Bankrupt Long Island Luxury Bus Service Has New Owner

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. – A former bus company that ferried well-to-do New Yorkers to the Hamptons and Long Island residents on their commutes to Manhattan has been resurrected.

Hampton Luxury Liner, which went out of business in September, was purchased at an auction for $60,000 by Mark Vigliante, owner and CEO of M&V Limousines Ltd.

Vigliante obtained most of the business assets once belonging to Hampton Luxury Liner and Classic Coach, including computers, software licenses, client lists, phone numbers and a website.
However, the sale didn’t include the companys’ 27 buses.

“I’ve been in business with limos for 25 years and have a fleet of 20 buses,” Vigliante said. “As we ramp up, we plan on adding vehicles as needed.”

He said he also purchased a trolley at auction for $30,000.

“It’s kind of a natural expansion,” Vigliante said. “I’ve never been in the business of a direct bus line, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

William E. Schoolman, the former owner of Hampton Luxury Liner and Classic Coach, was ordered to cease operations on September 5, 2016, after filing for bankruptcy earlier in the year. The bus lines suspended service after Labor Day and eliminated the jobs of 53 full-time and part-time employees.

A federal bankruptcy judge approved an auction to sell the companies and their buses. The sale was expected to bring in a minimum of $2.35 million.

Vigliante’s version of the Hampton Luxury Liner will run between New York City and the Hamptons, making stops in Southampton, East Hampton, Montauk, Amagansett, Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor. He said he expected to charge between $25 and $30 each way.

The bus service will compete with Hampton Jitney, which pioneered the use of luxury buses linking the Hamptons and Manhattan more than 40 years ago and has dominated the market ever since.

Vigliante said he was “looking to be another option.”

Share this post