By Ty Walker
The Mountain Times
There’s a new transportation service on the mountain – Hoodland Shuttle Company. Opened since April, Hoodland Shuttle is a first-class private for-hire car service that caters to Mount Hood locals and visitors alike. It picks you up where you are and takes you where you want to go.
Its main area of operation is the Mt. Hood corridor between Sandy and Government Camp, but drivers also respond to calls from Boring, Estacada and Parkdale. Most of its business is taking locals to and from Portland International Airport, but it also shuttles mountain bikers, hikers, skiers and snowboarders to recreation destinations on Mt. Hood.
“I’ve lived on this mountain all my life and transportation has always been an issue,” Hoodland Shuttle Co. owner Ryan Barnes said. “I’ve heard stories from different lodging places from Mt. Hood Resort to Timberline Lodge telling me how people sometimes take two or three buses to get up here.
“There’s no Uber up here. Uber and Lyft drivers won’t come up here unless their job starts in town (Portland area). I’ve thought we needed more transportation options on this mountain for a long time, so I decided to go ahead and start it up.”
Operating for only three months, Hoodland Shuttle business is doing pretty well this summer, Barnes said. He expects it to pick up more during the winter season with all the recreation Mt. Hood has to offer.
Over the last two weeks, he has had multiple calls for airport shuttles, picked up hikers from the Pacific Crest Trail and visitors from Timberline Lodge. Regular hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays and Mondays by advance reservation.
Hoodland Shuttle also offers special wine tours to Hood River Valley and is looking into adding tours to the Oregon Coast.
“We want to meet the needs of the mountain, get locals around safely where they want to go and likewise get tourists to the trailhead, wine tour or to the airport,” said Barnes, who’s lived in Cherryville for 30 years.
Hoodland Shuttle has a fleet of three vehicles to get you where you want to go in luxury.
Vehicles include a Toyota Highlander all wheel drive, 7 passenger with bike rack; a Dodge Caravan front wheel drive for 7 passengers; and a Sprinter Van that seats 12. There’s also a 12-bike trailer used for excursions to the Timberline To Town Trail.
To book a ride or explore Hoodland Shuttle services further, go online to https://www.hoodlandshuttle.com.