Blacklane Terms and Conditions

Please note: The English translation of the Blacklane Terms and Conditions is provided for the convenience of our non German-speaking customers. Regardless of this, only the original German-language version is legally binding. In New York City, Blacklane GmbH does not dispatch trips directly to chauffeurs in order to comply with the regulations of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (the “TLC”). Blacklane operates in New York City exclusively through our network of TLC-licensed For-Hire Vehicle Bases, which can be viewed by clicking here

  1. General Provisions
  2. Contractual Relationship and Contract Conclusion
  3. Registration Obligation of the User for the Use of the BL Tools
  4. Selected Content of the Transportation Contract for the Benefit of the User
  5. Remuneration and Payment
  6. Liability
  7. Amendment of the Offer by Blacklane
  8. Protection of Content, Grant of Rights of Use to BL Tools
  9. Final Provisions

1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Blacklane GmbH, Feurigstraße 59, 10827 Berlin, Germany (hereinafter referred to as "Blacklane") enables its users to book ride services via its own online platform by integrating third-party online platforms and applications for mobile devices ("apps"; all methods collectively referred to as "BL Tools"). Blacklane's service only consists of providing a client for transportation against an independent ride service provider ([Transportation Service Provider] "TSP") as a way of arranging for a business service for the user, not in rendering ride services.

These General Terms and Conditions (hereinafter referred to as “T&Cs”) are part of each agreement of the user concerning Blacklane's arrangement of business service contracts. They also describe details of the ride services for which Blacklane provides the user a direct claim against an TSP.

Conflicting general terms and conditions of the user are hereby also contradicted in the case of confirmation letters and services accepted without condition. Any terms to the contrary shall only apply insofar as the management of Blacklane has expressly consented to this in writing.

2. CONTRACTUAL RELATIONSHIP AND CONTRACT CONCLUSION

2.1 CONTRACTUAL RELATIONSHIP

Blacklane does not provide the ride services presented within the scope of the BL Tools either itself or by way of third parties. Blacklane only provides the user with a claim for transport against an TSP, which is independent of Blacklane.

For this purpose, Blacklane concludes on its own behalf the necessary agreements with the TSP that provide the user with a claim for transport against the TSP ("contract for the benefit of third parties", also "transportation contract for the benefit of the user"). From this, the user is entitled to request the ride service and further claims directly from the TSP.

Blacklane and the user only agree to the arrangement of a business service contract and no transportation services. The claim for remuneration by Blacklane includes the remuneration for arranging business services as well as the transportation remuneration disbursed to the TSP.

2.2 CONCLUSION OF CONTRACT

By transmitting a completed booking form over BL Tools or making arrangements by telephone with Blacklane, the user transmits an offer to conclude a business service contract (“ride request” of the user). The subject matter of this contract is the provision of the ride service requested by the user.

As an initial matter, Blacklane transmits to the user an email confirmation of receipt with the details of the ride service to be provided. In so doing, Blacklane only confirms the receipt of the user's ride request.

It is only by separate declaration (“booking confirmation”) by email from Blacklane that the business service contract between Blacklane and the user is concluded for the desired ride service. The user is then directly entitled vis-à-vis the TSP to request the ride service of the TSP and to assert further claims directly from the TSP.

3. REGISTRATION OBLIGATION OF THE USER FOR THE USE OF THE BL TOOLS

The user provides assurance to Blacklane that all information they transmit or have transmitted to Blacklane on their behalf by another person is complete and accurate. Registrations by automated processes are prohibited.

4. SELECTED CONTENT OF THE TRANSPORTATION CONTRACT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE USER

The user can only request the details for a user's ride request (together with “ride modalities”) described under Section 4 from the TSP if this has been agreed with Blacklane in the business service contract.

For the transport claim of the user to be asserted directly towards the TSP and to be procured by Blacklane, the following conditions apply:

4.1 RIDE TYPES, SERVICE CHANGES

Depending on local availability, the User can select for the Ride Request between transfer rides, long-distance rides (transfer rides starting at 200 km), rides on demand (“chauffeur hailing”) and hourly bookings.

