The Black Dress Traveler

SuperShuttle or Super Slow?

I am still reeling from my SuperShuttle ordeal of less than 24 hours ago. In this economy, I was fine with the idea of sharing a ride with other weary travelers if it meant saving about 20+ dollars on cab fare. And I realized that being frugal might add an hour to my travel time. Not a problem.

However, I live only 30 minutes from JFK and I arrived home 2 and 1/2 hours after I boarded the SuperShuttle. For the first hour, I was the only passenger in that darn blue van as my uncommunicative driver hopped in and out of terminals in search of passengers. I understand that the logistics of organizing passenger arrivals is more prone to error than departures but it strikes me as excessive that my SuperShuttle experience was longer than my flight from Florida to New York. Lesson learned: I can always make 20 bucks but I will never get back my valuable time.

I have just e-mailed the following complaint letter to SuperShuttle demanding a full refund. Stay tuned for updates.

To Whom It May Concern:

 

I am writing to express my complete dissatisfaction with my most recent SuperShuttle experience of Saturday, August 15. 2009. My reservation number was 12345678.

 

As indicated in the e-mail confirmation that you sent me, I called SuperShuttle at about 7:35 pm to inform you of my arrival when my flight arrived at JFK. I was told to wait about 20-25 minutes for the driver to come and get me. Around 8:00 pm the driver called my cell phone and instructed me to meet him outside.  So far so good but it all goes downhill from there.

 

I was the only passenger in the van and understood that I would have to wait while the driver collected the other passengers. However, I did not realize that the driver would circle around the airport for an entire hour before he picked up the next passenger.  At several terminals, I was left in the van alone for 10-15 minutes while the driver went to get other passengers and he would then come back empty handed.

 

Long story short,  I reached my home at 10:30 pm.  This was 2 and 1/2 hours after I entered the van and even longer than my flight from Florida.  At no point did the driver ever communicate with the passengers to let us know the itinerary for the drop-offs.  For the record, I live 30 minutes from JFK. Even with a shared ride experience, a 2 and 1/2 hour trip is excessive and unprofessional.

 

As we reached my neighborhood, I told the driver to turn so that I could be dropped off in front of my building. He refused to do so and then made a U-turn on the wrong street. At that point, I was completely frustrated so I asked him to stop so that I could get off the SuperShuttle immediately.  This long, slow, and unpleasant journey ended with me and my luggage being dropped off half a block and across the street from home.

 

I am writing to request a FULL refund for my SuperShuttle trip.  I used your service to take me to the airport and was pleased but the return trip was absolutely horrible.

 

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

 

Take the Bus to Boston: Go Cheap with BoltBus or Chic with LimoLiner

Last weekend I had to travel from my home in Manhattan to Boston. Wishing to avoid the indignity of stuffing my beauty products in a Ziplock bag or paying extra money to check my luggage, I opted to take the bus instead of flying the could-be-friendier skies. Heading up to Beantown I took the bargain BoltBus and cruised back to the Big Apple in the luxurious LimoLiner.

Bolt Bus
A joint venture between GreyHound and Peter Pan bus lines, BoltBus offers express service from NYC to Boston and a few other cities. If you want to travel cheap, BoltBus is a viable option - my one-way ticket to Boston cost $14.50 and their website advertises limited $1 seats. The brightly painted coaches are new and clean but the boast of extra leg room felt a bit exaggerated. For us New Yorkers who detest the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the BoltBus to Boston conveniently departs from the corner of 34th and 8th in front of the Tick Tock Diner. There is no assigned seating but passengers do board in groups. My 10:00 AM bus arrived about 15 minutes late but we still arrived at Boston's South Station as scheduled at 2:00 PM after a bouncy ride. BoltBus does offer WIFI but be sure to charge your battery because there aren't outlets at each seat. Although the bathroom was clean, I was thoroughly grossed out by the fact that there was no sink with water for hand washing - only a hand sanitizer dispenser. YUCK!

LimoLiner

The swanky LimoLiner successfully recreates the best parts of air travel on a luxury coach. My one way ticket cost $89 and departed on-time from the Hilton Back Bay and arrived at the Hilton in midtown Manhattan about 10 minutes late because of traffic in NYC. (LimoLiner passengers can also take advantage of special rates at both Hiltons).  You can select your seat online when you make your reservation.  

One of the smoothest rides I've ever experienced, in addition to the driver, LimoLiner has an on-board attendant who serves refreshments, sandwiches and a snack. You can even request a vegetarian meal. Want to take a nap? They have pillows and blankets too. LimoLiner offers WIFI and power outlets at each seat. Each comfy leather seat has a cupholder, outlet, and a pull-down tray. The attendant even offers you a head set for watching the movie or listening to satellite radio. The bathroom was spacious, had fresh flowers, running water and you could even press a button to adjust the lighting to the "makeup" setting. To end the trip on a sweet note, the gracious LimoLiner attendant handed each passenger a silver-wrapped chocolate when we exited - classy!

Final Verdict:  BoltBus and LimoLiner both met the basic goal of getting me from Point A to Point B. If you prefer to travel cheap but want the peace of mind that comes from riding a bus run by a major operator then give the BoltBus a try. However if you want a bus that feels like a first-class flight and makes the time on the road whiz by, LimoLiner is worth every penny!