Introducing the Fiat 500 limousine

Fiat-500-Limo

Italian coach builder, Castagna Milano, have unveiled plans to create a limousine version of the popular car about town, the Fiat 500. The new limousines involve stretching the diminutive Fiat 500 to 5.32 meters, which is 2 meters longer than the average 500 model, meaning there’s more room onboard for exciting features and extra passengers.

A total of three different models of the Fiat 500 limo are being planned, each with their own individualities and key features. There’s the LimoSun, the LimoCity and the LimoCity Presidential.

The Fiat 500 was first introduced in Italy in 1957 as an affordable city car for the masses, however the Italian car maker stopped producing the model in 1975, only for a modern version of the iconic city car to be re launched in 2007.

The new and improved version of the Fiat 500 model which went on sale from 2007 has proved a big hit with customers as the nifty cars are the ideal run-around for city travel and thanks to the new twin-air technology on the latest models, the 500 produces low emissions. Fiat sold 70,000 of the new Fiat 500 models in the car’s first month, with Fiat winning the Car of the Year 2008 award for the revamped 500.

Spurred on by the success of the 500’s comeback, Castagna Milano hope to tap into the love the car buying public have for this iconic car with the launch of a limo version. The LimoSun Fiat 500 Limo has an expansive sunroof, hence the name, which the car designer say can be created with a transparent cover to allow for panoramic views for the passengers. The LimoCity has a circular sofa onboard, while the LimoCity Presidential is the deluxe model which has an onboard bar, entertainment features and electric sliding doors.

Limo Broker wraps a present for Domino’s Pizza Pontyclun

Domino's Ferrari

Domino's Pizza Ferrari

October this year saw the latest Domino’s Pizza store open its doors in Pontyclun, South Wales, and Limo Broker were proud to be at the centre of proceedings having provided the new outlet with the use of one of their sleekest Ferrari 360 Spider. Click here to view images and video of the Domino’s Pizza Ferrai vinyl wrap.

The new store opening went ahead with great fanfare as scores of local people turned out to see Welsh Rugby Captain Ryan Jones cut the ribbon and announce the new outlet officially open.

A top of the range Ferrari Spyder 360 provided the centrepiece to the grand opening of the new Domino’s Pizza outlet. The sports car had undergone a full vinyl wrap especially for the occasion with a giant Domino’s Pizza box branded across the bonnet, and pizza images and Domino’s logos across the rear of the vehicle.

The use of the speedy Ferrari in the new Domino’s Pizza store’s advertising campaign is to demonstrate the outlet’s dedication to providing the fastest pizza delivery service in South Wales (while staying within speed restrictions, of course!)

Before undergoing its Domino’s makeover, the Ferrari convertible featured a sophisticated black exterior and was an extremely popular choice of wedding car for grooms and their best men. The luxury sports car was also available for self-drive hire through Limo Broker for a variety of occasions and events in the South Wales area.

However for the next two months the unique Ferrari will be working exclusively for Domino’s Pizza Pontyclun helping to get the message out loud and clear that the new store is open and ready for business.

For more information on the brand new Domino’s Pizza store in South Wales, and to view exclusive images of the one-of-a-kind Ferrari, take a look at the Domino’s Pizza Pontyclun Facebook page.

Related: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ferrari-Limo/130877670305772

Prague Limousines add Mercedes E and S Class to their fleet

Mercedes

Prague Limousines, a leading Czech limo rental provider, would like to announce that they have recently added new vehicles to their limo fleet, which is comprised only of Mercedes S Class and E Class, Lincoln and Hummer limos.

Prague Limousines was founded in 2004, and has been providing excellent Prague limo rental services for over six years now to numerous companies and individuals. Prague Limousines specializes in Prague airport transfers, limousine rental and car hire, but the company offers many other related services, including guided tours, private excursions and river cruises booking.

Prague Limousines offers passenger transport to and from the Praha Ruzyn? airport in comfortable cars, microbuses, minibuses and buses. Luxury Prague limo rental is the main focus of the company and the services offered meet even the most demanding requests. All Czech limos for rental at Prague Limousines are just several years old at maximum and are being serviced regularly to ensure a perfect technical condition.

