PickMe introduces chauffeur-driven premium mobility

• New category targets corporate travel, tourism, airport transfers and Sri Lanka’s growing destination-wedding market

PickMe has expanded its technology platform to enable  premium mobility through the launch of PickMe Platinum, bringing high-end vehicles and specially selected, professionally trained independent chauffeurs onto its digital platform.

Targeted at corporate executives, business travellers, tourists, airport passengers and customers seeking a higher level of service, Platinum combines modern premium SUVs, Crossover SUVs and electric vehicles with defined service standards through top-rated independent chauffeurs, while retaining the convenience and fare transparency of booking through the PickMe app. It also provides access to a dedicated 24/7 support. 

PickMe Platinum will follow the company’s existing asset-light platform model, collaborating  with vehicle owners and mobility service providers. PickMe will provide the technology platform and set standards for vehicle eligibility, chauffeur selection, training and service delivery, while fleet ownership will remain with its third-party providers.

The new category also opens up opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism and hospitality sectors, including the destination-wedding market, as the country attracts growing interest from overseas couples and wedding groups, particularly from India.

Destination weddings create complex transport requirements extending well beyond airport transfers, with couples and their guests frequently moving between hotels, wedding venues, ceremonies, receptions and other events over several days. PickMe believes its digital platform can streamline premium chauffeur service for hotels, wedding planners, event organisers and guests to coordinate this mobility more efficiently while providing international visitors with a consistent standard of service.

PickMe CEO Jiffry Zulfer said: “PickMe Platinum is about moving beyond using technology to facilitate transportation to deliver a consistently higher level of mobility service. The technology remains simple, you request your mobility through PickMe, but behind that request is a specially selected vehicle and an independent driver trained to deliver a chauffeur-level experience.”

“We see demand coming not only from Sri Lankan individual users and corporates, but also from tourism and hospitality. Whether it is an international executive arriving for meetings or a wedding party coming to Sri Lanka for a destination wedding, the quality of their mobility becomes part of their experience of the country. Platinum allows us to raise that standard while retaining the convenience of a digital platform,” he added.

Building on PickMe’s existing driver and service standards, Platinum chauffeurs will undergo additional selection and training tailored to the premium service, covering grooming and presentation, greetings and courtesy, communication, passenger comfort, safety, punctuality and customer care. Chauffeurs will attend to the  service standards, emphasising passenger and luggage assistance and attentive care throughout the journey.

For scheduled journeys, vehicles will be expected to arrive ahead of the requested pickup time. The objective is to provide users with a consistent service experience irrespective of the individual Platinum vehicle or chauffeur assigned to the journey.

In addition to point-to-point travel, Platinum is being designed to accommodate longer-duration requirements through PickMe Rentals, allowing users to retain a vehicle and chauffeur while attending multiple meetings, appointments or engagements. This will cater particularly to corporate executives, international business travellers, tourists and events where mobility requirements extend across several locations.

Airport mobility will be another important component of the service, complementing PickMe’s growing presence in this segment and providing tourists, overseas Sri Lankans and business travellers with a premium option for onward travel.

The model is expected to create new earning opportunities for owners and operators of premium vehicles while allowing the Platinum fleet to expand in line with market demand. PickMe expects the category to include a growing number of premium electric vehicles alongside high-end conventional vehicles.

The move brings a segment traditionally dominated by hotels, travel operators and private chauffeur services into Sri Lanka’s digital mobility ecosystem. Users will be able to access premium chauffeur-driven transport through the PickMe app and see the applicable fare digitally, combining the service standards associated with executive transport with the transparency and accessibility of app-based mobility.

Platinum extends that digital ecosystem to the premium end of mobility, from executive and airport travel to tourism, events and destination weddings; bringing together technology, premium vehicles and trained chauffeurs through a service accessible at the tap of a button.