RSSSan Francisco Party Bus Rentals | San Francisco Travel Blog - Part 2
Better Business Bureau Warns That Party Bus Scams Are on the Rise
According to a recent article from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), criminals are taking advantage of the surging popularity of party buses and defrauding customers across the country. In their article, the BBB cited a recent incident in Colorado where University of Colorado students thought they had reserved a party bus for transportation to and from a football game with archrival Colorado State. Their party bus never arrived to take them to the big game, and when they contacted the party bus rental service, the person who answered the phone told them that the bus had broken down. The person told them that they would not receive a refund for the party bus rental but if they caught a cab to the game and got a receipt, they would be reimbursed for the cab ride.
When the students told the man that they doubted the reimbursement offer and demanded a full refund for the party bus, the man refused, saying that he would not give them their money back because they had threatened him. Fortunately, the students had used a credit card to pay for the party bus and were able to cancel the charge after explaining the situation to the provider. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. The BBB warns potential party bus renters that there were problems with other party bus services in Colorado and in other areas across the country. The broken down party bus is a common excuse used by the scammers, and BBB investigators say that many of these criminals use several different business names to prolong their activities.
If you want to rent a San Francisco party bus for an upcoming special event, here are a few tips to avoid falling victim to unethical party bus operators:
- Check out the Bay Area party bus company’s rating with the Better Business Bureau.
- Go to the California Public Utilities Commission’s website at http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/puc/ to see if the operator is licensed in our state.
- Perform a web search to see what others are saying about the operator.
- Make sure the website of the company features the CPUC’s TCP number on each page, and check that against the listing on the CPUC site.
- If something looks or sounds suspicious, contact the CPUC directly. The number for their San Francisco office is 415-703-2782.
Renting a San Francisco party van should be a fun, memorable and very comfortable experience. However, as you can see, not all party bus services have the same dedication to their guests as we do. If you rent one of our party buses, we will go above and beyond to ensure that you and your friends and family have a great time and make your special occasion truly memorable. Call us at NLS Limo today at 800-339-8936 to reserve an affordable San Francisco party bus for your event, and get ready to have a great time!
City Planning to Crack Down on Illegal Limos and Parking Scofflaws to Increase Revenue
San Francisco officials, scrambling to cover an expected $17 million shortfall in the city’s Municipal Transportation Agency budget, are planning on cracking down on parking scofflaws and illegal limousine services to help balance the agency’s budget. Ed Reiskin, SFMTA director of transportation, said recently that increasing the city’s taxi medallion program fees, aggressive action on unpaid parking tickets and stepped-up enforcement on illegal San Francisco limos and town car services should help bridge the funding gap for the agency. Reiskin was quick to point out that despite prevailing public opinion that his agency was out to get car owners in the city, his agency wasn’t against all drivers, only drivers who park illegally and ignore parking tickets.
“There is always going to be a concern about that,” said Reiskin. “But everybody benefits, including motorists, when we enforce the laws that we have. We’re not anticipating these revenues from more meters or extending meter hours — it’s enforcing the rules we have.”
We fully support the city’s tougher stance against illegal San Francisco limousine and town car services and applaud any efforts that protect people from these unscrupulous operators. Regular readers of this blog know that we often pass along stories about illegal limo services here in the Bay Area and elsewhere, as we want people to know about the risks of doing business with these outfits. The vast majority of their clients do not know they are doing business with an illegal business, but they are at serious risk due to the following:
- Lack of insurance
Illegal limo services do not have required insurance coverage to protect passengers in case of an accident. Passengers injured while riding in an illegal limo could face many thousands of dollars in medical bills that they would have to pay themselves. - Unlicensed drivers
Lack of proper training, drug screening and criminal background checks is just a few of the many reasons why it is important to have a professional chauffeur from a legitimate San Francisco limo service. - Lack of safety inspections
Unlicensed operators are looking to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible and disregard safety inspections and other measures to safeguard passengers.
Every Bay Area limo, party bus, limo bus, corporate coach and other type of vehicle in our fleet is subject to regular safety inspectors to ensure that they are safe to carry passengers, and we will gladly provide proof of insurance to any of our guests. If you would like to rent a luxury vehicle for a special event from an ethical, legal and affordable San Francisco limo service that puts the safety and satisfaction of their guests above all other considerations, call us at NLS Limo today at 800-339-8936. We look forward to hearing from you!
Party Buses and Party Vans Are Both a Fun Way to Get Around!
