Standby car service in Los Angeles

Standby service is hourly service seen from the curb. You reserve a chauffeur and a vehicle for a block of time, and instead of the trip ending when you step out, the car stays available for the next leg. As directed means you set the route as the day goes: a meeting that runs long, a stop added at lunch, a pickup moved to a different entrance. The order of stops can change as long as the day fits the hours you booked.

It differs from a one-way ride in how waiting is handled. A one-way booking includes limited complimentary waiting, such as 15 minutes from the scheduled time on event pickups, and waiting beyond the complimentary allowances is billed at the hourly rate of the vehicle booked. On a standby booking the waiting is the service itself, so it is covered by the hours you reserved.

Standby does not mean the car sits at the door for hours. In the City of Los Angeles, white curbs are for passenger loading and allow a stop of no more than 5 minutes, and red, white and blue curb rules apply around the clock unless a sign says otherwise. Yellow curbs are commercial loading zones from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. So while you are inside, the chauffeur stays with the vehicle nearby and comes back to the curb when you are ready.

Some destinations set stricter rules. Griffith Observatory lets taxis, limousines and ride services drop off and pick up just past its horseshoe driveway, but says none of them may park there at any time. The Getty Villa has no street parking, asks drivers to pull into its entrance gate rather than stop outside, and cannot park limousines or vehicles taller than 6 feet 10 inches. Beverly Hills has banned overnight street parking from 2:30 to 5 a.m. since 1927, which matters on late nights.

Before pickup you receive the chauffeur's details and a live tracking link. Use them to stay in touch through the day: a short message when a meeting is wrapping up gives the chauffeur time to return to the entrance, which matters on streets where the car cannot wait at the curb. Keep the phone number on your reservation reachable, and agree on a meeting point at each stop, such as a hotel entrance or a quieter side street.

A few places make calling harder. The Getty Villa says there is no cell reception or Wi-Fi in its parking structure, and Griffith Park's inbound gates close at 10 p.m., so a car coming to collect you from the Observatory must enter the park before then. At stops like these, set the pickup time before you walk in rather than relying on a call.

Standby suits days when you know when the day starts but not when each part of it ends. Typical examples are a deposition or court date in Downtown Los Angeles where the schedule can slip, back-to-back meetings in Century City, a photo shoot with moving call times, or an appointment followed by errands. For a fixed plan with one long gap, such as a single dinner, two one-way rides may be the better fit, so compare both quotes before you book.

Stadium and arena nights are the clearest case. For SoFi Stadium, the Kia Forum and stadium or arena concerts, hourly service of typically 5 to 8 hours is strongly recommended over a one-way pickup, because event traffic and staggered exits make timed pickups unreliable. Our guide to event nights without rideshare lines shows where cars load at the big venues.

• Meetings, depositions or appointments that may run long
• Several stops with uncertain timing between them
• Evenings with dinner, a show and a possible later stop
• Guests or family picked up at different points through the day

Hourly bookings start at a 3-hour minimum online. Add up the time you expect at each stop and the drive time between them, then add a traffic buffer, since the 13-mile hop from Century City to Downtown takes far longer at 5 p.m. than at noon. Round up rather than down, because time past the hours you booked is billed at the hourly rate of the vehicle booked.

If you can see the day running long, tell your chauffeur early so the rest of the plan can be adjusted, or call reservations at (424) 209-8001. The total shown at checkout is the amount charged for the hours you reserved, and it already includes the gratuity you chose, 15, 18, 20 or 25 percent or a custom amount, plus any add-ons.

Standby days often collect people and bags as they go, so size the vehicle for the busiest part of the day. A Comfort Sedan or Executive Sedan carries up to 3 passengers and 3 bags, a Luxury SUV up to 7 passengers and 6 bags, and the Escalade Elite up to 6 passengers and 5 bags. For a crew or a large family, the Mercedes Sprinter Van carries up to 16 passengers and 18 bags, though height limits, such as the Getty Villa's 6-foot-10-inch parking limit, can restrict where a van parks.