In just 14 years DPV has grown into a global leader
DPV Transportation (DPV) provides premium transportation solutions to large organizations including Fortune 100 companies and higher education institutions. COO Edward Gonzalez shares a more detailed overview of the business: “The company began in 2011, and we’ve grown into one of the largest minority-owned luxury transportation providers in the country. We focus primarily on providing contracted bus services to educational establishments including MIT and Brandeis University as well as large corporate clients.
“For our corporate clients, which include Pepsi, Amazon, FedEx, and Morgan Stanley, we often provide shuttle services. In addition, we also have a global network of affiliates, which covers five continents. Our affiliates work with us and third-party vendors to deliver solutions to our clients wherever they are needed.”
Edward continues, elaborating on the range of services the business provides: “Our fleet of vehicles starts from a Sprinter van, which is 14-passenger, all the way up to 55-passenger motor coaches. Prime examples of how we can help clients would be transporting students around a university campus via a shuttle bus or collecting staff on a coach from an airport who have flown in to visit a different office or event. We can provide vehicles from sedans and SUVs to everything else a client might need, through our affiliate network.”
In recent years, the company has gone from success to success; Edward expands, reflecting on the factors that have contributed to the remarkable growth: “From 2023, we have achieved around 26 percent growth year on year. One of the most significant factors is our reputation within the industry. We treat every single customer as a VIP; as a result, a lot of our business comes from word-of-mouth referrals. We also have a very robust marketing and sales department who are excellent at targeting specific contracts and being discerning about the clients we want to work with.”
As a result of this process, the company has formed new partnerships with major public transit authorities in Boston and New York. Edward details the relationships: “In Boston, what we do for the MBTA is a little different because we own and operate some of the vehicles they use to service the public. In New York, we have been affiliated with the MTA for around three years. We provide them with emergency cover if a train or bus breaks down. More recently, we also became affiliated with the New Jersey Transit Authority.
“Having traditionally focused on luxury transportation, these partnerships often involve different requirements. The kind of vehicles that are requested, for example, tend to be what’s referred to as people movers, which are high capacity and have low floors to allow for standing room. As well as requiring different vehicles, which we have increased within our fleet to meet the rising demand, these partnerships require us to meet different compliance criteria. This has raised our standards across the business, as there is no grace period with these contracts; they require performance from day one.”
As well as expanding the range of services DPV provides, the business is also continually growing its global footprint, often through partnership, as Edward confirms: “We are constantly developing our affiliate network and geographical reach. In some markets, we don’t have a physical presence but rather act as an intermediary. The way it works is, if you are in the UK, for example, and we get a request for a pick-up from Heathrow International Airport, we consult our list of curated and approved affiliates who meet not only our rigorous safety standards but also the level of service our customers have come to expect in terms of vehicles and chauffeurs.”
Edward then reflects on how company culture and diversity among the workforce have contributed to the company’s history of success: “Our Founder Daniel Perez is Colombian-born and came to the US as a young teenager. He began the company from scratch and has developed it into what you see today. Because he is from Colombia, as a way to give back to the community and country, we have a large base there. It is a very diverse organization, and that is something we carry with great pride.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Edward goes on to outline the company’s priorities for the coming months: “We have a couple of contracts that we are looking to implement in the latter half of 2025. In addition to that, the largest priority that we have is to remain profitable and set up for 2026, which projects to be a massive year. To take advantage of the AI revolution, we also have over 200 proposals for more AI integrations, including predictive modelling and predictive pricing.
“Further afield, in five years,” Edward concludes, “I think we will easily double the size of the company. That can be achieved even without expanding our global footprint, which we are also working on. We are also looking to be a pioneer of autonomous buses, so that when that moment comes, we will be well ahead of the curve.”