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Banff Transportation and Tours has long been known for its scenic trips through the Canadian Rockies and other desirable destinations. The company has reached ever higher over the last several decades to serve customers with quality, care and great equipment. Its newest pinnacle? The acquisition of two new MCI® J4500s that are already proving very popular with passengers. Banff Transportation and Tours has been owned by the Giannandrea family since the late 1960s, though an acquired part of the business dates back to 1954. Vito Giannandrea started the business as a one-car taxi service after emigrating from his native Italy. Vito still plays an active role in the company, with his son Domenic serving as general manager. Following its founding, the company, which today employs about 30 people, slowly added vans, then small buses, and then, in the early 1990s, a full-size coach. "We got our first coach because our existing customers were asking for it. We listened," says Domenic Giannandrea. The company bought its first new coach, an MCI D-Series, in 1995. "After that, business just took off," says Giannandrea. By 2000, Banff Transportation and Tours owned 13 full-size coaches and several mini coaches. In addition to serving a growing tour and charter clientele, it also operated transit coaches for the Town of Banff. Much of the company's business has traditionally come from overseas as well as south of the border, and operations took a hit following the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. Banff Transportation and Tours decided to resize its fleet, getting rid of older coaches and bringing new, top-tier equipment. "With a smaller, tight-knit fleet, we can deliver a better product and better service to our customers," says Giannandrea. Rather than being focused on quantity, we are striving to offer high quality." Today the company's motor-coach fleet stands at eight, all of them MCIs. Says Gianndrea, "We've bought nine new MCIs since 1995. We like the quality and reliability of the equipment." The FYI from MCI editorial staff values your feedback. Please e-mail any suggestions, comments, or ideas for future articles to fyi@mcicoach.com. |
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