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Mike’s Limousine-branded MCI J4500 motorcoach
Tallahassee, Fla. — Mike’s Limousine Founder Mike Vaughn recently announced that his company purchased their first-ever Motor Coach Industries (MCI) J4500 motorcoach. He and his customers like “the ambiance, the glitz and the glamour,” of his new J4500 delivered just this month, and according to Vaughn, “it’s the Taj Mahal.”
MCI continues to gain acclaim in the limousine and events transportation business with the good looking, spacious, well-appointed interior and exterior of its 2019 J4500.
Vaughn sees great potential for motor coach charter business within the sedan, classic car, trolley, and party bus system he operates. Mike’s Limousine has a reputation for up-scale service, having won Tallahassee Magazine’s Best of Tallahassee People’s Choice award 12 years in a row as well the Tally Award. Their 25-vehicle fleet includes luxury sedans and SUVs, stretch limos, a pink Hummer, a convertible Rolls Royce, trolleys, 16 to 36-passenger party buses, and a mix of 15 motorcoaches of various sizes.
“We don’t duplicate; everything in our fleet runs for a specific purpose,” said Vaughn, who opened his first transportation business, Mike’s Moving, in 1991. That profitable endeavor allowed him to start a secondary business, Mike’s Limousine, in 2000, with a top-of-the-line stretch limousine, the very first in Tallahassee. The new business kept growing with three limousine style vehicles including exotic cars added each year. By 2007, Vaughn began adding higher-capacity passenger vehicles and 35-foot coaches to the fleet.
“We started out with a lot of wedding contracts, which is high-end work, and that’s the way we’ve kept it, growing by going with the flow,” he said. “Before I knew it, we met all the qualifications for a charter bus company, and it made sense to add larger, 45-foot motor coaches.”
But his specific choice of the MCI J4500 wasn’t just about looks and up-scale luxury—it was about performance, too. Vaughn offered high praise for the model’s automatic braking feature accompanying the optional Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) featured on the coach.
“Our drivers like the coach for its driver-friendly features, but when passengers board they are wowed by the spiral entryway, the lighting and the modern leather seating. No other coach comes close,” he adds.
The high-spec J4500 coach model features best-in-class legroom, leather seats with tray tables, and enhanced lighting throughout including the optional programable variable lighting that changes the color of the interior to support client branding and personal requests. Other amenities include power outlets and UBS ports at each seat for passengers who want to connect while they ride.
Today, Mike’s Limousines staff of 48 manages everything from wedding parties to cross-country charter student trips, high school, college and professional athletic teams and cruise transportation. Its coach fleet supports a wide array of group and premier clients in Tallahassee and the surrounding Florida counties, traveling throughout the state and to points beyond from Louisiana to South and North Carolina and New York.
Vaughn, who often drives for his company, said he wanted this J4500 model because the interior suits the luxury market and it’s ideal for student and athletic trips destinations that travel through the Rockies and other mountainous ranges.
“We all call it the mountain goat, because the J4500 has incredible ground clearance and goes where no other buses will go,” he added.
Visit limomike.com for more information.
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Prevost Pre-owned Coach Regional Sales Manager Marcus Griffin
St. Claire, Q.C. — Prevost is pleased to announce Marcus Griffin, an experienced bus industry professional based in Texas, has joined the company as a pre-owned coach regional sales manager. Griffin’s territory will include Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and New Mexico. He will additionally cover Puerto Rico.
“We are thrilled to have Marcus on board with us,” says Director, Pre-Owned Coach Sales Guillaume Charron. “His knowledge and experience in the industry as an operator will definitely help us grow the U.S. South Central region while providing excellent support to our customers.”
Charron adds that Griffin’s personality, energy, and enthusiasm fit perfectly within the new Prevost Pre-Owned team and are well in line with the company’s strategic business plan and vision for the future.
Griffin discovered the bus business in 2001 when he worked with a family-owned motorcoach tour and charter operation in San Antonio, Tex. Beginning with small jobs around the office to washing buses and helping the outside crew, his responsibilities and promotions steadily increased as he grew older and gained experience; eventually holding down management positions in sales and operations. Griffin moves to Prevost from his last position as Chief Operations Officer.
