Hybrid limo a hit with celebs
Some Hollywood stars keep Alan Hayes on the speed dial
When the Toronto International Film Festival takes over the city once a year, limos are a common sight.
But one of the chauffeur-driven vehicles that was seen tooling around downtown last month is a little bit different. Alan Hayes, owner and operator of Eco-Limo, ferries his clients — movie stars and others VIPs — in a Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.
“I thought I needed a bit of an angle, a specialty that would set me aside from any other Town Car driver out there,” Hayes says. “I was interested in the environment and doing my little thing as much as I could.”
A mechanic in his native Scotland, Hayes stayed in that field when he came to Canada in 1971. He worked his way up to service manager until the stressful job left him feeling burned out. He’d done a few shifts in a limo to help out a friend, and decided that he thoroughly enjoyed the work.
“I love cars and I love people, and the limo business was obvious,” he says. “I started my own company in 2008 and bought a Town Car. I was living in Aurora and there wasn’t much competition, so I specialized as an airport limo.”
He initially added a Toyota Prius to his fleet, thinking the “green” angle would be the draw, but most customers just liked that he charged less than he did for his full-size limo.
There are a couple of downsides to the job, Hayes says, one being the hours.
“I often get up at four to take someone to the airport, or I have people arriving at one or two, so I’m not home until three or four in the morning,” he says.
“And you’re faced with some bad traffic at rush hour, so over the years, you learn to find the back roads and the quickest ways.”
He’s the usual driver each year for an A-list actress he chauffeurs around during TIFF, but he won’t reveal her name. Discretion is essential to this job.
“The first time I drove her, I got instructions to go to the airport and hold up a sign with an alias name,” he says.
“She’s very environmentally conscious, and her agents arrange for a hybrid vehicle.
“I often picked her up, and she’d come out fairly casual, but the whole trip, she’d put her makeup on. When she got in the car, you wouldn’t recognize her, but she’d emerge as pretty as you see her in the movies.”
He’s careful to judge how much any passenger wants to talk, and he knows when to shut up.
“The majority (of celebrities) are very quiet,” he says. “The door closes and there’s a sigh as they slump in the back seat. They’re tired. Some are on their cellphones the whole way, but they often fall asleep.” And the job has its perks. He once had to pick up a client after a Rolling Stones concert, and arriving early, he noticed the security detail.
“I’m dressed fairly smart, and there were a few guys dressed similarly to me, talking into their lapels and watching everyone,” he says.
“So I didn’t hesitate. I walked up to the door, talking into my lapel, and I walked up to the stage and watched the Stones for half an hour. I always did have a bit of a brass neck.” Jil McIntosh is a regular contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. To reach her, email wheels@thestar.ca and put her name in the subject line.