Skift hold

This new funding comes shortly after Uber announced a black car service for business travelers.

Justin Dawes

black waya driver services app, announced Tuesday that it had raised $65 million (€60 million) in a Series G funding round.

Blacklane offers several types of luxury chauffeur services for individuals and business travelers, bookable through an app, in dozens of cities across the world.

The Berlin-based company plans to expand each of its business areas and expand into new locations.

“Blacklane initially started with airport transfers. But this extreme focus has also made us very vulnerable during the pandemic. We have, however, taken advantage of this to diversify,” Jens Wohltorf, CEO and co-founder of Blacklane, said in an email to Skift.

Services include airport transfers, intercity travel, and hourly and daily reservations.

They also include ride-sharing functionality in Dubai and Miami – which rivals Uber and its new black car service for business travelers. He said there were other cities to come. “Our goal is to be part of the daily lives of our customers in these cities,” Wohltorf said.

Tasaru Mobility Investments, an automotive and mobility investment company based in Saudi Arabia, led the latest round with the support of existing investors.

Expansion in Saudi Arabia

With strong pressure from Saudi Arabia to increase tourism In this country, Wohltorf sees an opportunity.

“Last year I had the opportunity to visit Riyadh and saw the incredible energy and euphoria in the country. First, they work on megaprojects and want to reach global levels and standards in everything they do as quickly as possible. Second, the entire premium mobility transportation sector remains an open playing field. So I said to myself: we can’t just watch, we have to be part of this development,” Wohltorf said.

In addition to providing capital, Tasaru is helping Blacklane expand into Saudi Arabia. Blacklane is launching in several key cities with a fleet of electric vehicles, with the intention of training local drivers. Tasaru also helps Blacklane establish relationships with Saudi airlines and airport transfer companies.

Additionally, Blacklane wants to expand in the United States, its largest market, as well as continue operations in Europe. Wohltorf said the number of reservations in the United States increased by 20% between 2022 and 2023.

The company did not disclose its new valuation but said it was about 25% higher than the previous one. raise funds of $36 million in September 2023.

Blacklane says it has been profitable since spring 2022 and its 2023 revenue is up 25% from the previous year.

Mercedes-Benz Mobility, the financial services arm of the Mercedes-Benz Group, is Blacklane’s largest shareholder. The company has 400 employees and thousands of drivers, it is specified.