Wheeling on

Freedom is at the heart of the journey

 

 In 2007, Fairfield-based MV Transportation, Inc., was named the 10th largest African-American-owned industrial/service company in the U.S. by Black Enterprise magazine. The firm, which specializes in provision of paratransit services for the disabled, has more than 11,000 employees, operates more than 180 contracts in 25 states, and has appeared on Black Enterprise’s list five years running. Major accomplishments all, considering that 30 years ago the company was founded with a single van in San Francisco by the husband-and-wife team of Alex and Feysan Lodde.

    Getting into the transportation business was a natural progression for the Loddes. “Alex and I saw a tremendous need for better transportation for seniors and people with disabilities,” Feysan Lodde says. “Alex was working in transportation with a similar company and we decided to purchase the company and make it our own.” At that point, the company, called MediVan, consisted of just one van that was used to transport disabled Medicaid patients to the doctor, the store or other places of need.

    Both Feysan and Alex grew up close to their parents, grandparents, and seniors in their communities. “I realized back in the 1970s that without access to specific types of transportation to accommodate their needs, the quality of life for people with disabilities oftentimes suffered,” she says. “Just knowing that what we were doing could raise their quality of life kept me in the business.”

    It was the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which impelled local governments to expand services for disabled citizens, that motivated the Loddes to take the company national. Headquarters moved from San Francisco to Fairfield in February, 1996. 

    MV Transportation works in other areas of transportation, operating several fixed-route bus systems, commuter bus services, college and airport shuttles, and non-emergency medical transportation. The company blends modern technologies such as cameras in the vehicles with hands-on supervision such as providing 80 to 100 hours of training for new employees. This also earned MV top honors by Black Enterprise as an employment leader.

    Like many Americans, the Loddes were deeply affected by Hurricane Katrina. “As I watched the coverage of the disaster unfolding on television, my heart ached,” Lodde says. “I immediately called our CEO. Within 48 hours we had sent 52 vehicles and about 70 employees—all of whom volunteered—to New Orleans. We wanted to be there with the necessary and available resources.” For three months, the MV Transportation team helped shuttle residents, and emergency and public safety personnel between shelters, hospitals and evacuated areas.

    That isn’t to say the company hasn’t hit bumps in the road, so to speak. The rise in fuel prices “absolutely affects the company,” Lodde says. “For instance, the post-Hurricane Katrina rise in fuel prices affected our bottom line to the tune of $9 million. We have worked with local governments to try new technologies and hybrid vehicles to reduce our dependence on fuel. In many instances, our clients have graciously shared the cost of fuel with us.”

    But the Loddes’ real bottom line with MV Transportation, Inc. is helping people maintain their freedom of mobility. The company’s motto, “We Provide Freedom,” says it all to those with special transportation needs.

Visit MV Transportation, Inc. online.

 

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