Limousine CompaniesBelieve it or not the first actual stretch limousine was created over eighty years ago in Arkansas, USA in 1928. These early stretch limousines were often referred to as “big band buses” because they were mainly used to transport famous big band leaders, their orchestras and their instruments to various parts of the United States. Then in the 1930’s stretch limousines really started to take off. Limousine companies started springing up all over the place to transport guests of hotels from the airport to the hotel and also on different sightseeing tours. After seeing the growing popularity of these stretch limousines the movie industry soon caught the bug where they used limousine companies to carry film crew and stage personnel around movie sets. But, more importantly, they became an absolute "must" for the top movie actors and actresses where they had to be seen to arrive in stretch limousines. This clearly created the glamorous image that limousine companies and their stretch limousines retain to this very day. These days stretch limousines are big business, particularly in the UK and USA. You only have to look around our cities at weekends to see how many stretch limousines there are cruising around. Have you ever watched the film awards in America ? There must be about a thousand stretch limousines at some of those events. This has led to the birth of all sorts of different limousine companies over the years who cater for this spectacular market. Firstly there are the limousine companies that actually design and build the stretch limousines in the first place. These are known as coachbuilders and are predominantly based in the USA. The biggest limousine companies in this category include Coastal of California, Executive Coach of Missouri, Federal Coach of Arkansas, Krystal of California, LCW Automotive of Texas, Royale of Massachusetts and Springfield of Missouri. Then there are the limousine companies that provide the stretch limousines for hire. These have evolved into all sorts of set ups from the one man band with a single limousine to the giants who run fleets into double figures, boasting brand new vehicles such as the Baby Bentley Chrysler 300 limousines and the bigger Hummer limousines. Bearing in mind new stretch limousines cost between £60,000 and £120,000 that's quite an achievement. This in itself goes a long way to explain the differential in limo hire prices where the small limousine companies can offer cheaper limo hire than the larger ones. For example, they can keep costs down on premises and staffing by working from home and driving themselves, and financing older stretch limousines that are between five and ten years old. And limousine companies have evolved in order to cater for everything else that a thriving limousine industry demands. For example there's a niche market for limousine maintenance throughout the land where limousine companies have specialized in servicing and body repairs, and there are limousine companies that specialize in the importation and supply of limousine parts and accessories, tyres and even engines. Limousine marketing companies have grown too and it's their job to help drive the demand for limo hire and provide increased enquiries and work, particularly for the smaller operators who don't always have the resources to do that. So the ongoing thirst of a nation for stretch limousines and all the excitement that goes with them has led to a sizeable industry which incorporates all differerent types of limousine companies and employs many thousands of people, in the UK as well as the USA. This is all down to the fun and laughter that stretch limousines can bring to our lives. Long may these great street machines and the limousine companies that provide them continue. |