Surf City Shuttle

Used these guys before and no problems, even gave them a good review before on this site! Cons: Left Stranded and Broke more

We scheduled a round trip shuttle to and from the airport and our credit card was immediately charged. We cancelled in person many days in advance and were promised a refund. However after six months we have never been refunded our charges, in spite of numerous conversations and phone calls. Each time we were promised a credit to our account which never happened. These people are cheaters and liars. more

Was late for pick up. Very aggressive and rude. Became so unpleasant that it was impossible to get in the vehicle with the driver. Still charged the credit card!! Unfortunately, it wasn't until after this bad experience that I heard from lots of people that they would NEVER use this service because it is so unreliable. Don't waste your money....call a different shuttle. This service does not even deserve one star on the rating scale. Cons: Late, aggressive, rude more

Totally blew me off for an early morning flight. A total nightmere. Beyond one star but that was my only choice!!!! Pros: Nothing Cons: Don't Show Up more

Took my $99 credit card payment and never showed up. 100 calls and emails later - still no refund. ANYONE INTERESTED IN SUING THOSE GUYS? contact me. more

The shuttle never showed!!! My friend had to catch an international flight and we waited 45 minutes in the middle of the night for the shuttle. When we called the shuttle driver (who happened to be the owner that night), he did not even answer the phone! We had to enlist another friend to drive her! When I called the next day, and said that I would like for the owner to call me back, to possibly be credited for another shuttle ride for another friend of mine (giving him the benefit of the doubt that the mistake was a fluke), he never called, which just goes to show you that customer service is not his priority. No apology, no nothin'. When you need to rely on something as important as getting to the airport on time, don't take your chances. Cons: totally unreliable and unprofessional more

What more can you NOT ask for in a shuttle company? They do not pick you up at the airport (SFO), in fact they contract out your ride at the last minute (e.g. my driver did not belong to Surf City Shuttles, did not know who he was picking up, nor what time, nor what flight). Everything is done ad-hoc, last-minute, was rushed, disorganized, and there were miscommunications aplenty. As such, they forgot three of their passengers (a family) at the airport and only realized this fact after the owner to find out where their shuttle was. My driver got the call to go back to SFO after driving 20 minutes south of the airport. Forty minutes later, we were back in the same spot but with four very unhappy passengers. You get kicked out into a gas station parking lot in Los Gatos, while you wait for the owner (James Brice) to pick you up in his minivan. He was completely unapologetic for the screw ups, and went so far as to accuse all of us for attempting to get out of the Terms & Conditions, assuming we were going to call our credit card companies to put a stop-payment on his company (great idea, but no, that wasn't what I had in mind). Anyways, he was confrontational with us during our entire ride back to Santa Cruz. While driving on Highway 17, he was busy dispatching more contract drivers from other companies to pickup fares via his iPhone. Not only is this dangerous, it is completely illegal to do while driving. When one of the passengers asked him to stop conducting business and focus on driving, he became very angry. When pressed on the details of the illegality of what he was doing, he became irate and threatened to eject them onto the side of the highway (keep in mind, this is close to midnight). There were more confrontations once we got back to Santa Cruz, but I won't bore you with the details. The bottom line is you get a completely amateur shuttle ride, no guarantee that you'll get to Santa Cruz on time (or at all), terrible service, and all of this for roughly what you would pay to any other shuttle service in Santa Cruz (e.g. I have heard good things about ABC limos, and they're only $25 more). I am not sure if this company even has a license to operate; none was displayed in the vehicle and there were no decals on the vehicle. I didn't look that close though. Pros: They are a shuttle company, and they have A shuttle. Cons: Just about everything related to shuttling passengers. more

Geezzzz These folks must do a good business as they have the most feedback then anyone else in Santa Cruz for Shuttle service. Looks like they have had a few hiccups but on the other hand everyone seems to be using them. Maybe just a few complainers? Not sure what to think, but they sure seem to be popular Pros: Lot's of Feedback from Customers Cons: Some feedback not so nice more

This company is so unprofessional and James the owner should learn how to run a business effectively. He had picked us up from the airport over an hour late because he had other clients, then proceeded to pick us up from SJC with them in the car. He got off the 17 at granite creek, told us to leave the car because he had to drive his other clients home first and that another car would pick us up. we were dropped off on a curb in the middle of scotts valley, where we had to wait another hour for a disgusting car to come get us and finally drop us off in santa cruz. almost four hours later the second driver had the nerve to pressure us for a tip! Pros: cheap Cons: everything more

