Enterprise to offer deal for airport travelers

Competition is on its way for Bootheel Area Rapid Transportation, a local shuttle service that is capitalizing on the commercial flight shut-down at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car will offer another means of transportation to and from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport toward the end of August at a similar cost of BART's service, according to company officials.

The car rental service is putting together an all-inclusive package so customers in Cape Girardeau can drive back and forth to the St. Louis airport at a lower rate because the company won't have to pay a drop-off fee, which costs between $75 and $100.

When flights touch down, passengers will be able to leave at their leisure, according to Bill Scott, area manager for Enterprise in Southern Missouri. He said travelers have expressed interest in commuting without having to wait up to 90 minutes before or after a flight.

BART travelers are given a tentative pickup time which may or may not have a buffer zone, depending on how busy the shuttle service is that day.

Scott said the company is not trying to take all of BART's business. "It's just an alternative," he said.

Some people would rather be driven and not hassle with parking at the airport.

Ruth Illers, who lives between Jackson and Gordonville, said she's been traveling with BART since the service became available 20 years ago and she plans to continue.

"I don't want to drive home after I've been on a trip," she said. "BART provides a timely, efficient, dependable service and the drivers have always been courteous to me."

Illers said BART drivers have gone out of their way to handle everything from her excessive baggage to a lost camera. She would rather wait if necessary than have to retrieve her vehicle or rental car before driving home.

BART president Kathy Hecht, who acquired the corporation in 2005, said travelers with early flights have been known to take a nap in the van or do work on their laptops. "A lot of people don't feel comfortable driving in the traffic," Hecht said.

Carolyn Kempf, president of Elite Travel, a travel agency in Cape Girardeau, said there's not many options for locals who don't want to drive their own vehicle to the airport and some are willing to pay whatever it costs to rent.

For those who choose to drive their own vehicle, Elite Travel has contracts with several hotels around the St. Louis airport to provide the agency's clientele with discounted rates. Travelers could stay at one of the hotels for 30 to 50 percent off and have eight days of free parking. For each additional day, they pay $4 or $5.

Kempf said from her experience in the traveling business, senior citizens tend to prefer BART whereas a car rental service may have more of a corporate following. "It's whatever best suits the client," she said. "They know what's best for them."

Hecht said there's recently been a noticeable increase in BART's business, which can be attributed to Tennessee-based RegionsAir commercial airline terminating its flight service out of the Cape Girardeau airport earlier this year.

In June, BART had 1,232 passengers in Missouri. That number was 998 during the same month in 2006.

The shuttle service also has two locations in Illinois.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has a location within 15 miles of more than 90 percent of Americans. There is a location on North Kingshighway as well as one at the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.

"We envision the new service as a cheaper and, at times, depending on how many travelers, more efficient option," said Marc Walsby, Enterprise business rental manager. How much cheaper has not yet been determined by the company.

A one-way trip for a single passenger from BART's Cape Girardeau office costs $55. If a customer chooses to be picked up within city limits, a $5 charge is added. The rate fluctuates in other areas of Southeast Missouri.

tkrakowiak@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137