Federal Transit, Inc

My experience was just fine, it could have been worse. Our bellhop arranged our Midtown pickup. The driver was just a few minutes late, but nothing to make me nervous at all. We were picked up in a very clean big-​pimping black Suburban with shiny 22s. Our driver did not have a firm grasp of the English language but he did speak perfect Spanish as evidenced by his cell phone conversation that lasted from the time we crossed the bridge into Queens until he dropped us off at LGA. Minus one star for lack of professionalism. I’m sure that if I were to understand Spanish, he was probably telling someone how to rebuild a Rochester Quadrajet on his 76 Monte Carlo. I doubt he was giving stock advice. Minus the second star for the route. I’m sure there was a faster and less «culturally explorative» route than Queens Blvd. Oh well, it was a Sunday and traffic was slim. It was still the fastest and most comfortable ride I’ve ever had from the city to LGA. For $ 55, it better have been!

AVOID THIS COMPANY!!!
I purchased a Groupon a week in advance of my flight and it has been the worst experience hands down.
I bought the Groupon on a Monday and made the reservation online Monday afternoon. On the reservation I asked them to pick me up on Friday at 5:15am. They sent a confirmation email that the would come on Friday but the next morning at 5:15am I get a call from the driver saying he’s downstairs waiting on me. His Chinese accent was so thick it was hard to understand what he was saying. I told him he had the wrong day and to come back on Friday. When I told him he had the wrong day he seemed embarrassed and said he would come on Friday. Since he showed up on the wrong day the first time I called the company the day before just to double check that he would show up on Friday morning.
Fast forward to Friday and he called me on time saying he was downstairs. I was pleasantly surprised by his promptness but that would be the only pleasant experience I would have.
I come downstairs and he has a Toyota Tundra with no markers of it being a car service. Once he loads my stuff into the SUV he tells me it’s going to be $ 12 for tolls & $ 8 service fee. When i asked him if i could pay at the airport he says, «No you pay now!» He said cash only and when I told him I didn’t have enough cash he immediately turned off the car, out my stuff on the street and told me to get out. He drove away and I was blown away! I called him and said I can go to the ATM next to my apartment and as I was starting my not so nice sentence he hung up and never came back. A cab driver saw what happened and since I paid him the $ 65 that I would’ve paid Federal Transit. He told me to report the company to the Taxi & Limo Commission (TLC) by calling 311.
Infuriated by what happened I sent an email to the company and they said they would pick me up from the airport free of charge. They showed up 15 minutes late. Not so bad but after my previous experience with them I will still be reporting them to the TLC.
Head my warning and find a different car service company. This company is unorganized, rude, and they don’t speak English very well. If I could give them a negative review I would.
If you see this company on LivingSocial or Groupon DO NOT PURCHASE.

