South Tahoe Express

Very convenient. $ 30 one way from South Lake Tahoe to Reno Airport. Purchased a ticket online for my desired departure date/​time and preferred pick up location at one of South Tahoe’s casino hotels. I chose Harrah’s. The bus arrived 5 minutes early and left promptly at the schedule time. Bus driver was friendly and efficient. Will definitely use them again. Tip: Print out your confirmation (with bar code) and hand it to the driver for easy check in.

This makes everything so easy in all weather. Get there early — they really can’t wait and the people at the next stop really do not want them to. So yes I’ve missed the bus before, but the service has always been good for me.

I recommend South Tahoe Airporter. It only took an hour and 15 min from Reno airport to South Lake Tahoe/​Lakeside. It was hassle free from driving in the snowstorm and the bus was clean. Driver was courteous and professional. Only giving them 4 star because the earliest time was 10:30am and we arrived at 8:35am from Alaska Air. We had to wait an extra hour to go to our final destination. I will use them again.

On the way out of the airport, they were very prompt and got us to our destination, even if the staff at the airport and the bus driver were a bit rude. However, for the return trip, our bus never showed up, with no phone call or warning to let us know it would not be arriving. We waited in the cold for nearly an hour for the next bus, and were denied boarding because it was full. The driver didn’t offer any help or information about what we should do after being unable to take the past two buses, and no one would answer the phone to give us any information. We finally ended up on a later bus, over three hours after we were originally supposed to leave. in the end, it did get us where we needed to go, but if you have a flight, I would recommend booking an extra-​early trip so that you’ll be sure to get to the airport on time.

I was very disappointed with the service I received. I booked a shuttle, and was given confirmation that my shuttle was reserved. When I arrived, I found out from the very RUDE customer service agent that my shuttle had left. I was denied a refund. 4 separate customers (whom were also confirmed on the same shuttle) were told the same thing as they approached the representative. There were then 5 confirmed and reserved passengers whom were abandoned by the same shuttle. All of us were likely no more than 5 minutes late due to flight delays. (I figure the representative was so rude because he must deal with unhappy customers quite often… its too bad the company he works for sets him up for this)
I ended up paying a taxi to get me to my destination… in addition to the money I lost on the South Tahoe Airporter.
I attempted to contact the company with my issue a few days later and have yet to receive a follow-​up email nor response.
I will NEVER book with this company again, nor do I recommend it to anyone. I believe that if they cannot provide the service I paid them for, they should refund my money.
It was a terrible experience.

The South Tahoe Express is now known as the South Tahoe Airporter. It is a very fast and efficient way to get from the airport to South Tahoe for only $ 29.75 each way. There is a slight discount if you buy a round trip ticket. They are very prompt and leave on time.
I knew my flight was delayed out of San Francisco and I would be a few minutes late arriving into Lake Tahoe Reno Airport, so I call the head to notify the staff. She asked about my flight and saw that it was delayed but not by much. She said she would watch it for me. I arrived at the Southlake Airporter desk about 10 minutes after my scheduled departure time of 4:45 and the bus had left time on time at 4:45.
So of course it’s not their fault that my flight was delayed. I was easily booked on the next shuttle that left about an hour and 25 minutes later. There was no reschedule fee.

I was very surprised how professional and punctual the South Tahoe Airporter was. I have read few reviews about the company and was afraid that it might be true although as you know most of those people who write those nasty things usually have personal issues and are trying to blame their whole lives on somebody else. We left Reno right on time on a luxury liner (what a beautiful bus had DVD and the lavatory) We arrived at Harveys without any delays and the bus driver announced the destination on PA system. On a way back pretty much the same experience. The bus was on time it was another great bus although I heard that sometimes they use less attractive buses the bus driver said it just depends on how many reservations they have, we arrived in Reno on schedule plus listen Guys it only costs $ 29.75 CAN anybody in Tahoe beat that price. No, No and one more time no taxi is $ 240.00 from Tahoe to Reno Look I’m sure that it’s not a perfect company there’s no such thing and buses break down but I took that shuttle probably 10 times now and never had any problems.

I booked a roundtrip ticket from Reno airport to Harrah’s in South Tahoe. The trip to Tahoe was fine, very comfortable, nice driver, etc. The return trip, however, never happened. The bus never showed-​up. It was supposed to pick me up at 9:27am. I got there several minutes early and had to wait until 10 am until I finally reached someone at the office. They said the driver was at the pick-​up, but he wasn’t. I was forced to take a taxi to the airport, which cost me $ 204. I emailed the main office (Amador Stage Lines) and complained about the incident. All I got back was a response saying that the driver was there and even waited for me two more minutes.
This is ridiculous! Don’t use them, unless you have money to spare for cab fares, just in case the bus never shows.

