Davis Airporter - Davis Wiki

Phone

(530)756-6715

800-565-5153

Web site

http://www.davisairporter.com

The Davis Airporter is a shuttle service that drives people to and from the Sacramento (SMF) and San Francisco (SFO) airports. For SFO, they operate throughout the Sacramento region. Service to Sacramento International Airport is limited to Yolo and Solano counties. They pick you up and drop you off at your door. Basically, it's a cheaper alternative to a taxi. For one person it's $23 to SMF and $85 to SFO. Reservations must be made in advance: they ask for 1 day advance for SMF and 5 days advance for SFO. (They finalize every day's schedule the afternoon before, so "1 day in advance" is better understood as 36 hours.)

See their web site for rates and reservation requests. They now take credit card payments in their vans, so they no longer run a pre-verification on your card.

For an honest rundown on the operation, including good advice, refer to the long-winded entry from AirporterDriverPete, who has worked there for fifteen years. It's in the "2005-2007" section— see link here).

If you are going between Davis and SMF, a much cheaper alternative is to take Yolobus — undergrads can ride for free, but for everyone else it's $2.00. You are restricted on how much luggage you can take, however. Allow at least an hour, preferably two.

Davis Business License- on file.
Sac Airport Permits- Yes
Yolo County Business License- As of Mar. 31, 2010 License #3616
Need a ride? See the Taxi Services entry!

How was your ride?

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2011-03-18 20:39:53 I have truly had it with this Company! My husband is flying in to SFO & I called to book a ride home. They said someone had already booked a ride home a 9:30 P.M> Two hours AFTER My husbands flight arrives. They want him to wait 2 HOURS for a shuttle!!! We live in Woodland Out in Wild wings &it has often taken 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours for my husband to get home. because the Davis Airporter puts Davis residents as a priority ALWAYS. They do not run enough shuttles & even oif it would be quicker to get off at the esparto exit & drop someone off & soot down 95 or 98 to be in davis in 20 minutes & then swing back up Poline to get back to 80 toward the Airport I have been told {at first} {it was the drivers discretion} Then I was told davis residents have priority always. Yea for davis residents! In the future I will arrange for rides, reschedule our flights for convenience & BOYCOTT THE DAVIS AIRPORTER!!!!!!!!!!BOYCOTT THE DAVIS AIRPORTER. THEY DO NOT PUT ANY CONSUMERS FIRST WITH THERE HIGH PRICES & LOUSY SERVICE. —ruthschreiber

If they can't do a pick up when you want, you could check about Bart from the airport and the Amtrak to Davis. (Sorry it only goes to Davis.) It would be cheaper. I doubt that there's a cheaper shuttle. It is kind of late for Amtrak though. —BruceHansen

2011-03-23 20:16:06 To ruthschreiber: If you are trying to make your SFO reservation less than a week in advance, we need to look at what's already scheduled and advise you accordingly. The reservation taker did the right thing by informing you that if you choose to make the reservation, there might be a 2-hour wait for your husband. Imagine if we just said, "OK, we'll pick him up", without mentioning the possible wait! If you or your husband aren't up for the wait, you probably shouldn't make the reservation. In your case, if your husband is in a hurry to get home, I would advise calling a local cab company ahead of time, such as Village Cab, they are reliable. We charge alot less because of the shared-ride model, but there are other options available, including the BART/Amtrak one mentioned by BruceHansen above. Also, yes—from SFO we do stop in Davis first, period. Drivers are not given discretion on this. And the reverse is also true—from Sacramento Airport, we stop in Woodland before Davis. AirporterDriverPete —AirporterDriverPete

