The Transportation Episode

Kristina Stubblefield  0:00  
Wedding days have a million moving parts. Emphasis on moving. How will your bridal party get from point A to point B? Do your guests need transportation to the church? The venue?

Sharon Rumsey  0:12  
How will the newlyweds get to their hotel after the day is done? So many couples overlook the need for transportation. But don't worry, because now we've got you take a listen as we break it all down for you. In this episode.

Kristina Stubblefield  0:25  
You're listening to The Ring The Bling And All The Things podcast. I'm Kristina Stubblefield, one of your hosts, along with my two good friends Michael Gaddie and Sharon Rumsey. We are here to get you from down on one knee down the aisle into happily ever after. Our informative episodes deliver valuable tips, trends, ideas, and advice covering everything from you saying yes to the i do's and all that happens in between and after. Now, let's get started with this episode. 

Okay, you all are in for some really good information. This time. Our topic is all about transportation, sharing, you want to introduce our guests?

Sharon Rumsey  1:15  
I absolutely do I love this company use them almost all of my weddings. If you need transportation in our area, this is my go to Company for sure. We have Jodie with us today from Xtreme Transportation. So Jodi, just tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to be part of Xtreme.

Jodie Lethgo  1:36  
Awesome. Well, thanks for having me on today, guys. So I work for Xtreme Transportation. We are based out of Southern Indiana, but we do most of our coverage in Louisville, Kentucky. So if you are in looking for a venue in southern Indiana looking for a venue in Louisville, please hit us up. I've been working for extreme now for probably about seven years. I got to know the owners working at the casino actually. So always been in that event space and into that hospitality industry. So translated well going into the limousine in limousine realm and transferred well into the event planning space. So happy to be here today to discuss weddings and planning everyone's wedding. So giving some tips and tricks for planning your transportation needs.

Kristina Stubblefield  2:23  
Well, I'll tell you what, one of the things that really stands out to me about this is yes, of course on wedding day. But you could be talking Bachelorette, bachelor parties, absolutely. rehearsal dinners on into the future for other things, and even turn into corporate stuff for their jobs. And when I spoke with Jody, she immediately said, we could talk about the top tips for transportation. And I think this is one of the topics I might get on what you think that is not really discussed that much when you're talking about moving a large number of people from one place to another. And Sharon will say on time. It can be a lot.

Michael Gaddie  3:09  
It can be a lot. And you know, we've worked with you all many, many years. And Jenny, and Dave, I think they're great people. But I know you all have taken care of so many things such as even rehearsal dinner, especially if you've got a family from out of town and they're standing at a hotel and you can transfer them from there to the dinner. Also, when it comes to the wedding part of the next day. So you've got multiple things that you can help one family with for the whole weekend. Oh, yeah.

Jodie Lethgo  3:37  
And then one thing people don't think a lot about is to that note, when they come in from the airport, and we do some airport transfers, we could absolutely pick up all of your guests that are coming in from out of town and get them to where they need to be saying,

Kristina Stubblefield  3:51  
well and Sharon, I know this has come up on several episodes. When you talk about wedding day. things need to happen on time and rounding. What do you call it herding cats, herding cats, sometimes burning a wedding party. You know, that's a if they were trying to do that in their own vehicles getting from one spot to another parking, getting them in one, transportation, bus, car, SUV, whatever that is. It can really take a lot of stress out for the bride and groom the couple.

Sharon Rumsey  4:25  
Yeah, one of the reasons I'm so glad Jodi's here today is I feel like for a lot of our couples transportations and afterthought.

Jodie Lethgo  4:32  
I can absolutely attest to that. I can't tell you how many times over in our office, we receive calls, like today's Wednesday, on a Wednesday, we'll have a bride call and say, Hey, I need to plan my wedding transportation. Okay, when's your wedding? It's Saturday. I cannot tell you. Yes, same week. I cannot tell you how many times this happens to us. And I mean, some of these are very nice venues. We had someone call in who's planning a wedding at the Henry Clay and she's just now thinking of Her transportation, and it's just mind blowing to me that they're waiting so long to think about the transportation,

Sharon Rumsey  5:07  
it's so important that they think that through and as a planner like logistically, when I do my initial appointment with a bride, I just met with a bride on Monday who's getting married in 2023. She has a Catholic church where she wants to get married. And then the reception, of course, is at a different venue. So instantly, my thought is, how am I going to get my bridal party? Yes, from one to the other. Because I've tried letting them drive separately when I first started, and I'll never forget, I held a reception. One time introductions into the reception, we're 35 minutes late, because one of the groomsmen who drove separately, forgot to buy a card for the couple. So he went to buy a card. So I've got everybody lined up. But I'm saying that to No, no, that's a no, no. And so it's an afterthought that can i My thing as a planner and thinking logistically, is I want them corralled, I want to know where they are. And I want to know that they're safe.

