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For over 30 years now, we’ve been providing reliable, discount airport transportation services to and from most major airports in the U.S. and, more recently, airports in Mexico, France, and the UK. As we’ve always said, our pricing is designed to fall between that of public transit (e.g. bus and rail lines) and taxi cabs.
While prices vary from city to city, as travel expenses regularly do, we want to give an example of the typical cost for a ride to the airport in one of our most highly-trafficked cities: San Francisco.
To keep things even, we’ve chosen a pick-up location at random, and we’ll run the cost of a single-rider trip. The pick-up location is the popular Marriott Fisherman’s Wharf hotel and the major airport drop-off will be San Francisco International.
At a glance, here’s how pricing breaks down. Read on for more details on fare quotes and variations.
Public Transit
Using the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is the most cost effective route for many visitors. Unfortunately, the popular hotel in question is a two-mile walk from the nearest BART stop, Embarcadero Station, and won’t be convenient with multiple luggage items. TripAdvisor forums recommend calling a cab to help with luggage.
According to Taxi Fare Finder, this two-mile trip averages $12.34 before tip. The BART ride will run $8.25 per person according to the BART Fare Calculator, placing the total cost at $20.59 for a one-way, single person trip.
Estimated Cost: $20.59 USD without tip.
Pros: Affordable.
Cons: Loading and unloading of luggage; dependent on local public transit operating hours and timeliness, including the risk of strike, and more cushion time is needed to arrive at the airport on time; reliance on availability of San Francisco taxis.
SuperShuttle Shared Ride Shuttle
By entering the pick-up and drop-off points into our fare quote tool, it looks like the cost of a trip back to the airport is $17.00.
Estimated Cost: $17.00 USD without tip.
Pros: Affordable.
Cons: Shared ride and extra ‘buffer’ built into pick-up times to ensure timely arrival at the airport for all passengers.
Taxi Cab
According to Taxi Fare Finder, the estimated fare for this 16-mile trek is $54.69, or $65.63 with a 20% tip. Estimates vary based on the time of day you choose to travel; during rush hour, a San Francisco cab could run as much as or more than a private sedan (below).
Estimated Cost: $54.69 USD without tip.
Pros: Direct transportation to and from.
Cons: Higher cost and reliance on cab availability, variable pricing dependent on traffic.
Black Car Service
Using our fare quote tool, you may discover our private transportation options, including a private van or towncar. The black car sedan service, through our company ExecuCar, is $60.00 one-way flat rate before tip.
Estimated Cost: $60.00 USD without tip.
Pros: Direct transportation to and from. Flat rate, not dependent on traffic conditions. Luxury sedan and service.
Cons: While value-priced compared with other towncar companies, it’s considered luxury-priced among our options here.
Summary
As you can see, SuperShuttle pricing in this market is 1/3rd the cost of either a cab or a sedan. Occasionally, we are even cheaper than public transportation options. When you factor in the stress of hauling luggage around or the limited hours of operations of many public bus and rail lines, it means you’re saving more than just a couple of dollars, you’re saving stress.
Just as there are some cases where we are cheaper than public transportation, there are some cases where our shared-ride service is more than a cab. Of course, our rates are a flat fee regardless of the hour, which is important to keep in mind if you’re planning a ride during rush hour.
Finally, even though we are technically a discount transportation option by default, you can often find discount codes and other ways to save – whether through booking a round-trip, riding in a large group or receiving discount benefits from conference organizers as an attendee – and reduce your fare even more.
