With HamiltonLimo.net, chauffeur gratuity is already included in every fare. The reservation engine shows a fixed all-in price covering the chauffeur, vehicle, fuel, 407 tolls if used, airport fees and gratuity, with HST shown separately. You do not need to tip again. Extra thanks for exceptional help is welcome but never expected. Elsewhere in Canada, 15–20 % is a common tip for hired drivers where it is not included.
Chauffeur tipping: is it included?
The first question to ask about any chauffeur booking is whether the price already includes gratuity. Operators differ.
- Gratuity included: the price you see is the price you pay, plus tax. This is how HamiltonLimo.net works.
- Gratuity added: a percentage, often 15–20 %, is added to the base rate on the invoice.
- Gratuity at your discretion: nothing is added, and a tip is expected in the car.
We include it because clients told us they disliked doing arithmetic at the curb, and because corporate clients need one number for an expense report. The chauffeur is paid their gratuity through us. There is no card terminal, no tip screen and no awkward pause at the end of the ride.
What our fixed fare includes
The engine quotes a fixed fare before you confirm. It covers:
| Included | Not included |
|---|---|
| Chauffeur and vehicle | HST, shown separately |
| Fuel | Optional meet and greet inside arrivals ($25–35 planning figure) |
| 407 ETR tolls, if used | Child seats ($10–15 each, added at booking) |
| Airport fees | Extra waiting beyond the included time |
| Chauffeur gratuity | Extra stops not in the booking |
| Flight or train tracking | Cleaning after spills or illness |
Waiting included on pickups is 30 minutes after actual landing for Canadian domestic and US flights, 60 minutes for other international arrivals, and 15 minutes for other pickups. After that, time is billed in 15-minute blocks. Full details are on our rates page.
Should you tip extra?
You do not need to. If a chauffeur goes beyond the job, some clients like to add something, and it is received gratefully. Situations where clients sometimes do:
- A long wait that the chauffeur absorbed with good humour.
- Heavy or awkward luggage carried up stairs or into a lobby.
- A last-minute route change handled smoothly.
- A wedding or event day that ran long and still felt calm.
Extra thanks can be cash handed to the chauffeur, or a note to our dispatch desk, which we pass on. A kind written word is often valued as much as money.
Tipping norms in Canada
Tipping is customary in Canada for many services. Common practice, not law, sets the amounts, and it varies by person and province. As a general guide:
| Service | Common practice in Canada |
|---|---|
| Restaurants, sit-down | About 15–20 % of the pre-tax bill |
| Taxi and ride-hail | About 10–15 %, or rounding up |
| Hired chauffeur, gratuity not included | About 15–20 % of the base fare |
| Hotel bell staff | A few dollars per bag |
| Hotel housekeeping | A few dollars per night |
| HamiltonLimo.net fares | Already included; nothing further needed |
Visitors from countries without a tipping culture often find this confusing. The background is summarised on the Wikipedia gratuity article. For our bookings, the short answer stays the same: it is included.
Tipping on hourly bookings, weddings and group trips
Gratuity is included on every product, not only airport runs. That covers:
- Hourly chauffeur bookings, including a full day of meetings.
- Wedding limo plans, priced in writing by a coordinator.
- Sprinter and group trips, including Niagara wine tours.
- Partner vehicles such as stretch limousines, Rolls-Royces and party buses booked through us.
If you extend a booking on the day, the extra 30-minute blocks are billed at the same all-in hourly rate, gratuity included. There is no separate tip on overtime.
Corporate accounts and expense reports
Many business travellers cannot claim cash tips without a receipt. An all-in fare solves that: the receipt shows one amount, plus HST, with nothing handed over in the car. Assistants booking for executives do not need to arrange cash. Our corporate car service and corporate accounts page explain monthly invoicing.
Passenger etiquette: the basics
Most passenger etiquette is simple courtesy. The points that matter most in a chauffeured car:
- Be ready at the booked time. The chauffeur arrives early; included waiting is limited.
- Wear your seatbelt. Ontario's Highway Traffic Act requires it of every passenger.
- Tell the chauffeur about stops at the start, not at the last exit.
- No smoking or vaping in any of our vehicles.
- Eat and drink carefully. Water is fine; messy food is not. Cleaning charges apply to spills.
- Keep calls at a normal volume if you share the car with colleagues.
- Let the chauffeur handle the doors and luggage where it is safe to do so.
Where to sit, and who opens the door
In a chauffeured car, the rear seats are for passengers. The rear right seat, behind the front passenger, is traditionally the principal's seat. It gives the best legroom and the easiest kerbside exit. A solo business traveller may sit in the front if they prefer; tell the chauffeur.
