Airport transfers.
The bulk of the volume in nearly every market, and the work that needs terminal permits and flight tracking.
Airport transfersDrive with RYDES
Keep your brand.Fill your calendar.
Prepaid rides from travellers already heading into your city. One vehicle or forty, anywhere you are properly licensed.
- You set your own availability and inventory
- Paid on a fixed schedule, in your currency
- Published rates, never an auction
Demand you did not have to market for.
Travellers, corporate accounts, hotels and travel agencies book into your city and the ride arrives already sold, already priced and already paid for. You do the driving.
You are still your own company.
Your name, your vehicles, your chauffeurs, your own direct clients. RYDES is a demand channel, not a franchise. There is no exclusivity and no branding on your cars.
Paid on a date you can plan around.
Rides are prepaid by the guest, so there is nothing to chase and no chargeback risk. Settlement runs on a fixed schedule in your own currency.
What is a RYDES network operator?
A RYDES network operator is an independent, licensed chauffeur business that fulfils rides booked through RYDES in its own market. The operator supplies the vehicle and the chauffeur; RYDES supplies the booking, the pricing, the payment and the guest relationship. Rides are offered at a published rate, and the operator accepts or declines each one.
It is not employment, a franchise or an exclusivity arrangement. Operators keep their own brand, their own fleet and their own direct clients, and continue trading exactly as they did before. What changes is that a share of their capacity gets filled by demand they would not otherwise have reached, at a rate agreed in advance rather than bid for.
Companies and individuals both.
The gate is licensing and insurance, not size. If your market licenses a single owner-driver to carry passengers commercially, you can apply as one.
| You are | Typical fleet | What we verify | Usually supplies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chauffeur companyThe most common | 3 to 40 vehicles | Operating licence, commercial insurance, vehicle registrations, chauffeur permits | Business, First, Electric, SUV, Van |
| Owner-operatorOne vehicle, one driver, you | 1 to 2 vehicles | The same, in your own name where your market permits it | Business, First, Electric |
| Limousine operator | Mixed, including stretch | The same, plus any additional licensing stretch vehicles require locally | First, SUV, stretch, party bus |
| Coach and minibus operator | Minibuses and coaches | The same, plus passenger-carrying vehicle operator licensing | Van, Group, event shuttles |
| Accessible transport specialist | Any | The same, plus accessible vehicle certification where required | Wheelchair-accessible vehicles |
| Hotel or corporate in-house fleet | Any | The same, and confirmation you are permitted to carry third parties | Whatever is idle between your own jobs |
Some markets only license companies, not individuals. Where that is the case you will need a registered business before you can be approved, and we will tell you which applies to your city rather than leaving you to find out after uploading documents. What we will never do is take on an unlicensed driver, because the entire promise made to every guest on this site depends on not doing that.
How the money works.
Written out plainly, because operators have been promised volume by enough platforms to be entitled to scepticism.
| How it works | Why it is set that way | |
|---|---|---|
| Your rate | A published net rate per route and vehicle class, shown before you accept | You know the number before the job, not after |
| Bidding | None. Rates are not competed down | Auctions drive rates below the cost of doing the job properly |
| Accepting work | Accept or decline each ride | Your own clients come first, and should |
| Declining | No penalty, no acceptance-rate score | Penalising declines pushes operators into jobs they cannot service |
| Payment risk | The guest has already paid RYDES | No chargebacks, no unpaid invoices, no chasing |
| Settlement | On a fixed schedule confirmed in your operator agreement, by bank transfer in your currency | A date you can plan cashflow around |
| Waiting time | Paid beyond the free allowance, at the class rate | Your chauffeur's time is not free after 60 minutes either |
| Extras | Extra stops, added distance and add-ons are compensated | Scope that grows should pay more, not the same |
| Late cancellations | Compensated when the guest cancels inside the window | You committed a vehicle; that has a cost whoever cancelled |
| Exclusivity | None, in either direction | Work with whoever you like. So do we |
Why we do not run an auction.
The obvious way to build a network is to broadcast every job and let operators undercut each other. It fills rides quickly, it looks efficient, and within about eighteen months the rate has fallen below what it costs to run a clean recent vehicle with a properly paid chauffeur.
What arrives at the kerb after that is a tired car and someone who took the job at a loss, and the guest never books again. So rates are published rather than bid, and we would rather pay a rate that supports the standard than win a race to the bottom that ends with both of us losing the customer.
What you need to be approved.
Local law sets most of this, so the exact documents differ by city. Nothing here should be paperwork you do not already hold to trade legally.