—Correction, 5/7/11—I just re-read your post and I see you're in Wild Wings, which is 5 miles west of Road 98. Road 98 itself is considered far west Woodland, as you know. Based on Google Maps, it's 1 hr. and 46 minutes estimated to Wildwings from SFO, while it's 1 hr. and 39 minutes to Davis from SFO. Yes, you're west of Davis, but you're also very north of Davis. Put it this way: From the 505 offramp to Wildwings is 31 minutes. From the 505 off-ramp to Davis is 20. But I was incorrect about the order of dropoff from Sacramento Airport—If you live in Wildwings, we will stop in Davis first. While almost identical in distance to the Sac Airport as Davis, it actually takes longer to get to Wildwings than it does to Davis. When folks from Wildwings make smf reservations with us, we do let them know ahead of time that if they're going to the airport, they may have to stop in Davis first, same if they're coming home from the Airport. Going from smf to Davis, stopping in Wildwings makes it a 1-hour drive to Davis, which is where the bulk of our customers are. Needless to say, Wildwings is a TINY community, and it would not be good for our business to give Wildwings precedence. But for the rest of Woodland, they do get dropped off before Davis, and on the way to the Airport, they get picked up after Davis. Sorry I misread your original post!

2011-04-19 20:49:15 I made reservations with SuperShuttle to be picked up at 4am. The dispatch called at 4:05 and said they were on their way and they did not show up for another 45 minutes. While I was on the curb waiting a driver from Davis Airporter drove by and asked if I was waiting for him and I told him my situation. He so nicely told me that he had to pick up someone around the corner but that he would swing back by to get me if I was still there on his return. I thought this was exceptionally sweet and next time I will book with Davis Airporter. —JenTX

2011-05-26 15:19:32 I was on a late flight coming in to SMF from Chicago, and didn't remember to book until the afternoon of... but they were immediately able to schedule me, but also warned me that I might have to wait 20 minutes for another passenger. I had no problems with that. The plate actually got in 20 minutes early... I called them, the shuttle showed up immediately, and they were able to take me immediately without waiting. Very convenient, two thumbs up. —ChonT

2011-06-21 22:48:09 I've had consistently good experiences with Davis Airporter. On my last trip I almost used Super Shuttle because of all the negative comments here, but I think it must be true that people are more likely to comment on bad service than good. Not only did everything go exactly as promised, my return flight was delayed 2 hours - arriving in Sac around midnight - and a shuttle was there waiting for me when I got off the plane. —GloriaVanderbilt

6/22/11 Gloria, thank you! Every time I have a passenger say, "you guys are always so reliable", I think of the complaints I've read here, and say to them, "you mean we've never screwed up once?" (And these are folks who have been using us for well over ten years). Usually, they say that no, things have always gone over without a hitch. Then others have that rare incident that was so rare in their dozens of trips with us that they say it's easily overlooked. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to put your good words up here. AirporterDriverPete

2011-06-24 21:58:09 The passenger's comment below somehow ended up on my personal Daviswiki page today, so I'm shoving it over here, where I think he/she wanted it. And thank you, Chris! AirporterDriverPete

"2011-06-24 18:04:33" I'm taking the time to Thank Davis Airporter. I flew into SFO yesterday from a messed up Delta flight only to find out that we had reserved the shuttle service a day late. Oops! I guess consumers screw up too! this is last thing you want to hear after flying across the country. Sorry Sir but you booked our service for tomorrow. Well thanks to Davis Air porter they rescheduled my ride and picked me up. That was only part of my positive experience. My driver was one in a million. It was clear he cares. It was the small things like remembering my name and everyone Else's in the Van. Asking if we were comfortable and following up with us during the ride. The traffic was horrible but our experienced driver new the short cuts. Yes, he was concerned about the time we had to spend in traffic making sure I was comfortable as he apologized for the traffic, very sincere. I cant say enough it has been a long time since I had met and spent time with such a guilty person wanting to please his customer. I would use the drivers name but I guess I was to jet lagged to remember. Thank you again for being there when I needed you. The service and the ride was very enjoyable after a hard day of travel. Too my driver, I hope you enjoy your new bike! ChrisLaManna

2011-08-23 07:46:54 One thing I find astonishing is that none of these Airport shuttle sites give any indication of the length of time for a journey. Here I am in the UK trying to plan a visit which will require me getting from the Marriott Residence Hotel in Sacramento to San Francisco Int airport and I have no idea at what time I should be expecting Davis (or other operator)to collect me from the Hotel. For example, if my flight for UK leaves at 5pm, so I need to be at SFO no later than 2pm ...what time would I need to be collected from the Sacramento Hotel? Advice gratefully accepted. Thanks. —JulianBishop

