BART TRAVELS ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS STORY

Like many cities, Cape Girardeau has its share of entrepreneurial success stories: small businesses birthed by a dream and fostered with hard work and determination.

One such business is Bootheel Area Rapid Transportation, known as BART, which was founded in June 1987 by John Marek and Ray Duffey as a shuttle service between Cape Girardeau and St. Louis' Lambert Airport.

"The two of us started it, but it was (Marek's) idea," said Duffey, now sole owner and president of BART. "He was a recruiter for the Marine Corps, and he always contended we needed a shuttle service here. After he retired he decided to give it a shot. He got me involved because of my business background."

What started with a single van running passengers between Cape Girardeau and St. Louis has expanded considerably.

The company now operates eight vans out of Cape Girardeau and six vans that provide shuttle service between Carbondale, Ill., and St. Louis. In November 1992, BART also began operating two vans out of Springfield, Ill.

"We've got a total of 16 vans running now," Duffey said. "It's a far cry from where we were in 1987."

At its inception, BART operated on a shoestring budget and relied heavily upon word-of-mouth advertising, Duffey said.

"We got a lot of free advertising because everybody said we were crazy," Duffey said with a chuckle. "It was difficult at the time. It was pretty much of a shot in the dark. We didn't know what would happen, so we started out with the one van to see what could happen."

That's what the company has done in each of its markets. And, as in Cape Girardeau, those opportunities have expanded.

Headquartered at 1707 Mt. Auburn Road, BART dispatches all its vans from the Cape Girardeau office with pickup points at Cape Girardeau, Dexter, Charleston, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, Perryville and Jackson in Missouri and Murphysboro, Carbondale, West Frankfort, Benton, Marion and Springfield in Illinois.

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

The majority of BART trips are still to the St. Louis airport, but more people are using the services for business trips to St. Louis, Duffey said.

Occasionally passengers go to St. Louis for a day of shopping, and the company provides some special same-day rates for people who visit the city for a day.

For about $40, customers can ride in seven-passenger, luxury mini-vans from Cape Girardeau to St. Louis. Duffey said BART averages about seven trips daily to St. Louis.

"I think it's popular with a lot of people simply because of the convenience of not having to fight traffic and park in St. Louis," he said. "A lot of our business is from visitors or business associates coming in, and we're able to pick them up and bring them to Cape without someone having to take off work to pick them up."

Duffey said he's aware of some companies who have tried to start a similar service in the area. But, he said, most people are unaware of the government regulations that apply.

"Most people who've decided to try it back out when they realize all the regulations they have to comply with," he said.

Duffey said he's pleased with the company's growth and the support BART's received in the area.

"Right now our only plans are to solidify the markets we have, as opposed to looking for new markets," he said. "We also have the authority now to provide a small-package delivery service. That's something we're going to expand as the need arises."

Duffey said the key to BART's success has been its track record as a safe and dependable way to travel between Cape Girardeau and St. Louis.

"We realize travel is very important to people," he said. "It might be an important business trip or a long-awaited vacation.

"It's very important that we be dependable and safe, and our drivers do a wonderful job. They will exceed a million miles a year in our vans, and we've never had an accident. They're very dependable."