Booked by the hour, the car does not leave. It waits outside while you do whatever you came to do, and it is there when you walk out. That sounds like a small difference. It is not.
The days it is built for
A day of meetings across the city. Four addresses, no parking, no app, no waiting for a match. Your things stay in the car between stops.
Filming, pitching, or anything on a schedule you do not control. When the call time slips an hour, the car slips an hour.
A night out. Dinner in West Hollywood, a show downtown, home at one in the morning. One driver the whole way.
Showing someone the city. Griffith Observatory, the Getty, the coast — all of which are much better when somebody else is parking.
How it is priced
An hourly rate with a minimum hire — two hours for sedans and SUVs, three for the Sprinter van. Waiting time between stops is not extra; it is what you are paying for.
When a transfer is cheaper
One trip from A to B with no return and no waiting. Book that as a transfer and pay for the distance.