Jessica
Traveling can be a huge hassle, and arranging transportation services to and from the airport is one of the necessary evils that make it so. Finding transportation services while traveling could feel like a shot in the dark; you’ve never been to your destination, you don’t know which are the good transportation services and which are the bad transportation services. It’s ten times more stressful if you’re arranging transportation services for someone else. The experience the airport shuttle services you use offers the rider is a representation of you and your business.
While we can’t personally choose your airport shuttle services for you, we can help you know what to look for when arranging airport shuttle services for yourself.
Five Tips for Finding the Best Airport Shuttle Services
- Crunch the numbers in advance.
They say if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Or as we like to say, if you fail to plan, you end up waiting several hours for a shuttle to come get you. Use Google maps to calculate the time it would take get from the airport to the hotel (or whatever your shuttle requirements are), and add at least one hour to account for traffic or unexpected delays. This will give you an accurate time frame to make arrangements with your shuttle driver. Get yourself on the books in advance, to ensure you aren’t left waiting for the next available driver.
Keep in mind that if you’re traveling for a special event or during a holiday, shuttle services might be particularly busy, so you’ll want to make arrangements even sooner. - Shop around before you buy.
You should consider at least three or four different shuttle services before you make a selection. Look into the licensing and registration that a shuttle service has, especially if you are using them for business purposes. Read the reviews that the Better Business Bureau has for each service.
One excellent way to narrow shuttle services is to read reviews from other riders who have used the service. You shouldn’t write off a service because of one negative review; some people are impossible to please, and clients are ten times more likely to write a review after a negative experience than a positive experience. However, if you see the same theme over and over in the reviews, it could be an indication that you should keep shopping. - Ask about pricing.
This should be our first point, since the cost of travel is the highest priority in most traveler’s decision making, and we’re certain you’re no exception. When you compare prices, make sure that you know the entire price, not just the base price. Some services seem like they offer low prices, but when you get the final bill it’s a lot more than you expected. Many shuttle services offer flat fees for travel between the airport and a destination, but some add in toll fees or surcharges for peak hours.
Make sure to ask if you have the van exclusively or if there will be other passengers in the van. You might be charged lower fees if you share your van with other passengers, but this type of transportation structure usually charges by passenger. If you have several people in your party, it might be cheaper to use a transportation service that charges by the trip. Not to mention, if the service has to stop over and over, it will take you longer to get to your destination. - Understand the luggage restrictions.
You should always make sure you know how much luggage the shuttle can take with you, especially if you’re traveling in a group and have to bring more than the typical passenger. Some shuttle services offer a variety of travel options, from sports utility vehicles, to vans, to luxury sedans. The kind of experience you get with each type of vehicle varies, as well as how much luggage the vehicle can carry with you. - Make other considerations.
If anything about your travel plans are out of the ordinary, you might want to double check to see whether the shuttle service can accommodate you in advance. For example, most airlines will allow you to check an animal if you are traveling with a pet, but not all shuttle services do. This is something you need to verify in advance.