An operating licence
The commercial passenger-carrying licence your market requires, held in the name of the business or the individual applying. This is the one requirement with no flexibility anywhere.
Commercial insurance
Passenger liability cover meeting or exceeding the local minimum, valid for every vehicle you register with us, with certificates we can verify rather than a policy number.
Vehicle standard
Recent, clean, well maintained, in a dark neutral colour, and matching the class you register it for. Age limits vary by market and by class, and we will tell you the limit for your city before you apply.
Chauffeur permits
Every driver you put on a RYDES ride holds the correct local permit or badge, plus whatever background clearance your market requires. Owner-operators verify themselves.
Service standard
Business dress, door service, luggage handled, discretion. If you already run chauffeur work rather than taxi work, this is simply how you operate.
Conversational English
For the chauffeur on the ride, because a meaningful share of guests are international. Additional languages are an advantage and are recorded on your profile.
A smartphone that stays charged
Job acceptance, navigation, flight status and guest contact all run through the app. A car charger is not optional equipment on this network.
Airport and terminal access
Wherever you intend to take airport work, whatever permit that airport requires for commercial pickup. This is the most commonly missed requirement at application.
From application to first ride.
Six steps. Most operators who already hold the right paperwork are live inside two weeks.
1
Apply.
Business name, city, how many vehicles and what classes you can supply. Five minutes, and it tells you immediately whether your market licenses individuals or requires a company.
2
Documents verified.
Operating licence, insurance certificates, vehicle registrations and chauffeur permits. Checked by a person against the requirements for your specific city, not by a form that rejects you without saying why.
3
One vehicle, one chauffeur.
You only need to register a single vehicle and a single driver to be approved, even if you run twenty. Add the rest once the account is live.
4
Platform walkthrough.
How jobs arrive, how flight tracking changes your pickup, what the guest has already been told, and how waiting and extras are recorded so you get paid for them. About forty minutes.
5
Go live.
You set your availability, your vehicle inventory and which classes and journey types you want. Jobs start arriving at the rates you have already seen.
6
First review.
After your first weeks, a conversation about volume, rates and what is and is not working. Including whether a different mix of classes or journey types would suit you better.
What you can register.
Register only the classes you can genuinely supply to standard. Under-promising and delivering is a better business here than the reverse.
| Class | Capacity | Where the demand comes from | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business | 3 passengers, 2 large cases | Airport transfers, corporate accounts, hotels | The bulk of every market |
| First | 3 passengers, 2 large cases | Client collection, board travel, travel advisors | Lower volume, higher rate |
| Electric | 3 passengers, 2 large cases | Corporate sustainability policies | Growing fastest |
| SUV | 5 passengers, 5 large cases | Families, cruise transfers, resorts, winter markets | Steady, seasonal peaks |
| Van | 7 passengers, 7 large cases | Crews, small teams, cruise and event work | Undersupplied in most cities |
| Group | Up to 16, then coaches | Conferences, weddings, guest shuttles | Lumpy, and books far ahead |
If you run vans or minibuses, say so at application. Seven-seat and group capacity is short in most of our markets, which means both more work and better rates than the sedan classes everybody already supplies.
What gets an operator removed.
Worth stating before you join rather than after. No-shows, repeated lateness, sending a vehicle or a class other than the one booked, an unlicensed driver on a job, refusing a booked child seat or a service animal, and anything a guest reports as a safety or conduct concern.
Performance is reviewed continuously against completion, punctuality and what guests actually say. Operators who slip lose work before they lose the account, and both come with a conversation rather than a silent switch-off. This is the reason the good operators on the network get consistent volume, so it is written down rather than implied.
If you are thinking about electric.
Corporate demand for Electric class is the fastest-growing segment on the network, because sustainability policies now specify it and travel managers report on it. In several markets it is already the class most likely to sell out.
We are not going to pretend the capital decision is simple, and we will not require it. But if you are weighing a fleet replacement, registering electric capacity puts you in front of demand that sedan operators cannot serve, and on intercity routes the charging stop is priced into the guest's journey time rather than taken out of your day.
Operator questions.
To apply or ask something not covered here, write to info@rydes.co or call +1 888 881 7933.
What is a RYDES network operator?
An independent, licensed chauffeur business that fulfils rides booked through RYDES in its own market. The operator supplies the vehicle and the chauffeur; RYDES supplies the booking, the pricing, the payment and the guest relationship. Rides are offered at a published rate and the operator accepts or declines each one. It is not employment, a franchise or an exclusivity arrangement.
Can an individual apply, or do I need a company?