The chauffeur opens the rear door at pickup and drop-off where it is safe. On a busy airport curb or a narrow street, the chauffeur may stay with the vehicle; this is safety, not rudeness.
Children, car seats and seatbelts
Children ride in the right seat for their size. We provide infant, convertible and booster seats on request, planning figure $10–15 each, added at booking. The chauffeur installs them before pickup. Ontario's guidance on seat types is on the province's car seat page. Please do not hold a child on your lap.
Alcohol, parties and group behaviour
Alcohol in hired vehicles is regulated in Ontario, and the AGCO sets the framework. Ask at booking what is permitted for your vehicle and occasion; the answer goes into your confirmation. Whatever the rules allow, the chauffeur can end a trip if passengers endanger themselves, the vehicle or other road users. Standing through a sunroof, throwing items from windows and open containers outside the vehicle are not permitted.
Chauffeur etiquette: what you should expect from us
Etiquette runs both ways. Our chauffeurs follow a simple standard:
- Arrive before the booked time and confirm arrival by message.
- Dress in dark business attire.
- Drive smoothly and within the law, including in winter on the Mountain accesses.
- Keep the car clean, cool or warm, with water available.
- Keep conversation at the passenger's pace; silence is fine.
- Keep what they hear in the car confidential.
- Never ask for a tip, and never suggest one is expected.
If any of these is missed, tell our dispatch desk. We want to know.
Airports and luggage etiquette
At airports, the standard fare is a curbside pickup at the commercial pickup area. The chauffeur loads luggage there. Meet and greet inside arrivals, with a name board, is an optional add-on at a planning figure of $25–35. Before you leave the car, check the seat pocket and the floor; phones and passports are the items we return most often. Our airport limo service explains pickup points at each airport.
Punctuality, delays and waiting
If you are running late, tell the chauffeur or the dispatch desk as soon as you know. Included waiting is 15 minutes on standard pickups, then 15-minute blocks. For flights we track the actual landing, so delays in the air are never your cost. Changing a pickup time more than a few hours ahead is usually free.
Accessibility and assistance
Tell us at booking about any mobility, sight or hearing needs. Chauffeurs can help passengers in and out of the car, fold and stow wheelchairs and walkers for passengers who can transfer to a seat, and carry bags to the door. Our own fleet has no ramp-equipped vehicles; for ramp access we refer to a specialist provider. For appointments, see our medical appointments page.
Cancellations and no-shows
Good etiquette includes cancelling early. Our terms, measured from scheduled pickup: more than 72 hours before is free; 72 hours or less is 10 %; 48 hours or less is 50 %; 24 hours or less, or a no-show, is 100 %. A chauffeur who drives to an address and waits for someone who never comes has lost that booking and usually another.
Tipping other people on a chauffeured trip
The chauffeur's gratuity is covered, but a trip often involves other people. Hotel doormen who load bags into the trunk, bell staff who bring luggage down from a room, and airline skycaps at curbside check-in all work on the usual Canadian tipping customs. A few dollars per bag is typical. Venue coat checks and valet stands at event venues follow their own posted practice. None of these are part of our fare, and our chauffeurs will never collect a tip on anyone else's behalf.
Gifts, meals and long days
On a full-day hourly booking, a chauffeur takes breaks while you are in meetings or at lunch. You do not need to buy the chauffeur a meal; our scheduling allows for it. Some wedding couples like to include the chauffeur in a boxed dinner or a slice of cake, which is a kind gesture and always appreciated, but it is not expected and does not change the fare. At Christmas, regular corporate clients sometimes send a card to the dispatch desk. We share those with the whole team.
Quiet rides, phone calls and confidentiality
Business passengers often work in the car. The etiquette is simple: tell the chauffeur if you want a quiet ride, and they will keep conversation to directions and timings. Music off, or on at your choice of volume. Chauffeurs do not repeat what they overhear, do not photograph passengers and do not post about who rode with them. If you need to take a sensitive call, you can ask for the privacy of a first-class sedan or an SUV with a rear cabin that feels separate from the front seats.
Pets and service animals
Service animals ride with their handlers; tell us at booking so the chauffeur can place a cover on the seat or floor. Pet dogs and cats travel in a closed carrier or on a seat cover by prior arrangement, and a short note in the booking avoids surprises. Hair and cleaning charges apply only if a vehicle needs specialist cleaning afterwards.
How to book direct
Book on HamiltonLimo.net's own reservation engine, through the floating "Book now" button or the booking page. The fare you see is the fare you pay, with gratuity included and HST shown separately. No app, no aggregator and no tip screen.