If the ride actually carried out involves additional expenditure of effort due to the user's or guest's preference as compared to the ride requested, the TSP will allow for this additional effort to the extent possible. The additional effort may result in additional costs for the individual business service contract; see Section 5 below for details.

Subject to availability, changes to ride modalities are possible even after the conclusion of the contract by the user or the guest pursuant to Section 5.2 with the remuneration consequences described therein.

4.1.1

In the case of transfer, long-distance and rides on demand, the indicated price shall apply to a start and a destination address. An additional fee may be incurred per stopover on a direct route according to the price structure applicable (see Section 5 below).

4.1.2

An hourly booking always begins at the booked pickup time and ends in the city area of the pickup location. If the TSP allows the completion of the ride outside the city area of the pickup location at the User's request or if the included free kilometers or the booking duration are exceeded, this additional effort results in additional costs, particularly due to the fact that the TSP must return to the city area of the pickup location.

4.2 PICKUP TIME

The agreed pickup time is the pickup time specified in the Blacklane booking confirmation.

In the event of airport pickup or pickup at a long-distance train station where the User has provided a correct flight or train number during the booking and thus enabled the tracking of the arrival time of the flight or train, the agreed pickup time will be shifted accordingly in case of deviations in the arrival time.

4.3 VEHICLE CLASS/VEHICLE MODEL, UPGRADE

Depending on the regional availability of the vehicle, the user can choose from different vehicle classes for their ride request (for example, “Business Class”, ”Business Van/SUV”, ”First Class”, “Sprinter Class” or “Electric Class”).

The vehicles shown within the framework of the BL Tools are only illustrative examples. There is no right to a particular vehicle model associated with a booked vehicle class; in particular, regional differences are possible.

It is possible for Blacklane to upgrade from the vehicle class “Business Class” to a higher vehicle class (such as “Business Van” or “First Class”) at any time at no additional cost for the user depending on availability.

4.4 TRANSPORT SAFETY, CONSEQUENCES

4.4.1 LUGGAGE, ANIMALS

The price in the booking confirmation includes the number of luggage items specified in the booking form.

Excess luggage, bulky luggage such as a wheelchair, weapons or animals that the User wishes to carry along must be specified during the booking. The TSP may refuse the transport of luggage, weapons and/or animals that have not been agreed upon; this also applies if animals are not housed in a closed and suitable transport box. The right of refusal does not exist if local statutory provisions of the region in which the transport is carried out require that the items be accommodated.

If the TSP enables the transport of non-stipulated luggage, weapons and/or animals, corresponding surcharges may be charged; accordingly, the remuneration for the business service contract then will turn out to be higher than specified in the booking confirmation (see Section 5 below).

4.4.2 TRANSPORT OF CHILDREN AND MINORS

(A) CHILDREN The need for child restraints for children must be specified by the user in the ride request by specifying the number and age of the children to be transported as well as the type of child restraints required.

(B) MINORS The transport of unaccompanied minors can be rejected by the TSP. The legal age of majority or minor status is determined by the statutory provisions of the region in which the transport is to be performed.

4.4.3 INFORMATION ON NUMBER OF PASSENGERS, NUMBER AND SIZE OF LUGGAGE

The maximum number of passengers, number and size of luggage provided by Blacklane for a specific vehicle is set out in the binding luggage policy.

The TSP may refuse to transport passengers or luggage if, in its opinion, the space and safety conditions do not permit it.

4.4.4 IMPEDED TRANSPORT

The TSP may refuse a transport if mandatory (for example, resulting from applicable law) requirements pursuant to this Section 4.3 have not been communicated or were not correctly communicated by the user in the ride request.

If transport is not possible for this reason, this does not have any impact on the remuneration of Blacklane under the business service contract with the user for the specific transportation.

4.5 DELAYS

Exceptional situations such as striking air traffic controllers, terrible weather conditions, etc. can only be compensated to a limited extent, so in these cases, longer waiting times or short-notice cancellations must be accepted by the user.

