JET Limousines: Finding Growth & Success With Expanding Bus/Coach Opportunities

By Harrell Kerkhoff, Busline Magazine Editor   

JET Limousines President & CEO William Jinks stands next to one of his company’s Prevost motorcoaches. The multifaceted chauffeur transportation company is based in Phoenix, AZ, with a satellite operation in Sedona, AZ.

The successful metamorphosis of a business requires proper guidance, expertise, dedication — and perhaps most importantly — a lot of hard work. Case in point are the various changes that have taken place within the history of JET Limousines, now a multifaceted chauffeur transportation company with its headquarters in Phoenix and a satellite operation in Sedona, AZ.

With his strong transportation background already in place, JET Limousines President & CEO William Jinks started the company in December 2012 by transporting clients via a fleet of sedans, SUV’s and limousines.

“My family was involved in the limousine business when I was younger, and I later worked for a motorcoach company before starting JET Limousines,” Jinks said. “After a few years, we took the big step in 2014 of purchasing our first motorcoach. It was something I wanted to do from the start but had to wait until it became financially feasible. It helped that I had gained a lot of knowledge and experience from my past involvement with motorcoaches.

“Today, we have a wide variety of equipment in our fleet, including 28- and 40-passenger mini-coaches and 56-passenger motorcoaches. Our entire transportation focus is geared toward the chauffeur-style black car service theme. Although we are based in Arizona, we travel throughout the United States — wherever our customers take us.”

The company’s transportation capabilities include corporate and special events along with shuttle work, such as services involving air travelers. Chauffeurs from JET Limousines will greet clients in airport baggage claims with name signs and assist with any luggage and escort needs to an awaiting company vehicle.

JET Limousines also partners with transportation affiliates around the United States to offer a network of trusted car service providers for clients. Through this network, JET Limousines books reliable car services in virtually every city across the nation.

“Our fleet currently consists of approximately 92 vehicles, which now includes 25 full-size Prevost motorcoaches. We purchased seven Prevost H-Series coaches last year and three more this year. We have grown exponentially with those coaches,” Jinks said. “We have also been pleased with Prevost’s after-sales support, such as their Prevost Action Service System® (PASS), which is a 24/7/365 resource designed to assist coach operators in managing their fleets more efficiently and conveniently. It’s one of the best roadside assistance programs that we have worked with in the industry.

“Any company can sell you a vehicle — it’s how they take care of you after the sale that is important. Prevost has been very good with us in that regard.”

JET Limousines’ passengers enjoy the latest amenities while traveling in the various vehicles provided by the company. That includes leather seating, wood floors, and 110-outlets that allow passengers to charge their electronic devices — such as smartphones, laptops and tablets — while on the road. Comfortable seating options are also a high priority when it comes to meeting the needs of customers.

“All of those amenities are important for today’s passengers and what many of them now expect from a quality transportation provider,” Jinks said. “When it comes to providing motorcoach transportation in particular, I feel it helps that we started in the limousine business where high-end amenities are expected. A lot of amenities that used to be considered upscale are now standard.”

Representatives of JET Limousines are also focusing on other forms of modern technology to provide even greater transportation options for clients. That includes the use of a booking app as well as alert technology. The goal is to help the company’s chauffeurs and passengers better connect.

“Added security is also essential, especially with our corporate clients,” Jinks said. “Thanks to modern technology, our customers can now see, in advance, photos of their drivers and better track where their vehicles are at all times.”

A Popular Home Base

The Southwestern United States is home to many well-known and beautiful national parks, a varied climate, metropolitan areas and mile-upon-mile of rural landscapes. This not only describes the entire geographic region — but Arizona in particular. It’s an area where many people want to visit, live and work in. It’s also a great place for a transportation company, one that can satisfy various customer needs, wants and desires.

To take advantage of increasing demand, JET Limousines currently operates a main facility in Phoenix and a satellite office — 117 miles to the north — in Sedona, a city of approximately 10,000 residents.

“As part of a large metropolitan area, Phoenix serves as a major travel hub; whereas our Sedona location gives us a great starting point to reach the northern end of the state that includes the popular city of Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, and other well-known destinations,” Jinks said. “I would say most of our business takes place in Arizona and the nearby western states of California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. We are five to six hours from Southern California and Las Vegas, which remain huge destinations. We are also six hours from Albuquerque, NM, and within a day’s travel to Colorado. Within those places are many popular national parks and major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and Denver.”

And that is not all. It’s not uncommon to see JET Limousines’ Prevost motorcoaches in many other parts of the United States.

“We go all over. That includes transporting a drum and bugle corps that requires four coaches and travels to all four corners of the country,” Jinks said.

When asked what has been working well for his transportation business over the years, Jinks stressed the importance of pivoting as demand and overall events dictate.

“When we started operations in 2012, our main focus was retail and limousine transportation. We have since pivoted more toward the corporate side of travel,” Jinks explained. “Ridesharing really shook up the limo industry, and in response I think the limo industry really shook up the bus/coach industry.

“As a company, we pivoted more of our business toward motorcoach transportation, while maintaining the presence of black vehicles and chauffeur-type drivers who provide extra service capabilities. We also have available 24-hour dispatch that helps JET Limousines meet different passenger needs.

“The end result is that our company is a one-stop shop, offering a wide variety of vehicles and transportation capabilities. The different business segments that we are involved with complement each other, while the level of travel demand between motorcoaches and limousines can differ — often depending on the time of year. Such diversity in transportation options helps us maintain a more even workflow, which helps our entire company.”

