Why so much hatred for SuperShuttle?

[retlaw_yensid]

I was planning on making reservations with SuperShuttle for our upcoming visit to Disneyland. We're travelling in August and will be staying 5 nights at Camelot Inn. However, I've seen so much hatred for SuperShuttle, I'm second guessing the decision. My friend has used them multiple times in the past, and she has never had any issue. Are they really all that bad?

 

[Biffette]

I used SuperShuttle in April and had no problems. They were very efficient and there was minimal waiting around or circling for pickups/dropoffs.

 

[taffy]

I think peoples experience is very dependant on the driver you get which can vary wildly. When I have used them it has been great although we generally use the magic express as we travel with kids and its the only way you can travel without a car seat is in the full size coaches.

 

[offwithyourhead]

The shuttle we got had no issues with pickup or dropoff either way but the driver we got on the way back was playing his own music and a song with very inappropriate subject matter came on and he turned it down but not off and didn't switch the song. My 18 year old cousin and I just stared at each other because we couldn't believe it.

There were no kids in our car, and he at 18 was the youngest in the vehicle, but THAT was pretty unprofessional.

I agree that the experience is based entirely on the driver.

 

[Imdboss]

We've used them in the past, no issues. I won't use them anymore though because as a family of 4 there isn't any cost savings to use them, much rather use Uber Black.

 

[DisneyLuver2013]

We've used SuperShuttle over 12 times for our Disneyland vacations, and have never had a problem. Most of the drivers have been very friendly. They are the only shuttle company that we use when we reach John Wayne Airport to go to our hotel.

The only "bad" experience we had was on one of the more recent trips that we had. We were going to our hotel during rush hour on a late Friday afternoon. Traffic was insane! But that wasn't the drivers fault at all and he got us to our destination as quickly and efficiently as possible.

P.S. Camelot is a great hotel! You'll love it! It is now our go-to hotel, because of how clean it is and it's proximity to the gates!

Have fun!

 

[bumbershoot]

Every time I've been on SS the driver has been using multiple mobile devices WHILE driving. This is even after the ban on texting etc came into effect. One driver had an earpiece he was talking on with one phone, he was texting dispatch on another, and had another that he was taking calls on.

The LAST time I took SS was on a solo trip. I was at HoJo and needed to get to LAX. The only pickup time was pretty early before the flight, but OK, they know their schedules. So I'm the first on, but she didn't want me on. Why? Because I had been standing nearish 2 carseats, and she thought I had kids with me. There were no kids there, I walked up with my luggage and NO carseats, but it took over a minute of back and forth to get her to understand that those were not mine, it was just me, that my name was on her list, and can I please get on the shuttle.

And then we proceeded to go up and down Harbor and Katella for the next HOUR. There had been a big health and wellness expo that weekend, so the people getting on the shuttle were interesting at least, but then....our last stop before hitting the highway was? Back at HoJo.

I was soooo glad I was solo, because my kid wouldn't have appreciated that hour in the shuttle (very few 5 year olds would).


I like Karmel instead. When I'm not renting a car.

 

[DharmaLou]

We've used them twice without incident (both to and from the airport, so 4 times total). I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

 

[SMD]

First I think that they get blamed for things that aren't their fault, like traffic. And people don't realize that with a shared shuttle you may have to wait for other passengers and you might not be the first one dropped off, even if you were the first one picked up.

My LAX shuttle of choice to/from home is Prime Time. On one of the cruise message boards there was a poster who had an issue where they reversed the pick up and drop off both coming and going on their trip. For years they'd respond to every thread with their story and tell people not to use them. Ok, we get it, a shuttle company that does thousands of trips per week messed up at least one time. Now, those other thousands of people are not going to take the time to respond to every message and tell people that they were picked up and dropped off without a hitch. But for the dissatisfied customer there's a lot more motivation to vent whenever it's brought up.

 

[Sherry E]

Is there hatred for SuperShuttle? I mean, I don't hate them -- that's a strong word -- and would use them if I absolutely had to. But I prefer other shuttle companies instead of SS. I don't like having to pay in full before ever even setting foot in the van (which is what happens if I get a point to point shuttle with SS), and am not sure if the driver will be on time, or if I might have to cancel and then wait a few days to get a refund.

Plus, the last time I used SS, the driver boasted about how there would be no one on the freeway that we should have taken (the more direct route, and the route that I preferred to go) -- and he was right; at that time of the morning there would have been almost no one on the freeway that we should have taken -- but then proceeded to change his mind and take an alternate route instead. He then caused me to be a bit later in arriving at my destination than I wanted to be -- which would not have happened if he had taken the freeway that we should have taken at 5:15 a.m. on a Sunday, when no one was on the road.