Kristina Stubblefield  6:02  
Did she say corralled around.

Jodie Lethgo  6:06  
So, herding cats,

Sharon Rumsey  6:07  
you know, even though my brides getting married in 23, I told her on Monday night, we need to make sure that we get transportation booked, at least for your bridal party. So I think that it's just something people don't think about if they don't do weddings every weekend.

Kristina Stubblefield  6:22  
And that's the whole reason for this podcast, is starting those conversations, and some things we talk about more than others. But these topics that are so important that there's just not enough information out.

Michael Gaddie  6:36  
So let's go back for the bride that called you on Wednesday. Yes. So you said that happens often? Very often. So do you handle that? Do you tell them? No, what's the procedures? It really

Jodie Lethgo  6:49  
depends on our capacity, and we are always happy to handle it if we are able to. But October was our peak wedding season. And you know, it kind of branched out this year, this year, the wedding season seemed to go on. Yeah, I mean, you guys are nodding your heads at me. Yes. wedding season lasted a lot longer this

Sharon Rumsey  7:06  
year than it's ever been like 350 days.

Jodie Lethgo  7:09  
Yes, yes. It really has been. So we were just booked to the brim if we don't have the equipment if we don't have the drivers. And that's why in the past, we would always say book is at least six months ahead. But the way things are going right now, we were just talking. It's kind of just like, you know, shooting around some things right before we started recording, and we're saying a year a year. Yeah. So we're at a year now you need to book it out a year, before your

Sharon Rumsey  7:35  
wedding. You're saying that because you know, our podcast is nationwide. I know, we all love Louisville, but our podcast is nationwide. And you guys have one of the biggest fleets in this area in our area for sure. So if a company like you is is filling up and having a hard time, I'm sure a lot of the smaller companies out there are really struggling with those requests. salutely.

Jodie Lethgo  7:57  
But I will also say that it's not just a matter have the capacity, but it's the things that the brides don't think about as they're planning this, I mean to your point, corralling everyone, I mean, the day of the whole bridal party is got to get their hair done, got to get their makeup done. Most times, you're not doing that on site where the ceremony is gonna be at, we want to make sure you are all together, and we're going to transport you all together. So there's a lot of things that people don't think about into that note, also, the day of we do a lot of shuttle services, a lot of people don't like about that in in this area. I mean, you all know we have a lot of venues where people are going to park on the other side of the farm to get to the barn to to actually attend the ceremony and attend the reception. And we do a lot of shuttle service. That's a really good thing. Yet the brides don't think about the guests, you're just going to leave the guests to, you know, walk in their heels and in their dress shoes. And we are like, Hey, did you think about this. And again, if you're calling us, you know, a month ahead of time, three days ahead of time, we're not able to accommodate you for that. So we really wanted my favorite way to relate to

Sharon Rumsey  9:05  
utilize transportation is I just did a wedding in Lexington last fall. And the hotel was probably 1015 minutes from the venue. And we just had two buses staged from 11. And they just made constantly do you allow any time I guess wanted to leave? Because you know, Grandma isn't going to stay as long as the night of honor. So you want to keep those buses running. So anytime a guest is ready to depart they have access to transportation.

Jodie Lethgo  9:36  
Oh yeah. And that works out great with our pricing model because we price hourly. So we say it's you know, X number of hours minimum depending on the season, depending on the day and this is your hourly rate, and you do with our bus or limo or SUV as you want during those hours. I mean, if you want to take it just to take you to the venue and it sits there and waits. That's fine, but you're paying the same thing as shovels like

Sharon Rumsey  9:59  
a lot brides to that they'll get married and then they want to go a couple of places for photos. Absolutely, I think because everybody's together, you take that whole bridal party, I even sometimes put the parents on the bus, everybody's together for those photos.

Kristina Stubblefield  10:13  
Well, I want to come back around to something, you know, we've talked separately outside of the podcast, about the staggering statistic going around for 2022. And I know you're gonna close your eyes, shake your head, try not to roll your eyes at me again. We talk about that for wedding professionals. And if you're not familiar with the statistics, people out there that's engaged pay close attention, because they are talking that there will be an estimated 2.5 million weddings in 2022, which is the most that the US has seen since 1984.

Sharon Rumsey  10:45  
I don't know what happened in 1984 to cause that, but I truly believe it's true for 22.

