On July 1, Mayo Clinic employees in Rochester will have a different firm at the wheel of their city shuttles.
Virginia-based Groome Transportation will take over the contract as Mayo Clinic’s intracampus shuttle provider from First Student Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio.
"The change to a new shuttle provider was an important choice as we listened to feedback from staff and volunteers about convenient and reliable transportation," Mayo spokeswoman Kelley Luckstein said in a prepared statement. "The new service will provide low-riding buses on the most heavily used routes, such as between downtown and Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, Saint Marys Campus, and the East and West lots. These buses will feature a platform closer to the ground to make the boarding process easier for staff and volunteers."
The Groome buses will be equipped with GPS tracking, so riders can track the shuttle’s location and arrival time.
Groome will replace First Student Inc., which has been driving Mayo staff shuttles since 2009.
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The Groome contract is through June 30, 2026.
Groome arrived in the Med City in 2017, when it took over the Go Rochester Direct shuttle service.
It revamped the former Beer Bellyz/Freight Yard bar site at 821 Civic Center Drive NW to serve as its Rochester hub to run the airport shuttle business.
