Our History
William Cox started Ground Travel Specialist (GTS) in 2005 after working as the dispatcher for another motorcoach company when he decided to join the military. When returning from training at U.S. Marine Recruit Training Depot in Paris Island, SC he found the company he had worked for had gone out of business. Armed with just the money for a down payment for one vehicle, the experiences he learned from his previous employment, and a determination emboldened from his Marine training he started his own motorcoach company.
There were plenty of rough times and learning experiences along the way. The first two years there were especially a lot of issues and mistakes made for sure. He was not proud of how things were going. It was because of this that he decided to revamp/recondition his fleet of three, add newer vehicles, and retrain drivers in REAL customer service. It is through those times, and his dedication to perfection that has helped him make GTS become one Michigan’s premier motorcoach companies. It is still the reason today our vehicles are the cleanest they can be, have the latest in amenities and comfort features, and have safe professional drivers for every trip.
Choosing a motorcoach
We could say we’re the only great motorcoach company in Michigan but that’s just not true. We know you have options. And that is why we work so hard day in and day out to win your business and even harder after to keep it. The following three reasons help show the biggest difference between us and the other great companies around.
Important Note: We mentioned above that there are other great motorcoach companies around, but also want to make sure you’re aware there're many times more bad companies. These companies we beat in these categories and every other one you can think of.
Disclaimer: All claims made on this website and in other marketing materials are accurate at the time of publication, but may change at any time including vehicle types, pricing, amenities, policies, and any other information. For the most up to date information ask a service representative in the office.
Pricing: Your price is based on the services detailed on your quote or confirmation. If there are any changes made by the booking party or errors with dates and times you must let the office know as soon as possible so they can look at the corrections and see if it affects the price. All itinerary/trip details must be accurate on your confirmation to reflect the actual price of your trip. The price currently on your confirmation reflects what times and information we currently had assumed at the time of pricing. This cost may change in accordance with your actual itinerary.
Itinerary: Customers are required to give an itinerary in writing to the office detailing the addresses, dates, and times of the locations you have for pick-ups, drop-offs, and stops in between. This is to make sure both you and the company are in complete understanding of what is expected for your trip. It also allows for drivers to fully prepare for the trip.
Itinerary Changes: We are happy to try and accommodate any extra service or changes not listed on your confirmation or itinerary after the trip starts. There may be an extra charge for any extra service. You may talk to your driver or the office first, but either way final approval must come from management which will then communicate the decision to the driver. If there is a fee for the extra service, management will let you know what the fee for the change will be and you can decide. If there are ANY additional charges assessed to the account; those fees will be due immediately in accordance with our company policies.
Checks: It is not mandatory but is appreciated if when payments are made you make sure to write your assigned charter number (which will be on your confirmation) on your check to make sure your payment is applied properly. This just avoids any confusion later. Please make checks payable to “Ground Travel Specialist, Inc.”
Payments: Payments MUST be at our office by the date your confirmation has on it or you run the risk of having your trip cancelled. We are willing to work with customers about their payment schedule but you must communicate with our office about this. We will then change it on your Charter Confirmation and send out a changed copy of your paperwork with the new dates you worked out with our staff. This is to protect BOTH parties involved. All payments received will be applied to any balances owed by the customer.
Due Dates: You must send in a deposit to ensure your motorcoach is saved. You can sign the contract and send it in, but unless the deposit is paid by the due date on that Charter Confirmation we cannot guarantee that you have a vehicle saved. You of course may ask for a deposit extension, but you must get a Charter Confirmation with a new due date on it. If the deposit is not received by the due date, GTS reserves the right to rescind our price and renegotiate a different quote. If the balance is not paid by the due date, GTS may charge a 15% surcharge for any payments still owed. Any new fees added during the trip (such as parking, extra service, extra clean-up) are due immediately. If booked or paying within 14 days prior to a trip’s departure then payment must be made paid in cash, money order, certified check, wire transfer, or other guaranteed funds. Outside of 14 days you can pay by any of these methods or with a personal/business check, or credit card.
ALL TRIPS MUST BE PAID IN FULL PRIOR TO DEPARTURE!
