Transit company celebrates milestone amid Sept. 11 struggles

On the cusp of his 15th anniversary in business, Bootheel Area Rapid Transportation owner Ray Duffey wishes he had more reason to celebrate.

Not that he's not proud of the Cape Girardeau business he's nurtured since it opened on June 13, 1987, but revenues are down almost 20 percent over this time last year -- a huge drop by any standard.

In 2000, BART served 33,629 passengers, but those numbers fell to 29,000 in 2001.

Duffey has had to cut his fleet of vans that provide riders from Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois trips to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport from 18 to 16. He's also had to trim his office staff by two people.

Not to mention that Duffey, 63, has been pulled from semi-retirement to a more active role to help out around the office.

"Business is down, you do what you have to do," said Duffey.

There are two villains in this story: Last year's sluggish economy and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, which has caused an avalanche of problems to the travel industry.

Even before the attacks, the recession was causing people to cut back on their travel budgets. Then, when the attacks happened, many became afraid to fly.

If people can't afford to travel, or afraid to fly, then a business like BART suffers. When it comes to fixing the situation, Duffey said his hands have been tied.

"There's not a lot you can do about the economy," he said. "And nobody saw Sept. 11 coming. All you can do is wait until people regain their confidence in the airline industry again."

Duffey said his business isn't in jeopardy, despite the tough times. He's faced tough times before.

It wasn't easy when he first opened the business, which is located at 2900 Kage, just off Mount Auburn Road. The idea -- cultivated by Duffey and his former partner John Marek -- was to provide comfortable rides to people who didn't like driving, flying on small planes, or the parking fees at the busy St. Louis airport.

The idea was actually Marek's, a Marine recruiter who was having trouble getting his new soldiers to St. Louis. He approached his longtime friend, Duffey, because he wanted a partner with a business background.

Duffey, who had a 25-year career in the trucking business, even owned his own truck line for a time. Duffey had been in management for other truck lines in California, as well.

"When we started, this was a very different concept for the most part," Duffey said. "Usually, it was a service to get people from bigger towns to smaller towns. We're the opposite of that."

BART was started with one driver and the business grew slowly. They added two more vans, but mainly because it eased scheduling conflicts. Early on, they made many trips, but most of them only had one or two people on the buses.

"The beginning was challenging, no question," he said. "There were some questions about whether or not we would get it off the ground. We just thought if we could hold on long enough, it would grow."

They were right.

After a year or so, though, the business began to grow fairly rapidly, he said. Initially, their advertising budget was slim, so Duffey said word-of-mouth must have been a big factor.

"Our quickest appeal was to the retired community," he said. "We pick people up at their homes and they don't like to deal with traffic and parking at the St. Louis airport. It's a convenience."

Bought out partner

Then business people started riding on a more consistent basis.

Soon, they had five buses and business was going well. After a year and a half, they began offering the service to Carbondale, Ill. Eventually, they worked at Springfield, Ill., too.

But the question remained about whether there would be enough to take care of two owners. At Marek's request, Duffey bought him out two years after they opened.

Over the years, people may have gotten the impression that he is in competition with the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, which he said isn't true.

"Our position has always been, we understand the need for a good airport," he said. "We need it for businesses to come here. We've never been anti-airport. But we see a need for our business. There are people who don't like flying on small planes and don't want to hassle with parking in St. Louis. We're an alternative, and I think a good one."

Despite the challenges, Duffey said it has been a job he's likes.

"I've enjoyed it," he said. "It's a very versatile business. You have to constantly be on your toes. I enjoy working with people. This is very much a people business."

And he doesn't think things will stay this bad for long. He plans to continue doing the things he's always done -- give the good service people expect of them. He thinks it will take about a year for the business to right itself.

"We'll be OK," he said. "We've just had to tighten our belts a little bit. We're happy to have just been around long enough."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137