Sudbury Airport wants 1 exclusive shuttle service

Greater Sudbury Airport is trying to streamline its shuttle service by having one exclusive provider, which may be bad news for the city's only airport shuttle service.

Sudbury Cab is a privately-run fleet of white vehicles that are designated airport taxis.

It's the only company to offer a shuttle service to the airport from Sudbury's city centre, which is a 20 km drive.

In September another private airport shuttle service shut down, giving Sudbury Cab free reign over the airport transportation market.

But that won't last long if Sudbury Airport hires a single company, which will prohibit other shuttle services on airport property.

Sudbury Airport administrator Tara Glabb said the move will offer more consistent service.

"Most airports across the country do provide ground transportation through contracted providers, so we're simply looking to do the same," said Glabb. "We want standard service, the same service you would expect across the industry."

Once a cab company is chosen, all other shuttles will cease to exist on airport property.

City council must first approve the decision to issue a request for proposal, which is expected in the coming weeks.

Sudbury Cab said it's unsure whether it will apply to be the airport's sole shuttle service.

The cab company operates on a flat-fee basis rather than running the meter, which officials said cuts the cost in half to about $40 per trip.