Dolphin Transportation adds 9 new ‘top of the line’ buses

In the transportation industry, an aging fleet spells trouble.

To forestall such a fate, Dolphin Transportation Specialists in Naples recently added nine new buses that Director of Sales Tony Dyshanowitz characterized as “top of the line.”

“We’re constantly turning vehicles over to be newer and better, and our new buses continue that push,” said Dyshanowitz, a limo industry vet who began working for Dolphin Transportation in January. “They’re state-of-the-art in every respect.”

Some of those respects, Dyshanowitz said, include an entertainment system that comes complete with 15-inch monitors and Wi-Fi, as well as110-volt outlets, fully equipped restrooms and tinted windows.

Dyshanowitz said the list of bells and whistles goes for both the 55-passenger Volvo and 40-passenger TEMSA luxury coaches.

“Plus, both come with low-noise level interiors and overhead storage bins, like airplane storage bins with covers,” said Dyshanowitz, whose company also offers a 68-vehicle lineup that includes Hyundai Eqqus sedans, Cadillac Escalades and handicapped-accessible SUVs.

After recently arranging for a luxury bus trip a couple hours to the north, Eleanor Lanning, a store administrator for Nordstrom at Waterside Shops in Naples, said the human element marked another item to add to Dolphin Transportation’s plus-column.

“We had a flawless trip to our meeting in Tampa, and our driver was very personable, accommodating, reliable and safe,” she said. “We arrived an extra 15 minutes early to our meeting, which was great.”

With buses that are licensed to travel throughout the country and beyond, Dyshanowitz said there’s no telling where his company’s vehicles might end up.

“We’ve done trips to Massachusetts and Texas — pretty much every state up and down the East Coast and all the way into Canada,” he said of the transportation company that started on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 1994 before expanding to Naples in 2001. “We’ve even gone all the way out to California.”

How much these jaunts might cost, Dyshanowitz said, is highly variable.

“Pricing is entirely decided by the trip,” he said. “It’s broken down to a minimum of six hours, but it also includes the level of service required and the length of the trip. A four-week trip is obviously going to cost more than a short ride around the corner.”

For worthy causes, Dyshanowitz said the cost adds up to nothing.

“We’ll donate to special occasions,” he said, as when Dolphin Transportation recently helped transport the four-legged denizens of an animal rescue in Golden Gate Estates to safe spaces following a raging brush fire that quickly burned out of control. “You give back when you can, and honestly, it’s nice to be nice. It’s nice to help out.”

One past beneficiary of Dolphin Transportation’s good corporate citizenship was Tiffany Weeks’ class at Golden Terrace Elementary School in Golden Gate, who enjoyed free transportation during its “Rising Reader” field trip.

“The trip created amazing memories for my students, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the donation,” a grateful Weeks said.

While attracting new business always remains a challenge, Dyshanowitz said the recent emergence of ride-sharing companies such Uber and Lyft doesn't present an especially large problem for Dolphin Transportation.

“The impact that Uber and Lyft have had on our business is very minimal because what we offer is all pre-arranged travel, and we’re not a cab company,” he said. “We get a lot of referrals and a lot of repeat customers that we take care of.”

In the end, Dyshanowitz said new and old customers alike would never have to rely on echolocation to reach Dolphin Transportation.

“We run 24/7, 365, and the phones are always manned by a person, never by a machine,” he said.