North County residents have a new curb-to-curb shuttle service serving Melbourne, Orlando, Sanford, Vero Beach, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale airports and surrounding areas.
The new business operating along the Treasure and Space Coasts that provides typical shuttle service, taxi service and specialty tours is run by Allen Ellis, originally from Elmira, NY, and Virginia Ellis, originally from Lynchburg, Va.
They moved to Sebastian from Melbourne in 2010 because they like the area and because Allen was “always fishing at the Sebastian Inlet anyway.”
Outgoing Virginia Ellis is a natural at promotions, scheduling and customer service, while Allen drives and maintains the vehicles – and the idea for launching their own business was his.
Ellis had been driving for other transportation services for more than five years, and had grown more and more unhappy with what he saw as inadequate customer service. “I knew it could be done better,” he said.
So, last August, the couple decided to take the leap and started A & A Atlantic Coast Shuttle. He would be the driver, she’d handle dispatch and reservations. They started with one vehicle, a Chevy Impala.
Now they have two drivers, “and are hiring more,” says Virginia. The fleet now includes a 6-passenger Honda Odyssey van, a 7-passenger Ford Freestar van and a Lincoln Town Car.
Understanding the importance of presenting a good appearance and of quality branding, Allen works hard to maintain the vehicles and ensure they are always completely clean, inside and out. Early on, he developed a color scheme that they have carried throughout the business, featuring the Impala’s grassy green.
“When I first saw the Impala painted grass green,” Virginia admits, “I said to Allen, ‘Are you crazy?’ But now I like it. And it draws attention.”
The vehicles certainly stand out, all in the same clear green, with yellow and black lettering – a classy look that definitely sets them apart from the shuttle crowd.
The theme carries over into their business cards, post cards and website as well, and even into the uniforms they wear – green shirts and green and black sneakers.
As important as appearances and first impressions are, the heart of the Ellis’s business is service. “We go above and beyond for our customers,” says Virginia. “They always come first. Customers don’t have to share the ride. And we are available 24/7. We have meters in the vans, so we are able to operate like a taxi if the customer chooses.”
On one occasion, at the Melbourne Airport, when they had taken a customer to his hotel in Cocoa Beach, he realized he didn’t have the keys to his car, which was at the airport. They went back to Cocoa Beach, picked him up, Virginia called a locksmith and they waited with the man until the locksmith arrived.
The shuttle rate to and from the airport includes curb-to-curb pick-up and drop-off, with discounts for a round trip. And, Virginia points out, with individual service, there are no annoying stops along the way.
The Ellises make sure to keep up with area history as well as the popular restaurants, resorts, bars, live music venues, excursion boats, and other events within their service area, to better accommodate their customers, who often are not familiar with what’s currently hot, where to go and what to do.
Bar crawls and specialty tours, such as a drive along the waterfront, are also offered, and Virginia is working with a Sebastian travel agency to establish additional custom transportation services.
If Atlantic Coast Shuttle is not able to accommodate someone on a busy day, they work with a partner company to ensure service is provided. “I will call around and get someone else,” said Virginia. “We help each other.”
With such dedication to personal customer service, the Ellises have found that word of mouth has been a valuable business plus, and results in dedicated, satisfied repeat customers.
