An Aberdeen entrepreneur has created a new “hopper” bus service from the airport to nearby hotels aimed at tourists and businesspeople.
Alan Findlater, of Premier Coaches, came up with the idea after meeting a businessman who had to wait 90 minutes for a taxi.
Determined to give visitors to the area a good first impression, Mr Findlater invested in a new scheme.
The ABZ Hotel Hoppa launched this week and is offering travel from Aberdeen International Airport to hotels within a two-mile radius.
The aim is to free up airport taxis for longer journeys and thereby improve visitors’ experience.
Recently, people have hit out at the taxi queues at the airport, complaining about the hot conditions within the queueing tunnel.
The airport manages its own taxi service and currently has a fleet of 75 cars.
At first, the service will run when necessary around peak times for travel, taking users to the Hilton Teca, Aloft, Moxy and Hampton by Hilton.
Eventually, Mr Findlater wants to ramp up the frequency to every half an hour connecting more hotels, landmarks and transport hubs.
‘First impressions really matter’
He said: “I think we have all heard or read stories about people being left to wait for extended periods to get taxis from the airport at peak times.
“First impressions really matter – and I want people to people to have a positive first interaction with this region.
“When we looked into the issue further, we found that more than a third of the fares from the airport are under £15, suggesting that many are travelling to the multitude of surrounding hotels.
“So, if we can serve these passengers with a shuttle service, that potentially frees up taxis to support passengers looking to travel further afield, cutting taxi queues and improving the visitor experience.
“This is not the complete solution, but it is certainly a start, and I am really keen to see this grow.”
Looking to the future, Mr Findlater hopes to operate a hopper service between the airport and Dyce railway station.