I don't represent this business, but it seems to me that the best thing would be to advise an airport shuttle or cab company what time that you need to be at the airport and they will advise you when you should be picked up. Perhaps the second best thing would be to tell them what time your flight is. —BruceHansen

To JulianBishop : If you call our office, they will ask you all the pertinant questions, such as your desired arrival time at SFO, your flight time, etc. And they will answer any question about travel time between locations. You can also email the office (shuttle@davisairporter.com), I know the phone call would be expensive, and our toll-free number doesn't work from overseas. Anyway, from Sacramento to SFO generally takes 90-120 minutes. However, we initially make the reservation from Sac to SFO assuming three hours of travel. This accounts for other potential pickups on the way, and for unpredictable traffic. That pickup time will usually stay the same, but they might move it a few minutes later the day before, if there aren't alot of pickups. Specifically, you want to arrive no later than 2pm, so our office would set you up for either a 10:30am or 11:00am pickup. UNLESS you are calling on short notice (fewer than five days advance), then you are subject to what is already on the schedule. On average, we have a van leaving every three hours or so, but every day is different. So, if you call three days before your pickup, the reservation taker will look to see what's on the schedule so far for that day. If there is already a pickup scheduled in Sacramento for, say, 9:30am, they will automatically schedule you at 9:00 or 9:15am to go with this previously booked pickup. If that's too early for you, just ask them when the next van is going out. If the next van is leaving Davis at 12:30pm, they would tell you that we have a 12:00noon pickup available, (Davis is 30 minutes west of Sac on the way to SFO) but that it might or might not get you to SFO by 2:00pm, and you would have to agree that we aren't responsible if you miss your flight. That's it in a nutshell! If you have any other questions, fire away. AirporterDriverPete

2011-08-26 20:20:17 My wife travels quite often with Davis airporter and her experiences have been great. The customer service has been very welcoming and professional. The last gentlemen was great and made my wife feel very comfortable. I was reading the comments and I felt that I need to tell our experiences. Thank you Davis Airporter!!

—jimdavidson

Thanks Jim. I picked up some folks from an apartment complex last year, and the manager was seeing them off after inspecting the place. His last words to them were, "If you have the time, put in a good word about us on Daviswiki!" and he handed them a piece of paper with the web address. It got me thinking, but I really can't bring myself to do that. BUT, it's encouraging that many new and long-time passengers of ours have decided to pick up that ball on their own! AirporterDriverPete

2011-08-27 01:16:20 DriverPete - thanks for the advice - really good to know approx timings for journeys and how the system works. Cheers. Julian —JulianBishop

2011-08-28 03:04:32 Another "daft" question...apparently Davis Airporter do not run a shuttle now between SMF and Downtown Sacramento...I have asked 3 people at the office via email for suggestions about how I could get from the Airport to the Residence by Marriott Hotel in Downtown, but have received no responses. Anyone got suggestions from their past experiences...I assume theere are taxis at the Airport I can just jump into with no prior booking required? Grateful for advice as ever. Thanks Julian. —JulianBishop

While the Davis Airporter is generally a better experience for Davis, there is also the Super Shuttle. They have the SMF airport shuttle monopoly and there is a taxi assoiciation with the cab monopoly. I suggest that after you disembark and have retrieved all your luggage, you go to the ground transportation past the luggage section if you're in the A Terminal and ask a waiting Super Shuttle van or possilbly a Davis Airporter van or some other random airport shuttle van and inquire about the itinerary. Monopoly taxis that are also there are immediately available for direct service, but they are more expensive for one person. There isn't a consolidated transportation area for the B Terminal, but you may be able to inquire there. It's about a 0.1-0.2 mile walk from the B Terminal to the transportation area before the A Terminal. Some of the hotels have free shuttle service. Perhaps yours has one and if so you could make a reservation with them. —BruceHansen