So I stick with Sav-on Shuttle now. And I used to use Karmel in the past.

 

[goldmay]

I've had them call me 10-15 minutes before my pickup time asking if I am ready to leave, which I hate because my flights are usually in the mornings and I'm not a morning person. That's the only problem I've had for scheduled pickups, and the drivers have been friendly.

I think as long as you reserve ahead of time, they'll place you with people going to nearby destinations and the drive wouldn't be too long. On one occasion I had to take a Supershuttle when my flight had to emergency land at Ontario instead of Long Beach for some maintenance. I ended up on a full shuttle with people who lived in the Ontario/Chino/Riverside areas. So it took us like 4-5 hours to get to Long Beach. We even stopped at a fast food drive-thru for lunch.

 

[daisy_77]

I have used them twice going to Disneyland. Once from LAX and the other time from Long Beach. They have always been super nice. I have no complaints as far as customer service/friendliness. But the driving was a little insane both times. Based on my experiences, I will not be using them again.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Never had a problem with SS, but did have a bad experience with the Disney shuttle!

 

[Ydnameht]

I used them going back to LAX from Anaheim 2 years ago. The only issue I had was that the driver arrived MUCH earlier than the scheduled pickup time. I was still in the park when he arrived, it was so early. But it worked out okay in the end. He didn't leave me stranded or anything, just called me a lot of times wondering where I was.

 

[tehvalerie]

We used them for the first time on our trip last year. Had a great experience leaving, going from our hotel to SNA, but lost a couple months off my life on the drive from LAX to Anaheim. We circled the airport twice so the driver could pick up one last fare, and his driving on the freeway was erratic and somewhat dangerous (even considering average LA freeway shenanigans). Our experience with the gray line bus wasn't much better in terms of time spent (we must have arrived at the stop at LAX right after a bus left), and there are only two of us so Uber isn't a cost effective option. All that said, we'll probably use SuperShuttle again on our trip this September.

 

[lauritagoddess]

We've used them several times coming from LAX to DLR, but I don't like using them going back to LAX. We always have early morning flights and with the multiple pickups it's too nervewracking about making it on time. Going to DLR, everyone may be going to different hotels, but at least everyone is going to the same area. But going back to LAX, they do pickups all over the place and it takes forever. We had a situation with my son where he been very sick the night before our trip back to LAX. Because of that, I knew he wouldn't be able to handle a long meandering trip back to the airport so I called a taxi. Best money I ever spent. To this day, we still take taxis back to the airport.

 

[bumbershoot]

But for the dissatisfied customer there's a lot more motivation to vent whenever it's brought up.

Well, but if you read responses, you don't see JUST people complaining. You see people telling you what happened, and *who they like now*. They are disgruntled with one, and HAPPY with the other. So they aren't just complaining. I'm always happy for people who haven't had our experiences with SS, but I have had my experiences with SS, and I won't use them again.

We circled the airport twice so the driver could pick up one last fare

And that's what Karmel won't do. Even says so on their website.

And that's a reason why I use Karmel, since the FIRST time we used SS we were picked up at ONT (horrible mistake), we were new at traveling to warm places in colder seasons and we were dressed for PacNW not SoCal, DS was exhausted and wanting to nap, it was HOT, and....after I sweatily wrestled the carseat into place and got the kid in, we started leaving...and just as we got to the exit from the airport...he went back around to troll for other customers. NOT FUN. And yet I gave them more chances LOL, a couple more years of them!

 

[Liat]

We almost always use SS. Never had a problem with them that wasn't fixed immediately. Once we arrived at the airport to find that they had somehow missed us (though when they phoned they had a record of my payment). They called a van and we were on our way in 20 minutes or so. Now a days we are a big enough family that we just rent out the whole van so we don't do shared anymore, but even when we did they almost never circled again but if they were going to warned us. We only use them from the airport to a disney area hotel (or vice versa) so that may be the trick. We did have a horrible awful no good experience with Prime Time that included him driving so horribly that he made two people vomit, hitting a locked fence with his van trying to get it to open and taking people in the worst order possible (should have been an hour max, took three etc). After that he wanted a tip!

 

[finchy3]

We used SS and the driver kept going around looking for one more passenger, we we're last to be dropped off in Anaheim after he went via Huntingdon Beach to drop someone off.
Not fun after an 11 hour flight, never again!

 

[ludari]

I've used them in the past with no problems, however I have used Uber more recently and prefer them. What I really can't stand are taxi cabs but that's a whole other story.