Credit Card: We do accept all of the major types of Credit/Debit Cards but there is a fee of 3% added to the price of the charter as a convenience fee. This, similar to gas stations, is not to punish those that must pay this way but rather to recoup the additional fees we get charged by our credit card processor. We are very sorry to have to charge this but to keep prices as low as we do we must make sure there aren’t any other unexpected costs incurred after offering our low rates.
Returned Funds: If there is a check returned NSF or stop payment made for any reason, the funds that were not received by GTS will be due immediately along with a $35 returned check service fee. This includes if you are in the middle of the trip. As with other times when payments are due, the contracted vehicle may be stopped by management until certified funds are received by the office. If there is a credit/debit card on file, you give permission for the office to run this card to cure any shortage in payment owed.
Cancellation: If you cancel your trip outside of 45 days we will be happy to transfer your deposit to any future service GTS or our affiliate TTT offers. Your deposit is non-refundable AND non-transferable if cancelled inside of 45 days. This is because at this point it becomes near impossible to book this vehicle on another trip as we have already been saving this vehicle for you. When cancelling, it must be done formally. Meaning it must be in writing and sent by way of fax, email, or mail. Please resend or double check with the office that your cancellation was received by the staff at GTS if you do not get a response acknowledging that we know about the change of trip status.
Fuel Surcharge: A fuel surcharge of 1.5% will be accessed to the account for every ten cents ($0.10) diesel goes up in price from the date the trip is originally booked. This assessment will NOT be charged if fuel only goes up by thirty cents ($0.30). There will also be NO fuel surcharge for trips UNDER 200 miles. GTS will determine the amount owed 7-21 days prior to the trips departure. At this point in time an additional invoice will be sent out and no other surcharge will be invoiced. These funds are due prior to trip departure. To calculate the historical and current price of diesel we will use http://gasbuddy.com/gb_retail_price_chart.aspx Example: A trip booked on Nov 5 had a Detroit area historical average for diesel of $4.00 and the trip leaves June 5 and 2 weeks before it is determined the Detroit current average for diesel is $4.50. The charter price was $1000. The calculation would go as follows: $4.50 - $4.00 = $0.50 - $0.30 = $0.20 / $0.10 = 2 x 1.5% = 3% increase. 103% $1000 = $105 + $1000 = $1105 as the final price.
Federal , DOT, and other governing bodies/laws: Motor Carriers/Motorcoach companies are part of a highly regulated industry. This is good as it does try and protect you, the consumer, from shady operators that run vehicles that are unsafe, or drivers that aren’t qualified/drive illegal, or companies that don’t have proper licensing and insurance. As these governing bodies do the best they can to correct the poorly run companies and shut-down the illegal; they obviously can not be everywhere at once and do all they need to fix this unsafe issue.
THE DRIVER MUST ABIDE BY ALL DOT LAWS & SHOULD NOT BE ASKED TO BREAK ANY OF THESE LAWS. DURING THE CHARTER THE GROUP IS TO MAINTAIN A RESPECT FOR THE EQUIPMENT INCLUDING THE CLEANLINESS OF THE MOTORCOACH & NO SMOKING. A SURCHARGE WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR ACCOUNT IF THE EQUIPMENT IS NOT KEPT RESPECTABLE. THIS COMPANY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO LEASE EQUIPMENT FROM OTHER COMPANIES IN ORDER TO FULFILL THIS AGREEMENT. THIS COMPANY SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ITEMS LEFT ON THE COACH OR LOSS OF TIME DUE TO MECHANICAL FAILURE, TRAFFIC OR INCLEMENT WEATHER. WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THE ASSIGNMENT OF REQUESTED DRIVERS OR COACHES. ANY ACTION/PROCEEDINGS ARISING FROM THIS CONTRACT WILL STAY WITHIN THE LEGAL JURISDICTION OF THE COURTS OF OUR OFFICE'S ADDRESS, NO MATTER WHERE THE PICK-UP IS. THE CONTRACT MUST BE SIGNED TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR RESERVATION & YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS AGREEMENT. THIS CONTRACT SUPERCEDES ALL PREVIOUS AGREEMENTS, VERBAL AND WRITTEN, AND IS UNDERSTOOD TO BE THE FINAL DRAFT OF ANY NEGOTIATIONS.
Updates coming very soon.