Follow usA note from Jim Sherrell, Shuttle Express CEO
Building our culture of friendly, quality service
I would like to share some of our company culture and history. Shuttle Express was conceived in early 1979 by San Juan Airlines. At the time, San Juan Airlines was the oldest commuter airline in the United States. The airline connected travelers from all over Puget Sound, Vancouver, and Victoria to the Seattle-Tacoma and Portland airports and to the outside world. This airline service spawned the idea of using vans rather than airplanes to connect communities, homes, and businesses from the Seattle-Tacoma-Everett region to SeaTac Airport. After studying ground transportation models around the U.S., we decided to start a share-ride service.
San Juan Air had earned a reputation as the safest and most professional commuter airline in the U.S. Â We believed that the safe, professional culture transferred from the airline would create a successful ground transportation company. Our immediate goal was to build this new company on the same foundation of safety, service, and reliability. Our mission was to offer a safe, caring, affordable alternative to begging a ride, or driving and parking at SeaTac airport. From our beginning, safety has reigned as our first priority.
The door-to-door share-ride ground transportation concept had never been tried in the Northwest. After Shuttle Express began operations, government entities (city, county, and state) as well as other transportation companies sought to shut us down. However we provided good, clean equipment, uniformed drivers, and we kept our fares reasonable because the ride was shared among our guests. Most importantly, we fostered a culture of driving safely, opening doors, carrying bags, and caring for our guests in any way possible. Protestors soon were overcome by public opinion in favor of our new service.
No business survives very long without earning money. As a young company, we faced the "profitability" challenge. In the mean time we sold San Juan Air to Alaska Airlines. From the sale we were able to infuse more cash into the business with hopes of reaching profitability. A year and a half into operations, in February - the slowest travel month - we had used up most of our cash and credit. I still recall a management team meeting with rain and snow falling outside, and our future looking as bleak as the weather. A unanimous decision was made for everyone to cut costs and to refine our operations in whatever manner necessary to survive. It worked. Our business grew and we made it to summer. Â It took another year, but we finally achieved a small yearly profit.
From our humble beginning and through two decades of service, Shuttle Express has met our challenges with a tenacity hardened by our early heritage. Shuttle people have always made a way to survive and succeed. Our stories include many challenges. When our office was partially destroyed by the Nisqually earthquake, we re-established operations within hours. When 9/11 happened, our drivers immediately went to the airport to transport travelers back to their homes. Through various storms, power-outages, and snow, Shuttle Express has responded to ensure continued operation.
We continue to run a lean company - holding our high standard for public service and maintaining low fares. We believe our culture of caring for and trusting people, both employees and the traveling public, remains the foundation of Shuttle Express's success. In 2008 we had the pleasure of serving over 714,000 guests.
Throughout our 22 years we've added new services. Early on, we added scheduled hotel airport service. In 1994 we began an executive Town Car service, which now includes a fleet of limousines. In 1999 we purchased our first bus, the forerunner of a fleet of buses now in operation. Our latest service is door-to-door luxury van travel between Seattle and Portland - a perfect example of innovation to do what hasn't been done before. We continue to fulfill our mission to offer safe, affordable, first-class ground transportation to meet our guests' many travel needs.
Last year, Shuttle Express carried more than 700,000 people and saved more than 1 million car trips.
Taking Cars Off the Road
We're committed to helping keep our region's air clean and roadways uncongested by providing their environmentally-friendly share-ride service, using alternative fuel and recycling.
For the past 22 years, Shuttle Express has built its core business on the share ride concept: grouping passengers together who are traveling to the same area. The company's cornerstone service minimizes vehicle impact on our environment and encourages responsible use of our resources in several ways. With share ride, Shuttle Express takes low occupancy vehicles off the road. Last year, Shuttle Express carried more than 700,000 people to and from the airport. This translated to an estimated 1 million car trips potentially saved. Consider the impact that these additional car trips would have had on highway congestion and vehicle emissions.
