Utah Limousine offers 'green' transportation

Marketplace: Utah Limousine offers 'green' transportation
Source: Park Record
Date: 2/15/2011 9:35 PM

Sam Levin drives between Park City and the Salt Lake City International Airport for a living and he's saved 10,000 to 15,000 gallons of gasoline doing it.

Levin is the owner of Utah Limousine, a Park City shuttle service powered with Compressed Natural Gas. He made the switch about three years ago.

"I wanted to be green," he said. "We have an environment here worth protecting."

The clean-burning fuel powers a suburban and an Escalade. Levin's fleet is small because he intentionally runs a lean operation in order to offer lower rates.

"For the service we provide, we're very competitive with other outfits in town," he said.

Besides being eco-friendly and offering good rates, Levin is proud to own a local business. He also supplies his company with the support of local vendors as much as possible.

Given the choice between a corporate entity in Salt Lake City or a local family business, Levin believes most people prefer to keep their money local. Utah Limousine also supports local charities, he added.

He chose to make Park City his home after working as a taxi driver. Coming from a diverse background, Levin said he picked up taxi driving six years ago during a major transition in his life.

"I'm at ease driving," he said. "It still fits me. I like doing it."

Looking for more money, he bought a vehicle and went into business for himself. Soon he noticed that the best money was in just taking people back and forth from Park City to the airport.

He made it his specialty and Park City his home, Levin explained. That was six years ago. Three years ago he converted his vehicles to natural gas and is now established in his field.

Levin said his success comes from Utah Limousine's "Total Satisfaction Guarantee." Unless the client is 100-percent satisfied, the ride is free. That includes an on-time guarantee.

"I get away with it because I'm never late," he said.

A benefit of being a local is knowing the area and all alternative routes, he said. He's where he's supposed to be when he's supposed to be, he said.

"We don't' book it if we can't be there on time," he added.

He uses a suburban and an Escalade and sometimes an additional suburban at peak times because they're the most reliable vehicles, he said. They can handle Emigration Canyon in any kind of weather. They also each sit six comfortably, he added.

Another benefit of being local is knowing the area so that he can answer any questions visitors have, and making available discounts at local rental shops, he said.

Levin also has a perfect safety record. One of his prior careers involved working in oil fields with an employer that was a notorious stickler about safety. It has served him well and he's trained his drivers in the same techniques, he said.

Reservations are most easily made through the website, www.utahlimo.net .

This article was first published by http://www.parkrecord.com/ on February 15, 2011.