A Toronto chauffeur service by the hour, also called an as-directed booking, gives you one car and one chauffeur for a block of time to go wherever you choose. With TorontoAirportTransfer.services the planning figures are $130–150 per hour for a business sedan, $160–190 for an SUV and $225–270 for a Sprinter, with a three-hour minimum and gratuity included; HST is shown separately.
Chauffeur service Toronto: what "as directed" means
Most of our trips are point to point: one pickup, one drop-off, one fixed fare. An hourly chauffeur booking works differently. You book a block of time, the chauffeur arrives at the first address, and from then on the car goes where you direct it. You can add stops, wait outside a shop, change the order of appointments or decide on the spot to go somewhere else. The chauffeur waits with the car between stops, so bags and purchases stay locked in the trunk and you never look for parking. It suits days that cannot be planned to the minute: shopping, house viewings, a series of meetings, a family day with older relatives, or an evening that might end in a different part of town from where it started.
Hourly rates and minimums
These are planning figures. The reservation engine shows the exact hourly rate for the date and vehicle, and the total for the block you book, before you confirm.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Hourly (planning) | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business sedan | up to 3 | $130–150 | 3 hours |
| Executive SUV | up to 6 | $160–190 | 3 hours |
| Sprinter | up to 14 | $225–270 | 3 hours |
| Stretch limousine (partner) | 8–10 | $225–330 | 4 hours |
| Party bus (partner) | 16–36 | $330–525 | 4–5 hours |
| Rolls-Royce (partner) | up to 3 | from $525 | 3 hours |
Rates include the chauffeur, vehicle, fuel and gratuity. Parking fees and 407 ETR tolls, if you ask to use it, are included when they are part of the planned route; unusual extras are listed in the booking. Stretch limousines, party buses and Rolls-Royce cars are provided through vetted partner operators in the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network, to the same standards.
How the booked time is counted
The block starts at the pickup time you choose at the first address and ends when you release the chauffeur. If you are ready late, the clock has still started, so pick a start time you can keep. If the day runs long, tell the chauffeur: extensions are added in 15-minute blocks at the booked hourly rate, as long as the chauffeur and vehicle are free. Ending early does not reduce the minimum, but inside a longer booking unused time is simply unused. For a day that will obviously be long, book the realistic number of hours at the start; dispatch can then plan the chauffeur's day around yours rather than hoping the extension is available when you ask for it.
Personal chauffeur Toronto: common uses
People book a personal chauffeur in Toronto for reasons that are usually practical rather than glamorous. Visiting parents want a day at the St. Lawrence Market, a lunch in Yorkville and a stop at a relative's house in Scarborough without anyone driving. A couple relocating to the city spends five hours seeing condos and schools across three neighbourhoods. A patient needs a ride to a hospital appointment, someone to wait during treatment and a gentle ride home; see medical appointments. An executive has four meetings and a dinner. A family wants to see Niagara Falls, which is covered on our Niagara Falls tours from Toronto page. Each of these is cheaper and calmer as one hourly booking than as a string of separate rides.
Private chauffeur Toronto for shopping days
Shopping is the classic as-directed booking. A chauffeur drops you at the door of a mall or boutique, waits nearby, and takes the bags between stops so you shop with free hands. Yorkdale on Highway 401 and Allen Road and the Eaton Centre downtown are the most-requested stops, with Bloor-Yorkville's boutiques in between; see Yorkdale and Eaton Centre. Toronto Premium Outlets in Halton Hills is about 45 minutes west and suits a half day. Tell the chauffeur the order you want and roughly how long each stop will take; the chauffeur will suggest a sequence that avoids crossing the city twice. Purchases stay locked in the trunk and out of sight whenever the car is parked. For Yorkdale and similar malls, the chauffeur waits at the designated pickup or ride-hailing area.
Luxury chauffeur service Toronto
When the car itself is part of the occasion, a luxury chauffeur service in Toronto usually means a first-class sedan such as an S-Class or 7 Series, or a Rolls-Royce Ghost, Phantom or Maybach. Our own fleet covers the first-class sedans and executive SUVs; Rolls-Royce and Maybach cars are provided through vetted partner operators and are covered on our Rolls-Royce and exotic chauffeur page, from a planning figure of $525 per hour with a three-hour minimum. For most evenings, anniversaries and client dinners, a first-class sedan gives the same quiet cabin and presence at a lower rate. Tell us the occasion when booking; for a proposal or anniversary, the chauffeur can time the arrival and keep a surprise.
Chauffeur Toronto for business days
A chauffeur for a working day is the most efficient way to get through a schedule of meetings across the Greater Toronto Area. Downtown, North York Centre, the Airport Corporate Centre in Mississauga and the business parks of Markham are all 20 to 60 minutes apart depending on traffic, and parking at each can take 15 minutes. With a chauffeur the car is at the door when each meeting ends, and the time between stops becomes time for calls and email. Companies that book this regularly usually open an account; see corporate car service. Share the schedule in advance so the chauffeur can check each building's entrance and loading area, and add buffer time between downtown and suburban meetings.
