From where we stand, here is our view of the state of the event transportation / wedding transportation industries based on hundreds of requests and conversations. Left with no viable solution or alternative, planners are being forced to develop their own transportation design and then provide a manifest to various local transportation providers for bids. Generally speaking, only one or two can respond to these requests and often the low cost provider is hired. Little, if any, consideration is given to the optimal fleet mix by either the planner or the provider.

And, in our experience, often these decisions are made mathematically,

“To transport 200 people, I need 4 coaches of 55 passengers each."

Not so fast.

We know there is a much better way.  And, this blog is meant to help you learn some of the nuance that goes into a proper fleet selection, so you are matching:

1. Client comfort and experience  

2. Your design aesthetic

3. Geographic challenges such as road restrictions, height clearance, turning radius, staging requirements,

4. Avoiding bottlenecks either from crowd management or vehicle management or both.

This video here will give you a better idea..

Event Planner's Guide to Vehicle Selection For Your Event or Wedding Transportation

Sedans

We rarely use sedans with the exception of getting one or two people to and from the airport economically. We find them relatively expensive with limited flexibility and therefore reserve them mostly for transfers and not longer engagements.

SUV

These are our recommended go-to vehicle for just about everything. In fact, we generally have at least one SUV on hand for every major transportation need just as a spare vehicle because of their multipurpose capabilities from moving small groups, hauling large amounts of supplies with seats folded down, etc. You will want to confirm what kind of SUV is being used and the configuration. In addition, we favor two bucket seats in the middle row (see below) as opposed to a 3 person bench as it is more comfortable for those guests and also allows easier access to the third row.

Also, be forewarned, that third row bench has no real legroom and is very tight. It is fit for children or petite adults and we generally avoid them for distances greater than say 30 - 45 minutes or with very formal attire.

Mercedes Sprinter Vans

These vans are how we cut our teeth in this business. We were the first Sprinter-only transportation company and have been credited with the immense rise and popularity for the Sprinter in the USA. When we launched in 2010, every black for-hire Sprinter van on the island of Manhattan was a Brilliant owned Sprinter. Now, these vans are commonplace and are up fitted by a variety of vendors to different international specifications, configurations, etc. Knowing custom builders, quality, configurations and layout is critical when selecting these vans so you know exactly what you are getting.

We love the Sprinter and have done weddings and events with up to 40 of these vans.  They are stylish, comfortable, drive well, have a decent turn radius, excellent fuel economy.

The only rub in our opinion on the Sprinter is the height - part of what makes it so comfortable allowing standing headroom clearance of 6’ 4” is the height. However, that means low tunnels, parking garages, trees, Porte-cochère, etc. can become an obstacle.

In today’s world, we tend to use corporate configurations with seating capacity of 8 - 12 with individual leather bucket seats for very high end events and for more shuttle focused events, we add capacity by using 11 - 14 passenger Sprinters with OEM bench seats. While many builders are making 15 - 16 passenger Mercedes Sprinter vans on the commercial-use 3500 chassis (with dual wheels in the rear to handle the additional weight), we find the space a bit cramped and will only consider when budget is very tight and the distance traveled is very short.

Minibuses

In the last few years, the minibus builders have created excellent options and moved the minibus from the airport shuttle experience into the quality our clientele and corporations require. The minibuses are professional looking, fit for executives, with individual leather bucket seats and are a terrific solution for moving large groups of guests especially when motor coaches don't work for aesthetic or physical limitation reasons. They are also more budget friendly versus the additional number of Mercedes Sprinters required if you select all vans. However, and this is a BIG consideration: most mini buses are built on commercial truck chassis. They are meant to transport cargo / freight and have very stiff suspensions. They are more comfortable when fully loaded (i.e. more weight) and can be very uncomfortable when carrying less load.  Generally speaking, we guide away from mini buses for longer distances as even with the addition of great sounding items such as “air suspension” they are nowhere near as comfortable as a motor coach. And, we always look at the roads and conditions of the roads being traveled before we select minibuses.

Coaches

Buses have an undeserved bad name in the industry. Long gone are the days of stinky greyhound buses with obnoxious colored velour seats. We often use Mercedes buses with executive leather seating and have even used custom designed solutions where we remove rows of seats to make the bus more intimate, spacious, etc. In addition, there are manufacturers now that have created smaller buses (i.e. seat 40 guests) which allow for greater maneuverability with equal comfort and we are a big fan of these solutions for larger events. There is no greater value than using coaches when you can. One tremendous benefit of motor coaches are the “kneeling” coaches that are hydraulically able to lower about 6 - 12” to allow elderly, overweight, or otherwise handicapped guests to board. In the most recent wedding we did, we used the Kneeling feature extensively as about 4 guests required assistance boarding and unbarring and this would have been impossible in a minibus or Sprinter without a stool (which is hazardous and wobbly and fraught with risk).

However, recognize their limitations some of which are obvious (height, size, turn radius) and some which are equally important and not so obvious. For instance, this is a prime example of where current planners working with bus operators may fall short - if you simply say I need 4 coaches to transport 200 guests (like our example at the start of this blog), and don't take into account the event specifications and logistics, a bus may be the worst selection.  

We’ve worked on numerous events and weddings where guests depart at various times. In other words, there is no official end time and guests meander out at various times from say 10pm - 2am. If you only have 55 passenger motor coaches in your arsenal, and they have to travel any distance at all - say 15 to 20 minutes in each direction - you really need to load that bus to at least 1/2 to 2/3 full before releasing it. Accordingly, you may have 10 - 20 disgruntled guests at the end of a wonderful night eager to get home and you are holding the coach until it reaches acceptable and planned capacity before releasing it and letting people get home. That is not an enviable position to be in and one of the primary reasons we are huge advocates of designing your optimal fleet based NOT on headcount but rather on passenger flow.  

Real Life Example:

In fact, the wedding I worked in Palm Springs recently was a minor revolt. Due to budgetary reasons and a belief from the wedding planners that there would be at least 80 “older generation” guests who would leave early and together right after dinner, we utilized two motor coaches and had them staged per our understanding and mutual agreement. We loaded the first motor coach in about 10-15 minutes. However, as soon as that first one left, NOBODY wanted to get on the second coach because they knew it would be at least 10 - 15 minutes before the second one would depart.

This was a bad situation because all of a sudden people who were moving forward and eager to leave started to meander and walk on the lawn and complain about the bus and how long it would take and some folks started to discuss ordering Ubers, some ordered Ubers. A few folks boarded the bus and after about 5 minutes got off the bus. I was acting as an on-site coordinator and working the crowd asking everyone to board for a timely departure as we suddenly had 20 - 30 maybe even 40 people milling about and approaching the bus. However, there was inertia. The forward momentum stalled and it was an awkward and difficult position to recover from.  

In the end, I persevered and in a hospitable yet confident manner I convinced tired, semi-inebriated guests to cooperate and be positive and to board the bus. A few minutes later the bus departed - however, be forewarned - don't use buses if you don't have a steady flow. Guests were even looking at the staging area and suggesting we pull the mini bus forward or use the Sprinter reserved for the bride’s family.  Coaches are great - very comfortable and terrific budget options.  However, don't let budget rule - let customer experience and satisfaction rule.

Specialty Vehicles

Consider anything from an antique vintage statement to a double decker bus for your event. These are really personal considerations based on your desire and aesthetic but should certainly be utilized to match your personality and vision for the event.