Reviews of the 5 Best Executive Transportation Services in New York

April 15, 2014

- Posted by Stephen Chapek

executive transportation reviews nyc

Executive transportation isn’t just for the business elites anymore, but a valuable service for private individuals, families, groups and business travelers who need some professional help getting around when they have a full schedule. And naturally, when people are looking for an premium luxury transportation company, they want to find someone who will offer great service, efficiency and good value. But in such a decentralized and diverse industry, sometimes that can seem a bit of a challenge!

Executive Transportation Services in NYC

In this blog I’d like to help our readers become informed about the industry and overcome any fears they may have about finding a great luxury transportation, or limousine company to serve their needs. Transportation for executives can be a rather broad field, as their just as many different kinds of transportation companies as there are different vehicles to choose from. When you start your search, it’s important to realize that depending upon the size and nature of your event or trip, some transportation providers will be better suited to serving you than others.

If you think about it, different types of scenarios call for different types of transportation. If you plan on sending hundreds of people on a cross country roadshow, or perhaps plan on moving many hundreds of people for a large event or convention, you’re going to want to go big. Choose a provider that offers a fleet of large buses and is well experienced in those types of tours. That’s something totally different than planning an intimate wedding where you’d want to work with a local or specialty operator who can give your party a lot of individual attention and has the specific type of vehicle you’re looking for, as well as a rate that competitive to a small user like yourself.

Vehicle Class and Style vs. Your Event or Trip

Basically you want to do a bit of research and try to find provider that is the right match for you in terms of style, price and experience. But even if you’re arranging transportation for a small group of people, or even just yourself, there are many choices you could make in terms of vehicle selection.  Most executive transportation companies can offer a basic or inexpensive  service like a black car service to take care of simple trips, like picking up at the airport or dropping off at a hotel. A car service would be appropriate for no more than 3 passengers and transporting small groups using several sedans is also a possibility.

For slightly larger groups or if you wanted to go with a different styling, most car service companies also offer SUVs, which can hold up to 6 passengers and hold more luggage. For groups of up to 15 passengers, passenger vans are also usually offered by many luxury transportation companies. These regular vans aren’t fancy but can provide good, practical transportation when the need arises. For groups larger than 20 people, especially when you want them to go all together, a minibus would probably be your best option. Minibuses come in different sizes, seating anywhere from 20-40 people per vehicle.

If you're moving a group, the travel budget can be a big issue. We've written about this in a previous post, The Cost of Luxury Corporate Shuttle Services in New York City.

Getting Quality Customer Service

But beyond the question of what vehicle you choose, the most important criteria for finding a great executive-level transportation provider is using someone who offers great customer service. Even if they have the nicest vehicles on the planet, if the service is lousy, all that money you spend on the nicest vehicle could be down the drain.

So after you know what type and size of service vehicle you need, the most important quality to focus on is great service. Read up on online reviews and ratings to get the most information you can, and personal recommendations are always helpful.

While some limousine companies might not realize it, they’re really in the hospitality business more than they are the transportation business. As the barriers to entering the personal transportation business keep falling and new app based services like Uber and Lyft become more popular, it’s getting easier for customers to find a car when they need and at a price they like. So in the end, customer service and great performance will matter more than price.

The other thing to consider about these new wave of car service providers like Uber, is that they only do basic transfers for getting around town, A to B. If you need to do a special event like a wedding or business convention, or anything that would require more handling than the most basic of customer service, these new service providers are of no help at all. You would still need to turn to a professional premium transportation provider.

Reviews of the Best in New York

Given the diversity of needs and price points, as well as the great number of transportation provider available in New York City, it can get a little confusing. So in the spirit of being helpful, we wanted to provide you with some useful recommendation, such as the 5 best transportation providers for busy executives in New York. Here they are (in no particular order):

1. Empire CLS

Empire CLS is one of the larger limo providers in North America. They’re big, not just because of mergers but also because they have been consistent and reliable over the years providing great service for a full range of transportation scenarios for many different types of customers. But they also have done a great job servicing the Fortune 500 corporate world in New York with their large fleet, selection of vehicles and also their adaptness and efficiency working with large corporate travel departments.

2. Commonwealth

One of the top 10 largest limo and transportation providers in the U.S. Headquartered in Boston, they also have a large regional presence in the New York Metro area. Commonwealth’s strength is dealing with large corporate travel departments and doing contract work. They also have strong general aviation and entertainment departments. Their entertainment division can help coordinate big roadshows for traveling acts and touring groups.

3. Carey Limousines

Another large corporate provider, Carey has an excellent reputation for good service and reliability. The pros of working with a large company like Carey is that they have the resources to do comprehensive driver training, as well as fielding and maintaining a young and fresh fleet of the newest vehicles.

4. Farrell Limousines

Farrell has become a kind of New York institution, they have been in business for over 40 years which is a long time in the limousine business.  Known for their dark blue, not black limousines, Farrell puts the emphasis on old fashion customer service. They offer a full range of sedans, SUVs, vans and minivans as well. While much of the livery business switched over to Lincoln Town Cars, Farrell has always maintained a strong Cadillac fleet, although they also offer Lincolns and now Mercedes as well. They are also keeping up with the times, offering a new smartphone app to book vehicles.  

5. Executive Town Car & Limo

Executive Town Car is strong in the retail market as well as the corporate one. They also have an advantage with their reasonable airport service rates. They maintain a full line of Lincoln SUVs and sedans as well as Cadillac SUVs and sedans. For larger groups they also offer Mercedes Sprinter vans and well as minibuses and full sized motor coaches.

Brilliant’s Premium Transportation Options

And let’s not forget about Brilliant’s exclusive luxury van service. A must have for NY’s elite travelers! Brilliant Transportation is a relatively new company compared to some of these old guard firms, but Brilliant has made up for lost time by specializing in their ultra-luxurious, custom Sprinter vans as well as offering bespoke customer service and seamless transportation/event planning.  

Brilliant Transportation offers a rarified, VIP transportation service that you won’t find with the other large firms. And our size works to our advantage as we are able to concentrate our full resources on each and every individual who travels with us. So whether you just need a trip across town, or need help planning an event wedding, or need to arrange transportation for your talent at your next big entertainment event, you can call on Brilliant Transportation to get the job done!

Contact Brilliant for a custom quote for your next road adventure!

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PO Box 9796, Jackson, WY, 83002

Luxury transportation experts focusing on special event transportation using Mercedes Sprinters, luxury mini buses, and coach buses in NYC and LA.