BART IS FIVE YEARS OLD AND STILL ON MOVE

"We've been providing transportation for people for five years," said Ray Duffey, president and manager of Bootheel Area Rapid Transportation (BART), which is observing its fifth anniversary this year.

Headquartered at 1707 Mount Auburn Road, BART was founded in June 1987 by John Marek and Duffey, with two vans to provide transportation from Cape Girardeau to and from St. Louis International Airport.

"We've expanded," said Duffey. "We now have a total of 13 vans, including a 15-passenger van, and provide service from several areas in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois."

All dispatching is conducted from the Cape Girardeau office, with pickup points at Cape Girardeau, Dexter, Charleston, Sikeston, Perryville and Jackson in Missouri and Murphysboro, Carbondale, West Frankfort, Benton and Marion in Illinois.

Marek sold his share of the business to Duffey in 1989 to relocate to an area where he started a similar service.

"Our operations in Illinois have really caught on," said Duffey, who opened service for the Carbondale-Marion area the second year of operation. "We're in several areas there now, and revenue is about even with revenues from Missouri."

The majority of BART trips are still to the St. Louis airport, but "more and more people are using our services for business trips to St. Louis," said Duffey. "Occasionally we have passengers going to St. Louis for a day of shopping. We have some special same-day rates for people who visit the city for a day."

Duffey credits employees for the success of the company.

"I attribute a lot of our success to our employees both in the office here and the drivers." said Duffey. "The have been willing to put forth the effort to provide high quality service that keep our customers returning."

Marcia Ridenour is assistant manager of the Cape Girardeau office. She has been with the firm since August 1989. "She assists in all phases of our operation," said Duffey.