Evenings out and events
An evening booking covers dinner, a show and the ride home without anyone worrying about driving or finding a taxi at 23:00 outside a theatre. The chauffeur drops you at the door of the restaurant, waits, moves you to the Princess of Wales or Roy Thomson Hall, and collects you afterwards at an agreed corner away from the crush of the main doors. For concerts and games, the chauffeur will usually suggest a pickup point a block or two from the venue, because roads around Scotiabank Arena and Rogers Centre close or jam after big events. Groups heading out together should look at an SUV or Sprinter; celebrations with a bigger crowd can move to a stretch limo or party bus through our partner operators.
Choosing the vehicle for an hourly booking
Pick the vehicle for the largest group and the most luggage you will have at any point during the day, not at the start. Three people shopping will fill a sedan's trunk quickly; an SUV gives room for bags and coats. Six adults on a day out are comfortable in an executive SUV or luxury van, while a group of eight to fourteen needs a Sprinter; see Sprinter van group transportation. Whatever the exemptions for taxis and buses, we fit the right child seat for every child who needs one. The Ontario car seat guidance explains which seat suits which age and weight.
Routes, highways and tolls
A chauffeur on an hourly booking follows your directions but will suggest the route. In the city that usually means choosing between the Gardiner and Lake Shore, or the Don Valley Parkway and Bayview, depending on traffic reported by Ontario 511. For longer legs across the top of the city, Highway 407 ETR can save 20 to 40 minutes at rush hour compared with the 401; it is a toll road, so ask for it and the toll is added to the trip. Information on the toll route is at 407 ETR. Chauffeurs avoid unfamiliar shortcuts through residential streets and will tell you before taking a longer but faster route.
Long days and multi-day bookings
Some bookings last all day or several days in a row: a visiting family, a film crew, a wedding weekend or a delegation. For days longer than about ten to twelve hours, dispatch plans either a second chauffeur or a proper rest break, because a tired driver is not a safe driver. Multi-day bookings can keep the same chauffeur each day where schedules allow, which helps when passengers are elderly or the itinerary is complex. Meal breaks for the chauffeur are fitted in around your stops. For crews and production, see film and TV production; for delegations, the corporate team coordinates the schedule in writing.
What the chauffeur will and will not do
A chauffeur drives, waits, handles bags, opens doors and helps passengers in and out of the car. On an hourly booking they can also walk a passenger to a building entrance, collect a dry-cleaning order you have already paid for, or wait at a pharmacy door. They will not leave the vehicle unattended with your belongings inside for long periods in unsafe places, carry cash on your behalf, or drive faster than conditions allow to make up time. They will not carry more passengers than the vehicle is licensed and belted for. If alcohol will be part of an evening, ask when booking; rules for vehicles for hire are set by Ontario law and the operator's licence, and the chauffeur follows them. Our chauffeurs page covers training and conduct.
Vehicle-for-hire licensing and insurance
Every vehicle and chauffeur on an hourly booking operates under the licensing that applies to vehicles for hire, including the City of Toronto's rules for limousines and private transportation. The City explains its licensing framework on the vehicle-for-hire licensing page. That licensing and commercial insurance are the practical difference between a professional chauffeur service and hiring a private individual to drive your own car. If you are comparing a personal chauffeur agency that drives your car with an as-directed booking in our vehicle, check who carries insurance, who maintains the vehicle and what happens if it breaks down; with us, dispatch sends a replacement.
Tipping and what is included
The hourly rate already includes gratuity, so nobody needs to calculate a tip at the end of the night. Passengers sometimes add a cash thank-you for exceptional help, such as a chauffeur who carried a heavy suitcase up three flights of stairs, but it is not expected. The booking total also covers fuel and the vehicle. HST is shown separately. If you add stops outside the Greater Toronto Area, such as an unplanned run to Hamilton or Barrie, the chauffeur will confirm with dispatch before leaving so the extra time is agreed. Our chauffeur tipping and etiquette guide answers the common questions.
Booking and cancellation
Book online by choosing "hourly" in the reservation engine, entering the first pickup address, the start time and the number of hours. Add the rough plan in the notes field: "Yorkdale, lunch in Yorkville, drop at home in Leaside" is enough. You will see the total for the block before confirming. Cancellation follows the same rule as every trip: no charge more than 72 hours before the start time; 10 % at 72 hours or less; 50 % at 48 hours or less; 100 % at 24 hours or less or for a no-show. For weddings, party buses and multi-vehicle bookings, a coordinator prices the job in writing. Compare other vehicles on the rates page.