Kristina Stubblefield  10:50  
Well, and what we are already hearing from some recent wedding shows, is 2023 2025. I've said, I really think this is going to be a domino effect in a way, people are not going to be able to get dates or venues and then 2023 is going to become possibly a bigger year. And it's kind of hard to think about that. Like how much bigger could this get? There's only so many days and weekends. But what that translate for engaged couples, and I want to make sure you know, we talk about this. wedding professionals are humans, like, we have to remember that. And if you think that you can throw your wedding together, and I don't mean that in a bad way, in three to four months, like a friend did two or three years ago, it's not gonna happen. The vendors aren't available, they're already booked. I'm not even talking about your favorite venues, the things that you need to pull together your event. And I consider transportation as one of those really important items. It's huge. That means you have to start planning ahead. And I know people are tired of that P word. And we're not saying pivoting but planning further ahead. Because not only your favorite vendors, what if there isn't a photographer available via social theorist? Yeah, transportation. And so that's why I was really happy we could have this conversation to start these important topics about transportation and how it can really assist you. You know,

Sharon Rumsey  12:28  
it was so eye opening even to you know, to me, and I think that I'm I'm in the know about the wedding business, but

Kristina Stubblefield  12:33  
you're in the know,

Sharon Rumsey  12:34  
I met with a bride on Monday, and she's getting married April of 2023.

Kristina Stubblefield  12:39  
So 18 months. Is that right?

Sharon Rumsey  12:43  
1616? Okay. I was her first call. That's exactly how I like it. Thrilled, sweetest, sweetest family. She gave me five in Yes, she wanted to see now guys, we're talking April of 23.

Kristina Stubblefield  12:56  
So that is 16 months, five years, I

Sharon Rumsey  12:59  
called Three of them are already booked for the date she wanted. I mean, it's it's mind blowing.

Michael Gaddie  13:04  
Well, just because everybody is so busy now. And we've got all these covered brides that held off. And now they're dude, like you just said they're jumping to the next year. And I think that's why we have this podcast for one thing to educate our couples and families to let them know you cannot wait around just like calling you on a Wednesday, you have to get a limousine on the weekend, that's not going to be possible. And Brilli in a year from now. It's going to be even less. Yeah, probably laugh.

Sharon Rumsey  13:36  
I'll be working on transport. I would be calling a stream next week, I'll be booking her transportation. I might try that. But I'm going to get her on their book. Yes. And I think that's an important note to like, you can maybe change your order. On the book. I call Mike on my way home from that meeting. And I said, I don't know what we're going to do. We don't have a dress, we don't have a venue but put her on your book.

Kristina Stubblefield  13:59  
Well, and so I think it's important to come back to say, this is your special day. We're not asking you to cut or recommend that you cut any corners. Definitely not. But in order for you to make those dreams a reality. It's going to take some extra time. It's not because we're saying it. We're not making it happen. Don't shoot the messenger. We're just bringing up the conversation. We want to support and still help these weddings that people want to make a reality. But the reality is you're going to have to allow more time. Oh, absolutely.

Jodie Lethgo  14:37  
Well, and also I mean, it's not just your special day. It's all the events surrounding your special day. That's one thing that a lot of our brides don't think about. They come back to us down the road. You know, your bride could book for 2023 But she'll come to us you know that Sprague and say, oh, I need to plan my bachelorette party. He needs to plan his bachelor party. We need to plan the rehearsal dinner. Those are the things that most often people come back to us and they say, Oh, I didn't even think about that. We want to plan it now. And in the past, sure, we could have accommodated it. But the way things are booking like you've said, things are booking up so crazy for us that we highly, highly encourage that everybody books it together. And if everybody books it together, we're happy to work out some kind of special package pricing for them. The other most common thing that people forget is the getaway car. How are you how's the bride and groom getting out of there at the end of the night, where you're not going to go out of there in the same party bus you came in with your bridal party and with your groomsmen you want your own car to make your grand exit eight, also mom and dad, a lot of people book, a getaway car for mom and dads for grandmas and grandpas. And again, those are all after thoughts that people don't think about until it gets down to the wire.

Kristina Stubblefield  15:52  
Well, something that just popped in my mind. I don't know, we've talked about this before, but a lot of weddings happen in the evening. And when you're fortunate that your grandparents, even older parents can come and celebrate with you. You want to make sure you get them home safely. You don't want them to think about, oh, I have to leave by seven, you know, because it's starting to get dark. And what you just said made me think about that is making sure that they have transportation to get safely home and to enjoy and take part in your special day.

Michael Gaddie  16:26  
Yes, absolutely. Well, something else that brides have got to think about booking you and you come to the months of March, April and May. Yep, that's the biggest month for prompts. So you booked up extremely I know that's a really busy time for you. Plus, you've got Derby, mobile area people, I mean, there's limousines lined up at the airport, you know, picking people. Keep that in mind, especially when you're picking a date. Think about that. So when you know that you want a limousine, and you're getting married in March, April or May book it, go ahead

Jodie Lethgo  17:01  
and contact us go ahead. Yes, absolutely.

Kristina Stubblefield  17:05  
Well, okay, so let's I know we're kind of talking about this through. But Jody, what are some of the top things that you get ask? In regards to transportation?

