In March 2010, Illiana Shuttles, LLC purchased 2 buses (a shuttle bus and a school bus) from Midwest Transit Equipment, Inc. Illiana Shuttles provides transportation and “party buses” for special events.
After purchasing the buses, the vehicles were transformed to better serve the business’s needs. “The small bus was easy,” says Kathy Wilson, owner of Illiana Shuttles, based out of Watseka, IL. “We added tables and a bar to the small bus and rearranged the seats into groups.” This transformation took only a couple days. The school bus, now “party bus,” was a bit more work. First, the outside of the bus was painted. Next came the interior. Interior redesign includes tinted windows, new flooring and the addition of a bar. Also, the seats were rearranged into a more linear fashion. “The big bus has taken longer, a couple of months,” says Wilson. “We are doing all the work ourselves, [so it is] still a work in progress.”
Currently, the shuttle bus is being used for private trips to special events, including pub crawls and airport shuttle service. The larger bus is also being used for private events for up to 30 guests.
Wilson says the use of transformed school buses has “been fun,” and has garnered a positive response from her clients.
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