Vermont Business Magazine Wells + Associates today announced that it has acquired Burlington-based BreakShuttle, the largest provider of charter trips for college students departing and returning directly to campus during academic breaks. BreakShuttle began in Vermont in 2012 with funding from VCET and Fresh Tracks. W+A is a national transportation consulting firm with a mission to plan and modernize transportation networks, based in Virginia.
BreakShuttle was acquired from BRIDJ, a Boston-based private commuter shuttle service that ceased operations in April. As part of the acquisition, BRIDJ’s operations director Jon McBride has joined Wells + Associates to manage operations, strategy and business development at BreakShuttle.
McBride told VBM: "I will remain in Burlington and there is a possibility that as the business grows, some support positions might be located here as well, but it is too early to say. Revenue has been around $500k for the last 3 years, but growth has been stalled due to financial and management struggles at BRIDJ. We are confident that we will be able to capitalize on demand at schools across the country looking for ways to reduce the financial and logistical stress of having a child in college." He joined BreakShuttle in 2013.
There currently is not BreakShuttle service in Vermont.
“Our company has been involved in improving transportation systems on college campuses for many years. BreakShuttle will complement our existing services in transportation planning, traffic engineering, and transportation demand management,” stated Michael J Workosky, president of Wells + Associates.
BreakShuttle currently operates on a dozen university campuses in the Northeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Texas. Said Jon McBride, “There is a strong fit between BreakShuttle and W+A, whose employees are dedicated to ‘Meeting the needs of a mobile society.’ We expect demand for BreakShuttle’s transportation services will continue to grow, and have plans for expansion to more college campuses around the country.”
Said Terence J Miller, CEO of Wells + Associates, “This acquisition is part of our overall strategy to expand our services and diversify our portfolio in the transportation field. There is a tremendous connection between our existing services and BreakShuttle, and we believe this will help our employee-owned company to continue to grow.”
About BreakShuttle
BreakShuttle is the largest provider of academic break transportation services in the United States, providing students with safe, reliable, convenient, and affordable means to travel directly between campus and metropolitan areas. BreakShuttle helpsschools make their campus more accessible andhelps families reduce the financial and logistical stress of having a child in college.BreakShuttlemakes it easy to save time and money and avoid the hassle of getting home by providingdirect,safe, andaffordabletransportation during academic breaks.
Wells + Associates designs sustainable, cost-effective transportation plans and systems for commercial, residential, governmental, and institutional developments across the United States.
Source: (Tysons, VA – August 1, 2017) – Wells + Associates