Sun Shuttle & Transit’s Transformation Leads To Growth, Exciting Future Plans

By Harrell Kerkhoff, Busline Magazine Editor

Sun Shuttle & Transit operates a variety of services in California’s Central Coast region. Shown, left to right, next to one of the company’s Micro Bird Commercial vehicles, are Grant Morris, CFO; Bill Morris, Owner; and Hunter Morris, COO.

Successfully adapting to changes and challenges will ultimately lead to growth and prosperity. Case in point is Fillmore Area Transit Corporation, better known today as Sun Shuttle & Transit. The company’s name transformation reflects the many changes it has overcome throughout its 51-year history while operating in the Central Coast region of California.

Today, Sun Shuttle & Transit provides three basic services:

• Transportation for Special Needs Adults — “We pick up these passengers at their homes or care facilities and transport them to, and from, different programs,” Sun Shuttle & Transit Owner Bill Morris said.

Transportation takes place in association with The Arc of Ventura County (CA), which promotes and protects the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and involves person-centered services that actively supports full inclusion and participation in the community.

• School Bus Transportation — This includes special events as well as athletic and daily transportation involving general population students and students with special needs at Santa Paula (CA) Unified School District, according to Sun Shuttle & Transit Chief Operations Officer Hunter Morris. He is the son of Bill Morris, while another son, Grant Morris, is the company’s CFO.
• Private Charters — The service includes transportation for weddings, wine tastings, and work with local clubs and organizations, such as an area program that helps immigrants find a legal pathway to U.S. citizenship.

Sun Shuttle & Transit primarily serves Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties, located in the southern portion of California’s six-county Central Coast area. The company’s headquarters, which includes a maintenance shop and bus yard, is located in Fillmore, CA, a city of approximately 16,400 residents in Ventura County.

“Part of our Fillmore facility was once a machine shop, which is where we now conduct much of our own bus maintenance and repair,” Hunter Morris said. “We try to do everything internally when it comes to fleet maintenance. That philosophy remains true at all our locations.

“We have found outsourcing maintenance work is often too costly in terms of time and money. It’s much better to do most work internally — with our own mechanics. That practice also puts us ‘in front of the line’ during the maintenance and repair process. We are not just another customer to someone else. When you operate contracted routes, it’s important vehicles are worked on in a timely manner.”

A Long History Of Service

Like many transportation providers that have been around for 50-plus years, the history of Fillmore Area Transit Company is long, winding, and full of changes, challenges, and successful reinventions.

Bill Morris’ father, the late John Chapman “Chappy” Morris, was an area entrepreneur active in farming, real estate, and the family’s local automobile dealership. In 1973, Chappy Morris was approached by the Fillmore city manager to see if he would be interested in providing transportation services in the Fillmore community for people who did not have access to their own transportation. Morris agreed, and thus Fillmore Area Transit Corporation was born — and quickly grew.

“The company eventually provided morning and afternoon dial-a-ride transportation within Fillmore and surrounding communities,” Bill Morris said. “Business kept growing over the years until 2014, when we ran into a big problem. We lost out on the bid to renew the dial-a-ride contract, and by 2016 we were down to two buses and two drivers. There was talk within the family to shut down the business. Instead, I purchased it from other family members. Then, my brother, John Chapman Morris Jr., who was also involved with the company, suddenly died. That was followed by our longtime family car dealership — the pride of the family — closing.

“It was at that point I decided to focus exclusively on revising our transportation operations, with the help of my two sons: Hunter and Grant. Hunter is now involved with operations while Grant is involved with finance and is our office manager.”

With a new focus in place, the transportation provider began to grow. First, work increased transporting special needs adults in Ventura County, which led to the need for additional vehicles. Then, the company started expanding its involvement with a local school district. Other work followed.

With such growth came the realization that the company’s longtime name had become antiquated.

“We realized that for those customers who lived outside of Fillmore, it was hard for them to understand the logic behind the name ‘Fillmore Area Transit Corporation,’” Bill Morris said. “Since one of our long-term goals is to have a fleet of electric buses, the name ‘Sun Shuttle & Transit’ made more sense going forward. That name ‘travels well’ no matter where we go as a transportation provider.”

Hunter Morris added: “One of our future company goals is to have a parking area covered with solar panels, helping with the charging process of future electric vehicles thanks to the sun. That goal was the origin of our new name.”

And perhaps it’s a goal not too far away.

“We recently launched, during the start of this school year, our company’s first three electric buses, and we’re really excited to see where that leads to for the future,” Grant Morris said.

According to Hunter Morris: “Our objective is to be green, sustainable, and carbon neutral — thus the name ‘Sun Shuttle & Transit.’”

Currently, the company has a fleet of 62 vehicles spread across three locations in the California cities of Fillmore, Goleta, and San Luis Obispo to service special needs adults, school districts, and private charters. Many of the company’s vehicles are produced by Micro Bird Commercial.

“The most common vehicle type that we operate is wide cutaway buses, which are especially good when transporting adults with special needs. That includes the use of flip seats to make room for up to four wheelchairs. Such versatility within the interior of our vehicles is very important,” Hunter Morris said. “We also have in our fleet larger buses.

“Micro Bird has been our preferred bus manufacturer for years. We like the build quality, chassis, and body of their vehicles. One benefit is their quietness when in operation, which is beneficial for passengers and drivers. Micro Bird vehicles are also consistent and reliable. We know what we are getting with every purchase, which is another reason why we always lean their way.”

