Uber announced today it has acquired Blacklane, a global chauffeur service.
The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by the end of 2026. After the transaction is complete, the acquisition of Blacklane will further accelerate Uber’s recently-announced move into the chauffeur sector with Uber Elite.
It’s interesting to see Uber taking a stronger position in the high-end transportation service. Blacklane and Uber Elite do scheduled pickups – people especially like using them for airport pickups where the drivers can meet you in the terminal.
Many readers will have heard of Blacklane due to the Citi Strata Elite $200 annual credit, see Maximizing the $200 Blacklane Credit on Citi Strata Elite. Bilt also offers Blacklane as a cashout option.
I’m interested to see how this acquisition shakes up and whether the Blacklane platform integrates into Uber. My guess is it will eventually integrate – and we’ll have to see how this all affects the Citi/Bilt credit offerings.
