BlaakLane.com provides chauffeur service in Raleigh and across the Triangle: Raleigh-Durham International (RDU) transfers, Research Triangle Park meetings, Durham and Chapel Hill campus visits, and nights at the Lenovo Center. The booking engine shows a fixed fare for your trip before you confirm. A vetted local affiliate drives, and your confirmation names the operator and the chauffeur.
Reserving a chauffeur in Raleigh
Enter the pickup, destination, date and time, choose a vehicle and you get one fixed price covering the chauffeur, fuel and included waiting, with gratuity added to the booking at actual cost. No meter runs and there is no surge. Our 24/7 desk in Toronto assigns the trip to a vetted Triangle operator working to the BlaakLane.com written standard. Online booking suits individual trips; site visits for a biotech or technology team, graduation weekends and multi-vehicle corporate programmes are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
RDU: two terminals and where to meet
Raleigh-Durham International sits between the two cities, about 15 miles northwest of downtown Raleigh. It has two terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, each with its own baggage claim and parking deck. Pre-arranged cars pick up curbside on the lower arrivals level outside baggage claim, in the marked limo zones: Zone 1 at Terminal 1 and Zone 8 at Terminal 2, where you cross to the commercial island. Check your airline's terminal before you land. A meet and greet at baggage claim with a name board is an add-on; add-ons are only available in selected locations. The airport's rules are on RDU.
With flight tracking, the chauffeur arrives for your actual landing. Waiting included: 30 minutes on domestic flights, 60 minutes on international arrivals after customs, 15 minutes on other pickups, then 15-minute blocks. Downtown Raleigh is typically 20 to 30 minutes on I-40, and the heart of Research Triangle Park is only 10 to 15 minutes away. Business aircraft use the general aviation ramp at RDU; tell us the FBO in your notes.
How far is everything from RDU?
| Destination | Distance | Usual time |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Raleigh | 15 miles | 20-30 min |
| Research Triangle Park | 6 miles | 10-15 min |
| Downtown Durham and Duke | 13 miles | 20-25 min |
| Chapel Hill and UNC | 22 miles | 30-40 min |
| Cary | 10 miles | 15-20 min |
| North Hills, Raleigh | 17 miles | 25-35 min |
The Triangle, place by place
Raleigh is the state capital, with the Legislative Building, government offices and the Raleigh Convention Center downtown, and Glenwood South and the Warehouse District for dining. North Hills, a few miles north, is a second business centre with its own hotels. Cary and Morrisville lie between Raleigh and RTP. Research Triangle Park is one of the largest research parks in North America, home to pharmaceutical, life-sciences and technology campuses spread over wooded land with long distances between buildings. Durham has the Duke University campus and the American Tobacco Campus, while Chapel Hill is built around the University of North Carolina. Because the region is so spread out, the hourly chauffeur service often works better than separate one-way bookings.
Venues and hotels
The Lenovo Center, formerly PNC Arena, is home to the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State basketball and sits next to Carter-Finley Stadium, where NC State plays football, on the west side near the fairgrounds. Downtown, the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts and Red Hat Amphitheater handle shows, and Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek takes the big summer concerts. Kenan Stadium and the Dean Smith Center are in Chapel Hill, and Cameron Indoor Stadium is at Duke. Business travellers stay at the Raleigh Marriott City Center and the Sheraton by the convention centre, the Umstead Hotel in Cary, or the Washington Duke Inn in Durham.
Dates that fill the Triangle
- November to March: college basketball, with Duke, UNC and NC State playing within 30 miles of each other.
- Spring: Hurricanes playoff runs at the Lenovo Center in April and May when the team qualifies.
- May: graduation weekends at Duke, UNC and NC State, when hotels and cars sell out early.
- September to November: college football Saturdays.
- October: the North Carolina State Fair at the fairgrounds, usually for about ten days mid-month.
Visit Raleigh lists current events. Game and fair days close roads around the western venues, so the chauffeur uses agreed drop and pickup points.
Which car to book
A Standard Sedan covers one or two people. An executive SUV handles luggage and golf clubs for Pinehurst, and a Luxury Executive Sedan suits investor or client meetings. Standard Black SUVs and Sprinter Vans carry recruiting groups or families at graduation, and minicoaches or motorcoaches move a conference. Partners supply stretch limousines and Rolls-Royce, Maybach or Bentley cars for weddings. All vehicles are four model years old or younger. See the fleet and rates.
Rail at Raleigh Union Station
Raleigh Union Station in the Warehouse District is served by Amtrak's Piedmont trains to Charlotte, the Carolinian to Charlotte and New York, and the Silver Star between New York and Florida. Durham has its own station on the same line. A chauffeur can meet any train; timetables are on Amtrak.
Longer trips from Raleigh
- Charlotte: about 170 miles on I-40 and I-85, 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes, or fly into CLT.
- Pinehurst: about 70 miles south, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, for golf and the USGA events held there.
- Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach: about 130 miles on I-40, around 2 hours.
- Myrtle Beach: about 200 miles, 3.5 to 4 hours.
Long transfers are explained on intercity transfers.
Driving in the Triangle
Traffic drives on the right. The I-440 Beltline circles central Raleigh and I-40 carries the heavy commute between Raleigh, RTP and Durham, slowest roughly 7:00 to 9:00 and 16:30 to 18:30. NC 540, the Triangle Expressway, is a cashless toll road run by NCDOT's Turnpike Authority; chauffeurs take it when it beats I-40. Summer thunderstorms and the occasional winter ice storm are the main weather risks; a few centimetres of ice can shut the region's roads for a day, and the dispatch desk will contact you if a trip needs to move. Hurricanes that come ashore on the coast sometimes bring heavy rain inland in late summer and early autumn.
Who we drive in Raleigh
Pharmaceutical and technology executives visiting RTP, state government visitors, university recruiters, prospective students and their parents, airline crews and golf groups. Bookers run travel through corporate accounts. Child seats are free on request.
Cancellation policy
Cancel for free up to 72 hours before pickup. After that the charge is 10% from 72 hours, 50% from 48 hours and 100% from 24 hours, or for a no-show.
