New shuttle service starts up between Durban, and St Lucia

The long standing, and successful Endless-Summer-Tours, a tour guiding company based in Durban, South Africa, has extended their current business portfolio to include a new Shuttle, and Transfer service called the North Coast Runner. The new service runs between KwaZulu Natal’s biggest city Durban, and the beautiful North Coast towns of St Lucia, and Hluhluwe on a daily basis, although at the time of this press release it is operating on a ‘one-day, one-way’ policy. The service does not limit itself to only stopping at these destinations, but stops en route at all the other tiny little villages lining the Indian Ocean.

In an interview with owners Anthony Cox, and Rhys Scott-Dawkins, it became very apparent that there is a lot of excitement surrounding the introduction of the transfer service. Both owners, who also take the responsibility of doing the driving, put great emphasis on the fact that this service is focused on helping the local residents, that stay on the Dolphin, and Elephant coast. And it’s from having communicated with various businesses, and individuals that this excitement is caused.

Years back the Bazbus ran a similar sort of service, but that service got shut down a few years back, and no other service provider has filled a gap that so obviously needs filling. It is in the opinion of Cox, and Scott-Dawkins, that the reason for the Bazbus’ failure to capture the market, is in the focus of the then service provider, looking only at foreign travellers, and totally neglecting the local market. In today’s current fiscal situation, where the price of petrol keeps rising, the transfer, shuttle bus option is going to become more, and more prevalent in every community. Not only does it have a ‘green’ slant to it, but it helps save money for the normal person. Not to mention the time saved by having to drive to and fro for one person.

Currently the shuttle departs Durban for St Lucia on a Monday, Wednesday, and a Friday, usually around 12:00, getting to St Lucia just after 16:00. The shuttle then returns again to Durban on a Tuesday, Thursday, and a Sunday, leaving St Lucia around 7:30 in the morning, getting to Durban’s King Shaka International Airport before 11:00.

For those who need to get a transfer, to, or from King Shaka International Airport (KSIA), the following pointers should be taken into consideration when booking a flight:

Coming from The North Coast of KwaZulu Natal the shuttle arrives at the airport at 11:00 latest, so your flight needs to be booked for after 12:00. If you want a transfer from the airport to Durban central (usually we go to Morningside as it’s a mecca of restaurants, and backpackers), then we’ll pick you up from the airport at just after 11:00, and have you in Durban half an hour later. This is a very affordable solution for single travellers, as other airport transfer services charge for the use of an entire vehicle (so if you’re more than 3 people it would work out cheaper to make use of one of the other transfer companies).

If you want a transfer from KSIA to somewhere up the North coast, then note that the shuttle arrives at the airport after 12:00, and will wait till 14:00 at the very latest for the run to Richards Bay, and St Lucia. If you want to get to the airport from Durban, the shuttle will pick you up from a pre-arranged point and have you at the airport before 12:30.

Prices currently range between the most expensive Hluhluwe to Durban run at R550 pp,  to R150 pp to get from Durban central, to the King Shaka Airport.

Cox, and Scott-Dawkins both reflected that the ‘one-day, one-way’ policy is merely a temporary arrangement until the name of the business has established itself. Once the shuttle is known, and the business is grounded, the shuttle will be based in the North coast, and then run to Durban, and back again on the same day. But that is for the future, and they hope it’s not too distant a future. Both entrepreneurs see great potential, and have committed themselves to this venture for the long run.

Contact details

Office, Francis Myers +27 33 7012086mobile 079 070 4994info@northcoastrunner.co.za