4.6 CANCELLATIONS, REBOOKINGS AND NO-SHOW RIDES

4.6.1 CANCELLATION

For transfer rides, long-distance rides (transfer rides starting at 200 km) and hourly bookings, the cancellation is free if the time between the cancellation and the agreed pickup time is greater than one hour. If the time between the cancellation and the agreed pickup time is one hour or less, the full price must be paid. An effective cancellation can only be carried out via the cancellation function on the website or in the app.

4.6.2 REBOOKINGS

Rebookings are generally treated as new bookings. The regulations for the handling of cancellations (Section 4.5.1 above) apply accordingly for the originally agreed ride. Accordingly, a remuneration claim by Blacklane for the originally agreed ride may remain in force.

4.6.3 NO-SHOW RIDES WITHOUT CANCELLATION, USER'S DELAY

In the event of a no-show ride without a cancellation, the User's claim for transport vis-à-vis the TSP no longer applies; however, Blacklane's claim for remuneration against the User still applies.

(A) FOR TRANSFER AND LONG-DISTANCE RIDES A ride is considered to be a no-show if the User or guest does not appear within 30 minutes after the agreed pickup time at the agreed pickup location.

In the event of pickup at airports or long-distance train stations, a ride is considered to be a no-show if the User or guest does not appear within 60 minutes after the agreed pickup time at the agreed pickup location.

No-show rides must be fully remunerated, but any waiting time surcharges are not applied. This is not the case if the TSP and the guest have communicated by telephone about a later pickup time. Any waiting time surcharges must be remunerated as described under Section 5.3.1. As a general rule, there is no right to change the pickup time.

(B) HOURLY BOOKING A ride is considered to be a no-show if the User or guest does not appear at the agreed pickup location after the end of the booked hours according to the pickup time.

In the event of pickup at airports or long-distance train stations, a ride is considered to be a no-show if the User or guest does not appear at the agreed location after the end of the booked hours according to the pickup time.

No-show rides must be fully remunerated. This is not the case if the TSP and the guest have communicated by telephone about a later pickup time. The hourly booking always starts as described under Section 4.1.2 at the agreed pickup time. In this respect, any extensions of the hourly booking must be remunerated as described under Section 5.2. As a general rule, there is no right to change the pickup time.

4.7 BEHAVIOR IN THE LIMOUSINE

The following behavioral standards apply to the users of the TSP's transport services:

Throughout the entire ride time, the respective applicable regulations for the regulation of road traffic apply for all guests, particularly the obligation to wear a seat belt. The TSP's instructions must always be followed. The TSP bears the responsibility for safely completing the ride. Therefore, the guests are prohibited from opening the doors during the ride, throwing objects out of the vehicle and/or physically hanging out any part of the body or screaming from the vehicle. If guests wish to use any equipment or systems present in the respective vehicle, prior instruction by the TSP is required.

Smoking is prohibited in the passenger compartment of the vehicles. If the user or a guest ignores this, the user must bear the costs of a vehicle cleaning and the resulting loss of serviceability.

The consumption of food is discouraged. Alcoholic drinks are only allowed to be consumed in the car with prior consent.

5. REMUNERATION AND PAYMENT

5.1 GENERAL PRINCIPLES

The booking confirmation specifies the remuneration claim by Blacklane.

Key factors for this amount (including reimbursement of expenses for the ride service provided by Blacklane) are: the selected vehicle class, the route, the length of time for advanced booking and the pickup time and (where applicable) pickup location.

Booking special requests, such as multilingual chauffeurs, individual vehicle marking, intermediate stops, bulky luggage, child seats, etc. may have the effect of increasing the price.

5.2 RIDE CHANGES

The user (and also the guest) may also change the ride modalities after the conclusion of the business service contract and, to the extent possible for the TSP, after the ride is started.

In the event of a spontaneous upgrade of the ride by request of the user or guest (distance or number of hours), the actual service (total distance or number of hours) is recalculated and charged according to the respective valid price structure. In the case of hourly bookings, any half hour commenced is determinative for the invoicing; in other words, the half hour is rounded up from the first additional minute in the interest of better planning reliability.

