<p>I know it's been discussed before, but can't seem to locate past threads on airport transportation. Interested in private companies (cheaper than taxi) that have convenient shuttles from the commons area to/from the airport for Thanksgiving break. I remember someone saying in the past that the Vandy Vans get filled .... Don't want DD to miss flight. Thanks for any recommendations.</p>
<p>inshuttle.com has been mentioned before. I passed that on to my D for Thanksgiving, but I don’t know if she’s looked into it yet. Thanks for the reminder!</p>
<p>Yes, I would highly recommend InShuttle (<a href=“http://www.inshuttle.com”>http://www.inshuttle.com</a>) for airport transport–students can reserve a spot online–only $18 round trip, several stops on campus, including near Hank on the Commons, at several different times. A quick story about InShuttle–my D is in a service organization on campus and they had a large number of students volunteer to help with the first project this fall, too many to fit into the cars that a few of the members had. So my D, a loyal InShuttle rider for years, calls them and explains the problem and they sent a shuttle out on Saturday morning, for free, to transport the Vandy volunteers to a local school where they repainted and cleaned up around the school.</p>
<p>I was just worried about InShuttle because there were some unpleasant reviews online. </p>
<p>A cab costs about $25 from campus, and you can often find someone to share with. If you can do that, it becomes cheaper and faster than shuttles and buses.</p>
<p>DD booked her InShuttle round trips online for both T’giving and Christmas per the info on here. So … I don’t have a review yet, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that DD comes and goes in one piece! :)</p>
<p>When DS came home for last fall break, he shared a cab with two other students.</p>
<p>I recommend Uber. If you have never used it before your first ride should be free.</p>
<p>Is Uber the same price as a taxi … $20-25 one way? She’s hoping to share a ride with someone going to the airport. There should be a lot of people leaving from the Commons around 4:30 on the Friday before Thanksgiving. Is there a ride board or some kind of ride sharing site online?</p>
<p>D has used both Uber and Lyft for local transportation in place of a cab and been happy with both. However, she seems to prefer Lyft. Just adding it as another option.</p>
<p>@yellowgranite56 – Uber (and perhaps Lyft as well) bases its prices on demand at the time of the ride. You can get a quote beforehand by plugging in pick up and drop off locations, but at busy times, it’s possible there may be a surcharge on the ride. Also, there probably won’t be a problem with availability, but it would make me nervous having D wait until the last minute to summon an Uber on the way to the airport on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Cannot preschedule them. (D does use Uber often for other rides and, for Tgiving, will probably just grab a couple of friends who are leaving at the same time and split a cab.)</p>
<p>Uber/Lyft will be around $20 one way. I just requested a quote on both apps; right now it’s $18 for Lyft and $23 for Uber. Prices do increase during peak hours. Cabs may offer you $25 flat rate; if they don’t, the fare can approach $30. That doesn’t include the tip, whereas Uber doesn’t accept tips. Plus there’s no extra fee for additional passengers on Uber/Lyft. If all friends have the Uber app, the fare can be split very easily in the app, no exchange of credit cards, cash, etc.</p>
<p>Uber/Lyft are just much more convenient to work with than cab companies. No, you can’t preschedule, but you’re basically guaranteed a ride within a few minutes of requesting. I’ve had cab companies fail to arrive on time, pick up someone else instead, or forget my reservation altogether. None of that will ever happen with a Lyft or Uber.</p>
<p>Also, as others have mentioned, I believe Uber and Uber and Lyft are both free (or discounted) the first time you use it. You can also give out your promo code to a friend who is new to the app, and you both get credit for a free/discounted ride.</p>
<p>@Pancaked’s post above is very accurate. I just looked at DS credit card bill. It looks like that he used Ulber when he went back to VU from the airport this past fall break. He shared the ride with another student and was charged $11.43 for his portion. That makes the total ride $22.86 from airport to VU. His first ride with Uber (from UV to the airport) was free - as @Pancaked stated.
The only thing is, DS only told me that he used a cab. I didn’t know until reading cc that Uber is not a cab service, it’s a “ride share” service. So my question is… do many students at VU use Uber? And is Uber safe?</p>
<p>Uber is extremely popular on campus. It is SO much more convenient and reliable than cabs for navigating around Nashville, and even comes at a lower price. Plus, the drivers are much friendlier. Unlike cab services, the drivers get rated by customers. They are highly incentivized to be kind and accomodating. They keep their cars clean and fresh. They may offer music, complementary water, snacks, candy, I’ve seen it all. Usually very conversational.</p>
<p>All drivers are background checked. Most of them are just your normal Nashvillians who want to make extra money after work/on the weekends. While it’s considered a “ride share,” it pretty much functions like a cab service.</p>
<p>Lyft functions the same way. Background checks, driver ratings. Not sure which is more popular here. Many of us use both; during peak hours, you may find one service can get a car to you a little quicker or offer a lower rate.</p>
<p>I would do some Googling to learn more about safety.</p>
<p>Thank you, @Pancaked, for your detailed explanation. I do feel better now about DS using Uber. I will tell him about Lyft. It’s funny that, at times, I feel like I learn more about DS’s UV life from cc than from the kid himself.</p>
<p>D and friends have used Uber and Lyft several times this first semester (including the free promo rides). She sometimes uses our Uber account (we have had one here at home for a while for our own comings and goings) and, though that means the ride gets charged to our credit card, at least we get to see where/when she’s going out!</p>
<p>Please read the latest news reports about Uber. I have also heard great things but I believe recent findings showed some controversy on background checks. </p>
<p>I have wondered about the background issues for those driving for Uber and Lyft. D and I did a Lyft ride after a concert at Bridgestone earlier this year and the driver was delightful and the car was nice and clean. I did comment that things like that are best taken advantage of in pairs or groups since you never know about the random drivers. However, I guess that could be true for cabdrivers as well.</p>
<p>Cab drivers have been found guilty of rape, murder, robbery, etc. in regards to their patrons (it’s been in the headlines a number of times where I live). I would be much more wary of taking a cab alone than an Uber/Lyft.</p>
<p>S2 is a junior and has been using In Shuttle for 3 years. Never has had a problem. His brother has come to visit and he arranged for In Shuttle back and to airport for him and all was perfect.</p>