A Klondike Tour Bus used as a shuttle for large groups by Skagway Shuttle Service. Photo by Billi Clem.
On a typical busy cruise ship day in Skagway, the SMARTbus shuttles make constant loops through the town picking up and dropping off cruise ship passengers, or anyone else who needs a ride. But SMARTbus hasn’t run in almost two years. That’s left Skagway with no public transportation.
Last week municipal officials signed a contract with Klondike Tours to operate a new shuttle service through the end of October. It’s not called a taxi for insurance purposes, but that’s the basic idea. The company will receive a monthly payment of $6,000 and keep the fares.
Co-owner of Klondike Tours Billi Clem, who will operate the shuttle as Skagway Shuttle Service, said even though they just started last week, she’s already getting positive feedback.
“I had a gentleman just the other day told me how excited he was that we had a shuttle service. Because every time he came to Skagway, he has all this luggage because he works for the bank. And that he just hated to come to Skagway because he had to haul all of his luggage to whatever hotel he was staying at,” said Clem.
That’s because, with no municipal transportation available, there just wasn’t any way for visitors to get to their hotel or favorite restaurant besides walking. The shuttle service isn’t new for the Clem family. 15 years ago they had a taxi service in town.
“We kind of got ordinanced out of the taxi service. And there were so many rules put upon us that we couldn’t afford to do it any longer. They wanted us to have numerous vehicles at certain times. And we just couldn’t do everything that they needed us to do,” said Clem.
But the service is back. Fees for the Skagway Shuttle Service are set per person at $5 for in-town, $10 for slightly longer rides, and $15 for trips to Dyea. Their hours run seven days a week from 8 a.m. until 1:30 a.m., but if people need a ride at other times, they can always call (907) 612-0902.
The SMARTbus is also scheduled to start service when the large ships are in town beginning next week. Their rates will remain the same as in past years. As part of their new contract that company will simply keep the proceeds collected and not make any payments to the municipality as prior contracts had required.
Additionally, the Dyea – Chilkoot Trail Transport Company provides service to Dyea lodges, The National Park Service campground, and hikers looking to explore the Chilkoot Trail. Proprietor Ann Moore says she doesn’t have a contract with the Municipality but does have a permit through the National Park Service. That shuttle is available every day from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment at (907) 612-8024.
