Dec. 12, 2007

Shuttle Express will start a daily scheduled share ride service between Seattle and Portland beginning January 15th. Guests will make the trip in luxury limo vans.

The Puget Sound transportation company is best known for its door-to-door airport share ride, and will offer the convenient door-to-door option with the Seattle-Portland service. Door-to-door means Shuttle Express picks you up at the “door” of your home, office, or requested location in Seattle and drops you off at the “door” of your final destination in Portland. General Manager John Rowley said the new service will be a convenient and economical alternative to flying.

“Door-to-door will be a great way to travel between Seattle and Portland,” Rowley said. ”The guest’s total travel time from pick-up to drop-off on our service should meet or beat the time spent flying when you add up the transportation to and from the airports, not to mention time spent waiting in security lines.”

Shuttle Express purchased a fleet of luxury vans for the new Seattle-Portland Service. The six-passenger vans feature leather captain chairs, generous leg room and “head and shoulders” space, WiFi, DVD/CD/TV monitors, workspace—table and pull-out computer tray, overhead recessed lighting and additional lighting above each seat. Coffee service will be available.

“Our vans are roomier and nicer than the small airline seats, and WIFI is available all the way there,” Rowley said.

To start, six runs are scheduled each day, beginning at 5 a.m. More trips will be added as demand grows. Exclusive charters are available anytime in sedans, limos, mini-coaches, and vans. Guests can book their seats online at www.shuttleexpress.com or through the reservation center, (425) 981-7000 in Seattle area and (866) 666-4188 in the Portland area.

Sept. 7, 2007

Shuttle Express has landed four major airline crew contracts in the past three months, making the Puget Sound transportation company SeaTac Airport’s largest provider of airline crew transfers. Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Air France have all awarded Shuttle Express exclusive contracts for ground transportation. Shuttle Express will provide daily transfers from SeaTac for the flight crews with its extensive fleet of vans, town cars and limos.

John Rowley, Shuttle Express’s Chief Operating Officer and General Manager, said the contracts are another step toward Shuttle Express becoming the region’s largest, full-service transportation company.

“Expansion into this line of business is very important to us. Strategically it’s sound business—year-round transfers that work efficiently within our operation.” Rowley said. “Once we had established ourselves with one or two airlines the word about our high level of service just spread. The crews love us because we’re dependable, safe and friendly.”

Rowley said the drivers and chauffeurs benefit because the trips are quick to downtown and scheduled daily, even when the airport business is slow. “Our drivers and chauffeurs are the lifeblood of Shuttle Express. We’ve got a tremendous amount of great drivers.”

Sept. 6, 2007

Shuttle Express is celebrating 20 years as Puget Sound’s airport transportation experts. Owner Jim Sherrell launched Shuttle Express in 1987 with 13 vans and 65 employees. The Renton-based transportation company has grown steadily to 115 vans and mini-coaches, 40 town cars and limos, and 300 employees. Each year, Shuttle Express carries more than 600,000 passengers and saves an estimated 1 million car trips!

Throughout its history, Shuttle Express has been the only licensed share-ride operator in Puget Sound. Shuttle Express has earned an exclusive contract to be the sole provider at SeaTac Airport.

Aug. 8. 2007

Shuttle Express, along with 40 independent transportation companies throughout the world, today announced the formation and launch of the world’s largest door-to-door airport shuttle company, GO Airport Shuttle, Inc.

Serving 110 airports as geographically diverse as Kahului Airport in Maui, Hawaii, Love Field in Dallas and Charles de Gaulle Airport in France, GO boasts a fleet of 3,765 vehicles, carrying almost 124 million passengers annually.

Shuttle Express vans will soon display a green and white GO identity along with their familiar logo. The other GO Airport Shuttle members are also converting their fleets to a uniform green and white GO identity.

A key component of the new company’s business model is a central, Web-based reservation system, www.goairportshuttle.com, which also launches today. Through it, customers can conveniently visit the Web site to book transportation to and from both departure and destination airports, or they can call one phone number 877-544-4646.

John Rowley, Shuttle Express General Manager and member of the GO Group Board of Directors, said the new web site will be a significant added value to guests. “Our Puget Sound guests can continue to depend on our familiar shuttleexpress.com site, but can reach their destination cities through the new airportshuttle.com address,” Rowley says.

July 2, 2007

Shuttle Express has added four new tour and charter buses and eight new exclusive service vans to its fleet as it begins its busiest travel season yet. This follows the transportation company’s addition of six limousines to its town car division last December.

Shuttle Express’ tour and charter business has grown steadily so expanding the fleet is a priority, said John Rowley, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. “Our goal is always to give the highest quality service to all of our guests, and that also means providing availability for any service we offer. We don’t like turning people away. These vehicles will help us meet our growing demand for the rest of the summer.”

“We’ve had a lot of success capitalizing on our reputation of being very reliable when getting people to and from the airport. Our guests know they can trust our new limos, buses and tours to be dependable, quality services,” Rowley said.

The new 27-passenger buses and 10-passenger vans will be used for both airport transfers and hourly tour and charter bookings. Shuttle Express offers Seattle city tours, Woodinville and Yakima winery charters, and point-to-point charter services to anywhere in the region.

June. 8, 2007

Shuttle Express is pleased to announce that they’ve been awarded the Air France crew transfer contract, providing daily ground transportation services from SeaTac Airport for the airline. Air France will begin daily, non-stop flights between Seattle and Paris June 11. 

“We are pleased to have been chosen as the transportation provider for Air France,” said John Rowley, Shuttle Express’s Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. “It’s another step towards becoming Puget Sound’s largest, full-service transportation company.”

Shuttle Express is now the largest provider for airline crew transfers at SeaTac Airport, and excels at providing dependable, convenient service for the crews and all guests.

Nov. 30, 2006

Shuttle Express kept running this week when many area transportation companies shut down because of snow and ice. Thanks to skilled drivers, dedicated employees and a fleet equipped with studded tires, Shuttle Express transported nearly 9,000 guests despite icy, treacherous roads.

The ground transportation company’s 250 drivers are trained to drive safely in winter weather. In addition, Shuttle Express’ added studded tires to its fleet and increased staff two days beyond what was expected for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Chief Operating Office and General Manager John Rowley said the high demand for the company’s services during ice and snow storms means all employees are needed.

 “Because the ice and snow hit during one of our busiest times we were already running full.  When the cabs stopped running at the airport, we were immediately inundated.  We couldn’t accommodate everyone this time but it wasn’t because we didn’t give it our all,” Rowley said.

Many employees went above the call of duty--working double shifts or on their days off, some sleeping at the corporate offices in Renton. “We had drivers and other personnel sacked out at our office, ready to go again.  Our airport personnel had it especially tough with the cold weather.  We have a lot of people who just do whatever it takes when we get challenges like these.  It brings us together and is something we’re all very proud of.”

Dec. 16, 2005

Shuttle Express has added Global Positional System (GPS) technology to its operations to increase efficiency by helping drivers find addresses faster. This also means less job stress for new drivers The ground transportation company implemented Garmin® GPS units which route multiple addresses, making them a useful tool for Shuttle Express’s popular share-ride service to and from the airport.

The company’s 200 drivers undergo rigorous mapping and routing training before going out on the road, so the GPS units will be another way to ensure accuracy, according to General Manager John Rowley “These units will supplement the efforts of our already highly-trained drivers and dispatchers,” Rowley said. “Our goal is to always improve service, getting our guests where they need to go in the most direct route possible.”

Because Shuttle Express is recognized industry-wide for its excellent safety record and guest service standards, expectations for new drivers are high. Rowley said using the GPS units to provide routing help while learning will lower stress and help new employees ease into the job.

Nov. 21, 2005

Taking Shuttle Express can now save travelers money. Shuttle Express has introduced its GroundNet Preferred Rider program, which gives riders a quick and easy way to earn hotel discounts each time they use Shuttle Express, or any of its GroundNet partners.

GroundNet is a network of 39 ground transportation companies that serves more than 29 million passengers each year in most major airports. Those who sign up as preferred riders are automatically enrolled in GroundNet’s Travel Rewards Program, which deposits travel reward dollars in a rider’s account with every Shuttle Express trip. For example, if a rider spends $25 with Shuttle Express, he/she earns 25 Travel Reward Dollars that can be used for discounted stays at more than 10,000 hotels and resorts worldwide . For riders who book roundtrip in two GroundNet cities, they earn double the Reward Dollars. More than 30 hotels in the Seattle area are participating in the rewards program. Program members typically save between 15 and 20 percent on their hotel stays using Travel Reward Dollars.

To thank riders who join the program, Shuttle Express is depositing $250 Reward Dollars in their GroundNet Preferred Rider accounts when they register, which can be used immediately at participating hotels.

Nov. 10, 2005

Shuttle Express has won the 2005 TRAX Insurance Ltd. 400 Point Award of Excellence. The award is given each year to TRAX members who uphold the highest safety standards, and demonstrate their commitment to preventing workplace and driving safety hazards.

To earn the award, Shuttle Express underwent an exhaustive audit of its safety record, training methods and work procedures. The ground transportation company showed excellence in areas including motor vehicle safety, safety training, and accident severity and frequency control. “At Shuttle Express we’re all about customer service, but only after putting safety first,” Chief Operating Officer and General Manager John Rowley said. “If you don’t place safety first, you don’t get the chance to provide great customer service.

This Award of Excellence shows our commitment to and follow-through regarding safety.” TRAX has recognized Shuttle Express with Awards of Excellence for the last two years . TRAX is an organization insuring 42 of the finest operators in the nation, and has been in existence since 1999.

Sept. 9, 2005

Shuttle Express is donating shuttle services to the Red Cross, who needs transportation for the steady stream of volunteers flooding their Seattle headquarters. Shuttle Express management is providing the vans and fuel costs, while employees are giving cash donations to cover labor. Hundreds of local residents have offered assistance, and the charity’s training sessions have been accelerated so volunteers can quickly be dispatched to the Gulf Coast region. Shuttle Express will transport these volunteers to and from the Red Cross headquarters to their Seattle training location.

May 31, 2005

Shuttle Express helped 18 local WWII veterans take what several described as the trip of their lives. Shuttle Express donated ground transportation services for a special Memorial Day trip for the vets, who traveled to Washington, D.C., to visit the recently-built National World War II Memorial. Through its “Wings of Honor” project, a Bothell scout troop raised $14,000 with an auction and community donations like Shuttle Express’s to send the vets on this all-expenses paid trip to visit the memorial that commemorates their sacrifices. Many vets said they could not afford the trip on their own.

Wings of Honor coordinator Chris Duros said Shuttle Express helped make the trip a success. “Thanks to Shuttle Express, it started and ended without a hitch,” Duros said. “Your drivers had the vans right on time for us, and went out of their way to accommodate all of our vets’ special needs. This trip turned out to be everything we could have hoped for and much more.”

Oct. 20, 2004

The Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition awarded Shuttle Express their 2004 Alternative Fuels Sustainable Commitment Award in a ceremony at SeaTac airport October 20, 2004. The Coalition recognized Shuttle Express for buying and using clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG) shuttle vans. In accepting the award, Shuttle Express managers said the company has a long history of supporting efforts to keep our air clean by providing its economical and environmentally-friendly share-ride service. Adding CNG vans to its fleet continues that tradition with the use of clean-burning fuel. Shuttle Express continues its commitment of doing its part in keeping our region's air clean.