Hampton Luxury Liner will be back this spring, new owner says

A bus line that carried riders from Manhattan to the Hamptons will return this spring under a new owner, after the line abruptly went out of business last year.

M&V Limousines Ltd. of Commack recently acquired naming rights to the Bohemia-based bus line Hampton Luxury Liner and a sister company, Classic Coach, through an auction, M&V president and chief executive Mark Vigliante said Wednesday. The $60,000 purchase included client lists, computers and software, he said.

Hampton Luxury Liner and Classic Coach suspended service after Labor Day, when a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee told them to cease operations. Subsequently, a federal bankruptcy judge in Central Islip approved an auction to sell the 27 vehicles belonging to the bus lines.

M&V, a limo and bus company founded in 1993, purchased a trolley from Classic Coach for about $30,000, but did not buy any of the buses that were available for sale, Vigliante said.

He said he plans to relaunch the Hampton Luxury Liner in the spring to offer weekend tours from Manhattan to wineries on Long Island. He plans to add brewery tours as well, and offer transportation from the Hamptons to Manhattan for commuters on weekdays.

The company’s buses will come equipped with Wi-Fi, electrical outlets, reclining seats, restrooms, GPS tracking and cameras that film the driver and the road, as well as an alert system if the driver goes over a certain speed, Vigliante said.

“The whole idea is that we want to give people things to do that they can do with their family and friends,” he said.

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M&V will contact former clients of Classic Coach to inform them that it has taken over Classic Coach’s customer list, Vigliante said. The takeover will expand M&V’s coach bus business and allow it to reach more schools, sports teams and tour companies. The Classic Coach name will be phased out, he said.

When Hampton Luxury Liner and Classic Coach ceased operations, 53 full-time and part-time employees were let go. Now, Vigliante said his company would like to rehire some of them.

“We know these guys lost their jobs and we need drivers. If they would like to come back, we would like to hire them,” Vigliante said.

M&V also recently bought New Hyde Park-based Lancelot Limousine Services Inc. for “about half a million dollars,” he said. He intends to keep Lancelot as a separate brand. Under the deal, M&V acquired three antique cars, two party buses, a Bentley Flying Spur luxury sedan and two limos. Ten employees, including drivers and office staff, stayed on after the purchase, Vigliante said.

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With the additional vehicles, M&V now has a total of 70 vehicles.