Technology is being used at Sun Shuttle & Transit in many ways, such as helping the transportation provider keep proper track of where passengers are at all times — an especially important objective when transporting adults with special needs and school children.

“GPS tracking, in particular, is huge for our operation, along with having interior and exterior cameras,” Hunter Morris said. “It’s nice to have GPS when a parent or guardian calls to find the location of their son or daughter. We can send them a link showing that exact location.”

Using software to understand — and take advantage of — important analytics has also helped the company in recent years, according to Grant Morris. That includes successfully monitoring driver efficiency, average fuel usage, RPMs, and other ways to reduce waste within the operation.

“For example, when studying analytics, we can better pinpoint our most efficient drivers and then possibly use them for our longest routes,” Grant Morris said. “It’s all part of making educated decisions, which is especially helpful when designing new routes. All of this makes sense from a financial perspective.

“Today’s technology can also improve safety, such as detecting if a driver is using a phone while operating a vehicle and if a passenger is not properly buckled.”

A Good Place To Be

The Central Coast region of California encompasses a 350-plus mile stretch of Pacific Ocean coastline and adjacent inland area positioned between Los Angeles and San Francisco. According to the Central Coast Tourism Council (CCTC), the area is roughly 13,000 square miles in size — larger than the state of Maryland or the country of Belgium. Within this region are mile-upon-mile of scenic highways, 12 national parks and monuments, 65 state parks and beaches, 600 wineries/tasting rooms, and two national marine sanctuaries. Among the well-known Central Coast cities are Santa Barabara, Oxnard, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey.

Just a diverse as the Central Coast itself, the service region of Sun Shuttle & Transit consists of both urban and rural landscapes.

“Santa Barbara, for example, is a very dense city to operate in. On the other hand, there are very low population areas in our service region that are full of trees, winding — and sometimes dirt — roads, and ranches,” Hunter Morris said.

With its service region’s physical landscapes serving as a backdrop, representatives of Sun Shuttle & Transit continue to seek new business both within the Central Coast region and beyond.

“We currently operate in three counties but expect to expand our services in the future within California. We have been working with a transportation broker to seek out new opportunities. One long-term goal is to also expand to other states. I’m a young guy with a young family, and I would love to see what all we can do in the extended future as a transportation provider,” Hunter Morris said. “It’s been wonderful to see our company grow over the years — from five employees when I arrived after college to approximately 100 employees today. We love the chase of getting new contracts and then providing a great service. Our growth has been a blessing.”

A key part to such growth has been a strong customer service foundation — something that has been in the DNA of the Morris family for generations.

“It’s important to remember, our family had a long history of successfully operating a local car dealership,” Bill Morris said. “We learned early on, if we wanted people within the community to continue buying cars from us, we better treat them well. Thus, we became very customer-service oriented. That carried over to the bus transportation business and continues today.”

Hunter Morris added: “Our three main objectives to providing customer service are: going the extra mile, proper communication, and patience.”

Those are attributes not only exhibited by the company’s top officials but other representatives as well, including — and perhaps most importantly — drivers. Many of Sun Shuttle & Transit’s 70-plus drivers have retired from other professions and are working on their second careers.

“Our drivers come from different walks of life. Many have retired and wanted something else to do,” Bill Morris said. “They work especially well with our adult passengers who have special needs. That bond has opened a whole new world for many of our drivers, involving wonderful friendships with their passengers. This line of work provides a great way for our drivers, and all employees, to serve the public and overall community.”

To help ensure their drivers remain with the company, officials at Sun Shuttle & Transit work hard to provide a competitive compensation and benefits package. That involves a 401K retirement plan, paid vacations, and insurance that includes dental and life. It’s also important to remain in constant conduct with drivers and all employees.

“Communication is crucial,” Hunter Morris said, “such as letting employees know the company is doing well, and that by working together, everyone will enjoy future success.”

Another advantage to having good employees is the support they provide a company during uncertain times, such as what took place for many transportation providers a few years ago with the COVID pandemic.

Hunter Morris called the pandemic experience both interesting and terrifying. The main company objective, however, was (as is) to keep passengers and employees safe.

“We work with many immune-compromised passengers, so it’s important to always take extra precautions in the services we provide,” he said.

Grant Morris added: “From a public health standpoint, it’s also important to let our employees know it’s OK to stay home when they are not feeling well. Everybody gets sick from time to time. It’s better to stay home and recover, rather than come to work with an illness. It’s also important we — as an employer — take away any pressures that employees may feel when trying to decide whether to show up for work or not while feeling ill.”

During the heart of the pandemic, Hunter Morris added that Sun Shuttle & Transit was able to remain functional with the help of local governments and other entities.

“Obviously, many of our traditional transportation programs weren’t in operation due to the pandemic. For a while, our business model completely changed,” Hunter Morris said. “Fortunately, our contracts allowed us to keep everyone on the payroll. And instead of picking up passengers from various locations, we were often dropping off PPE supplies and COVID tests to those same places.”

As for lessons learned from the pandemic experience, Hunter Morris stressed the importance of looking over contracts ahead of time and to seek protections. The idea is to properly protect a transportation provider if, and when, major service disruptions take place in the future.

“The ultimate goal of having said protections is to make sure major concerns, such as vehicle payments and employee retention, are properly addressed,” he added.

Visit sunshuttletransit.com.