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!
Yes, I was another schmuck who bought the groupon. How could they have any business otherwise? We bought one for airport pickup and one for the ride back.
First of all, there is NO communication. We didn’t know if we were going to be picked up or not. Our flight arrived early (which any reputable company would track.) I called and called and on my fifth try, got an answer. I couldn’t make out but about 2 words that were said and figured, well our flight was early, not their fault. But when 30 minutes went by after our original pick up time, I called and called again. This time I could make out the word «traffic» Well, again any reputable company accounts for that. Then they asked what airline and what terminal (didn’t I provide all that information already?) Fine, no biggie, I’m on vacation. 20 minutes later my luxury sedan arrived (beat up old van) and we went on our way with no apologies. When we arrived at our destination we were asked for «tax, toll and tip» Fine. payed $ 39 for the groupon and had to shell out another $ 26. Wow, a cab is cheaper and would have gotten me to my destination about an hour earlier!
We were planning on requesting a refund for the ride back to the airport, but time got away and we were stuck using this «service» again.
Holy Moly! They arrived on time! I scheduled pick up an hour early just in case we would have to find a cab when they didn’t show up… how messed up is that?
We get to the airport and the driver asks us what terminal (again already provided this info and had to practically unpack my bags to retrieve it again) Anyone who has traveled through JFK knows how big this place is. The driver took us to the end of the terminal and started to get out, and I said, um, the signs don’t say Delta. The driver told my partner to get out of the car and go ask someone where Delta was. Well it was at the very opposite end… about 30 airlines in between. He put all of our luggage at the curb… three large cases, two carry-​ons and two personal bags along with our coats (the gays don’t pack lightly) We were appalled and said aren’t you going to take us where we need to go? He suggested we pay $ 5 for a cart to get our luggage where we needed to go! Then he asked for his tax and tip (we paid the toll at the toll gate) Tax was $ 8 and all I had was a twenty. I gave it to him and he walked to get back in his lovely van… and I said «Hey wait! I need change!» He asked how much and I said $ 12 (my first time to EVER stiff ANYONE) He protested and said that he picked us up on time… I told him we were to be dropped off at our specified location. He protested, but never offered to take us there. I got my $ 12 and actually felt good about stiffing someone. He cussed us out in a language we didn’t understand, and we started our 20 minute trek with our seven bags.
Once we got checked in and got over our anger and frustration, we went to Unilocal and read all the reviews, laughed and laughed. Sad part is, we were the lucky ones!
HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE

These guys are an absolute joke. Bought a Groupon for a trip from Newark International to Manhattan at 12:30AM on 4÷1÷13. Waited outside the baggage claim at Terminal A and no one shows up.
At 12:40AM, I called to see why my car hasn’t arrived. The dispatch person on the line picks up the phone with a poor grasp of the English language with a simple «Hello?». (I should’ve known that this was a shady car service when the dispatch person doesn’t even greet customers with the name of their company.)
I asked where my car was and he said that he would call the driver and then call me back. After 10 more minutes, I call again asking for the update. His reply was that he couldn’t get in touch with the driver. I asked him what I was supposed to do given that it was nearly 1AM in the morning and I didn’t have a ride home.
He said that he would try again and call me back. After another 5 minutes, I called back and asked what was going on. He informed me now that the driver had a «flat tire» and doesn’t know when he can pick me up. I asked how long it would take for a different car and the dispatch person said that no cars were available.
At this point I was furious and cancelled the reservation. I’ve made a formal complaint to Groupon to get my voucher refunded as I will NEVER be using Federal Transit again. These morons are unprofessional and completely unreliable.

Total scam. They will not pick you up with a black car or limo but instead with a dirty, beat up, van that looks like it has never been cleaned for years. The driver of the van did not know how to speak English and was late for over an hour. Good thing groupon refunded me but please please please don’t use them.

This was an unbelievably horrible experience. My flight came in an hour early (something that car companies usually track), and not only was my driver not there when my flight landed, but he came 20 minutes late from the original scheduled time! I literally sat BY MYSELF in Newark baggage claim at 1 AM for an hour and a half (not fun as a 19 year old girl). On top of that, they didn’t answer the phone until my 6^th call. When they finally did show up, they came not in the advertised town car, but rather an old, rundown minivan, and made me go out to the curb. The driver didn’t really speak English, and couldn’t give an explanation as to why he was so late. When he dropped me off, he had the audacity to give me a hard time about my Groupon. I truly can’t believe that Groupon would host a company like this — this experience will definitely make me rethink buying Groupons in the future. And ultimately, it ended up costing about the same as a Yellow Cab, which would have been MUCH preferable to this.
Seriously, avoid at ALL costs.

