Perche

Sorry, I missed that you weren't the OP and responded to the wrong post. train is probably not a good option. Cabs are small, and you would be squeezed or need two. I'd be sure to request a large car, not just a car. As to who is reliable, most people have an experience of one, which doesn't mean much. In general, they are all reliable. However, it is always best to call your hotel, and ask them to send someone. Ask the rate, and make sure it is within the 50 euro plus some luggage range. Any company can stiff you. The one that one person had a great experience that is a company of four drivers with two cars, leaves the next one stranded because they got a last minute fare from Rome to Somewhere with a much higher price. The car sent by your hotel will not. They are counting on a hotel's regular business. If a bedraggled customer shows up at the check in desk four hours late and irate, they will fire that company, and the company knows it. Instead of asking people which company was reliable to them one time, when you don't want to be the one out of ten that gets stiffed, just put it on the hotel.

But don't get scammed. Don't ask the hotel to send their driver for 150 euros. Tell them to arrange a car service. That way if they're not there, you are not chasing some phantom company.

In reality, when you ask if such and such company is reliable, no such company exists. The company is a guy in a garage who is a broker. A bunch of independent guys with a car rely on a broker to send a fare their way. If the guy is an hour late and you complain, you are complaining to an independent guy who is just going to say, "I just got the call five minutes ago. Call the broker." But not in those words. The broker will be moving around his independents to maximize their commission.

It works well most of the time, so don't worry. But don't think that one place is necessarily superior because an experience of one isn't data. They're pretty regulated, so just ask your hotel to send you a big car. Not their personal driver. Know the going rate. But ask your hotel to arrange, not you on the sidewalk struggling to negotiate with tired kids and luggage. With that many people and presumed luggage, 60 euros is a steal if it is a large car. 70 euros is OK. 80, I'd grudgingly pay if my traveling coterie is really tired.

Asking if a certain company is reliable is my very correct because with few exceptions, a company is a broker. If the guy they called to take you who agreed suddenly decided he'd rather sleep, you're stranded, no matter how many trip advisor things. Comes down to the driver, not the company. Most drivers work for several brokers.

The taxi system is different. A taxi is a taxi

El Boocho

Thanks for the comments and thoughts. Addressing and commenting on select points up thread:

Train is def not an option for us. I get how the system works, but still think some providers are better and more reliable than others. We are staying at a friend's extra apartment, so unfortunately no hotel to arrange the transportation. We arrive midday so I am hoping to avoid the rush hour traffic.

I like the idea of not paying for the service until we use it, but also see the higher potential issue of a no-show in that situation. We can use a taxi as a back up, but I'd prefer a higher-level of service, which sometimes comes at a premium and I'm ok with that. The price points provided are very helpful.

Luggage assistance and space isn't a huge deal for us since we stay in places with washing machines or use laundry services and generally travel light (i.e. no checked bags), but it is a good idea to raise the issue. 5 butts plus a driver will probably require a van of some kind anyway. Again thanks for the quick, thoughtful, and detailed responses.

rove312

I'm active on other boards where there are repeated good recommendations for Rome Shuttle Limousine. The one exception I'm aware of is linked in this thread in a 2012 post. I've gotten the tip that, if you say in your request that you want to pay by credit card it will get you one of their regular (I'm ready to say employed, but some might quibble with the term and I'm not sure) drivers rather than a freelancer. In the booking I got this year the confirmation email included the driver's cell phone number. There's no advance payment.

mromalley

I've used both Rome Shuttle Limousine (3x) and Rome Cabs at least a dozen times. Friends and family have used Rome Cabs probably another dozen times. I prefer Rome Cabs. Only one time were they late and it was because my flight was delayed by 2+ hours. My original driver had to go pick up another client and a different driver was dispatched. But they sent me an email and a text message to let me know what was going on. I have always had them go above and beyond.

tacster

Greetings, first time poster with question regarding first trip to Italy next April-May. My return flight (FCO to AMS to USA) departs FCO at 6:20 AM. I'm assuming I should be at the airport at least 2-3 hours before departure. So...how best to get from Rome to Fiumicino at that time? I know there is regular bus and train service but not sure about that time of night. Might it be better to stay at a hotel near the airport? Thanks for any info or suggestions.

