County : Fun Bus to Take Over Service to Area Airports

Bus service from the county to three area airports will continue without disruption, according to the president of a firm taking over the routes of Airport Service Inc., which is going out of business today.

Citing financial losses from increased competition, Donald W. Boyles, president of Anaheim-based Airport Service, said Friday that the firm, which has operated in Orange County since 1957, would be shut down at the end of the regular workday today. The decision, Boyles said, was made by the firm’s parent company, Chromalloy American Co. of St. Louis.

However, Michael Valen, president of Fun Bus Systems Inc., also of Anaheim, said his company “will continue all services and expand service in many areas.”

Valen said his company bought the assets and facilities, including buses, of Airport Service and will operate the airport shuttles as Fun Bus’ Airlink Airport Service.

Airport Service Inc. had provided transportation for about 750,000 passengers a year to John Wayne, Los Angeles International and Long Beach airports from the Santa Ana bus terminal and five other locations, including the Disneyland Hotel.

Under Fun Bus’ operation, Valen said, the airport services will include about 180 miles of routes with more than 13,000 seats available daily and 10,000 miles a day logged by its shuttle buses.

“We attempted to employ as many of (Airport Service’s) employees as possible,” Valen said. “So far we have hired 40 and are still interviewing.”

About 110 drivers and 28 ticket agents and 43 other salaried employees faced losing their jobs with the closure of Airport Service, Boyles said Friday.