Peoria Charter Coach

What Peoria Charter Coach does

Peoria Charter Coach (legal name: Peoria Charter) is a third-generation, family-owned ground transportation company headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, founded in December 1941 and now led by CEO/owner James Wang following a transition from the founding Winkler family. The company operates a fleet of 64 motorcoaches (mix of 56-passenger and 38-passenger vehicles from MCI, VanHool, and Prevost) equipped with clean diesel technology, 110V outlets at every seat, Wi-Fi, reclining seats, restrooms, and wheelchair-lift capability available on 48-hour notice, supported by more than 100 professional drivers.

The business operates four product lines from terminals in Peoria, Urbana-Champaign, and Chicago: (1) scheduled daily shuttle service on fixed routes connecting Peoria, Urbana-Champaign, Bloomington-Normal, and Purdue to Chicago O'Hare, Midway, downtown Chicago, and suburban stops — tickets sold online, by phone (24/7 call center), and at terminals; (2) charter bus rentals for school trips, athletic events, weddings, corporate and convention groups, priced via quote; (3) Private Rides minivan service (up to 3 passengers) at flat or hourly rates; and (4) Peoria Charter Travel, a wholly-owned full-service travel agency offering vacation packages, tours, and hotel bookings with exclusive O'Hare-area partner rates.

Revenue is generated through per-ticket shuttle fares (with holiday surcharges on Christmas Eve/Day and Thanksgiving), quote-based charter bookings requiring a deposit of $200 or 15% of the trip total plus sliding-scale diesel fuel surcharges, flat-rate and hourly private ride fees, and ancillary travel-agency commissions. Customer segments center on university students and staff (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Bradley University, Illinois State, Purdue) for shuttles, K-12 and athletic programs for charters, event-driven group organizers, and individual travelers seeking private transport — yielding a distributed, mostly long-tail demand base across the Midwest, with no institutional investor or parent company disclosed.

Name

Peoria Charter Coach

Legal name

Peoria Charter

Website

https://peoriacharter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Peoria Charter Coach is a third-generation, family-owned motorcoach company founded in 1941 that runs scheduled daily shuttles between Central Illinois (Peoria, Urbana-Champaign, Bloomington-Normal, Purdue) and Chicago airports/downtown, plus charter, private minivan, and travel-agency services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intercity motorcoach transportation services

NAICS

Charter Bus Industry (485510), Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation (485210), Charter Bus Industry (4855)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter & Tour Coach Operators (TLAFAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scheduled Intercity Coach Operators (TLAFAFAA), Motorcoach Charter (Private Group Hire) (THAIAIAA), Economy/Conventional Scheduled Intercity Bus Services (THAIADAE)

Keywords

• Charter bus services
• Scheduled shuttle transportation
• Motorcoach charter rentals
• Intercity ground transportation
• Private ride services

Headquarters

HQ city

Peoria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Daily Shuttle Service: Scheduled daily bus service between Central Illinois cities (Peoria, Urbana-Champaign, Bloomington-Normal) and Chicagoland (Chicago O'Hare, Midway, Downtown Chicago, and suburbs). Revenue generated from ticket sales per passenger.
2. Charter Bus Service: Motorcoach charter services for groups including school trips, sporting events, conventions, weddings, and other group travel. Priced via quote request, includes professional driver, amenities, and optional Wi-Fi and alcohol service.
3. Private Rides: Minivan transportation service for up to 3 passengers with 24-hour advance booking. Offers flat rates for airport/suburb transfers and hourly rates for custom destinations with minimum 3-hour requirement.
4. Peoria Charter Travel (Full-Service Travel Agency): Full-service travel agency offering vacation packages, tours, and travel planning. Serves as an additional revenue stream through tour bookings and associated services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Peoria Charter Coach operates scheduled daily motorcoach shuttles connecting Central Illinois (Peoria, Urbana-Champaign, Bloomington-Normal, Purdue) to Chicagoland (O'Hare Multi-Modal Facility, Midway, Downtown Chicago and suburbs). In addition to scheduled routes, the company rents 56-passenger and 38-passenger motorcoaches with professional drivers for charter groups (schools, athletic events, weddings, conventions, corporate travel), offers private minivan rides for individuals and small groups, and runs a wholly-owned full-service travel agency, Peoria Charter Travel, selling vacation packages and tours.

