Ultimate Shuttle

First time: Picked me up
Second time: no show at four
It was morn and dark
I’m a patient person, and maybe my current woes with this service have to do with the larger problem of Boston transportation in general. I was very happy the first time. On time. Good price. Nice driver. Second time: complete no show. Left high and dry at 4 a.m. You don’t deserve any stars for that…
I called dispatch about 15 minutes after my shuttle was supposed to arrive. They called me back asking if I could catch a cab. And I did… $ 60 poorer.
Next time, I’m just going to inconvenience my friends and give beer for compensation. I’m drafting this in Logan right now, and I could use some compensation.

Frequent user. I book online. My go to solution for transport between Logan and downtown. The service has many hotels on their circuit. The shared van service is cheaper than a solo cab ride.

I have used this company before with no problem — the drivers were about 5 – 10 minutes late, which is not the end of the world, but overall the experience was fine. I had always received the same rate for my part of Boston: about $ 45, round trip. I just online booked for the same rate, but was called the day before my shuttle to let me know that the rate is actually around $ 80. That’s almost double the price, even though I live in Boston. A surprise rate hike the day before I leave is not great business service, in my opinion. In addition, with the rate hike, it’s actually the same price or cheaper to take a cab.

Now called Go Shuttle.
Nice people as long as youre not trying to get anywhere fast. My flight got in early so I called to catch the 30min earlier shuttle and was told it would be coming by any second… Waited and waited, called 10 min later and was told «any minute» another 15 min «2 min away… another call: «should be there any second»…by almost 40 min after my first call I finally see the van– past the time I was originally scheduled to pick it up. Then we sit for10 min at terminal E until we find out we don’t need to wait for the guy we were waiting for, but the gentleman we do pickup had been waiting for 50 min. The driver was very nice but seemed completely uninterested in the lack of timeliness or that we’d been standing outside in the cold wind for a long time. I did not want to worry about being late for my return flight so I took a cab which was not a whole lot more expensive than the shuttle

I came to Boston for a conference this month (October 2011). I called Go Boston ahead to make a reservation and pre-​pay for a round-​trip pick up from Logan to the Park Plaza Hotel. The pick up time from Logan was scheduled for 1:15 pm, the shuttle came 45 minutes later. The return trip to Logan was scheduled for pick up from the hotel at 10:55 am. At 11:15 am, I called the company to find out the status of the shuttle. I was told the shuttle is running 30 minutes late. When the reservation was made, I gave them my flight information so they knew when I had to be at the airport in order to make my flight home. I was told they would refund the price of the trip to Logan and I should find other transportation to the airport. I was not happy about going from a $ 17 trip to the airport via shuttle to a $ 50 cab ride.

Originally from LA, I flew out to Boston to visit a school I’ll be attending this fall. I scheduled my shuttle pickups about a week in advance, but I ended up having to take a different flight last minute. I called to see if I could reschedule at about 2 am EST, but they were still able to do it!
When I got to the airport, however, I had to wait about half an hour for a shuttle to get me. I had been changed to an «add on» and was stuffed inside a crowded van. I felt bad because it was my fault for changing last minute, but the boss was unprofessionally lecturing and swearing at our driver for running late. The driver was rude, and after he dropped me off at the apartment I was staying at he straight up asked for tip.
For my flight back to LA, I was picked up right on time from the apartment I was staying at (the driver was actually early and I didn’t realize he had been waiting outside). The driver was super sweet and even gave me some words of encouragement for my academic career. Completely different experience from my way to the apartment!
I think it really depends on which driver you get, but I both times I got where I needed to be within a fair amount of time and that’s what’s important.

I’ve used Ultimate Shuttle many times and when I first started using them about 2 years ago, the service was great. The last three times I’ve used the shuttle service have been pretty bad. The van to pick up is almost always late and on two separate occasions the company changed my pickup time without calling to tell me.
The last time I used the service, to go from Boston Logan to Cambridge, my flight was slightly delayed. I waited for about 10 minutes and then called to see when the shuttle was coming. The woman on the phone was very rude and told me the shuttle wouldn’t be coming for another 30 minutes. I inquired as to why it wasn’t coming on the scheduled pick up time in my email and was told that it was my fault b/​c my flight was late. I got off the phone but then decided I’d rather just take a cab b/​c it was 11:30pm. I called back to see if I could possibly be refunded since the shuttle wouldn’t be coming for another 30 minutes and I’d already waited 15 minutes (and I was freezing outside). The same woman proceeded to scream at me on the phone that it was the airline’s fault and that there was no way they would refund me. I asked her to stop yelling at me and again if I could just be refunded. At that point she said to me, «What kind of snob are you? You just expect the driver to be waiting for you when you get out of the terminal. You should’ve booked a limo if you wanted that.» And told me I would not be refunded. She also told me I should’ve stopped using the company if I didn’t like the way it was run.
I was pretty upset after this unpleasant conversation and just took a cab home. When I called to speak with a manager the next day about the incredibly rude and appalling customer service I received the manager told me that they had had a busy weekend and that this woman, Dawn, could be a bit short on the phone.
They ended up refunding half of my $ 20 fee, which was not the point of my call. The fact that the management seems to have no problem with their customer service representatives verbally insulting customers is shocking to me. I do not recommend this company.

