My 16 yr. old son and two same aged friends will be flying into SFO this summer, arriving very early in the am. They need to get to Stanford University for a running camp later that day. I know there's public transport, but we'd prefer to arrange a car service. Anyone know of reliable options? And what should we expect to pay - for the three of them? Thanks for any tips.

Super shuttle (supershuttle.com) is about $26/pp for shared van but you can arrange a private van for ?$70ish - check their website. Like a private taxi but cheaper and larger (taxi's charge an extra 50% surcharge from the airport).

My 16 yr. old son and two same aged friends will be flying into SFO this summer, arriving very early in the am. They need to get to Stanford University for a running camp later that day. I know there's public transport, but we'd prefer to arrange a car service. Anyone know of reliable options? And what should we expect to pay - for the three of them? Thanks for any tips.

It's a running camp? No problem -- it's about 23 miles from SFO to Stanford, which will be great distance training.

But seriously, Supershuttle will work. I think there is a discount for the 2nd and 3rd passengers.

See http://www.flysfo.com/transport/services/gt_tsv_search.asp

If you'd still like to go the public transport route,
get on BART (http://www.bart.gov) at the airport, go one stop to Milbrae. There transfer to Caltrain, and take Caltrain (http://www.caltrain.com/) to Cal Ave. Unfortunately the Stanford shuttle doesn't run on weekends.

Whoops - yes I forgot that the pp charge is much less for 2nd (and 3rd) person- something like $8 each. Best to check the website. If it was my 16 yo I wouldn't want to challenge them with the public transport system ;)

If you'd still like to go the public transport route,
get on BART (http://www.bart.gov) at the airport, go one stop to Milbrae. There transfer to Caltrain, and take Caltrain (http://www.caltrain.com/) to Cal Ave. Unfortunately the Stanford shuttle doesn't run on weekends.

Not totally best, taking Caltrain to Palo Alto station is closer to campus and if it is a weekday there is an express shuttle to the Oval. However, on weekends, Caltrain only runs once an hour and while there are some campus bus routes to/from downtown Palo Alto when classes are in session, they are not frequent.

Another shuttle company that services this route is "East and South Bay Shuttle."

Whoops - yes I forgot that the pp charge is much less for 2nd (and 3rd) person- something like $8 each. Best to check the website. If it was my 16 yo I wouldn't want to challenge them with the public transport system ;)

But for kicks, if you do want to challenge them with public transportation, send them to www.511.org and use the trip planner. There is even the SamTrans KX bus that they could take to Palo Alto from SFO.

As a price point, my most recent "sedan service" from SFO to Menlo Park (the city right next to Stanford/Palo Alto) was $105 all-in for two people (but I think it would have been the same for three). Interestingly enough, I believe the "advertised price" was about $75, but by the time they added in the "late arrival" fee, the airport parking fee, the tip, etc., etc. the all-in price escalated significnatly.

I would use SuperShuttle.

We have used Crystal Limousine Service for over 10 years. Owner Eric Chau is very reliable. Used his service last month to pick us up at our house, 60 miles north of SF and take us to Pier 35 and pick us up at Oakland Airport on return. He has always been on time.
Phone # 415-956-8556. Call him for a price.
Bob

Use a limo service, which will charge about $40-45ish, which for 3 people is about the same as supershuttle but much nicer. Here are some numbers: 800-550-0051, 408-245-2292, 877-475-5466. Sometimes you can find coupons online too.

While I'm generally a fan of BART for getting between SFO and San Francisco, Stanford is really not convenient by public transit. I therefore use ace limo (http://www.acelimo.com/) to get between the airport and Stanford when I need to. Costs about $75.

I disagree that Stanford is not convenient via public transit. If you're coming in on a weekday morning (or evening), you can take BART to Millbrae (3 min) and then walk across the platform to catch a Caltrain Baby Bullet from Millbrae to Palo Alto (takes 19 minutes, although the local trains at off-peak hours take 32 minutes). The Palo Alto station is about a mile NE of the Stanford quad (a straight shot down Palm Dr.) You can catch a shuttle from the Palo Alto train station. Total cost would be about 5-6 bucks per person, so a lot cheaper than a shuttle or car service. But, if traveling with a lot of baggage, the car service would probably be more convenient.

I disagree that Stanford is not convenient via public transit. If you're coming in on a weekday morning (or evening), you can take BART to Millbrae (3 min) and then walk across the platform to catch a Caltrain Baby Bullet from Millbrae to Palo Alto (takes 19 minutes, although the local trains at off-peak hours take 32 minutes). The Palo Alto station is about a mile NE of the Stanford quad (a straight shot down Palm Dr.) You can catch a shuttle from the Palo Alto train station. Total cost would be about 5-6 bucks per person, so a lot cheaper than a shuttle or car service. But, if traveling with a lot of baggage, the car service would probably be more convenient.

Total cost is even cheaper if you have a Caltrain pass (which I do). I guess convenience is relative, though, and compared to just taking the BART to Civic Center (where I live), getting to Stanford from the airport is a real pain.

You are absolutely right that if your plane comes in at exactly the right time so that you can take BART and a baby bullet, public transit is fast. However, if you arrive at a random point in the middle of the day, you can expect to wait 10 minutes for the BART, ride the bart for 6 minutes, wait 15 minutes for a Caltrain, ride caltrain for 32 minutes, than finally wait 5 minutes for a 10-minute Marguerite shuttle ride. Total time 1hour, 23 minutes. In theory. In practice the few times I've done it has taken me much longer because the BART/Cailtrain junction was pessimally timed.

Note if you are serious about public transit, though, you should also consider the SamTrans 292 bus, which will take you to Caltrain stops in either direction (Broadway and South San Francisco). I've never tried it, and the schedule doesn't appear particularly coordinated with Caltrain, either. However, if you consider BART, northbound 292, and southbound 292, that gives you three chances to make a Caltrain connection, so maybe you can minimize your wait time.

I believe the OP said that they would be arriving very early in the am, in which case the danger is that BART, Caltrain, and/or SamTrans are not running. (Don't get me started on "public transit" that stops at 11pm or midnight... the New Yorker in me was shell-shocked when I got here :eek: )

I think your options will be a shuttle service or a cab/limo.

And thanks to the Menlo Park poster. We are moving to Palo Alto, and now I know how much it will cost me to get to SFO.