Do NOT use shuttles for ground transportation in NYC.

You have been warned.

Unless you are so financially strapped you are putting your mother and sister out to work the streets, and even then you should think twice.

I caught one to bring me in to Manhattan from La Guardia. The van was jam packed and air conditioning was poor. The driver was an idiot. In the front passenger seat was a pregnant woman in her late 30s; he insisted on embarrassing her by engaging her in a patronising little game using a rolled up piece of paper to determine the gender of her baby. It took nearly two hours in total to get to my Times square hotel.

What%26#39;s amazing is that I was too dim-witted to learn from this experience, and took a shuttle for the return trip from my hotel to JFK. I used a slightly more expensive outfit this time, thinking they might be better.

They were not.

That shuttle turned up half an hour late after I%26#39;d made two cellphone calls trying find it%26#39;s whereabouts, and was just about to take a cab. Again the van was full to its maximum. I confirmed with the driver that he was going direct to the airport, as otherwise I would take a cab. He said yes.

What he did not tell me was that he was going direct to La Guardia airport. JFK (my destination) was second on his list. I did make the flight, but literally with only seconds to spare before it closed and got to the aircraft feeling very hassled, thirsty and stressed.

The point is, is that these shuttle rides cost $15-20 bucks, and a taxi is $40- $45. The extra stress and time that taking a shuttle entails is just NOT worth the $25 saving, and in NYC, I%26#39;ll certainly never do it again.

Do NOT use shuttles for ground transportation in NYC.

If you are strapped for cash, there are buses that leave from outside Grand Central $15 or so). I have taken them a couple of times, and they were fine (got me there as quickly as traffic would let them). They do have to stop at each terminal, but not so bad

Do NOT use shuttles for ground transportation in NYC.

I use the super shuttle when it is convenient for me: ie, if it is late at night, I am by myself, no time pressure to get somewhere. I would never reserve it; I just grab it if it is there.

Sorry to hear about your experience...

Due to the last bad report about shuttle services on here I cancelled my reservation with a shuttle company for our trip in august... These forums are a saviour!

love and light...

Sorry gasman, but your experience made me laugh - not because you had a rough time but because I went through exactly the same sort of thing last summer - of course it was not at all funny while it was happening. There were three of us in our party and we each had to pay $20 US (we are from Canada so more costly for us). We had prepaid on expedia so we were stuck taking the shuttle to the hotel and then back to the airport for another $60. The kicker was that the con man driving the shuttle told us that expedia had made a mistake and we actually owed him $10 a person more. Ya, right! I didn%26#39;t know about this forum at that time and that%26#39;s why we got ';taken for a ride'; :-) Now, if anyone has a shuttle question, I strongly advise them to take a taxi. Next time I%26#39;ll be a lot smarter! Glad you made it home safely. Renish.

If you take one of those shuttles you can expect you might be the last one off, etc., but I think it is outrageous that the same shuttle services both airports on the same run! You are lucky you made your flight!

thank you for your concise warning about the shuttles.

i%26#39;ve read from other posts that its ok to use the shuttle if you are not stressed for time ie. on arrival. it is not good to use the shuttle if you are stessed for time ie on departure.

you are lucky you made your flight. hope it did not take too long for your blood pressure to settle...lol.

we were going to take a shuttle on departure from new york. i tried to call them the night before at 9 pm...the phone just rang forever!(and this is a service industry?) it made us wonder about how we would contact the company if the shuttle was late picking us up for our departing flight...duh, as if this would happen!

we took another type of transportation.

I have to agree. I went through the same thing you did last year. This year I spet the extra $$$ on cabs and don%26#39;t regret it one bit.

Just to be clear, I used them for years in California, and they were fantastic. I think the difference is that they%26#39;re owner-operated in the Bay Area, and are fleet operated here. I do occasionally use them returning home from the airport, and every time I do I swear it%26#39;ll be the last! Whatever you do, NEVER EVER EVER use them going to the airport. Even if you allow an extra couple of hours, you%26#39;ve no guarantee of getting to your flight.

I nearly always use the Kennedy-Grand Central bus both ways. Admittedly, it stops several times during the journey. But it%26#39;s inexpensive and has never failed to get me to the airport on time. And nine times out of ten the quality of the driving is fine. The one exception was a trip to La Guardia by bus in 2004 which almost turned into an appointment with death. But obviously I have lived to tell the tale.

quote %26lt;i%26#39;ve read from other posts that its ok to use the shuttle if you are not stressed for time ie. on arrival%26gt;

You would think, wouldn%26#39;t you.

However even if not too stressed for time, the idea of sitting for two hours in a cramped and sweaty van which is driven by an extra from ';Deliverance'; for the sake of saving twenty bucks, isn%26#39;t a good one. Especially when one is bleary eyed and jet lagged!

I can%26#39;t believe I was dopey enough to do it twice.