No, WNC Shuttle is a private car service that provides rides wherever our clients want to go based on reservations that are made 8 hours or more in advance of the travel time.
We are a small, family-owned and operated business, so we don’t maintain a large fleet staffed by an army of drivers.
We don’t follow pre-scheduled, fixed routes like traditional shuttle services and we don’t operate on demand like Uber, Lyft, and taxi services.
What we do is focus on providing a consistently positive travel experience by employing safe drivers and clean, comfortable, well-maintained vehicles.
You can read more about our company here.
There’s another very important difference between WNC Shuttle and rideshare operators like Uber and Lyft that often goes under appreciated, until it’s needed:
Insurance coverage
While no one ever wants or expects to be in an accident, it’s important to know that you’ll be adequately covered in the unfortunate event that one occurs.
It’s important to note that personal auto policies do not cover accidents that occur during the course of a paid ride (“livery”). Due to the high cost of commercial coverage, if you see an advertisement for “cheap rides,” then it’s likely they’re not carrying a commercial insurance policy.
Even Uber and Lyft rideshare drivers must adhere to specific requirements. If adhered to, then Uber and Lyft provide insurance coverage, but only at limits that meet minimum state requirements.
For example, in North Carolina, Uber and Lyft currently provide bodily injury coverage of $50,000 per person with a maximum of $100,000 per accident.
By contrast, WNC Shuttle carries $1.5 million in bodily injury and property damage liability coverage and $1 million in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
You can view Uber’s North Carolina Certificate of Insurance here and Lyft’s North Carolina Certificate of Insurance here.
WNC Shuttle offers point-to-point (one-way) and hourly private ride services. We can pick you up at your BnB and sweep you away to Highlands where you can spend the day strolling Main Street, or reliably pick you up for timely transportation to the airport. Our customized fleet vehicle gives us added flexibility to access unique destinations, such as trailheads, campgrounds, fishing spots, and remote mountaintop cabins.
Click here to learn more about our services.
As long as a route is passable, WNC Shuttle will take you wherever you’d like to go!
We’re located in Waynesville, NC, about 35 miles west of Asheville, so even though we drive statewide, most of our trips occur in the areas west of Asheville all the way to the GA and TN borders. Unlike other private car companies, we proudly service the small-town communities in the far corners of WNC.
What’s more, we utilize a top-of-the-line, highly-customized four-wheel drive vehicle so we can access destinations that are off the beaten path, from the best hiking trailheads to secluded fishing spots. If you have unique destination in mind, contact us for a custom quote!
WNC Shuttle provides safe, dependable, and convenient transportation across the State of North Carolina, including service to the following rural WNC communities:
-Candler
-Leicester
-Canton
-Clyde
-Fines Creek
-Waynesville
-Balsam
-Lake Junaluska
-Iron Duff
-Maggie Valley
-Sylva
-Bryson City
-Fontana Lake -Robbinsville
-Lake Santeetlah
-Nantahala Lake
-Dillsboro
-Franklin
-Cullowhee
-Tuckasegee
-Cherokee
-Cashiers
-Highlands
-Lake Toxaway
-Brevard
-Hendersonville
-and more!
If your destination isn’t listed or you have a unique destination request, contact us for a custom quote.
At this time, we are equipped to accommodate groups of up to 15 using an 11 passenger (+ driver) Ford Transit XLT van and our 4 passenger (+ driver) Platinum Edition Ford F-150.
We continue to monitor passenger demand and ride types with an eye towards additional fleet growth. Whenever we do add a vehicle to our fleet, we update our “Vehicles” page, so please continue to check back with us.
Absolutely! Personal auto policies don’t cover professional transportation, so beware if you see someone advertising “cheap rides!”
While we believe that our drivers are the safest in the business, you can ride with added peace of mind knowing that we carry a commercial auto policy with $1.5 million bodily injury and property damage liability limits and $1 million in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
High limit commercial coverage is extremely expensive, but it’s worth it to protect our passengers, our drivers, and our name.
No, we do not. If you book with us, you’ll ride with us – period!
Farm-ins and farm-outs are one of the private car industry’s dirty little secrets. Many companies accept any and all reservations, regardless of vehicle or driver availability. If they are unable to accommodate a reservation, the ride is “farmed out” to another private car company – without the knowledge of the client – in exchange for a referral fee.
So the prospective passenger books a reservation thinking they are going to ride with Company A. Company A automatically accepts the reservation, but their schedule is actually full, so they sell the ride to Company B. In some cases, Company B farms the ride out to Company C, creating a complete disconnect from the client’s preferred service.
At WNC Shuttle, we believe that our service, our drivers, and our vehicles set us apart in the industry. We build our reputation by providing a consistently exceptional experience to each and every client. It would be a breach of your trust to pass you along to another company without the ability to control the experience you’d have with them.
