Does anyone know the ins and outs of operating executive travel cars and minibuses. Airport runs, golf tours, Scottish tours etc etc. Obviously the motors would be the last thing to buy after you have found the work for them. Any other information would be helpful.
global.
Most firms that do it also do private hire (taxi) style work too, so I guess the demand is hit and miss.
I worked for a firm called 1919 minibuses, you may have seen them when Popstars was on TV, we had the contract to move the contestants around.
Also had the contract for National Express incase of breakdown etc
Also had good deals on things such as Alton Towers, really good prices for airport work and god knows what else, but still ended up doing taxi style work to make it pay.
Can’t help you anymore than that I’m afraid, as I was just a driver and radio operator
Thanks for that, it would probably take a while to get established though.
global.
global:
Thanks for that, it would probably take a while to get established though.
global.
check with your local council licencing department, they will tell you exactly what you would required 
Some years ago a wealthy friend replaced his Rolls Royce with a newer model. The older car sat in his garage. After some discussion we decided to set up Kingsway Executive Travel and do much as Global suggests including days at the races, trips through Blackpool Illuminations, corporate work, etc.
We then spent the best part of £1,000 on advertising over several months in Lancashire Life and local papers.
Rates started from £40. (this was about 15 years ago).
We did not receive one single enquiry.
Why do you think you didn’t receive a enquiry?
I originate from up that way,
Just interested as to why it didn’t work, plenty of wealth In the Ribble Valley.
Did you ever tap into the wedding market?
Edit: reason I ask is my wife and I have a business to launch and we were planning to use Cheshire Life and Lancashire Life.
Probably because nobody’s reads Lancashire life and Cheshire life, people who read them probably have their own Rolls Royce. Advertise in the less posh areas and you might get more interest.
Tarrman:
Probably because nobody’s reads Lancashire life and Cheshire life, people who read them probably have their own Rolls Royce. Advertise in the less posh areas and you might get more interest.
So nobody reads the periodicals discussed but the people you say don’t read them probably own Rolls Royce!
How wrong can you be!
I read both and drive a pick-up.
Sorry it’s been a long night 
The audience they’re intended for is a better way of putting it.
I’m meaning that working class folk are more likely to book executive travel for weddings or whatever than posh upper class, who would more than likely book exclusive types of travel like high end super cars or high end limo’s as opposed to an older Rolls Royce for example.
(I’m relating to the post by Driveroneuk)
VOSA are having a major crackdown on ‘rogue’ operators at the moment due to the amount of incorrectly licences vehicles and drivers operating.
Saying that, if you know where to look, there’s so many loopholes that almost anyone with any licence can set a company (or 2) and run around ferrying people to and fro.
Operating private hire vehicles is covered under the “Town Police Clauses Act 1847”, licensing for vehicles and drivers is very similar to the rules for Hackney Carriages (Generic name for taxis) and are issued by the local authority. I have held both driver and vehicle licenses for almost 40 years but have not used them for a long time…
If you want to do mini coaches you would need an O licence and an operating base.I think that you would get more details on coachdriverforum.
Is this an industry you’ve worked in and have experience of? If not then its very easy to look for the outside in and think it all looks great doing this sort of thing. It isn’t. Its bloody hard work.
I agree with you, not exactly a walk in the park!
Sounds like you know the in’s and out’s though, would you like to elaborate for me?
global.
Surely this has been done to death. I can think of 20 operators down here who run limos, minibuses and taxis. All out for the same slice of the wedding, prom, race day, low lifes looking to impress slags market and earning the square root of nothing out of it.
Perhaps it’s different up there but i’d be very careful where you throw your money away
chester:
Why do you think you didn’t receive a enquiry?
I originate from up that way,
Just interested as to why it didn’t work, plenty of wealth In the Ribble Valley.Did you ever tap into the wedding market?
Edit: reason I ask is my wife and I have a business to launch and we were planning to use Cheshire Life and Lancashire Life.
I don’t know why. We were both rather surprised, especially given the low starting rate - barely more expensive than a taxi.
We mentioned weddings in the ads, but didn’t advertise in any specialist wedding mags.
Car was a silver, Silver Spirit 2
A lot of counties in the UK have a “life” type magazine often published by companies like Archant etc. These are aimed a middle class folks who possibly wouldn’t be your target market. (You can tell their market by the adverts inside for orangeries and summer houses, expensive clothes, seeds, garden tools etc).
“Cafe society at Ascot”
archantlife.co.uk/contact-us … acts–7600
No disrespect, but near me is a chip shop I use and on the wall are adverts for handy men, car repairs, martial arts etc etc stuck to the wall. These are the sorts of places you need to place an advert. Maybe you need to aim for people who couldn’t afford normally to take a Roller anywhere, like school proms, hen nights etc.
Most people with lots of money don’t really like spending it 
and will probably get a normal taxi to the airport, or take their own company vehicle to impress clients.
Not meaning to sound judgemental.
Your mistake is that people with wealth dont need to hire fancy cars to show others how wealthy they are.
I could park a limo at the entrance to the local council estate and get more work in a week from the gyro dwellers than you’d get in a year from the wealthy.
m1cks:
Your mistake is that people with wealth dont need to hire fancy cars to show others how wealthy they are.
I could park a limo at the entrance to the local council estate and get more work in a week from the gyro dwellers than you’d get in a year from the wealthy.
Exactly.
There is an executive car company in my village, they also have drivers based around the london airports. Much of their work is corporate travel, companies such as Rolls Royce, Donington Park. Reckitt Benkiser and Bombardier but they also operate a fancy music tour bus and several bread and butter cars from the local airport. It looks an interesting job and the drivers are all wearing 3 piece Armani suits. I know they do work for Nottingham Arena too because they picked Sister Bliss and Rollo up 