All vehicles are air-conditioned, extremely clean and equipped with a navigation system, a radio and CD player. Some of the vehicles in the Prague Limousines fleet offer the option of watching TV or a DVD. For more luxurious Prague transport options, customers can choose a stretch Czech limo, such as a Lincoln, that includes leather seats, LCD displays and a minibar.

All of Prague Limousines’ vehicles are driven by professional chauffeurs who have a clean driver’s license, as well as many years of experience in this field. All of them speak at least one foreign language and are very familiar with the city of Prague.

Prague Limousines take great pride in having offered top quality services to numerous customers, be they companies, corporations or celebrities, for many years now and are continuously striving to improve the quality of their service to their customers’ full satisfaction. Prague Limousines provides car rental services around the clock. Their Prague limo and car hire in Prague services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For more information on Prague Limousines’ services, please visit www.praguelimousines.cz or contact the company at sales@praguelimousines.cz.

Limo Broker give away a FREE LIMO RIDE to celebrate reaching 10k Facebook fans

Free limousine ride giveaway announced

Limo Broker is delighted to announce a free limo ride giveaway to celebrate reaching a milestone of 10,000 Facebook fans. Despite only launching a Facebook fan page a matter of months ago, Limo Broker has succeeded in attracting a mammoth fan base on the social networking site, more than doubling its fan numbers from 4,000 to 10,000 in the space of two months.

All Facebook fans of Limo Broker are eligible to enter the competition to win that free chauffeur driven limo ride. No matter where you live, or where you wish to go on your free limo trip, Limo Broker will take you there in one of their in one of their top-of-the-range limousines. Only one entry per person is permitted, but to increase your chances of winning, encourage your mates to sign up to become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/limobroker and then they too will be able to enter the competition.

Limo Broker has been riding high in the luxury transport industry of late. Their success in the wedding car hire business has seen them launch a brand new site www.weddingcarhire.co.uk which offers a dedicated chauffeur driven wedding car hire service. Limo Broker itself has also been reporting a record number of school prom limo hire bookings this year. Their popularity with prom-goers is largely down to the ultra low-cost deals which are on offer, and the sheer range of different style limos and party buses.

Facebook were quick to recognise Limo Broker’s popularity on the social networking site and awarded the company its own dedicated URL, something which is usually only reserved for major global brands.

The winner of the free limo ride will be announced on Friday April 2nd. There’s no catch, Limo Broker simply want to give something back to its fans who have supported the company over the last few months. For your chance to win, log on to http://www.facebook.com/limobroker now.

How to enter the free limo hire competition:

  • Email Your Name
  • Your Age
  • Your town/city
  • and your contact details to: marketing@limobroker.co.uk

Winner will be announced on the Limo Broker fan page on Friday 2nd April 2010.

Arriva named “Brand Emissions Leader” for commitment to greenhouse gas performance

Brand Emissions
Brand Emissions

Brand Emissions

European transport group Arriva plc has been named a Brand Emissions Leader for its performance in cutting its greenhouse gas emissions intensity and putting ambitious targets in place for further reductions.

Researchers at the Edinburgh University Business School and ENDS Carbon, a specialist carbon ratings agency, analysed the carbon emissions performance and published targets of more than 600 household names, with just 121 meeting the standard to be judged Brand Emissions Leaders.

In the transport sector Arriva was identified as a Brand Emissions Leader – the survey’s highest ranking – alongside Eurostar and Eurotunnel Group who were named best of sector.

In 2008 Arriva set itself a challenge of reducing its like-for-like greenhouse gas emissions footprint by 15 per cent, by 2012, from a 2006 base level. 

Arriva Plc chief executive David Martin said: “Even though bus and rail services already have many environmental advantages over some other modes of transport, we still believe it is important to improve the efficiency of our own operations.  Arriva is rapidly deploying a range of carbon reduction technologies in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. These including aids to more economical, smoother driving; a wide range of alternative fuels; and advanced hybrid vehicles. It’s rewarding to see our efforts recognised in this survey which puts us alongside some of the best respected household names.”

The first annual Brand Emissions Leaders Report was commissioned by Marketing magazine and Brand Republic. The research was conducted using data from the Carbon Disclosure Project (the largest carbon database in the world), and a survey of company websites and reports.

