| United States | Only 10 of 54 sites showed a regulator number we could check (USDOT, MC, TCP, CPCN, PUC or city permit), and USDOT appeared on just 4. None stated an insurance amount. Only 9 showed any price, only 6 said anything concrete about gratuity, fuel, deposit or cancellation, and at least 8 said “no hidden fees” or “all-inclusive” without itemising. 7 were partly or fully brokers. | California requires charter-party carriers to hold a TCP permit, and its all-in price law means a mandatory gratuity or fuel fee added to an advertised rate is a risk. A buyer who cannot find the number cannot check you. |
| United Kingdom | 0 of 74 home pages showed a private hire or PSV operator licence number, and only 2 named their licensing council. About 10 ran 9–34 seat party buses or 13–18 seat Hummers, which need PSV operator licensing. Only 6 showed a company number, 8 showed prices, and none of the price pages we opened said whether VAT was included. 7 still used the old names VOSA or CRB. | Vehicles carrying 9 or more passengers for hire need a PSV operator licence, limited companies must show their number on their website, and consumer prices should include VAT. |
| Canada | 2 of 100 sites printed a licence number, both in BC. 0 of 41 Ontario sites mentioned CVOR, though at least 15 advertised buses for 20–65 passengers. None showed an NSC number or a city limo licence number, and 11 said “licensed” with no issuer. Only about 14 showed any price. Five Ontario party bus sites gave four different answers on alcohol, and 7 of 15 Québec sites were English-first. | Ontario needs CVOR for buses seating 10 or more, Toronto and Calgary license limo companies, and the Competition Bureau treats prices that leave out mandatory fees as drip pricing. |
| Australia | Only 3 of 59 home pages showed a regulator number, and 9 more said “accredited” or “licensed” with no number. Of 10 party bus operators, only 2 mentioned bus accreditation. Only 5 showed an ABN, one with an empty “ABN:” field. 50 showed no prices, and of the 9 that did, only one said GST was included. | Each state authorises booked hire and limo services, buses need separate accreditation, and the ACCC expects the total price to be as prominent as any hourly rate. |
| All four | Placeholder text, stale copyright years, review counts that disagree on the same page, unsupported “#1” claims (about 20 in the US and 25 in Canada), summer offers still live in October, and in Canada a ranking domain turned into a casino page. | A limo is booked for a night that matters. A careless website makes the person paying wonder what else is careless. We check every page before launch. |