So whether you’re a repeat rider, you were referred to us by one of our existing clients, or you found us as a result of our advertising, you can be assured that you’ll ride with us and receive exceptional treatment that’s consistent with our Mission Statement.
As long as flight information is provided at the time of reservation, we track our clients’ inbound and outbound flights.
If your outbound flight is delayed by 30 minutes or more and we have not committed to transporting other clients after you, we will call or text you to see if you’d like to extend your pick-up time. If your flight is delayed by 1 hour or more and/or we have committed to transporting other clients after you, then it may not be possible to change the pick-up time.
For inbound flights, if your flight is delayed by less than one hour, don’t worry – your WNC Shuttle driver will be waiting for you when you land!
If your flight is delayed by 1 hour or more or cancelled, we will cancel your reservation at no charge and contact you to see if you’d like to reschedule. In some circumstances, even for delays longer than 1 hour, your driver will be present curbside when you land.
Read more about our Policies, Terms and Conditions here.
While we are not responsible for items that are lost or left behind while you travel with us, we do our best to reunite lost items with their owners. If you think you might have left something in our vehicle, please contact us and if we haven’t already found it, we’ll look for it.
We place unclaimed items in our Lost and Found and retain them for a period of 6 months.
Price quotes and reservation requests can be made in the following ways:
In addition to your date(s) and time(s) of travel, to provide a quote, we’ll need to know the pickup and drop-off addresses, as well as airline and flight number, if applicable.
Please note that reservation requests, including those made through our online Quote and Booking system, are NOT confirmed until you receive a confirmation email from WNC Shuttle.
Our booking system algorithm takes a number of factors into account, including: distance from our “garage” location to the pickup spot, number of miles driven or hours during the trip, special hours or holidays/events, vehicle selection, in some cases the number of passengers, possibly a fuel surcharge, and the addition of optional extras, such as a booster seat.
In the case of a unique destination, pricing may also include a premium for circumstances related to route, such as off-road travel, which adds to the wear and tear and cleaning needs of the vehicle.
WNC Shuttle does not negotiate rates. We keep our overhead as low as we can without taking shortcuts in our service or safety standards.
We offer a convenient online booking system and utilize clean, well-maintained luxury vehicles. Our drivers offer safe, professional, dependable service each and every time. And for added peace of mind, we carry a high limit commercial auto policy for protection against the unexpected and unforeseen.
Bottom line: We work hard to provide our clients with the most consistent, positive private car experience in WNC and beyond!
We are a small company with limited availability. For the best chance of securing your preferred travel times, you should make your reservation as far in advance as possible. All reservation requests must be made at least 8 hours in advance of the scheduled ride in order to guarantee consideration. (Note that a reservation request is not confirmed until you receive a confirmation email from us.)
We understand that sometimes circumstances arise that require travel on short notice. If you find yourself in such a situation, please contact us directly at service@WNCShuttle.com or (828) 400-3987 and we will do our very best to accommodate you.
We operate 24×7, including most holidays. However, there may be a surcharge for rides between 12:00am – 5:00am, on holidays, and/or during certain special events.
We also block off a few low volume travel days per year for vacation. Typically, we post these dates on our Blog+News page.
When you submit your reservation request, your credit card information is sent through an end-to-end encrypted merchant gateway (Stripe). Your credit card will be pre-authorized for the full fare, but the charge will not be processed until 24 hours or less prior to your scheduled ride or in accordance with our cancellation/no show policy. A receipt will be emailed to you within 24 hours of your ride.
Our website and those of our merchant and payment gateway service providers are SSL encrypted so your personal information is always safe and secure!
WNC Shuttle does not accept payment by cash or check, with the exception of driver gratuities.
We understand that sometimes plans change and travel can be unpredictable. If you need to cancel your booking, please contact our office as soon as possible.
There is no charge for cancellations made more than 24 hours in advance, or up to the time of travel if the cancellation is due to flight cancellation by your airline.
Cancellations made within 24 hours of the scheduled pick-up time will result in a 100% charge, unless the airline has cancelled the flight.
For airport pick-ups, we offer a 30 minute grace period from flight arrival for domestic flights and 45 minute grace period for international flights. Our driver will text you with pick-up instructions when you land, so it’s easy to make contact. By the end of the grace period, if you have not contacted your driver or our office, then you will be considered a “no-show” and charged the full fare plus any accumulated expenses (e.g. parking).
Flights that are cancelled by the airline or more than 1 hour late will be refunded without penalty and WNC Shuttle will contact you to see if you’d like to reschedule. In some circumstances (whenever possible!), passengers whose flights are more than 1 hour late will still receive service.
For non-airport-related travel, we offer a 15 minute grace period. Failure to contact your driver or our office within 15 minutes of the pick-up time will result in a charge for the full fare, plus any accumulated expenses.
