Grech Motors Minibuses Join Los Angeles Limo Fleet

LOS ANGELES — Wilshire Limousine, based in Los Angeles, has been in business since 2007 but never owned a bus. The company’s fleet of luxury sedans, SUVs, stretch limousines and vans has handled most of the work, and they farmed out minibus / motorcoach requests. But with 14 hotel contracts and an upswing in group transportation demand, the company has reached a point where it makes economic sense to operate their own buses.

Wilshire Limousine’s vice president of operations, Michael S. Kushner, told LCT the company now farms out enough minibus work to justify the cost of owning a couple, and purchased two new black F550 27-passenger GM33s from Grech Motors. Rene Martinez, senior sales executive at Grech Motors, said Wilshire Limousine is the first Los Angeles operation to buy from the coachbuilder.

Michael S. Kushner of Los Angeles-based Wilshire Limousine receives two new F550 27-passenger GM33 minibuses from Ed Grech of Grech Motors. These are Wilshire Limousine's first buses and Grech Motors' first Los Angeles client. The purchase was prompted by sustained demand for minibus work, which Wilshire Limousine previously farmed out.

The QVM-certified minibuses bring the company’s fleet to 58 vehicles. Notable amenities and features include:

• Large tour-style panoramic front window, offering a view previously exclusive to full-size motorcoaches
• Frameless side windows
• Leather seats
• Two tables with facing seats at front of cabin
• Six different types of power outlets, from 110-volt and below
• Six LCD monitors and DVD player
• Rear back-up camera and monitor
• Front and rear A/C, 110,000-140,000 BTU total

In addition to serving hotels, the new Grech Motors minibuses will transport the company’s corporate groups and clients in need of high-capacity vehicles. “In our market, there are older Krystal and Tiffany buses with cloth interiors and we didn’t want that,” Kushner said. ““Our standards are much higher.”

Wilshire Limousine is a division of Midway Car Rental and operates a fleet that includes the MKT Town Car, Mercedes-Benz S550, BMW 750Li, Rolls-Royce Phantom, and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.

When asked about the cost of the minibuses, Kushner told LCT, “I got them at a very good price.”

— Michael Campos, LCT associate editor