CARLSBORG — When you’re the Rocket man, you’d better be ready for a puppy, scooters and “Twilight” seekers from Spain.
Rafael Roman, also known as owner of Rocket Transportation, has seen all of the above and then some.
The Rocket man and his wife, Kathy, provide door-to-door shuttle service from the North Olympic Peninsula to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and to Silverdale, downtown Seattle and Tacoma by reservation.
The Romans, along with operations manager Dave Pedersen, do the scheduling, the driving and the hiring — and there’s scarcely a dull moment in their 24/7 business.
Every time the couple thinks they have the shuttle game figured out, there’s another twist in the road. Or a major connector is completely taken out, as will be the case when the Hood Canal Bridge closes at 12:01 a.m. May 1.
“We’re surprised at the amount of reservations during the bridge closure,” Rafael Roman said last week.
For the six weeks when the bridge’s eastern half is replaced — and when foot ferries will be running — he’s already taken numerous bookings for road trips onto and off the Peninsula.
The Romans’ nine-passenger shuttle vans will have to travel the long way around to Seattle and Tacoma: Normally an airport run takes 2¬½ hours, and that will lengthen to 3¬½ with no Hood Canal span.
Though the route will change, the prices won’t, Rafael added.
A look at Rocket’s Web site, www.GoRocketman.com, shows round-trip rates of $94.05 from Sequim to the airport; $99 from Port Angeles proper; $103.95 from the 98363 ZIP code area and $148.50 from Forks.
To and from east Jefferson County, the Rocket round trip costs $89.10.
Seniors 62 and older, active military service members and spouses enjoy discounts.
A lift to the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale or to Port Orchard costs $44 round trip from East Jefferson; to and from Sequim it’s $55; from the 98383 ZIP area it’s $66; from Port Angeles $71.50 and from Forks $104.50.
All of Rocket’s vans have lifts for wheelchairs and most scooters.
And since the Dodge Sprinters, made by Mercedes-Benz, get 27 miles per gallon, Rocket service was in demand last summer when gasoline prices cleared $4 a gallon.
“Reservations spiked,” Kathy Roman said, “because we were cheaper than driving your own car.”
Summer has tended to be the busiest season in the three years Rocket has been on Peninsula roads, but the holiday and rough-weather season are catching up.
Last December a driver delivered a West Highland terrier puppy, flown in from Texas, to a Port Angeles woman.
“We made Christmas happen,” Rafael said, adding that from one end of the trip to the other, all of the other passengers were focused on the darling dog.
Other precious cargo: surfboards and bicycles for people heading for the Peninsula’s waves and trails and musical instruments for Centrum blues and jazz celebrations at Fort Worden State Park.
“We took a woman from Spain to Forks for ‘Twilight,'” added Kathy.
Fortunately her husband, who speaks Spanish, was available for that trip to the land of Stephenie Meyer’s wildly popular vampire novels.
The Romans, with operations manager David Pedersen, work with 13 part-time employees.
“We have a more mature work force,” Rafael said, referring to the fact that most of his drivers are well above his and Kathy’s age of 42.
The older workers are dependable, whatever the demands of the shuttle schedule.
“I love them,” Rafael said.
He added that Rocket vans can also be reserved for trips to Amtrak and Greyhound stations in Seattle, to hospitals, hotels and cruise-ship docks in Seattle, as well as to the University of Washington and any destination in Tacoma.
The shuttle service is also partnering with Kenmore Air to provide ground transportation from Port Hadlock to downtown Port Townsend.
The shuttles will run three times a day in coordination with Kenmore’s flight schedule. Fare is $5 per person each way. Advance reservations will be required and may be made through Rocket, 877-697-6258, or through Kenmore, 866-435-9524.
And since Rocket vans return to Sea-Tac just about every day, customers can be reunited with delayed luggage fairly soon.
“We’ll pick it up,” Kathy said, and bring the baggage to its owner at no extra charge.
_________
Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