“I have always wanted to be on the other side of a sale,” he says. “Though our family operations provided me with a smooth, steady path to Prevost, this was not a quick, easy decision. I just felt like I had hit a plateau and my family has supported me every step of the way in making this change.”
Griffin says his work to this point has will give him insights on the varying roles pre-owned coaches play in his customers’ businesses.
Four Season Travel’s H3-45 motorcoach
In other news, Prevost has announced that Four Season Travel of Irwindale, Calif., added six new Prevost H3-45 coaches to better serve their growing worldwide clientele. The new coaches are equipped for high-level comfort, offering custom Amaya seating with fold-down foot rests, tray tables, electronically-controlled window blinds, and USB charging ports. Additionally, the customized microphone and Wi-Fi system help ensure a positive tour experience.
Launched in southern California in 2012 with three coaches to serve customers in the western U.S. from San Diego to Seattle, the company has steadily expanded, providing coach services to national and international tour operators, travel groups, and VIP minibus charters, as well as offering bus and coach maintenance. Four Season Travel also specializes in unique destination tours, international travel, and highly personalized, all-service coach tour packages.
Luxury comfort is standard for Four Season Travel’s charter service. With the recent delivery, their coach count to 32 in a mixed fleet that includes 17 Prevost H3-45s and 3 Volvo 9700 coaches.
While passengers soak up the panoramic view through flush-mounted frameless windows from the highest deck of the Prevost models, their luggage sits comfortably in the H-Series’ expansive 470 cubic feet under-floor cargo area.
“Our Prevost coaches reflect quality in every respect,” says Four Season Travel Director Marshall Yu. “Our entire staff appreciates the workmanship and care that goes into each new model that makes their jobs more enjoyable. Our drivers appreciate the H3-45 for the effortless handling and the smooth ride for customers, while the maintenance team benefits tremendously from Prevost technical support and warranty processes.”
Visit prevostcar.com for more information.
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Royal Transportation Group’s Tesla fleet
Orlando — Royal Transportation Group has made their first steps into going green with the addition of new Tesla vehicles into their diverse fleet. President & CEO Cliff Wright announced that the operator started offering the Tesla 3 compact, S sedan, and X SUV to their clientele this spring.
“No maintenance, no oil changes, no downtime,” Wright raves of the fully electric vehicles. “This is a whole different world.”
Curious after one of his chauffeurs recently purchased a Tesla, Wright visited a dealership and took a went for a test drive. He was instantly impressed with the vehicle’s handling and design.
“The car basically drives itself. It maintains speed in traffic, and you can control the distances between you and the car in front of you. If you’re driving at 80 mph, and the guy in front of you slows down, it will brake on its own. And it’s amazingly fast. It goes zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds.”
Wright was also impressed with the amount of storage the Teslas offer. He says that both the S and X models offer best-in-class storage, with tremendous amounts of luggage space for clients.
“These have more space than any other vehicle we have,” says Wright. “There’s no engine in the front, so you can put a set of golf clubs in there. The back has as much room as an Escalade.”
In addition, Wright says he is particularly impressed with the unparrelled safety ratings given to the Teslas.
“The Tesla S and X are the safest cars ever built. The X had a perfect score on the NHTSA safety rating test. The safety features are unbelievable. If someone drifts into your lane, the wheel shakes. Plus, the SUV can’t roll over; it goes half-way there and rolls back. It has a low center-of-gravity because its batteries are at the wheel line. It’s really next level.”
Perhaps most importantly, Wright says that his clients have been particularly impressed with the three vehicles.
“Once they get in, they love it. There’s a huge ‘Wow’ factor with the gull-wing doors and the panoramic windshield.”
Needless to say, electric cars will save any operator a great deal of expense when it comes to gasoline and oil prices, but the state of Florida is offering electric car users further incentive by eliminating fees on toll roads for those vehicles. Thus far, adding the Teslas to his fleet has been nothing short of advantageous for Wright.
“We were able to get some cool contracts with it for launches, and we’re currently working with Tesla for another exclusive transportation partnership.”
Visit rclorlando.net for more information.
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