The organisations identified as Brand Emissions Leaders were judged to have demonstrated they are reducing emissions and have ambitious targets in line with the UK Government’s Copenhagen goal of 34 per cent carbon emissions reductions by 2020 from 1990 levels.

Content references:

  • Contact: Corporate Communications, Arriva plc on +44 (0)191 520 4106.
  • Details on the Brand Emissions Leader ratings method and full list of brands is available at: http://www.brandemissions.com/
  • Transport sector findings are at: http://www.brandemissions.com/pdf/BrandEmissions_Rail&Other.pdf
  • The analysis was conducted by Dr Craig Mackenzie at Edinburgh University Business School and the ENDS Carbon team lead by Research Manager, Dermot Hikisch. Dr. Mackenzie is one of the UK’s leading corporate responsibility ratings experts (a designer for FTSE4Good, the Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index, and the recent UK Supermarkets Carbon Benchmark). ENDS Carbon is a specialist carbon ratings agency backed by Environmental Data Services (ENDS) and the University of Edinburgh.

Krystal UK sponsors the 2009 Transport Broker Awards

Krystal UK
Krystal UK

Krystal UK

Krystal UK, which is the exclusive European and Far East distributor for Krystal Enterprises of Brea, California, have confirmed to sponsor the 2009 Transport Broker Awards which take place on the 13th December 2009 at the stunning Vale Hotel Golf and Spa Resort in North Cardiff.

Krystal coachworks who are renowned for it’s range of high quality stretch limousines are famous for producing some of the finest stretched Chrysler and Hummer limousines.

Krystal UK is a branch of LimoWorld UK Ltd, owned by Nick Clarke, who has been in the UK’s limousine industry for the last 12 years. Krystal Enterprises has always been at the leading edge of manufacturing speciality vehicles and has recently celebrated its 25th year of being in business. Krystal is one of the very few coachbuilders who are both geared and able to respond to the rigours of the European market-place its licensing bodies.

Details of other sponsors will be announced soon.

Bad car hire experience for Former Transport Minister Secretary

Ruth Kelly hit with unfair car hire charges

The former Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, revealed her unfortunate car hire incident this week. The former cabinet minister had a run-in with a branch of Car Hire Company Europcar in France which left her decidedly short changed.

Ruth Kelly hit with unfair car hire charges

Ruth Kelly hit with unfair car hire charges

Ms. Kelly was left baffled at being unfairly charged over £1,000 for damages to a hire car. Along with her husband Derek and four children aged between 6-12, Ms Kelly embarked on a holiday in Provence, France last month. The family hired a holiday home in the area and a 7 seater Volkswagen Touran to enable them to get around and explore this French district.

However within an hour of collecting the vehicle from the company, both of the front tyres were flat. Ms. Kelly called the Europcar helpline and a taxi was dispatched to take the family to their holiday home, and a replacement car was organised.

After being reassured that they wouldn’t be charged for the inconvenience, Ms Kelly was shocked to discover upon her return to the U.K that she had in fact been billed for £1,180 from the car hire company; the reason stated as being “damages”. To add insult to injury, the mother of four had also been rapped with the cost of a full tank of petrol, despite having returned the hire car back full of fuel.

Following several unfruitful attempts to recoup the losses from her disastrous car hire experience, Ms. Kelly called in the London Evening Standard newspaper to help.

Once the paper stepped in the car hire firm backed down, reimbursing the family with the cost for the damages and even waiving the car hire cost as a “gesture of goodwill.” Europcar apologised for the inconvenience and said the charges were “made in error”.

Limo Broker launch ‘horse and carriage hire’ as part of new expansion plans

Limo Broker introduce horse and carriage hire

The U.K’s leading limo hire provider is looking to broaden its horizons by offering horse and carriage hire as part of its successful transport service. Limo Broker already offers an exquisite range of wedding cars and is seeking to extend its current portfolio of services by introducing horse drawn carriages.

Limo Broker introduce horse and carriage hire

Limo Broker introduce horse and carriage hire

Limo Broker prides itself on offering customers a vast spectrum of luxury transport services. Alex Drummond the Sales Manager at Limo Broker explained their reasons for the expansion: “Demand for good quality wedding transport has never been higher. In order to offer our customers the widest possible choice, we felt it was time we introduced horse and carriage hire to our extensive range.”

