Prices, comparisons & how it works · 2026-09-21 · 8-minute read
Tipping a limo driver in Ontario follows the custom of 15 to 20 percent of the fare for a chauffeured car where the gratuity is not included, a flat $5 to $10 for a short in-city run, an envelope for the wedding's or the prom's chauffeur handed by the couple or the parent, and the corporate account's rule that the company sets; and the question to ask any company before the day is whether the gratuity is inside the fare or added on the quote. LondonLimo.net includes the gratuity in every fare - the in-city run, the airport, the hourly day, the partner fleet's stretch and bus - at the desk's rate, paid to the chauffeur in full, with the receipt saying so and nothing to add at the door; a passenger who wants to recognise exceptional service hands cash or asks the desk, and it goes to the chauffeur in full. The etiquette guide has the rest of the black car's manners, and this article the tipping question, honestly.
The custom, in a table
| The booking | Ontario's custom where the gratuity is not included | With LondonLimo.net |
|---|---|---|
| A short in-city run | $5-10 flat, or 15 percent | Included; nothing to add |
| The airport run | 15-20 percent of the fare | Included |
| The hourly day | 15-20 percent of the total | Included |
| The wedding's stretch | 15-20 percent, often in an envelope to the chauffeur | Included; an envelope for exceptional service is the couple's choice |
| The prom's stretch or bus | 15-20 percent, from the parents | Included |
| The party bus | 15-20 percent, often added on the quote | Included |
| The corporate account | The company's rule; often a fixed percentage on the invoice | Included on every line |
| The airport meet with the board | 15-20 percent | Included |
| The network's operator in another city | The operator's rule, stated by the desk | Stated on the confirmation |
| Exceptional service | Cash to the chauffeur, or an amount added | Cash, or the desk adds it; the chauffeur gets it in full |
The rates page says the gratuity is inside every figure; the Wikipedia article on the gratuity has the custom's history.
Where the gratuity is not included
Most of Ontario's chauffeured companies add the gratuity on the quote as a percentage - 15 to 20 - or leave it to the passenger at the door, and the custom is 15 to 20 percent of the fare for a chauffeured car, higher for exceptional service and a flat amount for a short run; a passenger who does not know which company does which asks before the day, and the best limo service article has the question among its ten.
Why our fares include it
Because a passenger who has paid a fixed fare should not be handed a second decision at the door, because the chauffeur's income should not depend on the passenger's mood or the card machine's prompt, and because a fare with the gratuity inside can be compared honestly with one that adds it; the desk sets the rate, the chauffeur receives it in full, and the receipt says so; the car service article has the fare's other lines.
The wedding's envelope, honestly
The couple's chauffeur has kept the timeline, held the door in the rain and driven the loop at the photographer's pace, and a couple who wants to hand an envelope at the exit does so with the desk's blessing; it is not expected and the fare says so, and the wedding costs article prices the day with the gratuity inside.
The prom's and the bus's gratuity
A parent who books the prom's stretch and a group that books the bus are not asked for a gratuity at the door by the chauffeur, whose gratuity is inside the fare; the market's bus operators often add it on the quote, and the party bus article has the quote's lines to compare.
The corporate account's rule
The gratuity inside every line on the monthly invoice, so the company's travel policy has nothing to add and the executive's guest is not handed a decision at the hotel's door; the corporate accounts article has the invoice.
The airport meet, and the network's cities
The chauffeur with the board at Pearson or YXU is paid the gratuity inside the fare; the network's operator in Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg or Halifax has its own rule, which the desk states on the confirmation so the passenger knows before the far end; the airports page has the seven cities.
Cash or the card, for exceptional service
A passenger who wants to recognise exceptional service - the chauffeur who carried the grandmother's walker up the steps, who found the lost passport in the trunk, who drove the squall at the pace it deserved - hands cash to the chauffeur or asks the desk to add an amount to the card, and either goes to the chauffeur in full without the desk's share; the chauffeurs page has the standard the service is measured against.
The question to ask, before the day
"Is the gratuity included in the fare, or added?" - of any company, in writing, before the booking; a company that answers plainly is one to book, and the cheap limo article has the quote whose low figure became the desk's total once the gratuity was added.
