When musicians Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor, media mogul Oprah Winfrey and actor Hal Holbrook needed a way around Hartford, it was Michael J. Lindsey’s limousine service that took them there.
“It’s been quite a ride,’’ said Lindsey, 45, who started his South Windsor business 20 years ago with one white stretch limousine. The fleet has since grown to 45 vehicles, including sedans and buses, and 75 employees.
But it is his latest upgrade that most excites Lindsey about the future of his transportation company at a time when many of the nation’s chauffeur services have hit their brakes.
Lindsey Limousine recently acquired Denver-based airportlimo.com, a Web site that links Lindsey to a network of more than 60 limo companies nationwide, and other contacts worldwide.
More important, the online site allows customers to personally book their trips, change itineraries or speak to a customer service representative 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Lindsey says his online service is akin to making airline reservations or booking a car rental.
For many of the estimated 5,000 limousine operators in the U.S., the recession has thwarted any notion of expanding.
Nationwide, revenue in the limo industry’s corporate market, its largest segment, fell 8 percent to $3.5 billion in 2008, and is anticipated this year to drop another 8 percent to $3.2 billion, according to IBISWorld, a California-based company that provides industry market research analysis.
Lindsey said his bookings lately reflect the trend.
“I would say our business is down about 10 percent, mostly in the specialty markets,’’ he said, declining to specify sales figures for his closely held company. “We’re still strong in the corporate market.’’
Ohio limousine operator Stephen Qua, a former vice president of the National Limousine Association, said the recession has been worse for some operators than others.
A limo service, for example, that catered strictly to Wall Street is probably not doing so well right now, Qua said. Those with a diversified clientele are in a better position to prevail, he said.
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Customer Service
Good operators will benefit, Qua said, as weak operators fall by the road.
“Our business is about market share gain and not to give away too much revenue,” Qua said.
Qua’s business, Company Car and Limousine in Cleveland, Ohio, is part of the national limo network linked to Lindsey’s airportlimo.com.
Aside from its celebrity bookings and its share of weddings and prom nights, executives on the go are Lindsey Limousine’s bread and butter.
Lindsey said his service benefits from executives’ insistence on conducting business face-to-face, despite 1990s forecasts that telecommuting and teleconferencing would ultimately replace corporate travel.
Yet there have been some adjustments to the times. Gone are the days when executives were spirited about in ostentatious limos nearly a half-block long, Lindsey said. Most prefer nowadays to ride low profile in black Lincoln Town Cars.
To survive, Lindsey and other limo companies are reemphasizing customer service, according to IBISWorld.
Chartering a limo will be always be more expensive than commuting in a personal automobile, Lindsey said.
Lindsey Limousine charges $220 for a one-way trip aboard a four-passenger sedan from Glastonbury to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport.
But what Lindsey offers — and what his customers prefer — is convenience. Many passengers use their commuting time to prepare for presentations and meetings, he said.
“People look at time savings more than cost savings,” Lindsey said.
Convenience was the reason Lindsey purchased airportlimo.com. He said customers appreciate being able to go online to review their itineraries and receive a single bill, even if they use limousines across the United States or abroad.
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Chauffeur Training
Better training for chauffeurs is another service focus.
“We are the only ones around that have a training program,” one that includes a PowerPoint slide presentation, Lindsey said.
Lindsey Limousine equips all its vehicles with a video camera system — the DriveCam video event data recorder — to review trips and determine if a chauffeur is tailgating. Drivers are coached to maintain safe distances.
“Nothing is worse from a customer’s perspective than being nervous in the back seat,” Lindsey said.
Qua, who says he has known Lindsey for about 10 years, said Lindsey’s aggressive use of online technology and safety emphasis are important hallmarks for the industry.
“If I trust one of my customers in the back seat of someone else’s car,” Qua said, “that is the best compliment I can give anyone.”