Jodie Lethgo  17:16  
Can we ride in the Hummer stretch limousine, I'm telling you that, oh, it drives me mad, guys, this is in 2008. We have so much better equipment since the 2008 Hummer came out. And

Kristina Stubblefield  17:30  
disclaimer, if you like the stretch Hummers out there, Jody doesn't mean anything.

Jodie Lethgo  17:35  
I'm just saying there are much better options. And I want you to come check our fleet out for the same price. You can get a limo style bus you can stand up in, it comes equipped with a bar with multiple TVs. Some of them even have bathrooms. And these things are around the same price point and they can accommodate more folks. So

Kristina Stubblefield  17:55  
for any I'm sorry, Sharon, for anybody that's not local. You also recommend they go out to the transportation places and checkout.

Jodie Lethgo  18:04  
Yes, pick out what you want. If you're planning far enough ahead, you're not going to be limited. You get to come out, you get to see the equipment. We walk brides through all the time and show them our fleet. We

Sharon Rumsey  18:16  
say oh yeah, one of the best things I've done is I had a bride that wanted to see before she made a decision and we actually came out and they had the buses all started up. We were able to get on we looked around and now when I speak to my clients, I feel more comfortable because I know what I'm talking Yes.

Kristina Stubblefield  18:36  
You've actually seen it been in

Jodie Lethgo  18:39  
setting it. But we recommend that for the bride

Sharon Rumsey  18:41  
my favorite vehicle of yours is the Mercedes Sprinter bus. I love them I perfect for bridal party. I

Jodie Lethgo  18:47  
agree. Oh, yeah, those usually accommodate about 12 to 14 Folks, or or less. In fact, I recommend you go more spacey. So you do have a little bit of room to remember the dress. Yes, yeah. The dress and all the things that are going to come with the bride. Whatever reason. Yeah, yep. They're always totally a lot of things with them. Absolutely.

Kristina Stubblefield  19:06  
I can remember being part of some weddings and thinking in the world or weekend in that limo with these formal attire. Oh, forget the person in the dress. I think at one wedding I was in like they had to be lifted up. Now. This has been years ago. There wasn't buses and all that kind of thing. Yeah. Wow. The just the convenience and the comfort of not having to worry.

Sharon Rumsey  19:30  
And I think that some couples just they assume they can't afford transportation. Yes, that's accurate, but it's much more affordable. When I tell them prices than what they have in their head. It's usually a lot better than what they thought. And I tell you one or two times I've tried to put a wedding dress in a Volkswagen Jetta. I'm done. I'm not doing that anymore. It's gonna tell them that no, that's a hard No.

Kristina Stubblefield  19:55  
Oh hard. No Mike, you heard that I have

Sharon Rumsey  19:58  
soft nose and hard nose and that's how

Kristina Stubblefield  20:01  
Okay, so being able, that's, I didn't even think about that. But make sure wherever you're located contact places to see if you can do a walk through. Yeah. And see those different vehicles.

Jodie Lethgo  20:13  
Imagine yourself climbing and out of these vehicles in your gown, because they're in your field, in your heels and in your gown, because yeah, it might look great, but it's the functionality there. I always, always, always recommend either the sprinters, the limo style Mercedes Sprinter, or the limo style buses. And actually, you know, I go to a lot of these limo events, limo conventions, and that's the way the entire industry is going. So not just specifically to the Louisville area to our fleet, but you're not going to see many more of the stretch limousines, everybody's going towards these buses and the sprinters because they just make so much more sense for accommodating the party.

Sharon Rumsey  20:52  
So if if a couple's calling you they don't have a planner, what do they need to know before they book the appointment? To come in and see it? What do they need to know to book transportation, if they call and they go, I have no idea what I'm doing. But I know I need transportation,

Jodie Lethgo  21:07  
I would just recommend they come in and take a look at everything. Obviously we want to know their date. So we know what's available. But I always recommend come take a look at it. Come see it. So you really know what you're looking at. And a lot of times, you know you come in and you sit in these things and it kind of sparked something like, Oh, hey, I am going to book this for a bachelor party or a bachelorette party because you weren't really thinking about that until you actually sat in it. And you saw what these things actually have inside them. Amazing. Yes, they are equipped with bars you can stuck on with liquor. They're equipped with bathrooms. They've got I call them stability poles they've got you know, they got lights. They've got some thrivers Yeah, I mean, don't you ever have to go to the bathroom when your party?

Michael Gaddie  21:50  
Especially when you're drinking? Yeah,

Jodie Lethgo  21:52  
I mean, it is a club on wheels. It is. So Joanie

Kristina Stubblefield  21:56  
to take our podcast on wheels. Experience.

Michael Gaddie  22:00  
Well, that's another topic we're gonna talk about. You got a good question. Go ahead. A handicap accessible?