Ultimate Shuttle Used to be great. But alas, now they are not. The last 2 times I used them, they were late. This last time however, was just beyond awful. On ⁴⁄₁₅ I was scheduled to be picked up at 4:30pm. The woman on call changed the time I was to be picked up 4 times. Each time claiming it would be soon and that I’d make it to the airport with plenty of time. It is unacceptable that I was scheduled for 4:30 and I didn’t get picked up until 5:30. The driver was shocked and apologetic and told me to call and complain and that he was certain I’d be comped. I called tonight and got the same woman again who told me «You could have taken a taxi at any time. You will not be comped for this». When I schedule a service they should not be an hour late. This is not acceptable customer service. The woman was very dismissive and frankly, rude. The minimum I would expect is a credit for the poor service I received. If this is their idea of customer service then I will certainly inform my contacts, and I will not use their service again. I really hope that Ultimate Shuttle contacts me about this. Failure to do so would simply reinforce the lack of customer service that has been demonstrated thus far.

Totally hassle-​free. I recommend this company for early morning trips to the airport when there’s no other way to get to Boston Logan without paying an arm and a leg. I had a 6am flight (so 4 or 4:30am arrival to the airport) and the T doesn’t run until 5:30am. It was $ 27 for a ride in a shared van from Somerville to the airport; it honestly took 12 minutes flat between the time I got in the van and the time I was checking in for my flight, but keep in mind that I was the only passenger and there was absolutely no traffic to speak of. The driver showed up perfectly on time, and though the price was steep it was worth the peace of mind of not having to find a taxi in the wee hours of the morning. Obviously the best way to get to the airport before 6am is to have a nice friend drive you, but this is the next best thing. (And if there’s a better way, you should let me know!)

So this is an update for a ride that I had this past Wednesday.
After seeing my horrifying review, Ultimate Shuttle’s director of business development contacted me and apologized for the experience that I had, and was kind enough to offer me a free shuttle ride to see if things were better. He then asked me to write an update of my [hopefully better] experience following my ride. I was really surprised that the company was kind enough to do such a thing, and I just happened to be going out of town that week so I was more than happy to take up his offer.
I called Ultimate Shuttle to book my shuttle and the reservations staff was incredibly kind and polite throughout the process. I then had the opportunity to speak with the director of business development who again apologized for my experience and told me he hoped my future shuttle ride would be much better.
I was picked up by Mike, an absolutely adorable man who I had a great time talking to. He let me know that we would be picking up two people before we made our way over to the airport, and he was incredibly polite and professional with all my questions. The shuttle ride was definitely an improvement from my previous experience, and I left very happy to have seen such an improvement.
So, I really hope that my awful experiences were because Ultimate Shuttle has a few bad apples spoiling their name and reputation. As I said in my previous review, I’ve had relatively good experiences with Ultimate Shuttle and I think their shuttle service is a great idea for Boston since cabs are so expensive. Moreover, I really appreciated the fact that the company offered to make up for my bad experiences by offering me a free shuttle ride, but I really hope Ultimate was able to weed out those people that really left such an awful taste in my mouth.

If there was a possibility of giving less than 1 star I would. I am writing a review here in hopes that someone from the company actually sees this and contacts me as they don’t have an email contact systems and I fear I would be screaming on the other end of the phone if I called. My apologies if this turns into an insanely long review…
I called about 8 hours before my flight today (1÷3÷2011) to book a shuttle from Logan to Waltham. The person who gave me the rate quote and the booking agent were very pleasant. I immediately thought this would be an awesome experience. They quoted my husband and I $ 55 for a shared shuttle to Waltham. This was way cheaper than a normal limo or cab would have been so it seemed like a great deal.
Our flight was delayed a bit. I called while I was sitting at baggage claim to tell the guy I would be out in 5 or so minute. He too was very pleasant and said the shuttle should be out there and told me where to go.
All pleasantries stopped there. I went outside and walked up to a van that had no markings on it in the area the customer service guy told me to go. The driver had a very thick Asian accent and asked where I was going. I said I was going to Waltham. He said «I can go there.» I said «great, but what company was he from» so I knew I was leaving with the right shuttle service. He wouldn’t tell me who he worked for and seemed to get very angry with me. After arguing back and forth he finally produced a list of drop off points and showed me my name and reservation. Fine.
He took mine and my husbands baggage and basically shoved me (touched me on the arm and back which isn’t cool in my book) into the van and threw our stuff into the back seat. After my husband and I were in the van a dispatcher guy kept buzzing the driver on his phone and yelling at him and just speaking insanely condescending to him. I don’t think this was something that should have been discussed in front of customers. The dispatcher guy seemed like a total jackass and kept asking the same questions over and over.
The driver was having issues with the trunk part of the minivan and couldn’t figure out how to open it. The overhead lights kept turning on inside the cab and the driver couldn’t figure out why… it was because the trunk wasn’t completely shut. My husband had to get out of the car and close the trunk for the driver because he had no clue what was going on. He kept messing with the controls in the van to see how to turn on headlights…
This was all before we even left the airport. The second we took off it was obvious that this driver had no idea how to drive a minivan or drive in general. It was honestly the most nauseating drive I’ve ever experienced. The driver kept braking and accelerating inconsistently, going outside his lanes, driving 40 mph on the pike. Had I been a driver behind this guy in traffic I might have gotten out of my car in road rage and done something I’d regret.
Ultimate Shuttle, I had really high hopes for you and I assume that all your drivers are not like this at all. All I am asking is that I get my $ 55 back and maybe a coupon or something for a free round trip to the airport to possibly redeem yourself. Had I known what kind of experience I was going to have, I would have gladly gone somewhere else and paid twice the price.

