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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels August 13, 2004 Shuttle Inc. steps in for bus service By Steve Zimmerman Ashland Daily Tidings After Greyhound service ends in Ashland on Wednesday, a new shuttle service will pick up the route. Simply named "The Shuttle Inc.," the service, which operates out of Klamath Falls, will expand service into Ashland, Phoenix and Talent. It has been in business, first as a limousine service, since January 2000. The shuttle makes daily trips to the Medford Greyhound bus terminal while also connecting with Coast Starlight Amtrak in Klamath Falls. The new service in Ashland will begin Aug. 18 at the Minute Market at 304 N. Main St. The Talent stop will be at Quick Shop Market at 102 South Pacific Highway and the Phoenix stop will also be at the Minute Market at 407 North Main Street. Daniel Velasquez, sales and marketing representative for The Shuttle Inc., said it was a natural for the company to pick up service. "Once we heard Greyhound was stopping service, and we heard it the same time everyone else did, we thought about it internally," he said. "First, we wanted to see how we could save service here in Klamath Falls where we are located. Then we looked at how we could save service in other cities close to us as well." He said the pick-up points in Ashland, Talent and Phoenix were found easily. "These were the folks we sought out first," Velasquez said. "The process was not as difficult as we expected. They were very receptive and it looks like it is going to be a great match. The places we targeted were the ones we ended up with." The company is also looking into expanding service as far away as Brookings. Velasquez said right now if you wanted to get from Medford to Yreka, you are looking at riding for 24 hours. This has not been as big a commitment for the company as one might assume. "Our existing fleet of three, 25-28 seat shuttle buses can handle this with service for back-up," he said. "We have been doing daily round-trip service between Klamath and Medford for two years. So this is a natural expansion." But the expansion was more of a quick adjustment rather than a well-planned event. "We are in the process of a little bit of a scramble," Velasquez said. "To provide this, we are going to have to come up with new tickets. We are searching for someone to print tickets now. We want to make sure this service is seamless so there is not a gap." The biggest challenge has been in scheduling trips. "We want to make sure folks from Ashland and from Klamath Falls can still get a convenient boarding and arrival and departure times while still getting to Medford to catch north- and southbound buses," he said. "Getting them there is the first step but making sure they have the connection is the most important step." Schedules are still being finalized. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams