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Dolphin Transportation President Timothy Rose (left) and Classic Transportation President Ron Doino
Fizz Papps and Tim Rose, owners of Dolphin Transportation in Naples, Florida, recently announced their merger with Classic Transportation of Marco Island, Florida. Classic has served Marco Island and the Naples area since 1993 in the leisure and luxury hotel markets. The merger secures Dolphin’s presence in the Marco Island, Naples, Ft. Myers, Punta Gorda, Sarasota/Bradenton, and Tampa markets.
According to Papps and Rose, Classic owners Ron and Jennifer Doino, along with their team, have built a great brand in Classic, and their goal with the acquisition will be to help expand on their success in the marketplace by using Dolphin’s strengths in fleet and technology. Its current fleet consists of more than 150 vehicles including ADA compliant vehicles, sedans, SUVs, vans, limousines, minibuses, mini-coaches, and full-size motorcoaches.
Dolphin has become the largest owned fleet in Southwest Florida since its inception in 2001 in Naples, Florida. Earlier this year, Dolphin acquired SRQ Services of Sarasota.
Kevin Fitzgerald from NAI Southwest Florida brokered the deal last year.
Visit classicluxurytransportation.com or dolphinnaples.com for more information.
[01.05.21]
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South Carolina-based luxury ground transportation provider Coastal Limousine of Charleston recently announced the acquisition of Carolina’s Executive Limo Line.
As they served the same market and same client base, Coastal Limousine Owner Matt Miller called Justin Bailey and Kelly Klaiber from Carolina’s Executive “friendly competitors” while stressing that both companies shared the same family-owned business model and values.
Marina and Matt Miller of Coastal Limousine of Charleston
Miller, along with his wife and partner Marina, founded Coastal Limousine in 2014 with a single vehicle. Since then, their fleet has grown to 14 vehicles, and includes everything from sedans to Grech buses. According to Miller, the company specializes in weddings and transportation for corporate events.
Despite the effects of the pandemic, Coastal is anticipating a rebound as they enter 2021. The company is seeing a sold-out spring, thanks largely to weddings, and is booking corporate groups for the fall.
“Marina and I, along with the rest of the Coastal Limousine team, are looking forward to a successful 2021,” says Miller. “We are extremely optimistic about the future and ready to get this temporary setback behind us. This strategic acquisition is one that made a lot of sense for both parties, and we wish Justin & Kelly all the best in their future endeavors.”
Visit coastallimocharleston.com for more information.
[01.05.21]
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Bus manufacturer Van Hool has shipped its first CX45E, a 100% battery electric coach, to the U.S. After an intense period of development—which included tests on acceleration, agility, and noise, according to the company—the CX45E is now being commercially launched by Van Hool’s North American exclusive distributor ABC Bus Companies. An additional ten units will be shipped to the US in the first half of 2021. The all-electric CX45E will then be delivered to two North American customers.
“With this announcement it all became a reality: a few years ago we put the first technical concepts of the CX45E on paper, and today the end-result leaves for the U.S.,“ explained CEO Filip Van Hool. ”We were of course able to draw on our vast experience we have built up over decades in the design and production of electric buses. In 1985 we built the first trolley electric buses. In 2005 we were the first manufacturer to design a hydrogen-powered electric bus for the North American market, and the platform of our successful Exqui.City trambus can be equipped with different electric drivetrains. In total, more than 1,000 electrically powered vehicles have left Van Hool’s factory. And we will continue our efforts to market environmentally friendly and cost-efficient electric vehicles in the future, both in Europe and in our second home market North America.”
Van Hool CX45E electric coach
The CX45E is a fully electric powered coach for the North American market. Proterra, a leading American producer of battery technology for heavy-duty vehicles, was selected by Van Hool to supply the E2 battery technology. The 100 percent electrically driven vehicle has a range of up to 310 miles, depending on the climate conditions and the route’s topography. The CX45E will mainly be used for commuting by groups of employees and/or regular passenger transport.
“The cooperation between Van Hool and its distributor in the North American market, ABC Bus Companies began 33 years ago,” says Van Hool. “As there was demand from several customers for fully electrically powered vehicles, we at Van Hool and ABC Bus Companies looked for a solution. Van Hool is excited and proud to work with Proterra, a pioneering company in the development and production of battery technology.”
The CX45E was designed, developed and prototyped at the parent company in Koningshooikt, Belgium. The production-ready versions of the ten CX45E coaches planned for the first half of 2021 will also come from the Belgian factory. The vehicles will be driven from Koningshooikt to Zeebrugge for shipment to the US.
Visit vanhool.be for more information.
[01.05.21]