AMHERST—Known from its tag line as “the easy way to the airport” for people all over Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties, Valley Transporter is celebrating three decades in business in the Pioneer Valley.

The livery business began when Gary Bosselait and his sister Valerie bought a van and a telephone answering machine in 1986 and started taking reservations for and delivering passengers to area airports and train depots, including Bradley International Airport, Logan and JFK.

Now, Valley Transporter employs more than 40 staff members, including reservationists, round-the-clock dispatchers and drivers, and it holds to a commitment of diversity.

“Our fleet is clean and well-maintained,” Bosselait said. “It has achieved an economy of scale that allows it to provide affordable 24-hour local transport on demand, and charters are a growing part of the business.

“Valley Transporter has taken its place in the local economy by making airports readily accessible,” added Bosselait. “We not only provide a service, but we help stimulate commerce by being a trusted part of the regional transit network.”

Passengers who travel with Valley Transporter include college students, vacationers, business travelers, groups and individuals coming to the region for events and conferences, and people in need of a ride to and from medical appointments.

Valley Transporter provides hourly shared rides from Northampton, Amherst, Springfield, Greenfield and other towns and cities along the I-91 corridor to Bradley, most for under $60, including tip. With 10 fuel-efficient minivans and 10 larger vans, the Amherst-based company takes reservations by phone, email and online at www.valleytransporter.com

Bosselait said that Valley Transporter has weathered setbacks that included the virtual standstill in travel in the months after 9/11, which would have put it out of business without the help of its bankers. “We are proud that slow and steady growth has made us a stable and reliable part of the expanding livery sector in western Massachusetts,” he said.

A Worcester County native with family roots in the travel industry, Bosselait is committed to keeping Valley Transporter a responsive, energetic and professional enterprise into its fourth decade.