Holiday Guide · New Orleans
New Year's Eve transportation in New Orleans: book the car before the city does
One night, every car in town booked at once. How to plan the ride there, the wait, and the trip home after midnight.
Quick answer
- Book by
- Now before December
- Sedan
- $125 per hour
- Escalade
- $169 per hour · up to 6
- Sprinter
- $195 per hour · up to 14
New Year's Eve in New Orleans is booked by the hour, so the car and chauffeur wait for you between dinner, the party and the ride home after midnight. Rates are the same as any other night: $125 an hour for an executive sedan, $169 for a Cadillac Escalade and $195 for a 14-passenger Sprinter, with a 3-hour minimum (4 for Sprinters). Cars run out well before the night, so book as soon as your plans are set.
On most nights, a car is a phone call away. On New Year's Eve, it's a reservation you made weeks ago.
Every dinner, party, hotel gala and fireworks plan in the city happens on the same evening, and most of them need a ride home after midnight. Here's how to make sure yours is waiting.
01 Why it fills up early
Everyone books the same hours Most requests fall between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. A car can't be in two places at once, so each one serves one party for the whole evening.
Cars are held all night A party booked from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. takes that car and chauffeur off the schedule for five hours. A handful of bookings fills the fleet.
Groups book the big vehicles first Sprinters and Escalades go early, because a party of eight or ten can't split into sedans at midnight.
Apps can't promise midnight When thousands leave at once, rideshare prices surge and waits stretch. That pushes more people toward a reserved car.
02 The night in New Orleans
- Early evening Dinner reservations across the French Quarter, Warehouse District and Uptown. Traffic builds downtown from late afternoon.
- Late evening Crowds head for the riverfront and Jackson Square for the fireworks over the Mississippi. Streets around the Quarter close to cars, and Bourbon Street is walking only.
- Midnight Fireworks, then everyone leaves at once. This is when a pre-arranged pickup spot, a block or two from the crowds, matters most.
- After midnight Your chauffeur is already staged where you agreed. No searching for a ride, no surge, no one in the group stuck driving.
- New Year's Day The Sugar Bowl is usually played around New Year's, and many visitors fly out that day. Book the airport ride at the same time as the night out.
For the French Quarter specifically, see French Quarter car service.
03 Why hourly, not one-way
On an ordinary night, two one-way rides can work. On New Year's Eve, the ride home is the hard part, so book the car by the hour and keep it. It drops you at dinner, waits, takes you to the party, waits again, and is there when the fireworks end.
Our rates don't change with demand, so the hourly rate on New Year's Eve is the same as on any other night. See hourly car service.
The ride there is easy. The ride home at 12:30 is the one to book.
04 What it costs
Hourly rates · New Year's Eve
Executive sedan
Maybach or BMW 760i · up to 2
$125 per hour
A couple's night out. 3-hour minimum.
Cadillac Escalade
Full-size SUV · up to 6
$169 per hour
Friends or family together. 3-hour minimum.
Sprinter van
Mercedes-Benz · up to 14
$195 per hour
The whole party in one vehicle. 4-hour minimum.
| Evening | Vehicle | Hours | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner and fireworks for two, 8 p.m. to midnight | Sedan | 4 × $125 | $500 |
| Six friends, dinner to party to home, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. | Escalade | 5 × $169 | $845 |
| A group of ten, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. | Sprinter | 5 × $195 | $975 |
That's about $98 a person for the group of ten, with everyone arriving and leaving together. The all-electric Escalade IQ is $175 an hour (up to 3), and the Jet Sprinter $220 (up to 10). Gratuity isn't included. More examples in how much black car service costs in New Orleans.
05 Deposits, changes and rules
A deposit holds the car. New Year's Eve bookings are held with a deposit. The amount, balance date and cancellation terms are written into your quote before you pay.
Tell us about changes early. More guests can mean a bigger vehicle, and on this night the bigger vehicles go first.
Overtime. If the party runs late, overtime starts 15 minutes past your reserved time, at the hourly rate, as long as the car isn't committed elsewhere. Book the extra hour if you think you'll want it.
No drinking in the vehicle. Alcohol isn't permitted in our cars. Celebrate at the party; the chauffeur gets everyone home.
See our booking policy for the standard terms.
06 Your booking checklist
- Your final headcount, so we can hold the right vehicle.
- Every stop in order: pickup, dinner, party, and where everyone goes home.
- A pickup point near each venue that's clear of street closures.
- Start and end times, with an extra hour if the night might run long.
- One contact in the group with a mobile number for the chauffeur.
- Flights on New Year's Day, booked at the same time.
07 Questions we're asked
When should I book New Year's Eve transportation in New Orleans?
As soon as your plans are set. Sprinters and Escalades are booked first, and by December the choice of vehicles and times is much smaller.
Do your prices go up on New Year's Eve?
No. Our rates don't change with demand: $125 an hour for an executive sedan, $169 for an Escalade and $195 for a Sprinter, with a 3-hour minimum (4 for Sprinters). Gratuity isn't included.
Can the car wait for us until after midnight?
Yes. Book by the hour and the car and chauffeur stay with you all evening, staged at an agreed pickup point for the ride home.
Can we drink in the car?
No. Alcohol isn't permitted in our vehicles.
What about a flight out on New Year's Day?
MSY transfers are a flat rate: $145 in a sedan, $185 in an Escalade and $295 in a Sprinter, to or from anywhere within 25 miles of downtown. Book it with your New Year's Eve car.
Lagniappe Chauffeured Services
Reserve your New Year's Eve car
Send your date, headcount and plan for the night, and we'll hold the right vehicle and reply with a firm quote.
reservations@lcsdriven.com · Available 24 hours a day
PRE-ARRANGED. PROFESSIONAL. RELIABLE.