Hello again Julian. The Residence by Marriot is at 15th and L St, and the bus (Yolobus) from the airport stops at 13th and L. It's all of two dollars! Here's the link to the route: http://www.yolobus.com/routes/index.php/42A It's about a 25 minute ride. While the Yolobus is cheap, SuperShuttle will have you out of the airport within 15 minutes, and the fare would be around $15, much cheaper than a cab (~$40). They operate on a "walk-on" basis, and there are booths at both A and B terminal, though the booth at terminal B is small and easy to miss if you're not looking. The advice of BruceHansen above is also good—it's quite likely that the Marriot has a free shuttle service. The information booth is on floor #1. If Marriot does operate a free shuttle service, just ask the booth folks to direct you to the "Hotel Shuttles" sign. (it's different at each terminal). Good luck, AirporterDriverPete

2011-08-29 13:05:44 AirportDriverPete and BruceHansen - my thanks to you both for answering what must seeem like naive questions - you have both been a great help and I will make a note of all this ahead of my journey. My thanks again to you both. Julian —JulianBishop

You're welcome and I've been impressed with AirportDriverPete's thorough answers. There's probably plenty of people out there who haven't gathered the information and who haven't asked (as you have). —BruceHansen

You're welcome! To echo Bruce, I guarantee you that there are a bunch of folk who will read this and, as a result, not have to post their question :-) AirporterDriverPete

2011-08-31 06:24:10 AirportDriverPete and Bruce - thanks...glad to have possibly been some help to others. There is no Airport Shuttle run by the marriott by the way, so depending on how rich I am feeling, I may just jump in a cab and be done with it...at least that way I can get to my room fast and then head to deVeres Irish Pub for the evening...sausages & mash washed down by beer and malt whiskys are calling to me already!!! Julian —JulianBishop

2011-09-09 11:31:50 I was worried about getting a shuttle service to SMF last week, but since this company had pretty good reviews here and I'm impressed by AirporterDriverPete, I went ahead an scheduled a pickup. I called less than 48 hours before my flight, and I had to get picked up at 4:30 even though I didn't really need to be to the airport till 5:30/45, but that was fine, understandable. So I went outside my house at 4:20, and the shuttle showed up PROMPTLY at 4:30. The driver was VERY friendly and seemed happy to be doing his job. It was a great experience, I definitely recommend them. I will be using them again for my next trip! —ShaunaStewart

2011-09-13 20:45:20 More of a comment for the customers of the Davis Airporter: My family's phone number is very close to the Davis airporter's number (2 different digits). People have called our house at 3am to reserve a shuttle a few too many times. Please look at the number before you call a random number you think is it. :) —ChrisDietrich

>People have called our house at 3am to reserve a shuttle a few too many times.<

Hehe. People have also called our office at 3am to reserve a shuttle a few too many times ;-) AirporterDriverPete

2011-09-30 01:12:55 AirportDriver Pete...just to say I had a successful and efficient drive from the Marriott on Tuesday to San Francisco Airport...I'd booked it a little early and the traffic was fine so I got there in plenty of time...only to find that the flight was delayed by 1.5hours!! Never mind...a great service and I will use you guys again next time I am over...my thanks again to you and bruce for helpful information. All the best from Scotland. Julian. —JulianBishop

Hey Julian, glad it worked out. And thanks for following up! AirporterDriverPete

2012-01-30 10:34:31 I booked about 10 hours in advance for a pickup from SMF to Davis, which was my mistake. I had to wait over an hour for a shuttle. It was full, and I didn't get home until after 1 a.m. Super shuttle said that they could have taken me within 15 minutes without a reservation. I would have used their service, but Davis aiporter wouldn't give me a refund. I have been a long-time customer, but I'm not using them anymore. Even though I booked late, I expected better service from this company. —striker