Accordingly, the remuneration claim vis-à-vis the user increases, as there is a corresponding increase in the reimbursement of Blacklane's expenses for the business service contract on behalf of the user.

If the booked distance or number of hours is shortened as compared to the booking, the agreed remuneration remains unaffected.

5.3 OTHER CHARGES

5.3.1 WAITING TIMES FOR TRANSFER RIDES

In the case of transfer rides, no surcharges will apply for waiting times with pickup at airports or long-distance train stations up to 60 minutes after the agreed pickup time. In all other cases, no surcharges will apply for waiting times up to 15 minutes from the agreed pickup time. Each additional minute of waiting time is invoiced as a share of the hourly booking prices applicable in the respective city area and for the respective vehicle class, plus the applicable sales tax.

5.3.2 ADDITIONAL KILOMETERS FOR HOURLY BOOKINGS

Hourly bookings consist of the inclusive kilometers (per hour) communicated in the booking form (or by telephone). Additional kilometers are separately remunerated and are based on the route prices for the booked vehicle class in the respective city area and are invoiced in addition to the applicable sales tax.

5.4 PAYMENT MODALITIES AND TRANSACTION FEES

The user can pay for their ride by credit card. Any credit card fees accrued are borne by Blacklane. The user bears any transaction fees in the event of a payment by transfer (for example, due to different currencies or locally different accounts).

5.5 WARNING NOTICES, FAILED CREDIT CARD DIRECT DEBITING

For each payment reminder notice, Blacklane may charge a reasonable reminder fee.

For non-redeemable credit card debit authorizations, Blacklane invoices the user for the expenses incurred for this (bank, credit card institution) and reserves the right to assert a reasonable processing fee per incident.

5.6 TRANSMISSION OF INVOICES, DUE DATE

Blacklane electronically makes the respective invoice available to the user for download in the User account. If payment is made by credit card, the remuneration is due for payment immediately. If payment is made by bank transfer, the payment term referred to in the invoice applies.

5.7 VOUCHERS

Vouchers are one-off and only redeemable individually and may not be combined with additional vouchers. They cannot be redeemed for cash.

6. LIABILITY

6.1 GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Blacklane is liable for damages caused by Blacklane or its vicarious and service agents through intent or due to gross negligence. The TSP, including all the chauffeurs employed by the latter, are neither vicarious nor service agents of Blacklane for the performance of transportation services. Rather, Blacklane provides the User with a direct claim for transport services vis-à-vis the TSP.

In the event of damages caused by simple negligence, Blacklane is liable only for the violation of a material contractual obligation and only for foreseeable and typical damages. Material contractual obligations are those that enable the fulfillment of the contract in the first place and upon the fulfillment of which the user may ordinarily rely.

Limitations of liability are not applicable within the scope of warranties provided, in the event of injuries to life, the body and health, as well as for claims arising from the Product Liability Act.

6.2 CONTENT OF BL TOOLS

Blacklane is not liable for the correctness, reliability, completeness and validity of the content and programs that are disseminated free of charge within the scope of BL Tools, nor for damages that arise therefrom, except to the extent that those damages have been intentionally caused by Blacklane or are due to its gross negligence. This applies to all types of damages, particularly damages caused by errors, delays or interruptions in the transmission, in the event of disruption of the technical equipment and the service, incorrect content, omissions, loss or deletion of data, viruses or otherwise in the use of this online offering. Furthermore, Blacklane is not liable for the availability and functionality of the offered functions.

6.3 THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES

Blacklane accepts no responsibility for the content, freedom from error, legality and functionality of third-party websites referred to by means of links. Links are accessed at your own risk.

6.4 CORRECTNESS OF TRANSMITTED INFORMATION, DISRUPTION OF ACCESS

Blacklane accepts no responsibility for the correct and complete transmission of information and that it reaches users or chauffeurs in a timely manner. The content of the booking confirmation is excepted from this.