Both are welcome. The requirement is licensing and insurance rather than size, so if your market licenses a single owner-driver to carry passengers commercially, you can apply in your own name with one vehicle. Some markets only license companies, and where that is the case you will need a registered business first. The application tells you which applies to your city before you upload anything.
Do I need to give up my own clients?
No, and you should not. There is no exclusivity in either direction. Keep your direct clients, keep your other platforms, keep your own brand and pricing. RYDES is a demand channel that fills capacity you have spare, and your own work should always take priority over ours.
How many rides will I get?
It depends on your city, your vehicle classes, your availability and the season, and any platform that gives you a number before seeing those is guessing. What we will do is tell you honestly what current demand in your market looks like before you invest time in the application, including when the answer is that we do not yet have enough volume there to be worth your while.
How are rates set?
By route and vehicle class, published in advance, and shown to you before you accept a job. Rates are not bid for and are not competed down between operators. We would rather pay a rate that supports a clean recent vehicle and a properly paid chauffeur than run an auction that ends with a tired car at the kerb and a guest who never books again.
How and when do I get paid?
Rides are prepaid by the guest to RYDES, so there is no invoice to chase and no chargeback exposure. Settlement runs on a fixed cycle by bank transfer in your own currency, with a statement itemising every ride, plus waiting time, extra stops, added distance and add-ons. The cycle and the payment date are confirmed in your operator agreement.
What happens if a guest cancels late?
You are compensated when a guest cancels inside the cancellation window, because you committed a vehicle and a chauffeur to that slot and that has a cost regardless of who changed their mind. Cancellations outside the window are not compensated, which is the same trade the guest gets in the other direction.
Am I penalised for declining a job?
No. There is no acceptance-rate score and no algorithmic penalty for turning work down. Penalising declines pushes operators into accepting jobs they cannot properly service, which produces exactly the failures the whole network is built to avoid.
What vehicles can I register?
Business, First, Electric, SUV, Van and Group, provided the vehicle genuinely meets the standard for the class. Recent, clean, well maintained and in a dark neutral colour. Age limits vary by market and by class and we will tell you the limit for your city before you apply. Register only what you can supply to standard.
Is there work for vans and minibuses?
Yes, and it is the answer most operators are surprised by. Seven-seat and group capacity is short in most of our markets, which means more work and better rates than the sedan classes everybody already supplies. If you run vans, minibuses or coaches, say so at application.
What documents will you ask for?
Your commercial operating licence, certificates of commercial passenger liability insurance, vehicle registrations, and the local permit or badge for each chauffeur you put on a ride. Requirements are set by local law, so nothing should be paperwork you do not already hold to trade legally. Airport work also needs whatever commercial pickup permit that airport requires.
How long does approval take?
Most operators who already hold the right paperwork are live inside two weeks. You only need to register one vehicle and one chauffeur to be approved, even if you run twenty, and the rest are added once the account is live. Documents are checked by a person against your specific city's requirements rather than by a form that rejects you without explanation.
Will RYDES branding go on my vehicles?
No. Vehicles carry no RYDES branding and chauffeurs wear their own business dress. Guests are told the vehicle class and the chauffeur's name rather than an operator brand, which keeps the guest experience consistent without asking you to become somebody else's livery.
What gets an operator removed from the network?
No-shows, repeated lateness, sending a different vehicle or class than the one booked, putting an unlicensed driver on a job, refusing a booked child seat or a service animal, and anything a guest reports as a safety or conduct concern. Performance is reviewed continuously and operators who slip lose work before they lose the account, with a conversation rather than a silent switch-off.
Do I need electric vehicles?
No, and we will not require it. Electric class is the fastest-growing segment because corporate sustainability policies now specify it, and in several markets it sells out before the sedan classes. If you are weighing a fleet replacement anyway, registering electric capacity puts you in front of demand other operators cannot serve. If you are not, that is fine.
We want to send bookings rather than receive them. Is this the right page?
No. If you are an agency, hotel, corporation, airline or platform wanting to book RYDES for your own clients, guests or staff, you want the demand side. See RYDES for business for accounts, or strategic partnerships if you want to embed booking inside your own product.
Who is booking your city.
Worth understanding before you apply, because it tells you which classes and journey types are worth registering.
Corporate accounts.
Repeat, weekday, predictable, and the segment that specifies Electric class and books months ahead.
For corporations
Events and groups.
Lumpy but booked far ahead, and where van, minibus and coach capacity earns most.
Event transportOne vehicle is enough to start.
Five minutes to apply, and it will tell you straight away what your city requires.