ONE STAR IS TOO MANY!
HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE! Federal Transit is THE worst limo/​car experience I have ever experienced. Having hired a number of limos and private cars over the years, including gypsy cars, Federal is at the bottom of the pile.
1. They ask that reservations are made through their website, but there is no acknowledgement of ANY kind (phone, email) that the request has been booked and will be honored.
2. They do not answer their phone.
3. When they do answer the phone, their English skills are so poor that the conversation is useless.
4. When they do answer the phone, they HANG UP ON YOU! This happened FOUR TIMES.
5. They do not track flight status and arrange pickups accordingly. The flight I had booked pick up for arrived 45 minutes early, yet there was no driver, and they wouldn’t answer the phone to get a status.
6. Even with the prearranged pick up time of 1:15 AM, the driver was THIRTY MINUTES late! We ended up waiting from 12:25 AM until 1:45 AM at the curb of Newark Airport.
7. When they did arrive, the pick up vehicle was a beat up white mini van, not the black town car that was booked.
8. The driver did not assist with luggage.
9. The driver then had the audacity to complain about accepting a Groupon, which had been previously confirmed with the dispatcher.

THe WORST place ever. I bought a Groupon for this (which btw groupon is really sucking now) for a flight from JFK to SFO.
I was moving so I had about 4 bags with me and thought this would be an easy/​cheaper way to get to the airport. I called the day before to make sure they got my online request. I got confirmation and was ready to go by 10am the next morning.
I stood outside waiting and about 10:15 called the company. They guy said there was a cab driver on the way and would be there shortly. I should have left anyway by 10:30 but I didn’t and finally at 10:45 I called screaming at the guy who kept telling me to wait another 10 min whenever I called!!! WTF just tell me you’re not coming so I can catch a cab you freakin @sshole.
I never have been so angry or frustrated with a service. I’m usually pretty calm and don’t blame ppl but this was pure incompetence. NEVER AGAIN. Oh and I missed my flight. Thanks JERK!
I’m surprised they are not out of business yet.

If you want to be waiting at Kennedy Airport at 12:37 in the morning after 14 hours of flying, then you should probably book with Federal Transit.
F$*& this place! They don’t answer their phones, they don’t respond to emails, they don’t get back to you when you fill out their forms, it’s basically a scam as far as my experience goes.
Shame on me for not checking up on this company on Unilocal before being suckered into buying a Groupon for this «so called deal.» Apparently everyone that bought deals through Living Social got hosed, so it’s only natural that I thought $ 39 from JFK-​Manhattan would be a «deal.» Throw in tax, tip and tolls and that’s a cab ride, IF IT EVER CAME.
Not worth my time or the risk.

I should have read the reviews before I bought my living social deal.
I scheduled a car to pick me up for a flight to LA. When the driver still had not arrived after 15minutes, I called the dispatcher and got a man that did not speak english. He told me to call the driver that also did not speak english and claimed that he couldn’t find my Murray Hill apt. WTF. My bf and I were irate and after 30 minutes of trying to call the company and the driver, gave up and grabbed a cab. We made it in the nick of time to the airport and caught our flight. Thank goodness.
Anyway, fast forward a month and I attempt to use the coupon again. This time the driver is promptly in front of my office at the time I asked him to be. They were trying to give me shit about picking up my boyfriend from his office because he was stuck in the meeting so I asked to get on the phone with a manager. I was put in touch with William that actually could speak english. I told him my story about the first experience and he explained that the owner finally got word of the horrible service and brought him in to do damage control. He let me have a second stop for free and told me he was so sorry for my previous experience. Thank god for William because without him, this company would have gone to shit.