Blacklane is not liable for disruptions in the quality of access to the BL Tools due to force majeure or due to events for which Blacklane is not responsible, particularly the failure of communication networks and/or gateways. Blacklane does not provide any guarantee that the website will function free of interruption and error or that any errors will be corrected.

6.5 INDEMNITY FROM THE USER

The user shall indemnify Blacklane for all claims and costs, including reasonable costs for a legal defense, which a third party asserts against Blacklane owing to a non-contractual use of the BL Tools or because of a violation of these General Terms & Conditions.

6.6 OBJECTS LEFT BEHIND

No liability is assumed for objects forgotten in the vehicle.

7. AMENDMENT OF THE OFFER OF BLACKLANE

Blacklane reserves the right to change the BL Tools at any time in a manner reasonable for the user in order to further develop and improve them qualitatively. Moreover, Blacklane has the right to temporarily or permanently terminate its offer via BL Tools for a material reason, even without separately informing the user.

8. PROTECTION OF CONTENT, GRANT OF RIGHTS OF USE TO BL TOOLS

The content contained within the framework of BL Tools is protected by copyright law.

Blacklane grants the user the revocable right to use the BL Tools according to its intended purpose conditioned on the case of compliance with these T&Cs. Any use beyond this scope (such as changes, copies, re-releases, transmission, dissemination or other non-intended purposes) is prohibited.

9. FINAL PROVISIONS

9.1 WHOLE AGREEMENT, WRITTEN FORM

These General Terms & Conditions constitute the entire agreement between Blacklane and the user for the contractually agreed services. There are no collateral agreements. Amendments and additions to this Agreement must be made in writing to be valid.

9.2 OFFSET, RETENTION AND ASSIGNMENT

The user may only set off against Blacklane's claims and assert retention rights if their counterclaims are legally established or undisputed. This also applies to the user's notice of defects.

The user may only assert retention rights from claims under this Section 9.3(1) to the extent that they are based on the same contractual relationship.

The user is not entitled to assign claims from the contractual relationship to third parties without the express written consent of Blacklane.

9.3 APPLICABLE LAW, COURT OF JURISDICTION

The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies to all legal relations between Blacklane and the user.

Place of fulfillment is Berlin.

Exclusive place of jurisdiction is Berlin, insofar as the User is a merchant according to the Commercial Code, or, upon suing, has no fixed place of residence in Germany. Legally binding jurisdictions remain unaffected.

9.4 INFORMATION ON ONLINE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

The EU Commission has an Internet platform for the online settlement of disputes (referred to as the "OS platform". The OS platform serves as a point of contact for the out-of-court settlement of disputes concerning contractual obligations arising from online purchase contracts or online service contracts. You can reach the OS platform through the following link: ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

Blacklane is neither willing nor obliged to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.

9.5 SEVERABILITY CLAUSE

Should individual provisions of these T&Cs be or become ineffective, unenforceable or contain gaps, the remaining regulations will remain effective. The parties undertake to replace the ineffective, unenforceable or missing provisions with those that most closely approximate the meaning and economic purpose as intended by the parties.

Version: Berlin, January 2024

TLC-licensed For-Hire Vehicle Bases

LICENSEE NUMBER / NAME OF LICENSEE

  • B03338 A & T NYC LIMO LLC
  • B03340 CEO CHAUFFEURED SERVICES CORP
  • B03321 CRESCENT LUXURY CLS, INC.
  • B02253 CRESTWOOD CAR & LIMO SVC,LTD
  • B02424 FRIENDLY RIDE INC
  • B03197 LIMO TRIBE INC
  • B03320 LIMOLINK INCORPORATED
  • B02655 LONG ISLAND CITY CAR AND LIMO INC.
  • B02949 MEEM SERVICES INC
  • B02298 NYG LIMOUSINE LLC
  • B02727 OSCAR LIMOUSINE INC
  • B02027 PARIS LIMOUSINE SERVICE, CORP
  • B02611 SS LIMOUSINE SERVICE INC
  • B03334 WTM 365 INC.
  • B03317 V & C, INC

Status: Berlin, March 2014