Latest News and Alerts
Please send all input to randy@jameslimousine.com or text to 804-307-0709.
Traditional houses that are dark this year (some are still listed on Richmond.com) :
West End – Holbrook, Haviland, Aprilbud, Anderson Court, Croft Circle, Pine Grove, Bremo (St Marys Hospital), Weldon
Chesterfield – Adkins, Belmar, Courthouse, Spring Run, Walnut Creek, Clemons, Rossmere
Mechanicsville – Plantation, Cory Lee, Kiwi, Spring Run, Poteat
Downtown – Not allowed to stop at Jefferson Hotel, 3209 Hanover, Kensington, Laurel, 1510 Grove, 2200 Park
Wendhurst will not allow limo or bus companies to unload passengers to see the lights on Friday or Saturday nights after 8:30 PM on Friday, 12/9, Saturday 12/10. Friday, 12/16, Saturday 12/17, or Friday, 12/23. The homeowner will cut off all lights if necessary to enforce this rule, they do not want to deal with the problems this year of drunk passengers inappropriate behavior.
With close to 300 tacky light tours booked for the 2022 season, we have a big December ahead. Our goal is to provide a SAFE and fun experience for our passengers for each and every tour. We must also take responsibility for controlling our passengers behavior, remembering that families and children will be at each home, and respecting the homeowners and their neighbors. We have been informed by Henrico County Police that they will be out in large numbers to enforce safety regulations and control crowd behavior. It is our responsibility to inform our passengers that they risk a restricted or terminated tour and even arrest if they violate the safety and conduct policies below. The police may hold you as their driver responsible as well. The police will also be monitoring vehicles that stop in front of houses blocking traffic for excessive amount of time.
Tips for a successful and safe Tacky Light Tour
- Ask at the beginning of the trip which route the passengers would like to see. Adjust accordingly.
- BE ALERT AT ALL TIMES. You have passengers, other moving vehicles, parked vehicles, people walking, crowded and narrow side streets, and the lighted houses all distracting you and diverting your attention.
- Use the Circuit Route App to provide turn by turn directions and let you focus on safe driving.
- Be genuinely enthusiastic and personable, experience the tour through your passengers, no matter how many times you’ve seen each house.
- Do not let passengers out of the vehicle on their own. They should wait until you park and open the doors for them for safety reasons. Try to use the curbside door for passenger exit and entry. Stay with your passengers and help them crossing streets by ensuring traffic has stopped (Take your flashlight with you!) Please explain this guideline to the passengers before you start each tour.
- Do not let rowdy passengers out of the vehicle. We could have homeowners ban us otherwise… especially for public urination, littering and noise. Police are often present and sometimes in plain clothes. Make it clear you will plan to stop for restroom use.
- Consumption of alcohol during the tour is allowed, drunken, inappropriate behavior is not. If you observe passengers consuming large amounts of alcohol, or they appear intoxicated at the start of the tour, you should take the primary passenger aside privately and explain the consequences if anyone acts inappropriately or fails to follow safety policies. Use your best judgement when determining if groups consuming alcohol should be allowed to exit the vehicle to view homes.
- Passengers are allowed to get out to view homes as long as they do not take open containers with alcohol outside the vehicle, trespass on yards, relieve themselves in yards, or curse around families and children. Any violations and the passengers are no longer allowed to get out at any of the homes, no exceptions.
- Opening emergency exit windows is not allowed. Passengers can fall out of emergency windows in a moving vehicle and risk serious injury or death.
- Standing in vehicles while in motion is not allowed. Passengers should receive 2 warnings. On the 3rd violation, pull over, stop the vehicle, and make sure everyone hears a final warning that another violation will result in termination of the trip and immediate navigation to the final drop point, without any refunds.
- Instruct the passengers how to use the rear controls, especially the heat and AC, to avoid fogging the windows. Try to keep it as cool as possible in the rear to avoid fogging. Open front windows to help if necessary. Fog elimination shami-sponges will be in limo’s, buses, vans and SUV’s.
- Turn headlights off in front of houses, use parking lights instead). Be courteous to other vehicles, wait your turn.
- Turn off engine and remove key if you are leaving the vehicle. We have had customers joy-ride unattended vehicles.
- Do not stop in front of the homes. If passengers wish to get out, find a spot prior to or after the home to park and not block others wishing to view the home. Basically, think courtesy to others, remember our plates are our brand… and well known. Do not block Driveways.
- Gratuities- As always, drivers will inform passengers that a 20% gratuity is included before accepting any cash tips. No tip containers are permitted.
- If some homes are not lit due to bad weather, pass that along via dispatch so other drivers can be notified via text.
- If you find some spectacularly decorated homes, that aren’t on our list, please pass this information along, again, via dispatch.
- The bottom line, as always, is to safely provide our clients the best experience with an award-winning performance we possibly can.
Tacky Light Tour Navigation App Training Video
We have adapted a delivery driver route planning mobile app called Circuit Route Planner as a navigation tool to use for tacky light tours. It has 70 tacky light tour homes from the Richmond.com official list programmed into 5 geographical routes: West End, Downtown, Mechanicsville, North Chesterfield, and South Chesterfield. You need to be prepared to do tours in any of those areas. You cannot just fall back on past experience and only be able to do the “traditional” West End tour from memory. Please watch this short 10 minute video and practice with the app. It has been installed on the home screen of all vehicle tablets.