A quick trip to the movies or to grab some pizza in Provo usually isn’t taken by limo, but due to a local limousine service’s unusual pricing such transportation is becoming more common for Provo residents.
Cool Breeze Limo Service has been providing cheap and even themed rides around Provo for many months now.
“It’s a great opportunity for BYU students, who commonly don’t have a lot of money, to take advantage of a limousine that would usually cost much more,” Provo business owner Josh Bishop said. “Most people don’t quite understand why we are so much cheaper than other local stores. Our reason for that is that we have hardly any overhead – it’s just my wife and I running the entire business.”
In addition to their unique prices, Cool Breeze also stands out in its personalized service.
“My wife is a very artistic person,” Josh Bishop said. “She’ll take what the theme is for the riders’ birthday, or wedding or prom and she’ll decorate the whole limo inside and out … It’s fun to see people’s faces when they first see it and read people’s comments on facebook after.”
While Cool Breeze Limousine has found success providing transportation in Provo – from teenage girls' birthday parties to weddings and even to $10 rides (for 10 minutes) outside of Pizza Pie Café on Tuesday karaoke night – the business was started in Rexburg, Idaho, by Josh Bishop’s brother in law.
When Jayden Tuttle, Bishop's brother in law, returned home from a mission last summer he decided to purchase a white 1992 Lincoln Town Car, and begin his own limousine service.
“I thought it would be nice to have some sort of limousine service that college students could use that was actually affordable,” Tuttle said. “Especially at this college (BYU Idaho), it is very common to go out in groups or double dates. If going out with a group and taking multiple cars, why not make things better and fun by all traveling in the same car and better yet, in style?”
Unable to run the business in Idaho during the winter months, Bishop decided to keep the limo running in a different city - Provo.
Bishop’s service has run through the memories of many Provo residents. Freshman Katie Jacobson is one such customer. Trying to plan transportation with a group of 12 people to a Candyland-themed BYUSA preference dance at Highland Gardens, Jacobson and her friends heard about Cool Breeze and decided to surprise their dates with one limo to travel in together.
“It was around Valentine's Day so they painted the windows with hearts and decorated it with some flowers and played Michael Buble,' Jacobson said. 'We could have driven there in two separate cars and it would have been just a normal drive, but taking the limo meant we could spend that driving time together and have a ton of fun on the way there.'
Shelly Tong, a freshman studying communications disorders, also enjoyed traveling with Cool Breeze Limousine.
“In a practical sense, the limo was affordable, on time and comfortable,” Tong said. “The benefits were being with all our friends and being able to focus on our dates because none of us were concerned with driving. It made the night especially fun and memorable.”
Cool Breeze Limousine is offering a 'Finals Week Special' where BYU students can take advantage of $5 rides from the library to a nearby ice cream shop (of their choosing) and back. Students can call ahead of time to make a reservation and enjoy a break from their studies. Reservations require a minimum of 6 people.
For more information on Cool Breeze Limousine’s general pricing you can visit their website: http://www.coolbreezelimo.com/