Amadeus, Blacklane and ACRISS partner to create professional driver standards

March 6, 2018

Last updated: July 27, 2018

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The new European standards establish consistent vehicle and service categories for standard, business and first class

When hiring a professional driver, the different rates, services and packages can sometimes seem confusing and inconsistent to travelers. For example, a Toyota Prius is a standard class vehicle for some transfer companies, and business class for others. These types of differences only add a layer of complexity to booking travel.

In order to dispel doubts and create a more equal and competitive landscape for travelers and chauffeur companies, Amadeus, Blacklane, and the Association of Car Rental Industry System Standards (ACRISS) have joined forces to ensure the creation and setting of professional driver service standards worldwide.

This partnership will introduce the Vehicle with Driver Service Industry (VDSI) standards, which define the following:

Service categories: what is standard class, business class and first class, and a rep-resentative vehicle for each category
Vehicle standards, such as passenger and luggage capacity
Specifying the details that involve services and options like “meet and greet”, “curb side pick-up”, “flight monitoring duration”, among others

In addition to those standards, when it comes to service experience, the partnership between Amadeus,

Blacklane, and ACRISS also establishes norms regarding booking times; changing or canceling a reservation; driver attire and language; and waiting times for airport and non-airport pickups. Equally, these initiatives will improve and simplify the transfers booking process.

“The chauffeur industry was long overdue to create VDSI standards. Thanks to them we can simplify bookings for travelers and professional driver companies. Amadeus and Blacklane have worked closely with ACRISS on the development of these standards and we are excited to see them become a reality, ”says Melanie Methven, Secretariat of ACRISS.

“Transfers are one of the biggest growth opportunities in travel. To reach their potential, the industry needs to speak the same language and have confidence in the service offered. We look forward to all professional driver services adopting VDSI standards as quickly as possible,” says Peter Altmann, Head of Amadeus Cars & Transfers.

Blacklane, an ACRISS member since 2015, is the first chauffeur service company to adopt these new standards. “Travelers expect transparent and comparable offers across all travel services. These new standards are essential to expand online availability and the ease of booking professional driver services. We are proud to be part of this initiative and we will continue working with travel industry players to make bookings fast and simple,” says Co-founder and CTO Frank Steuer.

MyCab, Taxi Tender and Karhoo are also members of ACRISS and will support the new partnership by also adopting these standards worldwide.

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