Perche

You have only one option. Taxi/car service. The train doesn't start until 5:30 AM. There is a 4:40 AM bus, but it's horrible, and would get you there at 5:30, cutting it too close.

Tell your hotel to have a taxi waiting for you at 4:00 AM. You'll get there around 4:40 AM, depending on which part of Rome you're starting out from. That's plenty of time. You could easily be picked up at 4:15 and it wouldn't be a problem at that hour, but I always add a cushion.

The fixed rate is 48 euros. There may be a nighttime surcharge of a few euros. You're not going to get ripped off. Or, you can have your hotel call a car service for you. It costs only a few euros more. Don't go by any websites or car service recommendations if you are staying at a hotel. If you are staying at a hotel and want to book a car service, book it through them.

Most people have only had one, maybe 3-4 experiences with a particular car service. That's not enough to say whether or not it's reliable. When you book with a car service in Rome, the car service generally doesn't have any cars. They don't have a fleet, even in the unusual case that they are actually in Rome. In fact, they might not even be located in Italy.

Individuals who drive for a living own their own limo. Or two guys own a limo, one works days, the other, nights. The car service, which may be located in a London suburb, has a list of drivers that they use in Rome, Florence, Amalfi Coast, Milan, etc. When you book a car on the website for a trip from Rome to the airport, the car is not coming from a location with that website. The website may be in London, and the guy contacts one of the drivers that he keeps on his list for Rome. If the driver sleeps late, or something goes wrong, there's nothing you can do.

Your hotel in Rome will know several local drivers they stay loyal to. Those drivers know that if they stand up a guest, they will never get the hotel's business again. Let the hotel book it. The hotel will tell you what the price is. Settle on the price with the driver before you go. Pay the driver when you get there. Don't pay the hotel, as they've been known to add a "15 euro booking fee." There's no tipping Italian taxi cabs, although when the fare is 48, I usually give 50 and late them keep the change.

JBD

[Above bolding mine]

I've used Rome Shuttle Limousine countless times for many, many years. Here's their link

This company has been recommended on FT and on Slow Travel for many years. They currently charge 45 EUR.

They are a Rome based company. The above generalizations cited by Perche don't pertain to this company.

This merged thread only contains posts for the past couple of years, but there are older threads on this forum regarding transfer options that also mention Rome Shuttle Limousine and with high marks.

However, what can happen with any car service who maintains a fleet, is that more requests can come in than they have cars, in that case the company needs to outsource. And apparently that was the case in a reported incident with Rome Shuttle Limousine years ago. The solution to avoiding that happening to you is to always state that you'll be paying with a credit card. (With this company no prepayment is required and you have the option of paying the driver in cash or with a cc). But by stating that you'll be paying with a credit card your insured that Rome Shuttle Limousine will assign you a car and driver from their fleet. (edited to add: And even though I stated that I'll be paying the driver with a credit card when I made the reservation, I then pay the driver in cash which is my preference).

Personally, whether I'm in Los Angeles or Rome, I always prefer a car service over a cab. That way I never end up in a dirty/stinky car. Also, I never have to be concerned that my transfer will be affected by a taxi strike. Also, I've been ripped off by Rome cab drivers on two occassions - and I chose not to give them a third chance.

JBD

Welcome to FlyerTalk tacster!

To get to FCO that morning, either a cab or car service would be preferable to dealing with taking the night bus.

As to the question of whether to spend your last night in Rome to save ~45 minutes the next morning versus spending your last night at an airport hotel has been debated here often.

The consensus is it's better to have your last night in the city itself, otherwise if you were to check into an airport hotel for that last night, your vacation has basically ended at that point. And those early flights make you get up early even if you were staying at the airport hotel.

However it's subjective. Perhaps you've had a long stay in Rome, and one more night there doesn't really mean much to you. And there's something to be said for being right there at the airport.

Since your flight is FCO-AMS you'd be using the terminal at FCO that's connected by a moveable walkway to the FCO Hilton. And it's very appealing to be able to roll out of bed, and walk to the airport.