2012-01-31 15:18:40 Striker, I'm sorry about your experience, but I'm unclear on a couple of things. When we take late add-on reservations, we make sure that the passenger knows two things. First, we stress that it's already inside our 24-hour cancellation window, so if the reservation is completed, you won't be able to cancel. This gives you the chance to opt out before committing. At the same time, we inform add-ons such as yourself whether there will be a wait for others before departing. From what you wrote, they probably told you that we were waiting on other folks who were coming in a half-hour or so after you, but it ended up being more. Of course, we'd like to know if they didn't tell you the above things, as it is policy. One hour is a long wait, even for someone who made a late reservation, so if you have any more details to add, please feel free. If I knew your confirmation #, or your name, I would gladly research what happened and speak to the manager if it looks like we messed up. I do this with any complaint that pops up here if it seems to have merit. Sorry again, it would be a shame to lose a previously satisfied costumer over one bad experience! And yes, Super Shuttle does operate strictly on a walk-on basis for the airport-to-home rides, and they can often get folks out in 15 minutes, but I would be wary when they say they would have done so. The vast bulk of their business is Sacramento, and I've had many passengers tell me how they had to drop others off in Sac before heading to Davis. They will take passengers straight to Davis when it's not too busy, but they aren't keen on it for obvious reasons. One last word, some advice: We accept walk-ons as well, as long as there's room on the departing van. So—if you need a ride on very short notice, don't make a reservation; just call when you arrive at the airport and see when our next van is leaving. This way, you haven't left a credit card number and are therefore also free to set up a ride with Super Shuttle if the wait for them looks to be shorter. —AirporterDriverPete

2012-04-01 20:02:47 This report below from Danielychoi was put on the Daviswiki Super Shuttle page, but it completes my response to striker very well. I'm copying it to this page to make a point, not to slag Super Shuttle, as we share the same challenges. AirporterDriverPete

2012-03-26 00:44:54 I've taken Davis Airporter twice and never had any issues. This is my first time using SuperShuttle and it couldn't be going worse. Despite my making a reservation and prepaying, they apparently cannot provide rides on time for all their customers. A group of about 30 people, most with reservations, were waiting for rides, some for as long as 2 hours. Some gave up and took taxis. Many were understandably angry and upset. I've been here since 1045 pm. It is now 1245 am, and I am still waiting. I will avoid this company at all costs from now on. Danielychoi —

2012-05-13 18:59:14 Very disappointing! I was charged full fare for nothing. In this age of instant communication Davis Airporter could not possibly cancel my reservation with 22.5 hours notice. It seems they require 24 hours notice. So, if your plans change, as they often do when you travel, they are ever so sorry but they cannot POSSIBLY cancel your reservation. That is a great racket! I am one unhappy customer! And the average unhappy customer tells nine others. I am far above average and have already shared my frustration with many and will continue to do so. Any will never ever again use this service. You would be well advised to do the same. —jherdt

@ jherdt, while I personally don't like the 24-hour cancellation policy, we do make it clear to everyone who books with us before they commit. And we do accommodate if your travel plans change. If your flight was cancelled/delayed/whatever, we simply re-book your reservation at no cost to you, regardless if it is inbound or outbound. The manager is only concerned if someone cancels a reservation short of the 24-hour window, since it affects the operating costs of the company. (A day's schedule is put together the day before it comes to fruition.) Also, I don't know what time you called our office to cancel, but if you call on a weekday between 11:00am and 7:00pm, ask for the manager (Aida). She is much more likely to, and has more authority to make exceptions regarding our cancellation policy.
2012-05-14 14:17:14 Update for jherdt — I'm glad you used your real last name here, so we could find your reservation in the database. I showed the manager your post, and she has refunded your $23, as the 22.5 hours was "close enough". The reservation agent you spoke with also left a note. You should know that when he asked you for your reason for cancelling, he was trying to ascertain whether or not charging you was warranted. When you responded, "it's irrelevant", he just left it at that, whereas if he knew the reason, he would have called the manager for instructions (and she would not have charged you, as it turns out). So, advice to anyone cancelling: The reservation agents will almost always ask why you're cancelling, but it's not because they're being nosy :-)