Horse drawn carriages are an increasingly popular choice for couples who wish to add a touch of nostalgic romance to their big day. Limo Broker will offer a choice of different carriages including open top vehicles decorated with flowers, glass fronted carriages and stage coaches drawn by 4 magnificent horses. They even offer the option of choosing what colour horses you would like pulling your wedding carriage, plus the animals can be decorated with plumes of feathers to add a spectacular effect.

Limo Broker currently offers a wide range of top class vehicles for hire including the impressive Rolls Royce Phantom which features an onboard champagne bar and a plasma screen with DVD player. However the company also do a roaring trade in vintage wedding vehicles such as the 1960’s Princess car and the open top Beauford. All wedding cars are chauffeur driven by suited drivers and newlyweds are treated to a complimentary bottle of bubbly.

For more details on Limo Broker’s new horse and carriage hire service, please visit the website limobroker.co.uk or contact 0800 043 1043.

Warning issued to Limo Hire Companies who screen DVD’s onboard their vehicles

Limo hire companies must obtain license for use of DVD's

Limo Hire Companies have been urged to obtain an official license before showing DVD’s onboard their vehicles.  The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) run regular checks on party limos and those found in breach of the copyright law could face a maximum fine of £5,000 or a 6 month prison sentence.

Limo hire companies must obtain license for use of DVD's

Limo hire companies must obtain license for use of DVD's

This is a growing problem as the number of luxury limos which feature DVD players and plasma screens onboard is expanding. Passengers have come to expect a certain level when it comes to limo hire and technology such as a DVD player is becoming more and more commonplace.  

Many Limo Hire firms have expressed concern at the announcement as there is widespread confusion regarding the guidelines for screening copyrighted films. Trevor Hayes is a chauffeur and said he’s wondered for some time about the legalities of screening DVD’s on his hire vehicles but “wasn’t sure” what the procedure was.

An independent copyright license service, MPLC, has stepped in to try and resolve matters. This statement hopes to clear up any issues Limo Hire Companies may have regarding the law: “Home videos and DVD’s are intended for private, domestic use only. When shown onboard a limousine, or anywhere outside of one’s home, this qualifies as “public performance” under the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 (section 19)”

Those Limousine Hire firms who wish to show copyrighted material onboard their vehicles must apply for the appropriate license before they allow paying passengers to view the material. It is the obligation of the Limo Company to obtain the license, even if the vehicle is sub-contracted to a chauffeur.

Novelty limo hire firm puts vehicles up for sale on EBay after a damning report by the Traffic Commissioner

Novelty limos up for sale on EBay
Novelty limos up for sale on EBay

Novelty limos up for sale on EBay

As detailed in a previous article on Limo News, the troubled limo hire company Redhot Rescue and Oddball Limos based in Bilston has been forced to sell its limos after the business was investigated by the Traffic Commissioner. The business, owned by Darryll Williams, was found to be in breach of several safety laws which meant Mr Williams had to temporarily suspend trading.

However it seems the company’s plans to rise again have been scuppered as two of novelty limos, one a fire engine the other painted like a cow, are for sale on the online site. The reason for sale is stated as being “due to no time or dedication.” The party buses have a starting price of £20,000 each, as yet, no bids have been offered.

The canny business owner is still keeping his options open, in the advert he puts out an appeal to anyone who may be interested in “striking up a partnership” to get in touch.

The two novelty limos once provided a thriving business transporting party-goers around the West Midlands area. The 24 seater vehicles both have two separate bars onboard, including a champagne bar. The advert lists the limos features which include “lasers, smoke machines, disco lights, rope lights and a CD sound system.”

The limo hire company was brought into disrepute after applying for a Public Service Vehicle License. The Traffic Commissioner carried out checks on the business and uncovered a raft of problems. An 11 page report revealed some of the limos had the incorrect MOT and License, the fire engine was still registered as a emergency vehicle which made it exempt from tax, the limos were regularly overfilled with too many passengers and one limo’s brakes were so dire it was immediately taken off the road.