If I had my way, I would have given them NEGATIVE stars! One of my biggest mistakes in life was to purchase their Living Social offer thinking that it would save me a few bucks. Oh boy, no point in saving a few bucks when they don’t even show up at the confirmed pick-​up time!
On July 12^th 2012, I had a confirmed car service from Manhattan to JFK airport with a 4.30pm pick-​up time. At 4.40 pm, I called them and was told that they are attempting to locate the driver. At this point, I supposedly was put on hold while the guy on the phone attempted to locate the driver. However, he must have forgotten to mute because I heard every single word he said to the driver. Apparently, the driver was still in the BRONX at 4.40pm when he was supposed to be at my doorstep in midtown at 4.30pm!!!
At 4.50 pm, I was told that the driver was only making his way having just dropped off another passenger. At this point, I canceled the trip as I did not want to be late for my International flight, and Federal Transit had agreed to refund my living social voucher.
I was very disappointed and furious at Federal Transit’s inability to provide a service, and their incompetence in handling the situation. At 5pm in Manhattan, it was near impossible to catch a cab to the airport because it was peak hour, and cab drivers are switching shifts. As a result, I was late in getting to the airport, and was cutting it close to the departure time.
I feel so sorry for those who had to painfully secure their reservations, and end up having to experience «false advertisement». For those who have yet to redeem their Living Social voucher, I strongly suggest that you call and request for a refund. Please save yourselves from the torment of having to deal with a bunch of incompetent people.

DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE. The 212 number is out of order, the guys are SKETCHY when they catch you on the phone, and these «airheads» (to use voiceover censorship) were more than 20 minutes late to pick me up for the airport before I finally hailed a cab.
Such crap. Sticking with Holiday Limo in the future, that particular service is wonderful and always on time.

Scam! Scam! Scam!
1. Impossible to contact the company
2. Driver was late 1 hour and a half
3. It was not a Town Car. (Toyota)
4. Driver got lost and it took us 2hours from La Guardia airport to Times Square. It suppose to take max 30min.
5. They charge $ 8.00 extra. The driver said it was tax, but when I read other Unilocalers, they got all kinds of excuses. luggage fees…
So our valuable time got wasted. We were supposed to be at our hotel by 9pm, but got there around 11:30.
AVOID THEM!

I can’t believe how unprofessional this company is! I too tried to use my Living Social deal with this car service… what a complete waste of money! I got an e-​mail confirmation (which I requested) of my reservation with the wrong pickup time. They had my pickup time listed as 3:00 am, not 3:00 pm. I replied by e-​mail and called them to inform them of the mistake.
The man I spoke with said no problem, we’ll be there at 3:00pm. So I get a phone call at 3:00 AM saying the car was here to pick me up. Seriously??? I told the man calling that I e-​mailed and phoned the night before to clear up the mistake and he said, «But we’re here now.» OK? And?
After hanging up the phone in disgust I knew they would be a no-​show at 3:00pm and of course they were nowhere to be found at the RIGHT time. To top it all off, while I’m sitting at JFK waiting to board my plane, I get an e-​mail at 5:20 confirming that a car would pick me up at 3:00pm…2 ½ hours earlier. What a joke!

What a terrible experience. Sure the car was nice, but the driver wouldn’t leave until I showed him that I had cash for a tip. The driver was late picking me up, so I called the main number and no one answered. After the driver arrived, my phone rang and it was the service asking if I needed a pick up and I informed them that the driver had already arrived and I was on my way. Then about 5 minutes later my phone rings again, and it’s the service telling me that I got in the wrong car and that I need to turn around or else I owe them double. I told the guy on the phone that I was in a FedTran car, and that I was on my way to the airport but he continued to raise his voice on the phone saying that I owed them double and had to turn back. After giving my phone to the driver things finally got settled, but this is such a disorganized service I am NEVER using them again.
I have always used Eastern Car Service in the past, and I’ll stick with them from now on.

Echoing on everyone’s sentiment, this company made me wait for 2 hours, proceeded to slam hidden taxes on me, and in the end still managed to pretend like they did the best job in the world.
I would recommend riding a donkey to the airport over Federal Transit.

Horrible! I bought vouchers on living social and would have rather walked from the airport to Manhattan. It was impossible to speak to anyone, the line was either disconnected or they kept giving me phone numbers to talk to someone else. Wasn’t even sure the reservation went through. The car picked me up almost an hour from the «confirmed» time. When he finally did pick me up, it WAS NOT a «luxury town car» or anything comparable to what i was expecting. It was a Lexus SUV, the driver was dressed in shorts and a tee shirt and didn’t have any of my info for drop off. And i still have to use them to get back to the airport. I feel screwed.

