't provide drivers for your own car.
For the length of your booking, the car is yours to direct. Go where you like, in the order you like, and change your mind about the next stop. Your chauffeur waits while you're inside, so there's no new ride to arrange at every address.
- A vehicle in the class you choose, from a sedan to the Luxury Sprinter
- A professional chauffeur. All chauffeurs and vehicles are licensed and insured.
- Waiting between stops for the whole booking
- A price quoted before anything is booked, covering the vehicle and chauffeur
How the 3-hour minimum and extra time work
Booking your hours
Hourly bookings have a 3-hour minimum. Choose how many hours you need in the quote form, and your quote confirms when your time starts and ends.
Not sure how many to book? Count from your first pickup to the moment you want to be back at your hotel or home, then add a little room for the stop that always runs over.
When the day runs long
Additional waiting time and extra hours are charged per minute at the hourly rate for your vehicle class. So if you finish 20 minutes after your booked time, the extra is 20 minutes at that rate, not another full hour.
If you can see it coming, call us at (415) 881-6199 as early as you can, and we'll tell you whether more time is available.
Changing or canceling
Free cancellation at least 24 hours before scheduled pickup. It's counted in Pacific time from when we receive your call or email. Later cancellations and no-shows are charged the full reservation price. The full terms are in our cancellation policy.
An example day, hour by hour
Here's how a six-hour Saturday might run for two visitors staying on Nob Hill. Your day will look different. You set the stops and the order, and the car follows.
| Time | Where you are | What your chauffeur does |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 am | Pickup at your hotel on Nob Hill | Meets you at the entrance you named in your request. Your hours begin at the time in your quote. |
| Late morning | The Ferry Building, then the shops around Union Square | Waits nearby while you browse. Your purchases can stay in the car between stops. |
| 1:00 pm | Lunch reservation in Hayes Valley | Plans the drive around the reservation time you gave us. |
| Afternoon | The de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park | Waits while you visit. Museum tickets aren't part of your quote. |
| Late afternoon | The Palace of Fine Arts on the way back | Stops where you can step out for photos, then carries on when you're ready. |
| 4:00 pm | Back at your hotel | Six hours booked, six used. If you'd stayed out until 4:20 pm, the extra 20 minutes would be charged per minute at the hourly rate for your vehicle class. |
Good fits
Days when keeping the car makes sense
If you'd otherwise book three or four separate rides, or you can't say when each stop will end, hourly is usually the simpler booking.
Meetings across town
Back-to-back appointments in the Financial District, SoMa or Palo Alto, with the car outside each one. See corporate car service.
Shopping and errands
Union Square, Fillmore Street or Stanford Shopping Center, with your bags riding in the car between stops.
Wine country
A day of tastings in Napa or Sonoma with one car for the group. See wine country tours.
Sightseeing
Twin Peaks, the Presidio and the Painted Ladies at your own pace. See city tours.
Weddings and events
The couple or the family, from the ceremony to the photos to the reception. See wedding transportation.
An evening out
Dinner, a show near Union Square and a late stop afterward, with the car waiting when you come out.
Know roughly how many hours?
Tell us your first pickup, your stops and when you'd like to finish. We'll reply with the hours, a vehicle and a price.
Planning stops that fit your hours
- List your stops in order, with full addresses, so the quote reflects the real route.
- Mark anything with a fixed time, like a lunch reservation, a tour start or a meeting, and the day gets planned around it.
- Leave time for parking and for the walk between the car and each stop, especially downtown and at busy sights like Fisherman's Wharf.
- San Francisco's hills and traffic make short distances take longer than a map suggests, and the bridges slow down at commute hours.
- Tastings, food, purchases and attraction tickets aren't included. Your quote covers the vehicle, chauffeur, gratuity, tolls and parking.
- If someone in your group uses a wheelchair or has mobility needs, tell us and we'll confirm what we can arrange.
When a one-way ride is the simpler choice
Hourly isn't always the answer. If you're going to one place and staying there, a point-to-point ride ends when you arrive and is quoted for that trip alone. For a flight, an airport transfer is planned around your arrival or departure.
A useful test: if the car would sit unused for most of the day, book rides. If you'd be calling for a new car every hour or two, keep one by the hour. Our guide to hourly or point-to-point service works through two example days.
Vehicles you can keep for the day
Pick the class for your group and anything you'll carry during the day, from shopping bags to a stroller. Passenger and bag numbers are separate maximums. A full car leaves less room for suitcases, so tell us your bag sizes and we'll choose the right vehicle with you.
Luxury Sedan
Mercedes-Benz S 580 or similar
2 passengers 3 bags
Get a quote for the Mercedes-Benz S 580
Executive SUV
Chevrolet Suburban or similar
5 passengers 6 bags
Get a quote for the Chevrolet Suburban
Luxury SUV
Cadillac Escalade ESV or similar
5 passengers 6 bags
Get a quote for the Cadillac Escalade ESV
Hourly car service questions
Does hourly service include the vehicle?
Yes. You reserve a vehicle and a professional chauffeur together. We don't provide drivers for your own car.
Is there a minimum booking?
Yes, 3 hours. Choose the number of hours in the quote form, and your quote confirms when your time starts and ends.
How is time past my booking charged?
Additional waiting time and extra hours are charged per minute at the hourly rate for your vehicle class. You pay for the extra minutes, not a whole extra hour.
Can I add hours once the day has started?
Call us at (415) 881-6199 as early as you can, and we'll tell you whether more time is available. Additional waiting time and extra hours are charged per minute at the hourly rate for your vehicle class.
Will the chauffeur wait while I'm inside a shop or museum?
Yes. The car and your chauffeur stay with you for the whole booking. Where stopping at the door isn't possible, your chauffeur waits nearby.
Can an hourly booking leave San Francisco?
Yes. We drive in all nine Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma. An hourly day can head to Napa along Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail, to Sonoma, or down the Peninsula to Silicon Valley. The service area page lists the cities in each county.
Are tickets, tastings or meals included?
No. Your quote covers the vehicle, chauffeur, gratuity, tolls and parking. Tastings, food, purchases and attraction tickets aren't included.
Can I book hourly for a group of more than five?
Yes. The Luxury Sprinter seats up to 14 passengers with up to 14 bags. For five or fewer, an SUV fits up to 5 passengers and 6 bags.
How is hourly service priced?
We quote every trip individually, so you see the price before anything is booked. It depends on the vehicle, the distance or hours, the date and time, and any stops, and it includes gratuity, tolls and parking.
Planning a full day?
Share your stops and how long you need. We'll reply with a vehicle and a price.
info@sf.limo