If you are unable to locate your driver at a pick-up location, DO NOT LEAVE. If you are unable to reach your driver, call our office at 828-400-3987 so we can assist you with locating your driver and the reserved vehicle.
WNC Shuttle utilizes 2 the top-of-the-line Ford vehicles.
Our flagship Platinum Edition Ford F-150 is used for parties of 4 or fewer. We have purposefully upgraded it to accommodate the unique road and weather conditions that occur in the rural areas we service.
Luxury and convenience converge, from automatic powered running boards, two-tone perforated leather seats with heating, cooling, and massage features (cooling and massage in front seat only), panoramic sunroof, aftermarket JL Audio Evolution C5 sound system, and an Icon Vehicle Dynamics Stage 5 suspension upgrade for the ultimate in on-road and off-road ride comfort and safety.
The lighted cargo area has been fitted with a RetraxPRO MX remote-controlled aluminum bed cover, which offers weather-resistant protection for loads of standard luggage with added flexibility to accommodate oversized items.
We also utilize a 2023 Ford Transit 350 XLT passenger van for parties of 5 – 11. The van offers leather seats, USB ports on each row, and Ford’s top of the line infotainment system.
Visit our Vehicles page for more details.
At this time, we can accommodate up to 15 passengers between 2 vehicles: an 11 passenger (+ driver) Ford Transit 350 XLT van and a 4 passenger (+ driver) Platinum Edition Ford F-150. Fleet expansion will remain a function of passenger demand.
Lincoln discontinued manufacture of the Town Car in 2011, so any Town Car on the road won’t meet WNC Shuttle’s expectations for cleanliness, ride comfort or safety.
For the safety of our passengers and our drivers, we have also elected not to carry any limousines or stretch limos in our fleet. These vehicles are made by cutting a car in half, adding a middle section, and reattaching the ends. We do not believe in the structural integrity of this process. For information about how limos are made, see this article.
WNC Shuttle operates a 100% smoke-free, nicotine-free environment. Smoking, vaping, e-cigs, and smokeless chewing tobacco are strictly prohibited in all of our vehicles. This ensures a pleasant riding experience for our drivers and future passengers.
WNC Shuttle allows clients to eat snacks and light meals in the vehicle. The consumption of full meals, greasy foods (e.g. “fast food”), and/or any foods that could stain or whose odors could permeate the vehicle interiors is prohibited.
Due to the limited availability of professional cleaning services in our area and NC State laws, open alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Other beverages are allowed in bottles or cups with lids.
Any spills that require remediation or repairs will be governed by our Cleaning and Damage Fees policy.
Because our fleet includes a luxury pick-up truck with a 6.5’ extended bed covered by an aluminum PowerTrax Pro remote vehicle cover, we can accommodate far more luggage than the typical sedan or SUV, including oversized items.
In our F-150, as long as at least one side of your largest piece of luggage is less than 20.5”, your items will be stowed in a weather-resistant compartment.
Large volumes of luggage and/or oversized items may require transportation with the cover partially or even fully open, exposing it to weather elements. Please consider this prior to making your reservation.
Our Ford Transit 350 van can accommodate 4 full sized suitcases plus 5 – 6 carry-on sized bags. It is the passenger’s responsibility to notify WNC Shuttle if their luggage will exceed these limits. Excess luggage may be accommodated by hitch-carrier or 2nd vehicle, for an additional fee. Contact WNC Shuttle for details.
Note that insurance requires that all luggage be stowed in the rear of the vehicle and only small bags and carry-ons are allowed in the main passenger cabin.
We understand that your pet is an important member of your family – ours is, too! However, in order to maintain an immaculate passenger cabin and out of respect for our clients who suffer from pet allergies, our policy does not allow pets inside the passenger cabin.
However, if you’re comfortable with your pet traveling inside its carrier secured in the rear cargo compartment, then we are happy to accommodate your fur-baby (F-150 only).
Our luxury pick-up truck is equipped with a PowerTrax Pro vehicle cover. The remote-controlled aluminum carrier offers a secure, weather-resistant compartment for pet carriers that are less than 20.5” in height.
Is your pet’s carrier taller than 20.5”? No worries, we can accommodate carriers of any height, but only with a portion of the truck bed uncovered.
Yes, and yes! Simply request a car or booster seat when you make your registration and we’ll be sure it’s available for your ride. (Small fee applies)
We do not currently offer any ramped wheelchair-accessible vehicles. However, our fleet includes a luxury pick-up truck with electric-powered, automatic running boards for easy ingress and egress and plenty of space in the bed for wheelchair storage.
Please contact us if you have specific questions about vehicle accessibility or if you have special requirements and we’ll do our very best to accommodate you.
Do you have a question that’s not listed, feel free to give us a call at 828-400-3987 or email us anytime!
