SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Royal Excursion has acquired Excursions Trailways, a Ft. Wayne, Ind.-based premium charter bus company. Terms of the deal were not released.
As a result of the acquisition, Royal Excursion, a charter bus and luxury transportation provider serving northern Indiana and the greater Midwest, has grown its customer reach considerably.
Excursions Trailways travels throughout the United States and Canada from its locations in Ft. Wayne and Ottawa, Ohio.
“Our mission has always been to offer a diverse selection of quality ground transportation, the highest level of safety, customer service, reliability, flexibility, honesty, and of course, tremendous value,” said Shannon Kaser, owner and president of Royal Excursion.
“With this transaction, our company now serves valued customers across northern Indiana and Ohio, and we will be adding to our corps of professional drivers with new job openings,” Kaser said.
Founded in 2000 with one bus by Thomas Bazow and Pat O’Brian, two full-time teachers, Excursions Trailways has grown into a fleet of 20 buses. The company serves corporate and group outings, with customers including semi-pro, collegiate and high-school athletic teams, church groups, students and family-focused groups.
Excursions Trailways is also proudly certified by the U.S. Department of Defense and authorized to carry the men and women serving in the military, a distinction held by fewer than 10 percent of the motorcoach companies nationally.
“We started our company more than 17 years ago with the goal of being the most reliable and well-run bus company in the industry,” Bazow said. “That focus continues and will carry on as we join Royal Excursion.”
Plans for Excursions Trailways include a gradual integration with Royal Excursion operations. All 64 employees of Excursions Trailways are expected to remain with the company, and additional hires are planned for the near future. Both Bazow and O’Brian will stay onboard in executive positions.
“Tom and Pat have built an impressive company from the ground up,” said Ben Norris, managing partner of NEP, an equity sponsor of Royal Excursion. “Their business’ commitment to customer safety, satisfaction and service fits perfectly with the model and operations that Shannon has also created from scratch with Royal Excursion.”
