Indian Trails Blog

Long, long ago—in a land before the luxury motorcoach, in an age when private bus rental was but a distant dream—there were no party buses, no limousines.  In fact, there were two kinds of buses: the yellow school bus and the Greyhound bus.  The former took you to school and back; the latter took you everywhere else you needed to go. 

Have you ever been out driving and spotted one of those big, sleek charter buses gliding along the highway and thought to yourself:  Who’s behind those tinted panoramic windows?  Where are they going?

In 2006, Lansing and Ann Arbor Michigan got a wonderful new airport shuttle transportation service, the Michigan Flyer. The Michigan Flyer bus shuttle is such a handy airport shuttle that it sparked the idea to do a blog about airport shuttles. They are one of the best loved services that bus companies provide.

If you belong to a professional, social, or special interest club, you’ve done the golf outings.  You’ve done the luncheons with guest speakers.  Maybe you even went a little crazy one year and did a garden tour or attended a fashion show. (Yawn.)  Sorry, but isn’t it time for your group to do something completely different?  With a bus charter, planning a memorable day trip is easy, affordable, and fun.

There is something about buses—especially tour buses—that captures our collective imagination. 

If this is your first foray into the world of shuttle bus contracts, please rest assured:  This is not rocket science.  (Unless, of course, you’re talking about space shuttles, which we’re guessing would require a certain amount of rocket science.)  But this post is all about Earthbound shuttles – of the bus and van variety.

Not unlike a space shuttle (which transports people from Earth to space and back again), a shuttle bus transports people back and forth between two designated points, typically at regular intervals.  And while it’s clearly not rocket science, there is an art to seamless shuttle bus service.

Art fairs are at the top of everyone’s list of tour bus rental ideas for summer in Michigan.

If you’re looking for bus group ideas this summer, we’ve got you covered.

When you think about it, the guys and gals who take on professional charter bus driving jobs are really the unsung heroes of the long haul driving world.  First and foremost, they must be excellent drivers, with the stamina, disposition, and aptitude to safely operate a 20-ton passenger vehicle, day and night, rain or shine, over terrain both familiar and unfamiliar.  But they also need to excel in trouble-shooting, vehicle maintenance, conflict resolution, emergency management, customer service, and even small talk.  In a job that requires a blend of driving skills, mechanical skills, and people skills, it’s hard to put bus drivers into any single occupational category:  Safety?  Transportation?  Travel and tourism?  Hospitality? Diplomacy?  A bus driver must be proficient in all of these areas—with a healthy dose of mechanical aptitude thrown in for good measure.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a charter bus driving job?  Have you ever pictured yourself skillfully (and cheerfully) maneuvering a 45-foot, 15-ton behemoth filled with high school football players in the middle of the night?