Outlet for entrepreneurial drive

Limousine service owner says it's been a nice ride

Friday, Dec. 12, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by GARY SMITH Mike Hill owns Legacy Limousine LLC in Hughesville. Two of his newest vehicles are an extended Hummer H2, left, and a Cadillac Escalade. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Testing the waters: Mike Hill, owner of Legacy Limousine LLC in Hughesville, didn't do much homework before he decided to try the limousine business.

"I had been in printing for 12 years," Hill said. "And I was tired of working for someone else. I decided to go to California on a whim and buy a limousine. I didn't see a lot of them here, so I thought I would be able to get a good deal out there. I ended up with a nice car, which I had shipped back to Maryland."

Hill decided to take it slowly the first few years in his business, working at his regular job during the week and driving the limo on weekends.

"I just wanted to test the waters," Hill said.

Hill eventually bought out Luxury Transportation and quit his printing job. That was seven years ago.

"Today, I own nine limos," Hill said. "I have Lincoln stretches, Hummer H2 stretches, [a Cadillac] Escalade stretch and two limo buses, which are getting to be the most popular rental we have."

Happy to provide the service: Hill very rarely drives anymore and spends most of his days in the office answering e-mails and giving quotes for rentals.

Once Hill promises someone a rental, the strategizing begins.

"I have 25 or 30 drivers, and I try to match the client with the perfect driver," Hill said. "We have some drivers who know Baltimore or [Washington,] D.C., better than others. I know which drivers wouldn't mind driving a younger, rowdier client. I have some drivers that don't mind going out on a call at 2 a.m."

Hill stays on call 24 hours a day, and he says it isn't unusual for people to call at the last minute when they need a ride home from somewhere.

"We have had people call that were at their families for Christmas dinner and for some reason they decided they needed a ride home now," Hill said.

He is happy to provide the service.

Hill does a lot of airport transfers, nights out, birthdays, weddings, and around this time of year he does a lot of Christmas light tours.

"A lot of people want to go and see all the lights and the National Christmas Tree in D.C., and we can take them there," Hill said.

Weddings are another popular service for which he gets a lot of requests.

"Sometimes a wedding party can present a challenge," Hill said. "We have had brides who were still in the house getting ready when the wedding was supposed to have started. We have had grooms who may have started drinking a little too early before the ceremony.

A smooth ride: Hill makes sure the drivers give you a first-class ride if you decide to choose his cars.

"I teach my drivers not to brake suddenly or accelerate fast," he said. "The route we take may not be the most direct, but it is the smoothest route. We try to avoid roads with a lot of curves. The ultimate goal of our drivers is to drive you to your destination, and you never have to think about how you got there. We want to give everyone a smooth ride."

To be a limousine driver, you have to complete a driver's training course, pass a background check, have no points on your license and pass a drug test.

Then you have to apply to the Maryland Public Service Commission for a chauffer's license.

Occasionally Hill gets request for something out of the ordinary.

"I had a couple who didn't feel like flying, so we drove them to Connecticut," he said. "I have driven a class from a school out to lunch and taught them manners and gave them etiquette lessons. The entire class of Grace Brethren School was able to travel to the prom together in one of our party buses. We have done kids' birthday parties, where we decorated the car, balloons and all, and drove them up to Build-A- Bear."

What happens in a limo stays in a limo: Hill has recently bought all new cars for his fleet and moved to a larger space in Hughesville.

"We are trying to attract a better class of customers with the nicer cars," Hill said.

To keep the cars nice, all customers must leave a deposit to cover any possible damages.

"A simple vomit job costs $250 to clean up," Hill said. "We need to call Servpro when that happens and have them sanitize the entire car."

Hill does provide air sickness bags in his car just in case, and he said his drivers are trained to know when someone may have had a little too much.

"We would never tell anyone not to have another drink," Hill said. "But we will ask if you think you may need to stop for a while or pull over for a bit."

"We want people to have fun in our cars," he said. "We have seen some crazy things. We can't divulge any of it, though. What happens in a limo stays in a limo."

JOANY NAZDIN