A: Well, there’s many different things a traveler can do to choose a good car company in Houston. First of all, how long have they been in business? What is their safety record? What is their training for safety and driver training? What type of equipment are they using for vehicles? What type of maintenance programs do they have?
So, it’s all about doing your homework. Because in Houston and many other parts of the country there’s many different companies that claim to be a limo service or transportation company. But, maybe they don’t have the training, ethics, or safety procedures in place to make sure that whoever you put in that vehicle gets to their destination in a safe, comfortable, and professional manner.
Let’s face it, when you think about Houston limo service, for most people—weddings come to mind. It makes sense, about 2.5 million couples tie the knot each year in the U.S. Of those, over 90% employ the services of a professional transportation company either for a limo or party buses.
However, if you’ve followed our blog at all, you know that Houstonians use limos and transportation services for many other events. Whether it’s getting to the wedding on time, the corporate event, or the Texans game—you want the best Houston limo service.
That’s why when you are choosing a transportation provider in Houston—you need to do your homework. Many factors separate those that pose as professional limo companies and those that actually are.
Important Considerations When Choosing A Houston Limo Service
This list may seem a bit overboard but if you think about it—it’s probably not in-depth enough. When you hire a limo service you are not just trusting them with your money but your time and safety as well. In that case, there’s no such thing as being too detailed in researching for the best provider.
Integrity
Integrity— that commitment to maintaining a certain dedication to high moral and professional values. In this society of shortcuts and bending the truth, it’s refreshing to find companies that emphasize integrity.
Integrity in the corporate world is simply dedicating your efforts to quality service and upholding a good reputation. When you’re looking for a limo service you will notice that companies and individuals are loyal to a good provider.
Look at their reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp, and other similar sites. If a company doesn’t have any reviews that could be a red flag. If you see patterns of bad customer service—believe them. Reviews from verified customers can tell you a lot.
Experience
Experience runs in tandem with integrity in many regards. It’s hard to prove a record of integrity with little to no record to speak of. When hiring someone to drive you to and from your destination—experience is crucial. If you were flying who are you going to feel safer with? A 15-year veteran pilot, or a nervous rookie on their first flight?
Choose a Houston limo service that has a track record that shows integrity and skill. Once again, reviews will help you in determining that. But, how do you determine what defines “experience?”
Service providers with great experience have usually been in the business for a significant number of years. They’ve stood the test of time, built a reputation of loyal customers, and have tenured drivers. The more veteran drivers they have shows that they invest in quality employees, not just someone who can drive a car.
There’s much more to being a professional driver than just knowing how to drive. Our drivers are trained in collision avoidance maneuvers, CPR, and other certifications. Drivers also have the skillset of hospitality and creating a memorable experience.
So, ask for references, find out what accreditations the company has, what types of vehicles they deploy. Chances are, the companies that have a varied fleet with everything from sedans to charter buses are experienced. It takes time and experience to build up your fleet so it’s a good indicator of experience.
Fleet Variety
Since we touched on fleet variety let’s dive a bit deeper into why this is important when choosing a Houston limo service.
Having a widely varied fleet is the mark of a successful and proven provider. A diverse fleet implies that the company is serious about the business. They’ve made a significant investment so they can offer many different services. Fleet vehicles, aside from limos, may include:
- Charter Buses
- Party Buses
- Luxury SUV
- Luxury Sedans
- Exotic Limos
Make sure you consider a company’s fleet before deciding on your transportation needs.
Pricing
The perceived cost of hiring a Houston limo service can always seem intimidating if you’ve never hired one before. When you think about the price you must also consider many of the intangible values you get.
Saving money is important, we don’t deny that. However, in this business, you get what you pay for. If you want to see that in action try this simple test:
Call the lowest price Houston limo service, and the highest priced one that you find on Google. Call each and get a quote. Notice the difference in employee attention to service, attitude, professionalism, and even their website.
You’ll get enough indicators from these companies to trust your gut and more than likely go with the higher-priced option.
Also, keep this in mind— just because you choose the higher-priced option doesn’t mean it’s exorbitant. You’ll find that for most occasions, when you consider the value you get, hiring a limo is actually a good value. At least, with Excelsior Transportation it is. Price is simply what you pay, the value is what you get—so keep that in mind when reading reviews as well.
Safety
Obviously, safety is the top concern when trusting your life with any Houston limo service. You can get a good feel for the safety of a provider by their experience and their reviews. Yes, you are seeing a pattern here. The new word of mouth is online reviews and it’s a perfect tool to help you make your decision on choosing a safe provider.
Ask them some questions as well to determine their commitment to safety:
- What safety certification programs do drivers go through?
- What is your safety record?
- How often are drivers tested for drugs and alcohol usage?
- How well are your vehicles maintained and serviced?
These types of questions and more like them are what will tell you all you need to know about the safety of the company you’re considering. Pay attention not just to their answers but how they answer, it will reveal a lot.
Check their website as well, if they don’t dedicate at least a page to their safety training and other precautions—red flag. A reputable and safe Houston limo service will want to tout their achievements in safety and measures they take.
Make sure they have adequate insurance and ask them what their liability limits are on their policy. Again, this is an area where a reputable provider will want to tout on their website, so if it’s missing, be cautious.
Get On Board With The Best Houston Transportation Company
We could go through about a dozen more considerations to focus on when choosing a limo service in Houston.
But you can just contact Excelsior Transportation and get all your questions answered and see why we’re the best in the business.
From our industry-leading safety measures to our wide variety of vehicles and services. You can see the difference with Excelsior from the very first contact with us.
Book with us online 24/7 and let us be your #1 choice for Houston limo service for all your special events or needs.