Look, I’m not above taking public transportation to and from an airport – within reason. If I’m lugging a heavy-​ass suitcase for a half a mile, up several flights of stairs, or making multiple train transfers, for-#@$%ing-get it. Seriously. I had a heinous time just buying my suitcase from Target in Everett… and I live on the green line. If you can picture me dragging a large and EMPTY suitcase a considerable distance and up stairs and across multiple transfer lines, then you can imagine the nightmare I anticipated trying to do this with a suitcase that’s packed with a month’s worth of clothes, shoes, and bath products… especially since weather reports predicted snow on that day.
On top of that, nobody likes the asshole who takes a big suitcase on a train. I understand that this is THEIR problem and that they should maybe lower THEIR expectations and up THEIR tolerance when riding mass transit, but I’m a sensitive gal who is also over-​aware of her space and just couldn’t take the evil eyes staring at her.
So I’m a whiny wimp. I own it.
And nobody I knew with a car wanted to take me to the airport. :(
After some internet and Unilocal research, I decided to get this place to take me to Logan. I felt the rates were reasonable and I didn’t know what to expect. However, I also knew that there was no bridge with hazardous driving conditions involved with my trip to the airport… this means that the shuttle will at least be better than the Super Shuttle that I used to take when I lived in the Bay Area. [Those SS drivers need to slow the #@$% down for the Bay Bridge’s S-​curve…]
So, I kinda had low expectations… and that meant that they couldn’t disappoint me too much.
Not going to lie, the shuttle ran kinda late and really pushed it with the arrival time. This is a Boston company. They should be a little more familiar with Boston traffic and plan their routes better. However, when the driver showed up (I actually shared a comfy sedan rather than a big van), we headed straight to the airport. The traffic was miserably atrocious and I had nightmares of missing my flight. However, our driver knew some slick back-​alley routes that totally bypassed the traffic and got me there in plenty of time to make it through security, eat breakfast, and finish a paper before boarding my flight.
Will use again.

Used the service last year. I prefer to take public transit to the airport since I’m cheap but service to Logan wasn’t operating near my downtown hotel early enough to make my flight, thus I used Ultimate Shuttle. They were on time (stupid me almost took the wrong shuttle since another airport shuttle van arrived the same time!). Driver was super nice even at 5 or 6am in the morning. Was only $ 15+tip. Got to Logan in plenty of time.

Very good service! It was pretty easy to book. It came out to $ 24, not including gratuity. Much cheaper than a taxi.
My flight was delayed but apparently they have a hi-​tech plane tracker system to let them know if a plane is late or not. The driver even called me to make sure I knew where to get on the van. The van was waiting for me when my plane flew into Boston. I was very happy with the service and the driver was very friendly. There were 4 other people in the van so I guess this service gets good business!

My choice for getting to Logan. The vans are new, clean, and safe. As stated by past Unilocalers, the drivers are professional and courteous (almost to a fault). Best of all, the price is right. Even after tipping the driver, it still comes out to under $ 30.
The last time I hailed a cab off the street to get me to Logan, it was in a smelly, beaten up Ford Crown Vic of questionable mechanical integrity. The driver felt the need to drive at top speed and randomly cutoff vehicles on a nearly empty I-​93 at 6:30AM. After fare, fees, and tip, I was $ 35 poorer but richer in knowledge.
I cannot comment on their service from Logan heading into the city as I bum a ride from a friend or relative.

Good service and the van was already waiting outside the hotel 15 minutes prior to my pickup.
To their discredit, they don’t accept American Express credit card for onsite (mobile) credit card processing, although I was able to use an American Express credit card to make the reservation online.