by ampmlimo, on Aug 25, 2015 9:13:11 AM
When you are reserving any vehicle, especially a party bus, overtime charges can be overwhelming after the fact.
Overtime begins immediately when the contracted time is over and is billed in one hour increments, regardless of five minutes or a full hour of overtime. The overtime rate is typically the regular hourly rate, which may be more than your are already paying hourly if you have a package deal.
With party buses being the most popular luxury transportation option, we often see unexpected overtime as there are far too many guests to drop off at home in one hour if that is decided after booking. And often customers are simply enjoying their time so much while celebrating a special event that they want to keep going. Some ways to plan better for this would be:
1) Have central pickup & drop off locations – 2 or 3 stops on the way home isn’t likely to incur overtime but dropping everyone off will most certainly go over. Consider drive time and add 10 minutes per stop to get a stretch limousine in and out of neighbourhood streets.
2) Have everyone chip in extra for the unexpected time. It saves the hassle later and ensures you’re not getting stuck with the extra bill for 20 friends in a party bus or limousine.
3) Being ready on time. The clock starts at the contracted time you have booked. If you are delayed getting into the bus, that impacts your time on the bus. Booking for 7pm - 8pm and loading into the vehicle at 7:30 does not automatically extend your limousine service to 8:30pm.
Some great examples where better planning could have avoided the surprise of the overtime charges.
Example A
A group called "Boys Night Out" booked a party bus in Calgary for 8pm, but their entertainment did not arrive until 8:30pm. They still wanted their full hour with the entertainment and asked the same of the driver. When collecting each passengers share of the money to pay, the Boys Night Out planner did not collect enough to cover the additional $180 for the extra 30 minutes of transportation services from the rest of the group and ended up paying overtime fees on his own.
Example B
When planning a wedding, the photographer had decided on some extra locations for photos that the bride & groom had not planned for. It was an extra hour of drive time to get to these fantastic photo sites. Booking an extra 30 or 60 minutes prior to your wedding ensures that any delays or last minute stops will covered. It also ensures that the driver is available for your time block.
When capturing the memories of your special day, making sure you have the time needed available to you (as well as no surprise charges) ensures your day goes off without a hitch. Having only two hours for photos does not leave very much time for going any distance.
Example C
A group celebrating their graduation booked two hours for photos, but wished to travel from Calgary to Cochrane to do photos out there. The driver was scheduled elsewhere after the two hours had lapsed and so the group was restricted to a short driving distance to have photos done. This was not what they wanted, however, it was based on the time they had booked. This left them feeling unsatisfied on their special occasion.
At AM PM Limo & Party Bus, our expert team can assist you in planning the right luxury vehicle and the right amount of time needed for your event, travel or airport journey. Give us a call 403-475-5555 or drop us an email at info@ampmlimo.ca and we’ll take it from there!