Sharon Rumsey  22:05  
Oh, that is a good question.

Jodie Lethgo  22:07  
That is a great question. So we actually do have some buses that are handicap accessible, accessible. Those are not the typical party buses. We also have a lot of buses that are the forward facing we call them executive style buses. So for shuttle buses, if your guests are looking to do the shuttles, like you were saying between, you know, a hotel and a chapel between the chapel and the reception venue, we can absolutely do accommodations for the handicap.

Michael Gaddie  22:33  
So how many? How many pieces? How many cars or buses in your fleet? Do you all have? Um, I know it's grown a

Jodie Lethgo  22:41  
lot. Well, we downsized a little bit during COVID. So pre COVID, we were just a little over 40. Right now we're at 39 pieces of equipment. And of those, see four of them are SUVs, everything else outside of those four is so 35 of them are all sprinters, buses and limos.

Kristina Stubblefield  23:03  
And do you see that in the industry? You mentioned that from conventions? A lot of different? Yeah, all over going to that style.

Jodie Lethgo  23:11  
And I think the thing people don't realize is like when you go out and buy a car, these things come off a production line, limousines aren't coming off a production line. There are third party vendors out there that actually take a car, cut it in half, and they create a limousine out of not know that. Yeah, so all of those towncar stretches all of those Hummer stretches someone took and cut that in half, and created that limousine. So these things are not mass produced. And what we've noticed in the industry is that we're not seeing them produced as much. And what we're seeing is people are taking these Mercedes sprinters because that you don't have to cut anything there. And imagine the structural changes that have to happen there. So we're just seeing a lot of the buses and sprinters are coming out.

Kristina Stubblefield  23:54  
So a question for you is what is when people are considering you said you would go leave more room. So if you had 12, maybe go to something that holds 15 or 16 people attending. Okay, so what is another question that you seem like you're asked quite a bit? Ooh,

Jodie Lethgo  24:18  
what are we asked quite a bit, a lot of times that has to do with liquor. So, what can we do for liquor, so we do not provide any of the liquor for you. And this varies state by state. But what we do is we say before the day of drop it off to us, and we will put it on ice for you and we will have it stocked and we will have it ready for you.

Kristina Stubblefield  24:41  
But that's a question you need to ask. Yes, a transportation company that you're considering

Sharon Rumsey  24:46  
when there is something that I do with my couples is I have a huge fear of like extremely drunk bridal parties before Sam and honestly when I meet with my clients, most most brides and almost any Every single mother of the bride has that fear that they're going to be drunk before ceremony. So what I like to do is you guys, when you rent a bus, it comes with the bottled water does I stand bottled water does. So what I tell my people to do, bring me that cooler. I'll keep it in my car. And during the ceremony, my assistant will switch the bottle water out and put your alcohol on the bus. That way, party it up after the ceremony. But if if there are concerns about your bridal party, over indulging before ceremony, then we just don't make it available.

Jodie Lethgo  25:36  
This is a prime example of why you need a wedding planner. Laughing if you're doing this all yourself and you just come to extreme and you're like, Hey, I'm gonna have this liquor, we're gonna stock it for you. Yeah.

Sharon Rumsey  25:47  
Well, that's just a little a little tip that I've learned along the years is enjoy the bottle water provided by extreme and then we'll switch it out while you get

Michael Gaddie  25:55  
to share and don't get pulled over on the way to the chart.

Sharon Rumsey  26:00  
There's a little risk with any business, right?

Kristina Stubblefield  26:04  
So extreme you service southern Indiana, greater Louisville area? Yes. Okay. So if you're outside that area, the stuff we're talking about, you ought to write down and ask,

Jodie Lethgo  26:16  
ask your transportation provider, absolutely. Ask them, ask them to come look at your their equipment. And again, imagine yourself climbing in and out of there in heels, maybe wear some heels, you know, imagine yourself climbing in and out in a dress, ask them about their alcohol. Ask them about because a lot of transportation companies out there I've seen what they will do is they'll transfer you there. And then they're going to fill that void with some runs. Does that transportation company stay on site? Because that's one thing we absolutely do.

Sharon Rumsey  26:46  
That literally is one game that we're getting, we're gonna get done, we're gonna bust out of the church ready to go? The buses Crom season

Jodie Lethgo  26:53  
we see it so often with other transportation companies. But that is one thing that we always do we stay on site.

Kristina Stubblefield  26:59  
Okay, so for those that might not have understood what she said there, the runs, what your meaning is, you go and you do one job, basically, since there's a window of time, that driver takes that vehicle and goes and does another job. Yes. tronics. For those that might not understand what that run is,

Michael Gaddie  27:18  
but you all do not do that.

