Last stop for Calgary's airport shuttle

The only shuttle service based at the Calgary's airport has closed down because of a lack of workers.

"We find some people that want to do this typeof work," said Ken Melville, who shut down his shuttle service Monday night after nearly a decade in business.

"They sign up, we train them and put them on a shift and in some cases they don't even show up for their shifts," he said.

Business is good —Melville's 17 vehiclesmoved about about 100,000 people to and from the airport last year — and thereis no shortage of customers with the holidays approaching.Finding staff is another matter.

"We have tried many, many different avenues to try and obtain staff, to keep staff," he said. "We have a few incentives out there for the staff to come and work for us. But of course, being 24 hours a day, people don't really want to get up attwo o'clock in the morning" to go to work.

Elaine Baumann, whoworks at the tourism desk at the airport, said travellers are "shocked and looking for alternatives, and at this time there isn't another shuttle service in the airport."

Baumann said the only options for travellers are either a pricey cab ride or a long trip on public transit.

Martin Clemes, a visitor from England,saidit's a shame a major airport such as Calgary's doesn't have a direct shuttle downtown. He will takepublic transitinstead.

"This way you have to get onto the bus and then onto the train, so it's a little bit more difficult, I suppose."