Product overview

Peoria Charter Coach is a third-generation, family-owned transportation company founded in 1941, offering a portfolio of ground transportation services: Scheduled Daily Shuttle Service (fixed-route buses between Central Illinois and Chicago), Charter Bus Services (rentals of 56-passenger and 38-passenger motorcoaches with professional drivers), Private Rides (minivan service for smaller groups), and Peoria Charter Travel (full-service travel agency). The company operates 64 vehicles from terminals in Peoria, IL, Urbana-Champaign, IL, and Chicago, IL, serving approximately 400,000 passengers annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Peoria Charter Travel: Full-service travel agency offering vacation packages, tours, and travel planning services for groups.

Products and services

• Scheduled Daily Shuttle Service Fixed-route daily motorcoach transportation with multiple daily departures between Central Illinois cities and Chicago airports/downtown, sold as individual tickets through peoriacharter.com or by phone via the 24/7 call center; intended for students, faculty, families and individual travelers needing intercity airport/suburb transfers.
• Charter Bus Services Quote-based motorcoach rental of 56-passenger and 38-passenger motorcoaches with a professional driver for groups; amenities include 110V outlets at every seat, reclining seats, overhead carry-on storage, DVD players, PA system, Wi-Fi, restroom, and optional alcohol service; wheelchair-lift-equipped vehicles available with 48-hour advance notice; for school trips, athletic events, weddings, conventions, corporate events, church outings and civic events.
• Private Rides Minivan transportation for individuals and small groups (up to 3 passengers), booked at least 24 hours in advance; flat-rate pricing for airport and suburb transfers between scheduled stops, and hourly pricing for custom destinations; intended for travelers seeking more privacy than bus travel.
• Peoria Charter Travel Full-service travel agency offering vacation packages, group tours and travel planning for individuals and groups; wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Peoria Charter Coach.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving approximately 400,000 passengers with clean, comfortable coaches and professional drivers

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• IMG (Interstate Motorcoach Association)minorOthersIndustry association membership demonstrating industry standing and compliance with motorcoach industry standards and best practices.
• ABA (American Bus Association)minorOthersIndustry association membership representing the bus and motorcoach industry for advocacy and standards.
• UMA (United Motorcoach Association)minorOthersIndustry trade association providing networking, advocacy, and industry recognition including the Environmental Leadership Award won in 2023.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Windstar Lines: Windstar Lines is a regional charter and shuttle motorcoach operator serving the Midwest with university, corporate and event charter demand comparable to Peoria Charter.
• Megabus: Megabus operates low-cost scheduled intercity bus service across the Midwest, including Midwest-to-Chicago corridors. It competes directly with Peoria Charter's scheduled shuttle products for price-sensitive travelers.
• Becker Bus Lines: Becker Bus Lines runs a Midwest motorcoach charter and scheduled service operation with similar mix of school, corporate and group travel customers as Peoria Charter.
• Burlington Trailways: Burlington Trailways operates scheduled and charter motorcoach services in the Midwest, including routes into Chicago, with a comparable mix of university, group and charter demand—the closest peer to Peoria Charter's hybrid scheduled/charter model.
• Vandalia Motorcoach (Vandalia Bus Lines): Vandalia operates charter and scheduled motorcoach services based in the Midwest, with strong group travel and university segment presence—a direct functional analogue to Peoria Charter.

Broad incumbents

• Coach USA: Coach USA operates a portfolio of scheduled, charter and airport transportation brands across multiple U.S. regions. It overlaps Peoria Charter's airport shuttle and charter offerings as part of a wider multi-region portfolio.
• Greyhound: Greyhound is the largest scheduled intercity bus network in North America, including service into Chicago and Central Illinois cities. It is a broader incumbent rather than a niche Midwest charter specialist.

Emerging players

• FlixBus: FlixBus operates scheduled intercity coach service across the U.S., including expanding Midwest coverage. It competes with Peoria Charter's scheduled shuttles for student and leisure travelers.

Regional players

• Indian Trails / Miller Transportation: Indian Trails (Miller Transportation) operates scheduled and charter intercity bus service in Michigan and the Midwest, comparable in route structure and university ridership mix to Peoria Charter.

Others

• Motor Coach Industries (MCI): MCI is the manufacturer of the motorcoaches in Peoria Charter's fleet. It is an equipment supplier and ecosystem partner (and also the publisher announcing Peoria Charter's UMA Environmental Leadership Award) rather than a competitive peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/peoriacharter
• Facebookfacebook.com/peoriachartercoachcompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peoria-charter-coach-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Peoria Charter Coach