Jodie Lethgo  27:19  
Oh, no, absolutely not. We do not do that we stay there on site. And like I mentioned earlier, we charge you hourly. So during those hours, we are yours. So if you're doing shuttles, we're yours. If you're you want us to sit there, that's fine.

Kristina Stubblefield  27:32  
And are there a question I have? Are those manned the entire time? Yes.

Jodie Lethgo  27:37  
The driver is supposed to stay with the vehicle the entire time? Yeah. Okay.

Kristina Stubblefield  27:41  
Is there questions about safety, or insurance or anything like that, that couples should think about? Or should be asking? I know for you all, you know, we've worked with you and known you for a long time. But these people could be anywhere in the United States that are listening. So is there anything on that? Oh, absolutely.

Jodie Lethgo  28:01  
You know, I think everybody should ask, you know, what's the driver doing during that time? Where's my vehicle at during that time? You should absolutely ask those questions. Because if you do transfer the entire bridal party and let's say Grandma wants to go back to the hotel early, she kind of walk out and there's not going to be a bus there. There's not going to be a limo there, or is that limo going to be there at your disposal? What are the expectations of that driver during that time? Can that driver take them back? Because a lot of times what we just say is here is the itinerary given to us. But you are expected to do as directed by that party?

Kristina Stubblefield  28:34  
And who's the person in charge? Yes. Where do those directions from if they don't have a wedding planner? Who's the one that can tell that driver? Because you get somebody that's been under the influence of whatever they've liked, enjoyed that evening, their drink of choice, and they just come out and be like, well, I need to go home? Who's the one that is allowed to give those?

Jodie Lethgo  28:55  
Oh, absolutely. Would you call that give those directives they were at a times we do have a contact person. And in most instances it is the wedding planner. Now, if it's a shuttle situation, that's a very different, different expectation. But again, we have to set those expectations and that's part of the conversation that goes into this ahead of time. You know, what are your expectations during this time? Something

Sharon Rumsey  29:17  
else that comes to mind as you're talking from my side, is I always like to make a phone call. Like if it's a Saturday wedding. I'll call on Wednesday. And I'll I'll just go over that itinerary. You know, it's down you know, it's on paper, but just that one last check. So call your transportation company.

Jodie Lethgo  29:37  
First, right you always call ours riders? Yeah,

Sharon Rumsey  29:40  
go over the itinerary. And then I always want the cell phone number of the actual driver. Yes series. You don't want to call that transportation company and they

Kristina Stubblefield  29:50  
call it you can't you can't just call them at 10 o'clock and you

Sharon Rumsey  29:53  
can call person but I want to actually talk to the person and the boss.

Jodie Lethgo  29:58  
Well and that's one thing we do provide to what planners specifically, we all assume a lot of sign a driver, we give them the cell phone number for the driver or whoever the point person is, if it's not the direct wedding planner, whoever it

Sharon Rumsey  30:09  
is they're given that and like, I'll get a text. Hi, Sharon just wanted to let you know I'm out front. We're ready to go. It's so nice.

Michael Gaddie  30:18  
So you mentioned a minute ago, Christina insurance. So you know, on the in the past few years, you know, in the headlines, there's been even talk about it, but limousine, pull up a wedding party 15 people and they're on the expressway and it blew up. Absolutely.

Kristina Stubblefield  30:36  
Could you not just said that there was an actual

Michael Gaddie  30:39  
that's exactly what happened. I mean, okay, so I mean, that did happen. So I mean, when it comes to that one word is that is there a contract that they signed that there? Tell us a little bit about that. So

Jodie Lethgo  30:51  
always make sure it's a reputable transportation company. There are so many Fly By Night companies out there. Anybody can go out and buy a limousine and get a passenger endorsement and drive it. I could go out and do that today without getting a CDL I can go get a passenger endorsement, get a limo and put myself on Craigslist, look it up. So make sure that you are hiring a reputable transportation company to have your research. Yes, please, please, please do your research. Now a common model that you will see in a lot of cities outside of Louisville is an owner operator model. So Mike goes out he buys himself a limousine. But he contracts with a company such as extreme transportation. But he is his own owner of this limousine, and he will drive it based on what extreme transportation has available that evening. If they have a run for him that evening, they'll contact him to do it on their behalf. So that is a common model you will see. And those are the questions you need to ask, you know, is this actually your driver? Is this actually your limousine? If it's not, and just because it's an owner operator doesn't mean that it's not reputable most often times, that will still fall under that umbrella company. But that's something to think about, you know, oh, okay, so Mike is my limo driver with his limo. And I see that he's not actually part of extreme. But is he covered by extreme? So ask those things and just make sure it's a reputable company, and not some Joe Schmo who's just bought a limo.

Kristina Stubblefield  32:21  
That's really important. And I'm assuming there should be a signed contract.

Jodie Lethgo  32:25  
Yes. And we do signed contracts. So make sure to read through the contract.