I opted for that on one of my trips and stayed at the FCO Hilton. And I'm someone who gets nervous that I won't get to the airport in time, so it was great knowing I just needed to walk there!

But my vacations are never long enough and in hindsight I regretted leaving the city center for that last night, so I've never done it again.

One last thing regarding making your FCO-AMS flight, even though you'll be connecting to an international flight, this first flight is really no different than if flying between two US airports. So being there at 04:20 is really sufficient.

Hope you have a great trip!

Perche

I'm sure there are exceptions. Rome Shuttle Limousine is actually located in Rome, but they don't have any cars, and are just calling drivers on a list, which is pretty much the same list that a car service uses wherever they are located.

Rome shuttle Limousine is an apartment located on a small street near the Vatican. They don't have cars. If you go to their website and click on Fleet, you'll see pictures of their cars: http://www.romeshuttlelimousine.com/?page_id=2249

If you google "car service rome," the first one that comes up is not located in Italy, but the second one, Aim Limo Rome, is. It is on the outskirts of the city. Google earth it, and you'll be surprised. It is actually a junk yard. Go to their website and click on Fleet. It takes you to the same picture of the same fleet as the fleet of Rome Shuttle Limousine. http://www.romelimo.cab/#fleet

The third car service that comes up when you google search for a car service in Italy is in Ohio, and the fourth one is located near Atlantic City.

To the best of my knowledge, a car service is just someone who operates a website and knows how to call somebody who owns a car. They all pretty much operate off of the same list of drivers. The reliability you get depends on who the the driver is. Apparently, Aim Limo Rome and Rome Shuttle Limousine share the same cars and drivers. I assume that if there is a string of complaints about a particular driver, that website could cross that driver off of the list, but a car service is basically just someone who connects you to someone they know who has a car.

I mentioned that I don't think there is anything wrong with using a car service and not a taxi, but I'd still let the hotel handle it, and not do it by a website recommendation. If the hotel chooses a different company than Rome Shuttle Limousine, I'm sure it's because they have a good working relationship with that company or driver. I'd rather go with what the hotel says. That way, if something goes wrong, you can go to the front desk and make them fix it, which is easier than calling an apartment, or a junkyard on the outskirts of the city. That's just how I think about it.

JBD

First, it's fine that we're of differing opinions! Readers here will make their own decisions regardless. But....

You say Rome Shuttle Limousine has no cars and are only calling drivers on a list. That's an awfully definitive statement. How do you know?

Because you don't see a parking lot with cars on google maps? Because two different websites used the same clipart? (And because they used the same clip art, you state that they use the same drivers too). To me, that all doesn't seem enough to reach your conclusions. Maybe they just run the office out of Prati (and that street does have businesses as well as residences), and maybe their lot is somewhere where the real estate costs less. Regarding the same picture being used by two different companies, maybe they used the same web designer and he used the same clip art? I have no idea obviously. But these guesses seem as probable as yours.

....I'm not trying to be argumentative with you! If you do have real insider info into this company I'd really love to hear it.

I first heard of Rome Shuttle Limousine on Slow Travel. Those posters were just fellow travelers, not an ad company, and I read their favorable postings about this company. Then I started seeing the same company recommended here. And FTers who I had come to "virtually" know reported their favorable experiences. To me, when I first used this company it wasn't because of a "website recommendation" but because there were many real people recommending it (even if I never met these people in the flesh). And when in correspondence with the company I always dealt with the same woman. And when I've called them to change a booking I always had good interactions. And out of countless transfers, I've never had anything gone wrong. So I'd be truly surprised if this company operated the way you describe above. And I truly am interested to know otherwise.

Regarding having the hotel book the car service, in my experiences with the Westin Excelsior, the Grand de la Minerva and the Waldorf Cavalieri - their car services were way too expensive for my budget.

obscure2k

I have always had the hotel arrange for a car and always reliable. Doesn't matter if we are staying in a grand 5* hotel or sweet La Residenza, the hotels have always provided excellent service. Always on time whether picking us up at airport or taking us back to airport.

tacster

JBD and Perche, grazie mille for all the info, that's very helpful. As far as sacrificing my final night in Rome to be near the airport, I am undecided about that. This trip will be four weeks long with probably one full week in Rome, so...maybe that will be enough. We'll see. At least now I know my options.

