Schmitty and Sons

What Schmitty and Sons does

Schmitty & Sons is a Minnesota-based transportation services company founded in 1952 by Wilfrid "Schmitty" Schmitt, operating a fleet of over 300 vehicles across six garage locations in Lakeville, Burnsville, Lake Elmo, Saint Paul, Stewartville, and Eagan. The company provides five core service lines: contracted school transportation for five Independent School Districts (194, 191, 834, 623, and 534); public transit operations under contract with the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) and Metropolitan Council/Metro Transit; charter bus rentals; shuttle services including airport and event shuttles; and guided sightseeing tours operated under the Gray Line Minnesota franchise. The company transitioned to employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) on January 1, 2016, and now has over 1,000 employees.

Name

Schmitty and Sons

Legal name

Schmitty & Sons

Website

https://schmittyandsons.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Schmitty & Sons is a Minnesota-based, employee-owned transportation services company operating 300+ vehicles across six locations, providing school bus, public transit, charter, shuttle, and tour services to government clients and consumers since 1952.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. School Transportation Services: Contracted school bus services for multiple Independent School Districts in Minnesota, including regular route services, special education transportation, and extracurricular/event transportation. Revenue comes from long-term contracts with school districts.
2. Public Transit Operations: Contracted transit operations for Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) providing fixed-route bus service and Metro Micro on-demand service for Metropolitan Council. Revenue from transit authority contracts.
3. Charter Bus Rentals: Charter services including motorcoaches, mid-coaches, Mercedes Sprinters, trolleys, and school buses for private events, weddings, corporate events, athletic teams, and group tours. Operated under Gray Line Minnesota franchise.
4. Concert & Event Shuttles: Shuttle services for concerts, sporting events, and special events with roundtrip service from convenient pickup locations. Multiple upcoming concert shuttles listed for 2026 events.
5. Guided Tours: Sightseeing tours including Twin Cities Highlight Tours, St. Paul tours with Mississippi River cruises, Stillwater Highlights Tours, and Holiday Lights Tours under Gray Line Minnesota brand.
6. Shuttle Services: Shuttle services including Quick Ride Ramp airport parking shuttle, MVTA Connect app-based microtransit, and Metro Micro on-demand service. Revenue from fare-based transit services.
7. Transportation Consulting: Consulting services for private shuttle systems, multi-day trip planning, transit services, and school route planning. Professional consulting for organizations needing transportation solutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Schmitty & Sons operates contracted passenger transportation services in Minnesota, including school bus transportation for five Independent School Districts, fixed-route public transit and on-demand microtransit operations for MVTA and Metropolitan Council, charter bus rentals, concert/event shuttles, and sightseeing tours under the Gray Line Minnesota brand. The company operates a fleet of over 300 vehicles and six operations garages across the Twin Cities metro area.

Product overview

Schmitty & Sons is a transportation services company offering a diverse portfolio of services organized around its core divisions: School Transportation, Public Transportation, Charter Bus Rentals, Shuttle Services, and Tours. The company operates a fleet of over 300 vehicles including school buses, mid-coaches, motorcoaches, Mercedes Sprinters, and vintage trolleys. Key services include MVTA Connect (app-based microtransit), Metro Micro (on-demand rideshare), Gray Line Minnesota tours, concert/event shuttles, and transportation consulting. The portfolio is unified by shared infrastructure including three maintenance facilities in Eagan, Burnsville, and Lakeville, and common commitments to safety, quality standards, and green initiatives. Since 2016, the company has been employee-owned through an ESOP structure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Transportation

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 55 cars removed from the road per full motorcoach
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gray Line TourscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2000In 2000, Schmitty & Sons acquired the rights to the Gray Line Tours franchise for Minnesota, enabling them to offer tourist and charter services under the internationally recognized Gray Line brand.
• Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchmitty & Sons provides full-service public transportation for MVTA, offering local and express bus routes in the southern metro. Schmitty drivers operate MVTA buses serving Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Rosemount, Shakopee, Savage, and Prior Lake with routes to Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Mall of America.
• Metropolitan Council / Metro TransitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchmitty & Sons operates both fixed-route buses and Metro Micro on-demand service on behalf of Metropolitan Council, serving communities throughout Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding metro area.
• Dakota County Technical CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchmitty & Sons collaborates with Dakota County Technical College to offer mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for college students pursuing careers in transportation.
• Lakeville WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Lakeville Works to offer mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for high school graduates entering the workforce.
• 191 Community EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with 191 Community Education programs to support lifelong learning initiatives in the Burnsville area.
• 360 CommunitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with 360 Communities to address local needs through community engagement programs and initiatives.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Transdev: Global mobility operator with significant U.S. transit and paratransit contracts; overlaps with Schmitty on public transit and microtransit operations and is a credible bidder on larger Metropolitan Council contracts.

Direct peers

• First Student: North America's largest school bus operator and a sister brand to Schmitty & Sons under the same founding family lineage; competes head-to-head on school district contracts and shares the same core business of contracted K-12 student transportation.
• Durham School Services: Major U.S. school bus transportation contractor operating across many states; directly competes with Schmitty on multi-year Independent School District contracts and offers the same core student transportation services.
• National Express Transit: Operates school bus, paratransit, and fixed-route transit contracts in North America — directly overlapping with Schmitty's school transportation and MVTA/Metro Micro service lines.
• MV Transportation: One of the largest U.S. paratransit and fixed-route transit contractors; competes with Schmitty for Metropolitan Council and other public transit authority contracts nationwide.
• Coach USA: Major motorcoach and charter bus operator in the U.S.; directly competes with Schmitty's charter and tour businesses on corporate events, weddings, and group transportation.
• Rochester City Lines: Minnesota-based motorcoach and charter operator; directly competes with Schmitty in the Twin Cities region and across Minnesota on charter, shuttle, and contract services.

Regional players

• Badger Bus: Wisconsin-based motorcoach and charter operator that occasionally overlaps with Minnesota regional charter work; comparable in fleet size and service mix to Schmitty's charter division.
• Metro Transit (Twin Cities): The Twin Cities public transit agency that contracts to Schmitty & Sons; comparable in that it operates the same fixed-route and Metro Micro services that Schmitty runs on its behalf, making it both a customer and an operational benchmark.

Emerging players

• Limousine Service Twin Cities / Executive Express: Minnesota-based executive and group transportation provider that competes in the Mercedes Sprinter and small-group charter segment of Schmitty's charter portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@schmittysons7210
• Facebookfacebook.com/schmittyandsons
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schmitty-and-sons-bus-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/schmittyandsonsbus
• TikToktiktok.com/@schmittyandsons
• Xx.com/SchmittyandSons

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Schmitty and Sons