Kristina Stubblefield  32:29  
Absolutely. Good question. If

Michael Gaddie  32:31  
someone question if somebody gets hurt, though, does that fall back on your all's insurance from the car? Or does that cover the car? I'm just kind of

Jodie Lethgo  32:41  
depends on a lot of variables, I can't really give you exactly what would happen. It depends on a situation

Kristina Stubblefield  32:49  
of operation. Do you all recommend them to have event insurance? I don't even know if that ties in with traverse nation.

Jodie Lethgo  32:58  
Now, that's not anything we've ever recommended to our passengers now. Okay.

Sharon Rumsey  33:03  
I've actually had to ask that question. And then insurance doesn't that is specific

Kristina Stubblefield  33:07  
for the event.

Michael Gaddie  33:09  
So let's go back just so there were clared. There is nothing that we have to provide as insurance to be a passenger in your vehicle.

Jodie Lethgo  33:17  
Oh, no, the passengers don't need to provide any Yeah, I'm just saying.

Michael Gaddie  33:21  
If we've got a wedding party, and we're in a car accident, and my bridesmaid, two of my bridesmaids was put in the hospital. Do you cover that? Or does that fall back under there's

Kristina Stubblefield  33:33  
a situation I know repentance.

Jodie Lethgo  33:35  
You said? I'm

Michael Gaddie  33:35  
saying though that

Jodie Lethgo  33:36  
yeah, I get where you're going with it. But it really depends on the situation. And I can't give you an answer here and be held to that answer because it is case by case. Yeah. Okay.

Sharon Rumsey  33:47  
And that's where to I'm sorry. Go ahead here. Since we're talking about safety, one of the things that I know I've been asked, especially by the parents of the couple is let's talk about the drivers. We've talked so much about vehicles, but the drivers I mean, you're putting usually fairly young adults usually drinking on a bus and and this person is responsible for their safety. So how, how are your drivers vetted? How do we know that we're choosing a company that is going to put our safety first as far as the personnel in the vehicle?

Jodie Lethgo  34:22  
Good? That is a great question now. So actually, most of our drivers are very seasoned drivers and they've been with us for quite some time. Our most common source of drivers Believe it or not, is school bus drivers. If you can handle a school bus full of children, I think you're gonna be just fine with some drunk adults. But that is our most common source of driver because they come with the CDL they come with the passenger endorsement. They come with the school bus experience, but I used to allow the where he used to lounge there used to chaos. Absolutely. But we do put all of our drivers through a dream Driver test and just due to FMCSA regulations, you know, we do background checks on everybody. We do a drug screen on everybody. We'd run their motor vehicle report and we have certain standards that our safety department for people to add it is, it absolutely is. And our company has the luxury of being under the umbrella of a transportation company. Our parent company is a trucking company with over 150 CDL a drivers, so our safety department vets all of these people for us,

Kristina Stubblefield  35:30  
but those are questions that people need to ask, especially don't if you're not used transportation, this could be the first time that they are getting a limo or a party. But

Sharon Rumsey  35:41  
I mean, I've written on those buses with bridal parties, and I'll be the first one to tell you I could not drive. I could not drive in that situation.

Kristina Stubblefield  35:48  
Now that's a topic for another third. Sharon's driving, they're loud,

Michael Gaddie  35:54  
but he can drive a car with two people. Oh, Hashem,

Kristina Stubblefield  35:57  
I'm driving myself to your shop. Last year. We took a wrong turn. We were in the city where

Sharon Rumsey  36:04  
they're loud. They're singing. I mean, it gets rowdy on them. I mean, we have a driver. You have a driver, Mr. Greg and I would pay for Mr. Greg just to drive me around to hang out with him. He treats.

Kristina Stubblefield  36:19  
Greg that used to be a DJ that Greg Richard dollar. Yeah. He used to be

Jodie Lethgo  36:23  
yes, he was a DJ. Yes. Yeah, she's with you. I know who that is. He is still with us. Yeah, that's a great parent company. Yeah. So

Sharon Rumsey  36:34  
I think it's great, though, to have drivers that not only can be safe in those situations, but they are not sharing. But they're also fun. They're fun, and they

Kristina Stubblefield  36:47  
enjoy what they already has. And that's something to when you go out to check out. The fleets that these companies have, you can ask these questions about your drivers. And I do know that that's one thing that stands out about extreme, a lot of the drivers have been there, a number of years have done all types of events.

Sharon Rumsey  37:06  
They're familiar with the venue. And when you go check out those vehicles. Another thing that we haven't talked about is I almost always put a photographer on the bus. You know, there's almost always so when you get on that bus, you picture those photos and the lights in the ceiling. And yeah, it's just a good time.

Jodie Lethgo  37:22  
And to your point, make sure you accommodate for space, right, like I said, Make it spacious. Make sure you got enough space to accommodate the photographer.

