Operators set for busiest prom season for years

A survey conducted by The Chauffeur magazine has found a massive seven out of ten operators are fully booked for the forth-coming school prom season.

Although the results are not a massive shock as the industry always thrives on the prom sector, many operators have reported a continual flow of calls and some just not being able to find the cars or drivers to complete the work.

The survey involved a snap-shot of twenty high-profile operators spread throughout the UK, and it seems as if the economic downturn is not affecting the limousine hire industry, as many revealed that 2008 is looking to be one of the busiest years for school prom hire.

The recent Chauffeur Drive ’08 event at Farnborough (see full report inside) proved how busy the industry is keeping by exhibitors reporting amazing sales, with operators choosing brand-new vehicles above pre-owned.

David Wilson from Luxury Limousine Services in Suffolk told us; “We bought three new vehicles last year in preparation for 2008, and even though the year started-off pretty slow for us, we are now pretty much booked-up for the school prom season.

He added; “We are now debating whether to purchase more vehicles and employ more drivers, however, I would rather take advantage of being fully-booked, rather than starting to worry about generating work for another vehicle.”

The story is the same in the south-of-England as the largest operator in Kent and Sussex, Star Limousines has also experienced a massive amount of bookings, and that is before some local schools have even announced the dates for their proms.

Daniel Roberts from Star Limousines told us; “Every year is different, but this year is looking very promising indeed. June is especially busy for us and all the other months around that are also pretty consistent.

He added; “To keep things simple, we only offer one package which gives the customer the choice of only one, and keeps things very simple. The money we are getting for this package is excellent, and we never tend to budge on this as we do not really feel the need to. We are currently charging anything from £495 for a Chrysler 300C up to £895 for a 14 seater limousine which is still great value.’

Associations such as the National Limousine and Chauffeur Association are expecting to push more messages out to the general public over the summer period, in an attempt to educate the general public on hiring legal and safely operated limousines.

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