Truro entrepreneur expands transportation business into Nantucket with latest acquisition

Editor's note: This story was corrected on June 20, 2024, to reflect the mileage around the earth's equator.

Raphael Richter , owner of Mercedes Cab Company, Inc, acquired Valley Transportation Services of Massachusetts, Inc.

Ritcher’s transportation empire now includes Pilgrim Transit, Mayflower Trolley & Excursions, The Funk Bus, Cape Cab, Cape Destinations and All Cape Truck Service. The company employs 180 year-round and 20 seasonal employees.

Richter, who lives in Truro, estimates that his transportation businesses cover more than one million miles annually. That’s forty times around the earth’s equator.

He said the acquisition of Valley Transportation was a natural one in terms of expanding the areas his companies serve beyond Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts.

“It was part of a methodical, steady process,” Richter said.

Valley Transportation Services contracts with the Nantucket Regional Transit Authority to provide nine routes to Nantucket visitors and year-round residents.

How to get a free bus ride in Nantucket

“We’re trying to get people to ride the bus more,” said the Authority's Administrator Gary Roberts. “There’s very limited parking. Traffic gets to a standstill at times. More people riding the bus gets vehicles off the roads.”

A grant from the state Department of Transportation has allowed passengers to ride free since April 1, Roberts said. The grant will cover free transit through Sept. 1.

Ridership is up; so are passenger miles. In April the increase was 58% increase, in May it rose 64%. Roberts expects June, July and August will be even higher with the influx of summer tourists, Roberts said.

Denise Coffey writes about business, tourism and issues impacting the Cape’s residents and visitors. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com .

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Truro entrepreneur expands transportation business into Nantucket with latest acquisition