Perche

I definitely agree. I said that you'll get to the airport from downtown in 40 minutes at that hour, but it's usually going to take less. Since you will be dropped off at the airport door by a car/taxi, you'll be saving even less than 40 minutes by staying at the airport. Other than the Hilton, the Rome airport hotels require shuttles. That can take as much time as staying downtown because you might have to take a shuttle much earlier than you want, or have to wait half an hour for the next one that get will get you there after you could have come from downtown, especially because they often drive to a partner hotel to pick up more passengers, and because the first stop at the airport may not be at your terminal.

Most airport hotels, in my opinion, just cut one evening off of your vacation. The only exception is Milan, especially if the Sheraton is available. Not Rome, where there is so much to see and do.

Some things I'd keep in mind about transportation. Some people think of a train in Italy as being similar to a train in the USA, or a cab in Rome as being like a cab in NYC. A train in Italy is several dimensions better than, for example, Amtrak. Cabs in the USA can be filthy. Seat belts don't work, or they're stuffed down below the cushion where it's so dirty that you don't want to dig your hand down there to pull it out.

Rome taxis are not like that. They are much more regulated than in most cities in the USA. They are generally new, and clean. Is there an occasional driver who won't take advantage? Of course, but it's unusual. However, if you don't use an official Roman taxi, as in any other city, you will definitely come to grief.

It often seems like the taxis are taking you for an unofficial tour. I've had taxis drive in the opposite direction of where I was going and get on the highway, to take me around to a place a few miles away across the city center. But Rome has so many one way streets and so much traffic, that sometimes going around the center is the fastest and cheapest way to get to your destination.

I've read posts where people said that the driver insisted on leaving them around the corner of the hotel and not at the front door, and they presumed that the driver was ripping them off, and didn't want to deal with a bellboy or doorman calling them out on it.

Actually, no doorman would do anything in the first place. This has happened to me dozens of times, and not just with hotels where there is a doorman, but with apartments, restaurants, places. In general, the driver is thinking that the customer would rather walk around the corner than be driven a quarter mile through traffic, around the one-way streets, and pay a few more euros. Sometimes, for that reason, when I know where I"m going, I ask the driver to let me off a block or two away because I know how much maneuvering and how much more it would cost to drive me to the door.

I don't like arriving at the airport and waiting for a car service in Rome, and looking for a guy holding a sign with my name. Flights can arrive 45 minutes early, by which time I could almost be in the city and they are not there yet. They can arrive three hours late, during which time you will be passed among drivers like a hot potato, and may not find anyone waiting for you when you arrive. I don't bring luggage, but I know from the experience of others that a driver will usually not wait for you for an hour while you wait in a 45 minute line to fill out your lost luggage forms. They will have other people to pick up, and don't want to lose money. They'll say they have to leave, and that the "company" will send a new driver who will be there in ten minutes. Two hours later, you'll still be waiting.

I like to keep it simple. Get out, ignore the hawkers who are saying, "taxi, taxi?" Walk outside to the official taxi stand with the SPQR decal, walk up to the car where you can say in any language, "48 euros?" They'll, say si, yes, shake their head. I don’t not have to worry if they car will be there if I'm early, or if they'll be there when if I'm 8 hours late. It's a fixed rate to and from the airport, so there's no incentive for them to drive around.

From the hotel to the airport, in Rome, I'm always on a very early flight. The night before, I'll tell the front desk to call a cab for me at 4:30 in the morning. Usually, they'll ask if I want a private car. I ask how much. If it's within a few dollars of what a taxi costs, I alway say, "sure." I know they are greasing a friend's palm. I also know that makes sure they'll make certain that their friend is going to be there.

JBD

As I mentioned upthread, I first read about Rome Shuttle Limousine years ago - and I got curious to see that first FT mention so I just did a search.

