The Raglan Chronicle recently caught up with Phil and Emily Meek, owners of local transport business Raglan Shuttle, to see what they offer to the community.
When did you start Raglan Shuttle?
The original Raglan Shuttle was started in January 2007 by Dom Gavin, however with his permission we re-branded and launched the new and improved Raglan Shuttle in December 2014.
What was your motivation behind re-launching Raglan Shuttle?
We decided we wanted to have another baby, and as Emily was working full time as an office manager we needed to find a way to support our family so that we could continue living in Raglan.
We moved to Raglan in 2015 having previously lived in Te Mata for over nine years. Whilst in Te Mata we spent a lot of our time driving to and from Raglan often being a skate park taxi for our own children! We avoided travelling in the evening or late at night as we were worried about who else would be on the road. We felt that there was a growing culture of accepting drink driving as the norm as there was often no other way to get home after a night out.
We decided to do something about it and our mission became to provide a safe way for people in our local community to travel, whether it was to and from the airport or to their home or accommodation after a night out.
After months of research, driving tests, gaining licences and endorsements we were finally in a position to provide a solution, and launched on December 1, 2014 – the same day that the lower blood alcohol limit came into effect.
What services do you offer?
In a nutshell, we provide pre-booked passenger transport services to, from and within Raglan – we are more than just an airport shuttle! We operate on a pre-booked basis and usually need 24 hours’ notice for bookings, however we can provide a local “taxi” service at short notice if our drivers are available.
Our fleet of vehicles allows us to seat any number of passengers, from individual travellers to large groups, and we can go anywhere in New Zealand if you want us to!
Over the past 2½ years we have provided countless shuttles to/from Auckland Airport/CBD hotels, Hamilton Airport and Hamilton Transport Centre.
We have been hired to transport passengers for weddings, stag and hens nights, business client and group days, police assistance, clubs and society events, local tours, kindergarten trips, real estate property tours, sports teams, music concerts and much more.
We are also an approved ACC provider taking patients to and from their therapies or appointments in Hamilton on a weekly basis.
What are the challenges of running this type of business?
As many working parent families can probably appreciate, the elusive work-life balance can be difficult at times, however we have a fantastic team of licenced drivers and an amazing support network of friends and family who enable us to take time when we need.
Why do you enjoy running this type of business?
We get to meet so many amazing people from all over the world every single day who share our love of Raglan, whether they be residents or visitors.
It is very important to us that we give back to our local community and we will often provide free transport/sponsorship for local charities and non-profit organisations. We also love being able to support other local businesses and in turn help their families stay and live in Raglan.
How can we book or contact you?
Easy as – just call 07 825 8159 or call/text 027 825 8159 or email info@raglanshuttle.co.nz
We operate on a pre-booked basis and usually need 24 hours notice for bookings, however we can provide a local “taxi” service at short notice if our drivers are available
