The Trolley Car & Bus Company

What The Trolley Car & Bus Company does

The Trolley Car & Bus Company is a privately held, family-owned Illinois LLC founded in 1998 that rents restored vintage trolleys and charter buses for events in the Chicago metropolitan area and destinations up to 500 miles from the city. The company operates as part of the Aries Charter Transportation family, with The Trolley Car & Bus Company brand focused on vintage trolley rentals and Aries Charter Transportation handling broader motorcoach, minibus, executive van, and corporate bookings through a shared website and phone booking system. Its fleet consists of classic-styled trolleys (capacity ~34 passengers) with brass railings, oak bench seating, authentic Chicago trolley bells, enclosed and heated cabins, stereo systems with CD and media-device connectivity, and PA systems, alongside access through Aries to 56-passenger motorcoaches, 24–39-passenger minibuses, and smaller vehicles for groups ranging from 2 to 500+ passengers.

Revenue is generated on a quote-based, one-time rental model priced hourly with multi-hour minimums (3-hour minibuses, 5-hour motorcoaches), 50% deposits for weddings, and a $100 non-refundable cleaning fee for onboard food or alcohol. Sales are captured via direct website quote requests and phone bookings, supplemented by listings on wedding platforms (The Knot, Chicago Style Weddings) and BBB accreditation as trust signals. The customer base is fragmented across weddings, corporate events, sports fans (Bears, Cubs, White Sox), holiday lights tours, schools, churches, and community groups, with weddings and corporate events positioned as the primary segments. The company has no disclosed app, no integrations, no APIs, and no technology platform beyond a marketing website and blog, making it a service business whose competitive position rests on physical fleet assets, regional brand familiarity built over 25+ years, and the distribution reach of its Aries Charter parent.

Name

The Trolley Car & Bus Company

Legal name

The Trolley Car & Bus Company

Website

https://trolleycar.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Trolley Car & Bus Company rents restored vintage trolleys and charter buses for weddings, corporate events, sports games, and special occasions in the Chicago metro area and within 500 miles, operating under the Aries Charter Transportation family.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charter Bus and Vintage Trolley Rental Services

NAICS

Charter Bus Industry (48551), Charter Bus Industry (4855)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Coach & Bus Charter Fleet Rental (With/Without Driver) (TLABADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Party Transportation (Limo, Shuttle) Services (HSACACAN), Corporate & Employee Shuttle Charters (THAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Vintage trolley rentals
• Charter bus services
• Wedding transportation
• Corporate shuttle services
• Group event transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bensenville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Trolley Rentals: Hourly rental of vintage trolleys for events including weddings, corporate events, birthday parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and special occasions. Pricing is quote-based and varies by event type, duration, and group size.
2. Charter Bus Rentals: Rental of motorcoaches (up to 56 passengers), minibuses (24-39 passengers), and other vehicles for group transportation. Includes options from luxury executive vans to 55-person motor coaches for larger groups of 2 to 200+ passengers.
3. Wedding Transportation Services: Specialized wedding transportation including guest shuttles, bridal party transportation, and multi-vehicle coordination. Hourly service with 3-5 hour minimums depending on vehicle type.
4. Corporate Transportation: Corporate shuttle services, airport transfers, convention transportation, and employee shuttles for business clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Trolley Car & Bus Company rents restored vintage-style trolleys and charter buses to groups of 2 to 500+ passengers for weddings, corporate events, sports games, holiday tours, and special occasions across the Chicago metropolitan area. Bookings are quote-based with hourly rates, deposits for weddings, and minimum hour requirements (5 hours for motorcoaches, 3 hours for minibuses), all fulfilled through the parent Aries Charter Transportation platform.

Product overview

The Trolley Car & Bus Company operates as part of the Aries Charter Transportation family, offering vintage trolley rentals and charter bus services primarily serving the Chicago metropolitan area and destinations within 500 miles. The core product portfolio consists of trolley rentals (classic vintage-style vehicles accommodating up to 34-35 passengers with brass interiors, PA systems, and stereo connectivity) and charter bus rentals (ranging from luxury executive vans to 55-passenger motor coaches with climate control and restroom facilities). These services are organized around key verticals: wedding transportation (including bridal party trolleys and guest shuttles), corporate transportation (executive shuttles, airport transfers, convention services), group/event transportation (school trips, sports travel, church retreats), and specialty tours (holiday lights tours, sporting event transportation). The company operates year-round with heated enclosed trolleys available during winter months.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trolley Rentals

Quantifiable outcome

• Service radius of up to 500 miles from Chicago
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Aries Charter TransportationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Trolley Car & Bus Company is part of the Aries Charter Transportation family. The Trolley Car & Bus Company brand handles vintage trolley rentals while Aries Charter Transportation provides the booking platform, additional fleet options (motorcoaches, minibuses, vans), and handles corporate and larger group transportation services. The companies share resources, fleet, and booking infrastructure.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Signature Transportation Group: Chicago-based motor coach and charter bus operator serving corporate, wedding, and group transportation across Chicagoland. Overlapping fleet, geography, and customer base make it a close direct peer.
• Metropolitan Shuttle: Charter bus operator serving Chicago with motorcoaches and minibuses for corporate events, weddings, airport transfers, and group outings. Comparable fleet mix and event-focused customer base.
• Echo Limousine: Chicago-area ground transportation provider offering charter buses, motorcoaches, and limousine services for weddings, corporate events, and airport transfers. Comparable in service mix and Chicagoland focus.
• Windy City Limousine & Charter Bus: Chicago-based charter bus and limousine service for weddings, proms, corporate events, and group outings. Directly comparable on event-driven transportation and Chicago metro service area.
• GOGO Charters Chicago: Multi-city charter bus platform serving Chicago with motorcoaches, minibuses, and sprinter vans for weddings, corporate, and group transportation. Comparable on fleet and online-quote GTM, though at larger scale.
• United Charter Bus Chicago: National charter bus network with Chicago service offering motorcoaches and minibuses for weddings, corporate, school, and group transportation. Comparable in fleet and booking model.
• Aries Charter Transportation: Parent/sister company providing the booking platform, motorcoaches, minibuses, executive vans, and corporate transportation services that The Trolley Car & Bus Company relies on. Most directly comparable in fleet and customer base given shared ownership.
• Chicago Motor Coach Services: Chicago-area charter bus and motor coach operator serving weddings, corporate events, and group transportation. Directly comparable on product (charter buses), target market (Chicagoland events), and business model (hourly/daily charter rentals).
• Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co. Chicago-based operator offering vintage trolley and double-decker bus rentals for weddings, corporate events, tours, and group outings. Closest direct peer on the vintage/experiential trolley positioning and event-driven service.

Regional players

• Blue Bird Coach Lines: Chicago-area charter bus operator focused on corporate shuttles, school trips, and group transportation. Comparable on bus charter model and Chicago metro service, with a stronger corporate/school mix than event-driven trolleys.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TrolleyCarChgo
• Facebookfacebook.com/trolleycar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-trolley-car-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Trolley Car & Bus Company