SuperShuttle adds residential areas to ride-share model

At its very core, SuperShuttle is a form of ride-sharing.

But it’s not the same kind of ride-sharing Uber provides — or is trying to provide — in Southern Nevada.

For one thing, it’s legal, sanctioned by the Nevada Transportation Authority and licensed to carry passengers between McCarran International Airport and the resort corridor.

SuperShuttle, whose bright blue vehicles are easily recognizable on the road, serves more than 40 airports throughout the United States, France, Mexico and the Netherlands.

Californians are quite familiar with SuperShuttle’s service — the company has operated in San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles for more than 30 years.

Last week, SuperShuttle made a giant leap in the Southern Nevada transportation market, expanding to provide rides from residential neighborhoods to the airport.

In the early going, it’s a limited service to a few neighborhoods on the western side of Las Vegas, but by next year it’s going to expand throughout the city.

“The response so far has been just fantastic,” said Trevor Halleran, general manager of SuperShuttle in Las Vegas.

In the initial rollout, SuperShuttle began its residential rides at Summerlin, Sun City Summerlin and Siena. Eventually, Halleran said rides would expand to nearly every Southern Nevada hill and valley — Centennial Hills, Seven Hills and Green Valley included.

The company started its airport-resort corridor service in September 2013 after winning Nevada Transportation Authority approval. Just more than a week ago, the residential rollout began.

“SuperShuttle had wanted to enter the Las Vegas market for a number of years, but needed to wait for the right opportunity,” said Jim Gleich, senior vice president of the western region of Transdev on Demand, parent company of SuperShuttle.

“That time came last year, when we bought an existing certificate from a local airport service and went through the proper sale-and-transfer process with the Nevada Transportation Authority. We started servicing the Strip and downtown hotels with the intention to also service the local communities to the airport.”

Halleran said on the first weekend the residential service was available, the company took reservations for seven passengers. In just two days, word of mouth took hold and the company had 54 residential reservations for the first week.

The Las Vegas SuperShuttle operation is the second best rated franchise of the company’s 46 locations, 31 in the United States. On a scale of 1 to 5, Las Vegas SuperShuttle’s service rate is 4.9.

As a result, the fleet is rapidly expanding.

When SuperShuttle opened its doors here 14 months ago, it had 14 vehicles and about 2,400 passengers a week. Today, it has 50 vehicles, two dedicated exclusively to disabled passengers, and the company averages 10,000 passengers a week, hitting a record 12,000 in a recent week.

The local SuperShuttle fleet includes 35 10-passenger vans and 15 24-passenger buses that operate between the airport and the Strip. Halleran said the vans normally are dispatched for residential runs but if a large group is anticipated, a bus can be used instead.

Here’s how the ride-sharing aspect of SuperShuttle works: Customers hail a ride by phone, on the company’s website or via the SuperShuttle app.

The company has perfected wait time to an average 11 minutes. SuperShuttle’s technology determines a vehicle’s route based on available vehicles, the location of the customer and desired arrival time. Residential customers are assured a ride to the airport with a maximum three stops.

Customers get emailed updates on estimated time of arrival and a message is sent when the vehicle is waiting outside the door.

“The technology groups people,” Halleran said. “The automated system is linked to a tablet in every vehicle and the system automatically pairs the closest vehicle and driver with a passenger.”

When the ride is completed, the system generates a report to Halleran who can tinker with routing and fix flaws. Every month, statistical reports are generated for every SuperShuttle manager for them to swap strategies. And, a survey is also generated and emailed to every passenger to rate the driver, the experience and to solicit comments on how the service can be improved.

SuperShuttle has an unusual pricing structure that favors large groups. The first passenger is charged a rate based on distance to the destination and time. Right now, that range is about $33 to $38. But every other passenger in the same group go for $9 each.

Like all licensed Transportation Authority-sanctioned drivers, those who work for SuperShuttle go through background checks, receive updated training and are regularly screened with drug tests. Vehicles and drivers are insured to Transportation Authority standards and every vehicle is regularly maintained.

The company maintains a workforce of 100 drivers and keeps a roster of 6,000 prospects on file for expansion and to maintain the company’s service level.

SuperShuttle’s service desk at McCarran International Airport is near Door 11 at Terminal 1’s baggage claim area. Although the airport desk is manned from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., the local dispatch is a 24/7 operation to accommodate customers who may have early flight departures.

The company also touts itself as environmentally friendly with its vehicles powered by propane.