Providing different transportation services has also helped the company maintain a strong workforce that fluctuates between 100 to 110 employees. That includes full- and part-time chauffeurs, mechanics, detailers, and administrative staff.

JET Limousines has certain requirements in place when it comes to selecting chauffeurs. That includes having past commercial driving experience. It also helps if a candidate has a strong background in customer service and understands the importance of paying attention to details. Such “essentials” are important to the company no matter what type of transportation service a chauffeur from JET Limousines is providing on any given day. Proper training is also a must.

“We have a director of chauffeurs and compliance in place. His sole job is training and safety. Part of that focus is conducting in-person interviews with chauffeur candidates, along with overseeing background checks and drug testing,” Jinks said. “Training involves both classroom work and behind the wheel. We take advantage of the PAX online training modules.”

The company is also taking advantage of AI technology to better monitor driving behaviors and practices among its current staff of chauffeurs. Jinks added his company has been able to hire many new chauffeurs as of late, which was not the case at the end of the COVID pandemic.

“It helps that we have a nice fleet of vehicles, including our new Prevosts. That has proven to be a great selling tool when it comes to finding quality chauffeurs,” Jinks said. “It also helps that we advertise on social media, which is where we get most of our inquiries from applicants. It’s all about showing off our products and telling our story to attract more chauffeurs.”

Another challenge among many transportation operators if finding enough mechanics. There are currently six mechanics employed at JET Limousines, maintaining three shifts of 24-hour service.

“We maintain a full shop on site, providing a wide variety of mechanical work,” Jinks said. “There was a struggle for some time to find good mechanics to hire, but fortunately we are now fully staffed.

“Good diesel mechanics are hard to find, especially those who are familiar with motorcoaches. Today’s coaches are very complex. It takes a specially trained person to understand a modern motorcoach. Fortunately, there are manufacturers, like Prevost, that offer training on such vehicles, of which we take full advantage.”

A Signature Look

Officials at JET Limousines spend a lot of time getting the word out about the company’s different services and capabilities. That is accomplished in various ways, including social media, apps and face-to-face meetings. It also helps to have nice looking black vehicles, with the motorcoaches featuring a modern and unique logo on their sides. The logo came from Jinks several years ago after tinkering with different designs.

“When it comes to our vehicles, the company’s branding revolves around black as the central color, with silver chrome. I feel it helps our company stand out in a good way,” Jinks said. “We market our company through social media and word-of-mouth, but our buses/coaches are among the company’s biggest sales generators. We have received a lot of calls from people over the years who have seen them on the road.”

Jinks added that overall business remains good at JET Limousines, especially considering the major disruptions brought about by the global COVID pandemic a few years ago.

“It was a tough year and a half to two years during the pandemic. We were fortunate enough to withstand it and then take advantage of a lower-than-normal supply of transportation providers once the pandemic ended. We weathered the storm, and now business has been very busy as of late,” Jinks said. “The only part of our business that hasn’t yet return to normal involves our international tour groups. Prior to the pandemic we catered to a lot of international travelers in the summer. These are people who want to visit various U.S. national parks. I’m not sure why our international business has not fully rebounded from the pandemic, but we continue to seek it out.

“All other avenues of business have bounced back, including work with schools, corporations, governments and specials events. That latter includes weddings. We do a little bit of everything.”

When asked if there are lessons to be learned, as a transportation provider, from the pandemic experience, Jinks spoke of the importance of “saving for a rainy day.”

“Also, relationships in this line of work are everything. That includes good working relationships with your banking partners. Such relationships helped us a lot during the tough times of the pandemic,” he said. “Being able to pivot as a company is essential as well. That includes having a diverse fleet and servicing many types of customer segments. Both achievements have proven very beneficial for JET Limousines over the years.”

Looking ahead to the remainder of 2025 and beyond, Jinks said his company is planning to open a third office in a neighboring state, although he can’t divulge the location at the current time.

“We see a need there and it’s a place where we often pass through, so having in-house support at that location would be good,” he said. “Another goal for the future is streamlining our fleet. At one point we bought a little bit of everything, trying to figure out what was the best type of vehicle and brand for our operation. Today, however, we see the need for a more standardized fleet. It will be better for our training, for our parts inventory, for our mechanics, for our drivers, and ultimately, for our customers.”

As a veteran of the transportation business, Jinks remains bullish on the industry as a career choice — especially for those looking for a way to see the country and enjoy working with people.

“From a driver’s standpoint, you’re getting paid good money to drive nice vehicles and travel throughout a city, state, and/or country. Every day is different. Drivers get to participate in the coolest events in town and drive celebrities and well-known athletes while making good gratuities,” Jinks said. “As a driver, you’re your own salesperson and the face of the company.

“As far as owing a bus/coach company, it’s much the same — meeting and working with some amazing people and enjoying some crazy opportunities.”

Jinks is also owner of Salt River Tubing. The Salt River in Arizona is a gentle, meandering waterway that winds its way through the scenic Tonto National Forest, which borders the Phoenix Metropolitan area.

“We purchased the outdoor tubing company three years ago, which includes tube rental and transportation to and from the river, using our own specially branded school buses,” Jinks said. “We also subcontract our JET Limousines’ vehicles during busy weekends, providing extra work for our drivers.”

Visit jetlimoaz.com.