Eau Claire (Press Release) - Chippewa Valley Airport Service's last scheduled
shuttle departure from the Ramada Convention Center in downtown Eau Claire will
be Tuesday.
Travelers will still be able to catch the Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport shuttle from an existing location at 6202 Chuck Lane, on
the city's far west side near the U.S. 12/Highway 312/Interstate 94
interchange.
Construction on a 9,000-square-foot Eau Claire
Travel Center is nearing completion, general manager Dan Pekol said. Passengers
will continue to use the existing terminal in August until utility work and
other tasks on the new construction are finished.
Departures from the new facility will save
the company on fuel costs and eliminate rent payments.
"It's proactive
decisions such as this consolidation that allows us to continue offering our
services at the most affordable price. Customers may be surprised to learn that
rates are the same now as a previous shuttle company was charging six years
ago," according to Pekol.
Although overall ridership continues to increase, the
percentage of passengers leaving from downtown has declined, Pekol said. Parking
in the city-owned ramp currently costs travelers five dollars per day, while
the company will maintain free parking on the west side.
In addition to free customer parking, other planned
amenities include a lobby area, restrooms, Wi-Fi connectivity, computer access,
television, and vending.
Chippewa Valley Airport Service was launched in 2007
and merged with Airport Passenger Service a year later. It now has around 40
employees and operates 11 round-trip shuttles daily to and from the Twin Cities
airport from Eau Claire, Menomonie, Baldwin, and Hudson.
"It will be bittersweet to leave downtown where
it all began," Pekol stated. "However, we feel this transition is the best
way to keep our business healthy and prices affordable for loyal passengers.
"We believe even those who are reluctant to
accept our departure from downtown will see the benefits of our new travel
center," he concludes.
