Door-to-Door Shuttle Service May Ease Airport Congestion

The number of door-to-door shuttles serving Lindbergh Field is expected to double next month when the state Public Utilities Commission approves an application by a new company to provide airport transport service to most of San Diego County.

Port District officials, who administer the airport, said they hope the increased shuttle service will encourage more air travelers to use public transportation. Only 5% of the estimated 11 million travelers who pass through Lindbergh Field each year use public transportation, according to airport statistics.

That percentage is on the “low side for an airport this size in the Western United States,” according to Jerry Reas, transportation specialist for the San Diego Unified Port District.

Shuttle Express Application

The latest company to seek entry into the San Diego market is Shuttle Express International, which filed an application with the State Public Utilities Commission in January but still must provide the state with “proof of insurance and other documents” before final approval is given, according to Dianne Dienstein, a PUC spokeswoman in San Francisco.

But Reas said approval is all but certain, and airport officials expect the shuttle service to begin by the middle of August.

Jim Zabrowski, who operates Shuttle Express, said he expects to win a franchise from Los Angeles-based Super Shuttle to operate the new service. Super Shuttle now provides door-to-door shuttle service to and from most major airports in California and airports in Miami, Dallas and Phoenix.

Zabrowski said he expects to use 35 new vans when his company begins operations next month and plans to provide service to all areas in San Diego County. Zabrowski declined to comment on the fares his company will charge and on other aspects of the service until he receives PUC approval.

13 Carriers Working Now

Shuttle service to and from the airport is now provided by 13 companies, Reas said. Three of the companies provide jitney service, which is limited to a prescribed route, much the same as buses are, and is regulated by the Metropolitan Transportation Development Board. The 10 other companies provide door-to-door airport shuttle service within specific zones and are regulated by the PUC. The shuttle and jitney companies combined operate 40 vehicles to and from the airport, Reas said.

Airporter Express, which has provided airport shuttle service for the past seven years, is the oldest company providing door-to-door service in San Diego. Each company is required to pay an annual $200-per-vehicle fee to the port for the privilege of loading and unloading passengers at the airport.

Reas said airport officials welcome Zabrowski’s entry into the airport transport business because the new service could alleviate congestion at Lindbergh Field.

“The airport would like to get people out of their cars. We would like people to use shuttle vans, taxis, San Diego Transit . . . because we are already crowded with traffic. The more people we can get to use these efficient means of transportation, the better off we’ll be,” said Reas.

Coleen Stroup, owner of Aero Express, began an airport shuttle service earlier this year. Although the company carried about 1,750 passengers in its first month, Stroup said the figure could have been higher. She said few people use the service because “they don’t understand why the vans are there.”

“They understand courtesy vans, like the ones that service the car rental companies and hotels, but not public vans,” Stroup said. “They’re unaware of this service unless they’ve used it in other areas like Los Angeles or San Francisco. Our best bet is word-of-mouth advertising. We get a lot of referrals this way.”

Shuttle Critics

But the shuttle services have their detractors, largely members of the taxi industry who complain that shuttles do not really favor the consumer and that airport rules are biased in favor of the shuttle companies.

“A taxicab is cheaper because several people can ride for the price of one. Shuttle fares are paid per person,” said Alfredo Hueso, whose family owns USA Cab Ltd.

Shuttle fares are usually set by ZIP code area. The farther a ZIP code is from the airport, the more expensive the ride.

Aero Express’ fares range from $4 per person for a downtown trip to $30 for a trip to Escondido, Stroup said. Actually, Escondido warrants three rates, with $30 as the highest, because it has three ZIP codes.

Aero Express charges $2 for each additional person in a party and provides on-call service. It also services the Amtrak station, Sea World and the San Diego Zoo, said Stroup. The company utilizes six vans and operates along the coast and in North County.

Cal Pac Transport, which has offered door-to-door airport service for the past three years, runs an hourly scheduled service to and from the airport, said operating owner Jake Keegan. Cal Pac’s fares are $15 for the first passenger and $10 for each additional passenger in the party going to the same location.

Keegan’s zone of operation is the lucrative Interstate 15 corridor, from Rancho Penasquitos to Lawrence Welk Village. However, if two or more passengers want to ride to or from a less-traveled zone, the company will take them there or pick them up for a minimum charge of $10 a person.

“We’ll take you there or pick you up only if it’s on our way to or from the airport, as long as two or more people are involved,” said Keegan.

Cabbies Complain

Cal Pac also has PUC authority to operate in East County, said Keegan, but usually leaves that area to other carriers. He said that Cal Pac transports about 1,600 passengers a month.

Cabdrivers complain that shuttle drivers solicit customers at the airport, which is illegal. Hueso charged that shuttle drivers frequently go inside the terminals “with signs that say, ‘La Jolla, $20.’ ”

Under airport rules, taxi and shuttle drivers are supposed to wait for passengers to approach them at designated islands outside the terminals. Signs outside the east and west terminals direct passengers to the islands.

“The problem is that the airport doesn’t have the manpower to enforce the rules and regulations. Most of the time there is no enforcement when the shuttle drivers go inside the airport and solicit. . . . We don’t mind the competition from the shuttles, but let’s have the rules applied equally,” Hueso said.

Bruce Hollingsworth, director of administrative services for the Port District, acknowledged that soliciting by shuttle drivers has been a problem. But he said most of the problems are a result of drivers who work on commission.

“That seems to be our biggest problem . . . but it’s a manageable problem. . . . The taxis’ complaint is not unwarranted, but we have also found taxi drivers soliciting as well,” Hollingsworth said.

He added that airport officials hope to manage the problem with the hiring of seven new traffic officers, who are expected to begin working Aug. 1. Officials also hope to be able to better manage the shuttles and cabs by assigning them to a new island being constructed at the airport. Both groups will share opposite sides of the island and will be separated by landscaping, said Hollingsworth.

Restricted to Island

Under the current system, shuttles are restricted to the center island outside the terminal, while cabs are required to wait at the island farthest away from the terminal. Hollingsworth said that airport officials decided to initiate a new system where both groups share the same island because “the taxis complained that their competitors were getting first shot at passengers.”

Another frequent complaint from cabdrivers is that, although individual cabs can only work out of the airport every three days, shuttle drivers are authorized to transport passengers to and from the airport every day. But, Reas said, cab companies still have the advantage because there are 150 cabs working the airport on any given day, competing with 40 shuttles and jitneys.

Airport rules allow only two shuttle vans from the same company at each terminal at the same time.