Overpriced shuttles?

[canoe]

You could always check in with hiker hostel in dalenaga, get a bunk,breakfast and a shuttle to and from the trail for about $85. Check it out

[Drybones]

It's a matter of supply and demand, you can't blame them for selling thier services for whatever they can get, if they're too high they wont get business and someone else will. I believe $1.00/miles is the norm which is reasonable to me. It cost me $96 to get from Pearisburg to the Roanoke airport and $76 to get from Tri-Cities airport to Dennis Cove Road....I was a happy customer with both, these folks have to make a profit and that's okay with me.

[RyanK817]

You could always check in with hiker hostel in dalenaga, get a bunk,breakfast and a shuttle to and from the trail for about $85. Check it out

Nice, thanks for the tip canoe.

[No Directions]

The shuttle always seems to be the hardest part of a section hike. I would be happy to pay that for a dependable shuttle. I hope they make enough to make it worth their while because I want them to be around the next time I need a shuttle.

[Praha4]

fwiw, a couple weeks ago, I did a section hike from Amicalola Falls SP to Neels Gap. Got a shuttle ride from Neels Gap to AFSP from Lumpy, who works at Mountain Crossings - Neels Gap. He charged me $60 for the ride. It was about a 45 minute drive, and I think it's a longer drive than Unicoi Gap to Neels Gap. Check with him next time.

[RyanK817]

fwiw, a couple weeks ago, I did a section hike from Amicalola Falls SP to Neels Gap. Got a shuttle ride from Neels Gap to AFSP from Lumpy, who works at Mountain Crossings - Neels Gap. He charged me $60 for the ride. It was about a 45 minute drive, and I think it's a longer drive than Unicoi Gap to Neels Gap. Check with him next time.

Cool, thanks Praha.

[Chris10]

Two of us got a ride from Lumpy a couple of weeks ago from Neel to Tesnatee Gap for $20, which I thought was a great deal, learned a lot about the area as well!

[Tuckahoe]

Earlier this year I was in Harpers Ferry and saw this to be true. My shuttle was $40 and another couple's shuttle was $65/each. We both left from the same place and got dropped of at the same place. Prices can vary sometimes.

And I think this is the threshold for me; $40 and $65 are both reasonable shuttle prices, but to charge each occupant of the shuttle $65 is a over priced. It is one thing for me to have to pay $65 for a shuttle and for me to bear that cost because I am traveling alone. However, the cost of that shuttle should be able to be split between occupants, not each occupant charged the full cost of the shuttle.

[peakbagger]

There definitely needs to be a line drawn between an official shuttler that carries insurance and runs it as a business or someone out to make a buck. The person out to make a buck just hopes they dont get in an accident and if they do makes sure that they dont have assets that they can lose after the hiker sues them.

The other thing to consider is that even though its 20 minute shuttle, that means that the shuttler has to hang around home that day and possibly miss out on a longer shuttle opportunity.

I do agree that there should be a price break if several folks are picked up at the same place and dropped off at the same place.

[daddytwosticks]

$85 does seem a bit high for that shuttle. I've paid up to $80 for a shuttle that took at least 2 hours of the driver's time. The shuttler was very entertaining and informative, so the price was well worth it.

[Cherokee Bill]

Convenience has always had a "higher-price"!!!! Many folks would NEVER be able to section-hike, were it not for the "shuttle services"!!!!! Figure their time, gas (round-trip), wear & tear on their vehicle, etc., well the $85 is not so bad! After all you called him, because you had a need! Do not like the $$, go somewhere else. Suck it up, stop whining!!!!

[The Ace]

There definitely needs to be a line drawn between an official shuttler that carries insurance and runs it as a business or someone out to make a buck. The person out to make a buck just hopes they dont get in an accident and if they do makes sure that they dont have assets that they can lose after the hiker sues them.

The other thing to consider is that even though its 20 minute shuttle, that means that the shuttler has to hang around home that day and possibly miss out on a longer shuttle opportunity.

I do agree that there should be a price break if several folks are picked up at the same place and dropped off at the same place.

I just don’t understand this.

1) What is the difference between someone running a business and someone out to make a buck? I run a business, and I do so for the purpose of making a lot of bucks.
2) “There needs to be a line drawn.” Who draws this line?
3) “There should be a price break if several people are picked up.” On whose authority should there be a price break?

The great thing about this country historically has been:

A. Its citizen’s are free to negotiate.
B. Its citizens are free to complain.
C. Its citizens are free to select A. or B.

Of course, its citizens are also free to vote in politicians who will create Federal Bureau of Section Hiker Shuttles. (Try finding a shuttle under that system.)

[RyanK817]

Convenience has always had a "higher-price"!!!! Many folks would NEVER be able to section-hike, were it not for the "shuttle services"!!!!! Figure their time, gas (round-trip), wear & tear on their vehicle, etc., well the $85 is not so bad! After all you called him, because you had a need! Do not like the $$, go somewhere else. Suck it up, stop whining!!!!

If you actually go back and read my OP, I am obviously not whining and I'm not saying I was getting ripped off. I was stating a price that I was recently quoted and asking if that was a normal price, because, as I also have stated multiple times, I'm new to section-hiking the AT and just wanted to hear about other people's experiences. You're right that this is a valuable convenience and a very important part of making the AT available to people. I'm not complaining about people making a profit for their services, and like you said, I can ask around with different shuttle services.

[Nutbrown]

I've always thought that $2/mile is the going rate. And that is round trip mileage. Not adding the tip either. ...I only section, and have had some great experiences with shuttle drivers. $2/mile is for the time and wear and tear on the vehicle (not to mention the stink we leave behind). The tip is a personal thank you.

[The Ace]

If you actually go back and read my OP, I am obviously not whining and I'm not saying I was getting ripped off. I was stating a price that I was recently quoted and asking if that was a normal price, because, as I also have stated multiple times, I'm new to section-hiking the AT and just wanted to hear about other people's experiences. You're right that this is a valuable convenience and a very important part of making the AT available to people. I'm not complaining about people making a profit for their services, and like you said, I can ask around with different shuttle services.

but I cringe at the thought of people trying to make money off of the AT and the trail community.

In my opinion you are doing the proper thing by collecting pricing data so that you can negotiate, and you have useful information being provided to you by the helpful and kind people on this thread. For a number of years I made six trips a year to Connecticut after flying into LaGuardia. Because the market is not (yet) regulated, there are numerous ways to get from LGA to CT at various service levels and pricing. I was free to collect price and service data and then select what I wanted and then negotiate the best price. By doing this, a competitive market is created. However, when someone says that a shuttle provider is “overcharging” or that he/she is entitled to a discount, it makes absolutely no sense to me unless it is placed in the context of the competition. Collect your data, negotiate your price, but don’t cringe because someone is making a buck off of a hiker.

[RyanK817]

In my opinion you are doing the proper thing by collecting pricing data so that you can negotiate, and you have useful information being provided to you by the helpful and kind people on this thread. For a number of years I made six trips a year to Connecticut after flying into LaGuardia. Because the market is not (yet) regulated, there are numerous ways to get from LGA to CT at various service levels and pricing. I was free to collect price and service data and then select what I wanted and then negotiate the best price. By doing this, a competitive market is created. However, when someone says that a shuttle provider is “overcharging” or that he/she is entitled to a discount, it makes absolutely no sense to me unless it is placed in the context of the competition. Collect your data, negotiate your price, but don’t cringe because someone is making a buck off of a hiker.

Good points.

Let me correct myself: "making money off of the AT" wasn't what I meant. Of course businesses all along the trail make their livelihood from hikers. What I meant was that I hate the thought of people overcharging hikers for services just because they can.

[The Ace]

Good points.

Okay, end of economics lesson. I will send you my bill; it's $385 (no hiker discount provided).

[Alligator]

Three years ago I got a shuttle twice the distance you mention, which included the FS road to Springer for a price of $90. I called 2 or 3 shuttlers to get the best price. There were two of us hiking. The distance was a little over 40 miles by my estimate.

One criteria I use for picking a shuttler is to find one inside the endpoints of my hike to avoid incurring additional mileage in the estimated cost.

[Jack Tarlin]

$1.00 per mile was the normal price for a Trail shuttle for many years. It is usually higher now, for obvious reasons. Keep in mind, also, that merely because one only has to go, say, fifteen or twenty miles, your driver has to make the journey TWICE, i.e. he has to come back after taking you where you need to go. And in many cases, he's driving a rough, beat-up, pitted road. Shuttlers do a real job on their vehicles and their car is in the shop a lot more often than most folks. Keep this in mind when looking for a ride. Very few people make any real money from doing hiker shuttles, and I assure you, they earn it. Of course, the unhappy client always has two alternatives if he thinks the shuttle price is too high: One alternative involves using his thumb; the other involves his feet. After careful study of the alternatives, paying for the shuttle usually looks like a good idea.

[trailangelmary]

$1.00 per mile was the normal price for a Trail shuttle for many years. It is usually higher now, for obvious reasons. Keep in mind, also, that merely because one only has to go, say, fifteen or twenty miles, your driver has to make the journey TWICE, i.e. he has to come back after taking you where you need to go. And in many cases, he's driving a rough, beat-up, pitted road. Shuttlers do a real job on their vehicles and their car is in the shop a lot more often than most folks. Keep this in mind when looking for a ride. Very few people make any real money from doing hiker shuttles, and I assure you, they earn it. Of course, the unhappy client always has two alternatives if he thinks the shuttle price is too high: One alternative involves using his thumb; the other involves his feet. After careful study of the alternatives, paying for the shuttle usually looks like a good idea.

I gather that A.T. shuttlers charge anywhere from $1.00 to $2.50 per mile calculated one way or both ways. I would also like to say it doesn't matter how long it takes, it is about the miles on the vehicle. And as Baltimore Jack has stated it is a lot of wear and tear on the vehicle. Personally I am told I am one of the cheapest because I consider myself a trailangel first and a shuttler second. I enjoy helping hikers with their needs and the company is good but I am not abundant financially and do have to ask for shuttle donations. My friends in Duncannon and especially my mechanic tell me all the time to increase my rates because they see how much I spend on upkeep that I would not be spending if just driving my vehicle for my own use!

I calculate one way mileage from my home to the destination point for the ride. It doesn't matter if there are one or 10 hikers in the vehicle, the mileage determines the price and if I have to climb a mountain the price is adjusted up a bit because of the additional wear and tear.

It is true that some thru-hikers will turn down a shuttle and decide to hitch because of shuttle prices because it is not in their budget. And that is okay. I say a prayer of safety for them. But I do not have two different prices for section hikers and thru-hikers - my van still has to get there and back safely.

I have learned over the years however to quote a price even if they don't ask while on the phone because I have gotten burnt by thru-hikers who got out of vehicle and didn't offer a penny.

And then also I have undercharged at times because I wasn't quite awake and quoted a price lower than I should have because my brain wasn't awake yet! My bad - not the fault of the hiker.

Bottom line is recipients of shuttles need to realize it is not just about the mileage and the "profit". That profit is going into maintenance of the vehicle so the shuttler still has their vehicle in good shape to keep running after the hiker season slows down so they have a vehicle for their own use during non-hiker season.

P.S. Ask Baltimore Jack and Mountain Dew what I asked for when shuttling them back up to Bear Mountain from Duncannon after a Billville Feed and Fun many years ago. Nice memory. Fun Time.