Three tipping moments, as they went
A Pearson meet, a Munich visitor. The visitor reached for his wallet at the hotel's door; the chauffeur explained the fare included it; the company's travel manager had told him so and he had forgotten.
A wedding's exit, September. The couple handed the stretch's chauffeur an envelope at the Delta's door for the loop in the rain; the desk's blessing, and the chauffeur's in full.
A hospital day, a Byron patient's daughter. She asked the desk to add an amount for the chauffeur who had carried her mother's walker three times; added to the card and paid in full.
Booking it
Every fare on the reservation engine and every quote from the desk includes the gratuity, and the receipt says so; the etiquette guide has the rest.
Three questions the desk is asked about tipping
What is the desk's rate? A percentage of the fare set by the desk and paid to the chauffeur in full on every booking, shown on the receipt as included; the rate is the desk's and does not change the passenger's figure.
Can I tip on the card? Yes - the desk adds the amount you name and it goes to the chauffeur in full; cash goes the same way.
Is the gratuity taxed? The fare with the gratuity inside carries HST; the CRA's rules on gratuities apply to the chauffeur's income; the FAQ has the rest.
Ontario's custom, in more detail
Fifteen to twenty percent of the fare for a chauffeured car, higher for exceptional service, a flat $5 to $10 for a short in-city run, an envelope for the wedding's or the prom's chauffeur, and the corporate policy's percentage on the invoice; the custom follows the restaurant's and the Wikipedia article on the gratuity has its history; where the gratuity is added on the quote, the custom is already applied.
The market's practice, in more detail
Most of Ontario's chauffeured companies add 15 to 20 percent on the quote as a line, some leave it to the passenger at the door, some include it, and the party bus and stretch operators add it on the quote almost always; the cheap limo article has the quote whose low figure became the desk's total with the gratuity added.
Why inside, in more detail
The passenger's one number on the confirmation with no second decision at the door, the chauffeur's income independent of the card machine's prompt and the passenger's mood, and the honest comparison of one company's total with another's; the car service article has the fare's lines.
The wedding and the prom, in more detail
The stretch's chauffeur's gratuity inside the four-hour minimum's fare and the wedding's quote, the couple's envelope at the exit a choice and not an expectation, the prom's parent not asked for a gratuity by the chauffeur; the prom article has the parent's rules.
The corporate account, in more detail
The gratuity inside every line on the monthly invoice, the travel policy with nothing to add, the guest not handed a decision at the hotel's door, and the executive's assistant with one figure to approve; the corporate accounts article has the invoice.
The airport and the network, in more detail
The chauffeur with the board at Pearson or YXU paid inside the fare; the network's operator in the seven cities with its own rule stated on the confirmation - included, or a percentage the passenger adds - so the far end holds no surprise; the airports page has the cities.
Exceptional service, in more detail
The chauffeur who carried the walker up the steps, found the passport in the trunk, waited two hours at the clinic without being asked, drove the squall at the pace it deserved or held the door in the rain for the bridal party; cash to the chauffeur or an amount the desk adds, and either paid in full; the chauffeurs page has the standard.
Booking checklist for the gratuity
Ask any company: "Is the gratuity included, or added?"; read the quote's total; and, with the desk, book the fare knowing it is inside. Three lines, and the rates page says so.
The honest summary
Fifteen to twenty percent where it is not included and nothing where it is; ours is inside every fare and paid in full, with cash or the card for exceptional service; the etiquette guide has the rest.
A worked example: the quote that added it
A Byron parent compared two prom quotes for a June Saturday: a competitor's stretch at a low hourly figure with "18 percent gratuity" and a fuel surcharge added on the second page, and the desk's $950 for five hours at $190 with the gratuity inside on the first line; the totals were within a few dollars, the parent chose the one figure, and the chauffeur was not asked for anything at the driveway at 1 a.m.; the prom article has the night and the cheap limo article the quote's lines.
The desk's rule of thumb
Ask whether it is included; where it is not, 15 to 20 percent or a flat amount for the hop; where it is, nothing; and cash or the card for exceptional service, paid to the chauffeur in full. The rates page says ours is inside.
Booking it, in one line
Every fare on the reservation engine and every quote from the desk includes the gratuity, and the receipt says so.