My review is very similar to Francis! I wish I had read this before I purchased the living social deal! DO NOT WORK WITH THIS COMPANY! AVOID THE LIVING SOCIAL DEAL AT ALL COST!!!
Same thing regarding phone number not working; had to hunt it down on the web.
Made reservation via email and got confirmation for Saturday at 4:45. Called Saturday morning to confirm; got a ‘yes, yes, all good’ response. Was told the driver would call me. 4:30 comes, then 4:45… nothing. Call them and try to figure out whats going on. Basically got the run around («let me call driver, I call you back»)…
Basically got a call at 5:15 that something happened to the driver and it would be best for me to at this point cancel and get a free ride next time. ‘Next time? Next time…” you can imagine what came out of my mouth. All I got was a bunch of ‘I’m so sorry, maybe get money back from living social“
Needless to say, at this point I was half an hour later from the time I was supposed to be picked up; walking the streets of NY in tears with two luggage’s trying to hail a cab.
Luckily I was saved by an ‘angel’ taxi cab driver who got me to the airport in record time and charged me probably less than this company would’ve (according to the other reviews about all the hidden taxes…).
Don’t let the Living Social deal fool you; save yourself the blood, sweat, and tears and go with a legit company!

I found a deal on living social and thought I’d give them a try. My friend and I were traveling together so we each bought one. For the pickup to the airport, they were late so we called them. Whoever answered didn’t seem to understand the hold button and hung up on my friend when he tried to contact the driver. So she called back and was told that the driver had a flat tire. We canceled it because we couldn’t wait any longer, we had a flight to catch. Totally unacceptable that we had to call and find out what was going on. It’s not like they didn’t know ahead of time that they were bringing us to catch a plane!
On the way back, we were picked up in a nice care, a white Lexus SUV type vehicle, but it was confusing because that is no typical care service vehicle. En route, the driver asked if he could pick up another fare, and we said no. That’s totally unprofessional (and definitely not something two women should ever agree to). And then when we got out and I tipped him he tried to tell us there was an extra $ 8 cash charge for luggage. We each had a small hand duffel bag, not anything significant or that we even needed help with. Sometimes there are extra charges for things like this, but the voucher specifically said that you could have up to 3 people and 3 pieces of luggage for no extra charge. We had two of each. I handed him my voucher and said «too bad».
This service is totally unprofessional and unreliable. I will never use them again and suggest that you do yourself a favor and avoid them as well. I’ll stick with dial –7 from now on.

I also fell victim to the livingsocial deal. Do not buy the deal, do NOT work with these people and here is why:
First, the phone number that is provided does NOT work. You need to call a differnet number.
Second, it took 3 different emails to get them to properly confirm my reservation.
Third, I had my reservation for 3:00 AM and was waiting by the front door at 2:55. 3:10 rolls around and no one shows. I call and they tell me that they need to contact the driver and will call me back. It takes another 5 minutes for them to call me and they tell me the driver will need 25 minutes to get to me. I call the driver and he says 10 minutes, but ends up being around 20 minutes (so pick up is around 35 minutes late now).
Fourth, I notice that the car is a white lexus suv, not the towncar sedans as advertised. There is no visible license for me to see either.
Fifth, while en route to the airport (35 minutes late) the driver asks if I know about the luxury tax, I tell them I was never informed of one and he points to the fine print on the voucher. He calls his boss and I am told that it is $ 8 for the tax and that is the amount that the company CPA recommend that they charge.
Sixth, even with a GPS, the driver proceeds to get lost on the way to the airport.
I thought I’d save a few bucks, but it ended up costing MORE than it normally would if I went with the service I normally use. $ 29 for the voucher, $ 8 luxury tax, and $ 6.50 toll for a grand total of $ 43.50 whereas I normally only pay $ 40 to get to la guardia.
Story of the day: don’t trust Federal Transit. Stick with whom ever you usually use.