In May we booked a shuttle from Aptos to SFO with Surf City Shuttle who promised to pick us up at 8:30 for an International flight on June 14th. We had called the company early in the morning of the 14th to confirm the pick-up. We gave explicit directions to the owner, James, and assumed all was o.k. At about 5:00p.m. we realized that we had more than the average number of bags, and assuming they owned vans and cars, we called again to explain the situation, and were promised that the issue would be covered by an employee. When 8:40 arrived without a car, we called the company, and a peeved-sounding James gave us the cell phone number of the driver. That seemed o,k., so I called the driver and found that he was not only NOT on the way, but that he was ""having dinner"" on the Santa Cruz Wharf. The sounds of clinking glasses and good times filled the phone. From the Wharf to our place, two miles up Porter Gulch Rd. would take thirty minutes in an ideal situation. While I was trying to give directions (again) to the driver, who had no idea where he was going, who he was going to pick up, or where he was going to take them, we lost the signal, or he hung up. After several failed attempts to call him back, I called James at the office again to try and confirm somebody was coming. James raised his voice several levels and shouted, ""You are an a...hole and a loser and you are hassling us. I am canceling your trip!"" And he hung up leaving me stunned. We were in disbelief. This seemed impossible. We had paid for the ride and had an international flight to catch in less than three hours. It was nine at night and we were 75 miles from the airport. Panic set in. Reluctantly I called my ex-wife to see if she would take us, which she agreed to do. Just as I was digesting the benevolence of this, my phone rang and it was the driver seeking directions. I played dumb and started giving him directions when he got a call from James telling him not to make the call. He came back on the phone and said that he ""...would probably get fired over this,"" but offered to take us on his own, but we would have to pay him $100.00 in cash. Feeling this was a better option than imposing on my ex., we accepted, and the driver showed up in 30 minutes in a very ""ungreen"" 1988 Mercedes Benz sedan. He had no gas and we had to go to the station to put fuel in the car before we could go. The whole trip was spent with him describing all the terrible experiences people had had with Surf City Shuttle. He said they were operating without license, insurance, or permit, which I was sure applied to our ride. We were too desperate to question things. The driver insisted he be paid before we arrived at the terminal because he ""could not have anybody see him accepting cash."" He suggested we call Early Bird Shuttle to arrange for a ride back to Santa Cruz when our trip was over. We followed his advice, and although the rate was a little higher it was the best money ever spent as this company showed up with a spiffy, uniformed driver in a beautiful new Mercedes station wagon. This company met us at the gate and as we were loading bags on a cart we were shocked to get a phone call from Surf City saying ""a driver was on the way,"" and we laughed him off. I have never written a bad review on anybody before, or wished another business ill-will, but unfortunately James and Surf City Shuttle deserve the worst. His behavior was absolutely unconscionable. Pros: ZERO STARS, OR MINUS TEN STARS! Cons: UNBELIEVEABLY RUDE & petty Owner more

I'm not sure where they went wrong with some of the other people, but I would not put much into the ""Angry People"" letters below. I have used Surf City Shuttle for over 3 years now and I would never go anywhere without them. I had a 2 day trip last month that went pear shaped when I returned to the parking lot and my car was broken into and my battery and Garmon was pinched. I called at almost 10:30pm and James answered right away and then came an got me. The next day he had a fare back to San Jose and gave me a free ride after taking me to Kragen's first to buy a battery. What more can you say that . . . Pros: On time, new fleet Cons: ?? more

THIS COMPANY HAS STARTED ILLEGALLY. Pros: NOT LEGAL! SUSPENDED PUC LICENSE! Cons: VERY UNPROFF. BUSINESS! more

Citysearch mistakenly posts Surf City Shuttle reviews on Surf City Suds Laundromat site. What is up with citysearch that they can't even administer their review site correctly? more

I would bet good money the positive reviews are not legit. Look at yelp or anyother review site and you will be nothing but bad reviews and unhappy customers. Pros: nothing Cons: everything. what a hot mess more

Thank you for being the best shuttle service in town! As you know, I've used you many times over the last 3 years and I'm sorry for writing only now. I hope everyone in town tries you out. Once they see how your service works, you won't have any problem keeping them happy and coming back. Like me! Au Revoir! Jan Pros: N more

Seen a lot of negative reviews but had a very good experience both getting to and from the airport. Only problem was that TWO cars showed up to get me on the way there, but that wasn't an inconvenience for me in the least. Both James and Ruben were nice guys. No complaints here and thought they deserved a positive review. Pros: Easy--always got a phone response when I called to check up Cons: Not cheap, but none of them are more

I hate being the 0.3% of Surf City Shuttle's NON on-time service rating that is claimed by Surf City Shuttle. Cons: Never showed up!!! more

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!! DO NOT RELY ON SURFCHITTY SHUTTLE !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pros: get to find an alternative shuttle service Cons: lost my job more

Normally I would ignore the ratings on this company because I have my own very reliable shuttle company that I use regularly. However, this morning I received a panicked phone call from a friend asking me to take her to SFO (90 minutes one way) because Surf City Shuttle had not arrived yet and she was running out of time. So, I got in my car and drove to her house and, just as I drove up, she called me to tell me that the SCS car was finally there, and she was on her way, about a half hour late. The company provided no explanation for the delay except that ""he should be there; maybe it's your road work."" So, if you want to use this company, not recommended, make sure that you allow PLENTY of time. My personal expectation is that a pre-arranged (pre-paid!) shuttle should be at your house no less than ten minutes before the scheduled time, or you are due a personal phone call with more details. My own shuttle company now adheres to that standard (I did have to ream them once, but now they get it.). And BTW, I am not impressed by ULEV?s and fair trade coffee. When I need to get to the airport, and I'm paying top dollar, there is only one standard: maximum efficiency (punctuality, safety, etc). And a little courtesy would go a long way too. This company needs to understand that we travelers are usually looking at a HUGE downside if we miss a flight. Cons: reputation for lateness and rudeness is confirmed more

Hello! On this site, you will read good reviews and bad. The fact that we've served over 5 and a half thousand clients in the last three and a half years, however, bears testament to the excellent service we provide. People well-served are getting what is expected from a service provider. Those whose experience wasn't to their liking or up to their standards are more motivated to vent their frustration, mostly in retribution. There is no perfect company, just as there are no perfect people. Our on time statistics remain above 98% (total trips divided by late/missed pickups) and our return customer rate is over 50%, however, which is the amount of returning clients each month versus new clients who choose our service above the other companies in town. Often we hear how other companies let their customers down and how much better our service is, but really most of the companies in town are reliable, but also have their own problems from time to time. We never keep peoples money, in the event of a problem and usually offer a free ride when something happens. Unfortunately, in our industry, one chance is all you get. Hope to see soon! Riders Welcome! Pros: Great Service! more