The thread was started prior to FT having an Italy Forum, and it was never subsequently moved over here from the Europe Forum, (the mention comes in the last post): http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/europ...own-night.html

If anyone here wants to see all the posts about Rome Shuttle Limousine and read FT's collected wisdom on this company, I recommend doing an advanced search like this:
-select the whole Europe Forum in the "Search in Forums" box, and check the "Also Search in Child Forums" box
-select "Search Entire Posts" at the top
-select "Show Results" as Posts at the bottom
-do one search with this in the "Keywords box": Rome Shuttle Limousine (yields 40 posts)
-and do another search with the company written this way (since some FTers refer to it by its web address only): RomeShuttleLimousine (yields 66 posts)

Perche

I agree, the more opinions, the better! I'm always finding out things on FT that I wish I knew before, things I usually learned about the hard way!

For taxis in Rome, even when I didn't know the location of where i was going, I never had any problems. A few years ago I started using a car service, thinking it would be more upscale, especially since back then I wasn't paying my own way. The car services worked, until irregular things happened, like when a flight that was supposed to arrive at 3 PM arrived at 10 PM. Of course, the driver wouldn't be there waiting for me. My Italian sim card wasn't activated so I couldn't call the company, although I knew they wouldn't answer anyway. The stores where you could activate a SIM card were closed. I found an open tabacchi shop and bought a phone card, and after great difficulty I was able to call the website and finally get someone on the phone who said they would send someone, and that the driver was already, "almost there."

Meanwhile, there were plenty of regulated taxis waiting outside with a strict, government regulated 48 euro rate into the city that i could have just taken. I just didn't want to stick it to the driver who was supposedly on the way. The driver finally got there hours after I could have been at the hotel, had I just taken a taxi upon arrival.

I was mad, and I let the driver know it, in Italian. After all, didn't I reserve a guaranteed car? Before I got in the car I took out my phone and took a picture of the license plate (there will not be the name of a car service company on the car, because the companies don't own any cars), and told him that I was going to use it to make a complaint about his "company."

On the way in I received my tutorial. He said, "What company?" He said that unless I erased the photos he would strand me, so I erased them so that I could finally get to my hotel. On the way in, while we were arguing, he excused himself by saying, "Look, dispatch just sent me 20 minutes ago!" He said if I have any complaints I should call dispatch. I asked him to explain, and he told me that there were no companies, no cars, just websites that dispatch cars.

That wasn't enough for me, so I started to ask friends, hotels owners that I know well, professors at the university, doctors at the hospital, and they would tell me the same thing: when they need a car to the airport, they have a personal driver that they use. They don't use a website, they call a particular driver that they know. I was told that in their life, despite having their own particular driver, if they call the night before the driver would usually tell them that they were sorry, they couldn't pick them up because they already had a ride scheduled at that time. They always call their personal driver at least a few days before a trip to get them booked, or they use a taxi. They never use a website.

It took me one more bad experience to learn that in Rome it is better, at least in my opinion, to just go outside to the official taxi stand, walk to the car at the head of the line and say, "48 euros?" They will always nod yes, and just get in. That keeps it simple. After arriving I don't want to think about whether or not I can spend extra time cleaning up in the bathroom, if I have time to stop for coffee, or if my driver will be there if my flight is an hour early, or 5 hours late. I prefer to just walk outside where there is always a clean taxi, charging me a fixed rate to get to my hotel. The cars may be a little bit better on a website, but it's like making an appointment when you are on vacation. My preference is to go outside and take a cab whenever I want it.

I doubt that there are any car companies in Rome that have a car, much less a fleet, and that aren't just calling people on a list that they know own a car. I don't think it's economically feasible to have a parking lot in Prati, or anywhere else in the city, with a fleet of Mercedes Benz waiting to pick someone up at the airport.

In other cities, I started asking the same questions, and it was always the same answer. They are websites that link a client up with someone who owns a car. I had one correction. In Naples, someone told me this wasn't true for their own car service on the Amalfi Coast, and that they actually have cars. They called someone, who promptly texted a just-taken picture of their house with six Mercedes Benz parked on their wide, two floor, outdoor garage on the side of their house on a cliff, that they use during the tourist season, but that were parked for the winter. I don't remember where the guy was from, but he proved it to me.

I was very surprised. I don't think you can hold such a space in the middle of Rome.