Kristina Stubblefield  37:30  
Oh, yeah, Mike, I got a sad note here. We have got to do a GoPro with Sharon trying to drive like a school bus. No, I'm done with music.

Sharon Rumsey  37:43  
Hard. No.

Kristina Stubblefield  37:45  
I could. Goodness gracious.

Sharon Rumsey  37:47  
I just feel sorry. I feel bad for him because it is nuts.

Michael Gaddie  37:50  
I wouldn't even get in her jet. I would do it in the chat, and boy, oh,

Kristina Stubblefield  38:00  
my God, this has been this is exactly why I was excited. I know the two of you are worried as well. Because things that we've talked about, probably half these things hadn't even crossed my mind. And I've been in several different limos at several different types of events. And a lot of our listeners there, if it's parents listening, they may have not been through this for 20 or 30 years, or the brides or the couples listening, listening. They might not have done this for their prom or something. So this could be completely new for them. And that's why I thought this would be great information to share out.

Sharon Rumsey  38:38  
Is there anything that we should have asked you that we didn't?

Jodie Lethgo  38:41  
I mean, if I'm going to give any words of advice, limousines, buses, they are not endless bottom list, the drivers are not bottomless. So plan ahead if you're going to be booking absolutely book out ahead of time plan so that you can come and see the equipment, pick out what you want. So we can put it on for you and and so that it's not, you know, the last bus that's available, pick out what you want come see it. It's not an endless supply of limousines and people seem to think that's the case that they can it's we're not an Uber. Uber, we are a professional transportation provider with vetted drivers and with high dollar equipment. So please plan ahead of time.

Kristina Stubblefield  39:23  
Well is something to actually make a decision on this back in the day it was, oh, I need an eight passenger limo or a 12 Passenger limo. It has changed so much. It's involved. It really has.

Michael Gaddie  39:37  
I want to give a shout out to extreme because I've been working with him for over 20 years. And I used to be on the board of hats for hope for breast cancer. Yeah. And every year Jenny donated a limousine Yeah, well really not a limousine a bus to transport our guests from point A to point B. That's awesome. So thank you all so much for that that that was amazing.

Sharon Rumsey  39:59  
They're an amazing company. It's honestly, in seven years, I've done one wedding, where I didn't use extreme and it was only because extreme told me they wouldn't go that far. It was out of town. And I was a nervous wreck. Because I am so spoiled by extreme, they are just the best of the best at what they do. Well, we

Jodie Lethgo  40:19  
appreciate that, guys, we really appreciate that. And you know, we've spent this entire time talking about limousines talking about buses. We got SUVs, too. I mean, we do we'll move anything from one person to as many as you want. We have buses that accommodate 48 people, but we got multiple buses. So if you do need to move 300 people I know you have, we can absolutely make it work.

Kristina Stubblefield  40:42  
The other thing you just mentioned about SUVs, what a great thing to do for your anniversary, no matter how many where you don't have to worry about calling an Uber. Or if you're going to go to a couple places, things like that. Oh,

Michael Gaddie  40:55  
I tell you when Pam and I were married 25 years, it's been six years ago now. Extreme, sent a limousine over picked us up nice and treated us like we are king queen. I mean, it was

Kristina Stubblefield  41:09  
everyone should experience. It was amazing. Did

Sharon Rumsey  41:11  
you call Ron Ramsey? I know I'm thinking I'm telling him that we need to be doing that.

Kristina Stubblefield  41:14  
Sharon, I don't know about you. But this at least the in clip of this. I'm will make sure Joshua. Right. Jodi, thank you so much for your time. But thank you for having me your insight and questions that people should ask no matter if they're here, or wherever you're listening from. We greatly appreciate that.

Jodie Lethgo  41:31  
I appreciate you guys having me on.

Sharon Rumsey  41:32  
Thank you for coming.

Kristina Stubblefield  41:33  
So to connect with extreme, all of the information will be in the notes from the podcast links to their website. Make sure you go find them on social media. If you're not here locally, and you do make the trip to Louisville, Kentucky or the surrounding areas, you will know someone you can use for transportation.

Jodie Lethgo  41:52  
Absolutely. We'll get from the airport to wherever you need to go. Absolutely awesome. Thank

Kristina Stubblefield  41:56  
you so much. Okay, everyone, thank you for tuning in. Until next time, if you've liked what you've heard, make sure that you go in, leave a glowing five star review. And make sure you follow us on social media. Until next time, see ya.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of The Ring The Bling And All The Things. If you liked what you heard, make sure to hit the subscribe or follow button on your favorite podcast platform to get notified of upcoming episodes. You can also visit our website, ringblingallthethings.com where you can join our email list and get notifications about new episodes and other information. You can also follow us on your favorite social media platforms.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai