About Us
To find our booth at SeaTac Airport
To use our service from the airport, cross skybridge 3 or 4 to the airport parking garage then go down to the 3rd floor. Our booth is between the orange and purple elevator banks next to the ground transportation booth. Check in at our self-serve kiosk (for advance reservations) or check in with our airport coordinators at the booth.
Our coordinators, wearing red jackets or vests, are available to assist you between 7:00 a.m.and 2:00 a.m. If you arrive between the hours of 2:00 a.m.- 7:00 a.m., use the courtesy phone at our booth that rings directly into our reservations office. An agent will take your information and dispatch your van. Just have a seat in front of the glass windscreens near the curb and your driver will arrive shortly.
To find us at the Piers
Pier 91 : Look for our coordinators wearing red or green Shuttle Express jackets or vests. Check in with our coordinator, who will escort you to your van.
Pier 66: Our coordinators are stationed in front of the Bell Street Deli near the Pier 66 entrance, wearing red or green Shuttle Express jackets or vests. Check in with a coordinator, who will escort you to your van.
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.
Shuttle Express is proud to support the community with the following projects:
- Ronald McDonald House
- Angel Tree
- Week of Giving Food Donation
Taking Cars off the Road
Shuttle Express is 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 20 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.
Using Alternative Fuel
Shuttle Express practices environmental responsibility by using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to fuel many of its vans. Last year, 47% of all airport trips were made using CNG-fueled vans, and about 43% of the company’s fuel purchases were for CNG. The CNG program has been in place since 2002.
Not only do CNG vehicles reduce foreign oil consumption, but CNG is one of the cleanest burning alternative fuels available. Natural gas vehicles emit up to 95% less pollution than gasoline or diesel vehicles. It’s also non-toxic and disperses quickly.
Shuttle Express earned the 2004 Alternative Fuels Sustainable Commitment Award from the Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition, and was recognized for buying and using CNG shuttle vans. And, although none of our van suppliers make CNG vans, we continue to retrofit our gasoline vans for CNG use.
Recycling
With a fleet of more than 120 vans and mini-coaches, and nearly 50 sedans and limos, our maintenance department does many oil changes. We recycle many hundreds of gallons of oil and antifreeze each year.
Home
From the desk of Jimy Sherrell, president of Shuttle Express
I would like to share some of the culture of Shuttle Express and the history we went through to start and build our company. 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. 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 were providing 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. 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 21 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 has never been done before. We will continue to fulfill our mission to offer safe, affordable, first-class ground transportation to meet the many travel needs of those living in our beautiful region.
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During the December snow storm and holiday season, we transported an average of 2,000 travelers each day. Here are some guest comments we'd like to share:
"You guys were my heros!!! You got me there even through all of the snow! Thank you!" Terri G
"No apology necessary. It's not like your company controlled the weather. Your driver was delayed, but called me to tell me. I really appreciated that. Thought I was delayed enough to be concerned, was able to make my plane with plenty of time, cleaning team was shorthanded. And when I returned, I was treated to a towne car home. As always, it's a treat and convenience to use shuttle express and will do so in the future." Carol P.
"Thank you for this piece of communication. I had occasion to use your service during the snow days, although it was toward the beginning of the snow and ice, but during the "no home pick-up" period. My daughter flew in from Germany, was delayed due to weather, and your service brought her home from SeaTac. I truly appreciated that you were running at all under the conditions, and I tipped the driver generously for putting himself out there on the snow and ice instead of me. I was grateful for his service and careful driving under bad conditions. I know this was not a pleasant time for many people, and I thank you for trying. I also appreciate that you are using this experience to make your business better. I have used Shuttle Express for quite some time and I intend to keep giving you my business." Chris R.
"I want to say how much I value your service. We use Shuttle Express for nearly every airport trip we take. Your drivers are always pleasant and helpful, and we have yet to have a bad experience. Thank you for all you do to help with our travel needs. We will continue to be a Shuttle Express client." Alisha M.
"Thank you for the e-mail. I'm one of the happy customers but even if I weren't, I think you did the best you could. Our world pretty much came to a halt here in the Seattle area. We learned that we can't control everything! The weather got the better of us. Thank you so much for being there when we need your service." Lynn K.
"We think you do an amazing job! Our daughter and son-in-law got here from the airport safely in spite of terrible weather. We were so very grateful not to have them driving or us driving to get them. Thanks you for your service." John and Susan W.
"I just wanted to chime in to say that, as usual, I received stellar service from Shuttle Express when I traveled on Dec. 20, in the thick of the first wave of snow. My driver was right on time, was very courteous to the rude customer who sent her the wrong way down an ice-packed dead-end hill she then had to navigate in reverse (I was ready to strangle him, but she somehow kept a smile on her face the whole time!) and I got to the airport in plenty of time. I wish I knew the driver's name so you could commend her, but maybe you can look her up by shift or route. If you do so, please thank her for me! And thanks to all of you for always making my travel experience less stressful. Keep up the good work!" Mandy S.
"The service was fine in spite of the very challenging street conditions - weather is out of the control of any common carrier - and SE does not have "deicer" as do the airlines - saw from my ride that streets that nornally are not big deal were a BIG deal in the ice and snow - all things considered I believe your drivers overcame tremendous problems in picking up and dropping off clients at their homes - so thanks for being there for me when i needed the lift!" Walter T.
"You guys were FANTASTIC in the middle of an unprecedented storm!" Lisa E.
" I understood the decision to only provide hub service and, at least for me, it worked out and I made it to my flight on-time at a later date. We were all certainly buried by the snowstorm and I definitely appreciated the hard work by your drivers and customer service reps. I thought your people did an admirable job under the conditions considering how much seemingly everyone became reliant on you for their holiday travel. Please pass along my thanks to everyone at Shuttle Express who sacrificed their time and made it possible for me to visit my family. Tim N.