Very disorganized company. I booked a round trip ticket and the return was canceled at the last minute. They refunded the whole ticket but I still had to pay $ 240 for a cab one way.
The worst part wasn’t that it was canceled (due to a mechanical issue). The worst part was that I had to call to find out I was S.O.L. And then when I called to follow up, they didn’t get back to me till weeks later. I just got off the phone with someone there, and this incident occurred June 28^th. Today is July 27^th.
Maybe I’m just an edge case, but the company was not prompt in handling my issue.
Just another reason why Tahoe needs Über.

Due to icy snow conditions, I was told by staff to wait at a «designated shuttle stop bench» located just inside the side entrance of the Montbleu Casino. They said the driver would walk inside and announce his arrival. This never happened. As I had never taken the shuttle before I did not know who or what to look for so I just waited. 15 minutes past the time the shuttle was supposed to arrive, I called the dispatch line and they said I missed the shuttle. I explained that I was sitting at the stop and that no one had come to let me know the shuttle had arrived and the dispatcher just said they were supposed to and that I was more than likely just late. In fact I was 20 minutes early. I checked with the bell staff and the driver did arrive on time and signed in with the bell staff as he was supposed to do – he just totally flaked and did not come over to the bench to let me know he was there. I asked dispatch if they could contact the driver and have him turn around and come back and pick me up and they said the drivers cannot be contacted while driving. They suggested I just sit tight and take the next shuttle, which I could not due to my flight departure. So my choices were a $ 200 cab fare or a $ 137 car rental. I opted for the latter and drove myself to the airport. Absolutely horrible customer service and zero apology or any type of restitution. I was told to contact management but from what I have read online it would just be a waste of time. Avoid this service if at all possible. Try to rent a car and share the cost with other travelers is your best bet.

I was very hesitant about using this shuttle due to the bad reviews but I have to say I was very impressed and I highly recommend it! The employees were very nice and professional and the bus was big and comfortable. The price and convenience is definitely worth it and we will use again in the future for sure!

Utilitarian experience. Very convenient as there is a dedicated booth at the Reno airport (just past all the rental cars) and they drop off /​pick up at all of the major casinos in town. From our experience, the buses run right on schedule. Great for those that don’t want to drive, especially in the winter when you have to worry about snow tires and chains. At $ 53 round trip or $ 29.75 one way, it’s reasonably priced although not cheap (especially if you have a group, since you pay per person). They offer season passes as well.
It is hardly a luxurious experience. Both buses we rode had a faint stench, most likely coming from the on board bathroom. On the way back, the driver was talking to one of the passengers REALLY LOUDLY the entire time (about non PC topics nonetheless) and I wasn’t able to sleep, even though I was exhausted.
So, yes, it will get you from A to B and you won’t have to deal with driving, but it’s not exactly the best experience.

Took the bus home on New Year’s Day from South Lake Tahoe to Reno and it was the worst bus ride of my life.
The ride would of been okay if the driver would of turned on the heat! We were picked up at the first stop around 11:30am and when I got on I was shocked at how cold it was (around 25 degrees outside). I waited around thinking that the bus might have just been started and was warming up. Around 30 mins later while we were waiting for another passengers to board I asked the driver if he would turn on the heat. He acted super annoyed and aggressively told me to turn around and go sit in my seat.
Well the heat NEVER got turned on the entire trip and Everyone was complaining about how uncomfortable it was. You could see everyone’s breath inside the bus!!!
The driver also started yelling at a passenger who was trying to get onto the bus. It was very awkward and made everyone feel uncomfortable.
Don’t waste your money here! Either they can’t afford to heat the bus or hire a driver who cares about his customers.

We used this shuttle service after Christmas 2014. Our plane was late arriving at Reno. One simple phone call to the office and they got us on the next bus from Reno to South Lake. The driver was nice and informative. They dropped us off at the Budget rental car place in Stateline.
We needed to change out departure time also. Again, one phone call and it was done.
We would use this service again.

Still no response from customer service and still no refund.

*Please note that this review is also mainly for the Amador Stage Lines bus line that South Tahoe Express uses, but I highly do not recommend South Tahoe Express because I had a terrible experience with their employed shuttle service*
Bus from Reno to South Lake Tahoe broke down on the side of the highway and we were stuck there in the heat for over an hour.
The bus driver kept repeating «this just happened yesterday», «this bus wasn’t fit to be on the road in the first place» and «it’s not my fault they gave me this bus to drive because all of the good ones were taken». Understandably, these are not words that would give comfort to anyone. We had chosen to take a shuttle to avoid safety issues of having to navigate to Lake Tahoe on our own, but we now wish we had just rented a car to save on the frustration and danger of being on the road with Amador Stage Lines.
With all of that being said, accidents happen – we get that. But that’s where good customer service should come in. When I called South Tahoe Express to ask for a refund for the incident, they directed all responsibility to Amador Stage Lines and asked me to call them for a refund. It is my understanding that Amador Stage Lines employs the drivers and is responsible for the safety of the buses.
I called Amador and Mike Abercrombie, the GM of Amador Stage Lines, simply replied «sorry our tickets are not refundable». This is unacceptable. Safety is a priority when it comes to transportation, and I don’t care if you don’t know «why your employee would be saying those statements» because at the end of the day, that driver was YOUR employee, YOU have full responsibility over him, and over the safety of the bus. It was terrible customer service to not accommodate or accept responsibility for this incident. I would not recommend this service to anyone.

I was generally happy with the service. The price was great, and I didn’t have to worry about renting a car. I booked a r/​t shuttle from Reno airport to LTRH. I would have given them five stars based on the helpful friendly drivers, and clean, comfortable buses (with restrooms on board), but I have two complaints.
1. Booking process: The website was very confusing. As a tourist who is new to the region, it took too long to understand the website. Luckily I booked the right shuttles and times based on research from a friend. Once we checked in at the airport, they said that we weren’t in the system and we had to tell them what shuttles we were on. I remember reading that there are change fees, etc and to now hear that they didn’t even know what shuttle we were on was disturbing. I have used many shuttle services in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming and this was the worst when it came to the system itself. I would recommend that the company simplify/​redo the website/​process because they are probably losing customers.
2. Random cancellations: We booked our shuttles a few weeks prior to traveling, based on the availability listed on the website. When we checked in at Reno Airport, one person in my group was told their 6am return shuttle was cancelled and they had to take the 3:30am shuttle instead. This is a terrible policy. If in fact, there needs to be a change made to a reservation, STE should proactively contact their customers and advise them of this change. Customer service 101. A happy customer is an educated customer. The person at the counter was clearly unprepared to deliver this message and ended up delaying the group and stressing everyone. We nearly missed our shuttle.
Bottom line, my advice is to show up early, perhaps call to confirm you have the right lines and lastly, call them to confirm your shuttles still exist. They will not wait for you if you are a minute late. Thank you to the friendly drivers!

The South Tahoe Express has really pulled through for me over the past decade, both as a visitor and a local to Reno.
Located at the Reno/​Tahoe International Airport, there’s several routes daily that can transport you to the Stateline casino corridor within 90 minutes. I’ve never had any issues with late departure and arrival times, even during the burliest of snow storms.
TIPS:
–Check the website
for current schedules. I’ve found that the departure and arrival times to and from Reno and Tahoe vary depending on the time of year you’re traveling.
–Book and pay online, as you’ll save a few bucks vs. paying without reservations.
–If you’re a frequent traveler between Reno and Tahoe, investigate the highly discounted multi-​ride tickets that are available for purchase.
–Note that no pets are allowed on board, with the exception of service animals. Also, the stop offs in Tahoe usually only cover the mainstream casino properties, so there might be some walking or additional traveling involved once you get to Tahoe, depending on your accommodation destination. Don’t fault them for this, as it’s been their mainstream route since they began operations.
–Depending on your departure location in Tahoe, again, check the schedules. Sometimes just a 50-​step walk across the street from one casino property to another can buy you an additional 45 minutes to an hour in Tahoe — awesome for those long snowboard sessions when you want to maximize every minute!
Definitely recommend.

They damaged my luggage (as a result of stacking it on top of other luggage and then everything tumbled down).
They falsely advertised that they would take me to my hotel, charged my card, and when I showed up for the ride, told me that I’d have to walk ½ mile at 10pm to find my hotel by myself. At that time it was too late to find other suitable transportation, so they had me pretty good.
Other than that, the bus was in good condition and the ride left on time, but the one start is for the damages and the lies.

Its a short one to one and a half hour ride to Tahoe from Reno Airport (and vice versa) but it seems pretty expensive, AND you tip on top of it. $ 53 roundtrip per person. The ride is smooth but there’s no entertainment on the bus, although there are outlets. If you have a large family, you may be better off just renting a vehicle and driving yourself.