A lot of our customers in the Bay Area ask us about the difference between party buses and party vans. From a semantic perspective, vans are designed to move cargo, and buses are designed to move groups of people. Since we’re in the hospitality business and prefer to view things from that perspective, we can tell you that there really isn’t any difference between our San Francisco party buses and party vans. No matter what you prefer to call them, it doesn’t matter much to us as long as you call us when you need a party bus or party van in the Bay Area!
We often use these two terms interchangeably, and it can spark some lively debates among staff members. However, no matter which side of the debate they end up on, we all focus on the quality of experience that our guests enjoy while riding in them. Our guests rent our party buses for special events, such as these:
- Bachelor/Bachelorette parties
- Weddings
- Girls’/Guys’ nights out on the town
- Sightseeing tours
- Concerts
- Sporting events
- Pub crawls
- Casino trips
- Shopping excursions
- Airport transportation
- Many other occasions both practical and not-so-practical
While each party bus in our fleet is designed a bit differently to accommodate groups of different sizes with different amenities, our guests can count on the following luxury amenities no matter which party bus they choose:
- Wet bars
- Mood lighting
- Spacious and immaculately clean interiors with comfortable seating
- State-of-the-art audio and video systems with CD and DVD players
- Flat-screen TVs
- Privacy shades
- Much more!
No matter what type of party van you need or the type of occasions that you need it for, you can rely on us to make sure that you and your friends and family have a great time at a very affordable rate. Use your browser to check out images of the various party buses in our fleet and the amenities unique to each of them. If you have questions and/or want to make a reservation, just give us a call at NLS Limo at 800-339-8936. If you call them limo buses, that’s OK, too!
Our San Francisco Party Bus Rules Let Everyone Have a Fun and Safe Experience
Recent proposed restrictions on San Francisco party buses by frustrated city officials and club owners and the tragic death of a Bay Area party bus guest in Santa Cruz have given party buses a bad reputation. We would like to point out that these serious problems, which affect all Bay Area party bus rental companies, are caused by a very small minority of operators who don’t take the safety of their guests seriously. We would also like to point out how we and most other San Francisco limousine rental companies prevent these incidents from happening. We let our guests know about a few simple rules, and we enforce them so that everyone can enjoy a safe and fun party bus experience. Some of the most important rules include the following:
- No underage drinking on board
If our guests want to enjoy alcoholic beverages while riding in their party bus, their chauffeur has the right to check all IDs to ensure that everyone is over 21. Anyone not of legal drinking age cannot board the party bus if alcohol is present. - No smoking on board
No smoking is allowed on our Bay Area party buses, limousine and other vehicles. If guests would like to stop for a smoke break, they should let their chauffeur know, and he or she will find a suitable place to stop as soon as practical. - Lewd, reckless or illegal activities are not tolerated
We try to be as flexible as possible and allow our guests to have fun, but any activities that are lewd, illegal or endanger guests in any way are not tolerated. When something unacceptable occurs, the chauffeur may issue a warning and politely request a guest to stop. If it persists, the rental is over, and all guests will be taken back to the initial pickup location. - Please respect the party bus and your chauffeur
Again, we want all our guests to have a good time, but if a guest is abusive toward the chauffeur or the party bus, the chauffeur has the authority to bring the rental to an abrupt end and return all guests to their original location.
We discuss these and other safety rules with clients before the party bus rental occurs and encourage them to ask questions or request clarifications as necessary. The safety of our guests comes before all other considerations. While we are in the hospitality business and try to please all our guests, situations occasionally arise that cause us to enforce our rules. If you would like to rent a San Francisco party bus for an upcoming special event and prefer to do business with a limousine service that is serious about helping their guests have a fun and safe experience, we would love to hear from you! Give us a call at NLS Limo today at 800-339-8936.
Chauffeur Kicks 20 Guests Out of Limo After Assault
A Chauffeur transporting 20 unruly guests in a Hummer limo in Seattle kicked all his guests out of the vehicle and left them on the side of the road after a fight broke out in the limo. The guests had been drinking heavily, and the chauffeur had asked them repeatedly to behave when some guests began fighting. The chauffeur then ordered his guests out of the limousine and drove away. State troopers arrived soon after and found the inebriated guests gathered by the side of the street with one man bleeding profusely. The troopers began interviewing the stranded guests and rendered assistance to the injured man.
Don’t Just Ride, Glide Through the City With Our San Francisco Party Buses
If you’re entertaining friends and family from out of town and are looking for a luxurious but affordable way to show off the Bay Area, rent one of our San Francisco party buses for the ultimate sightseeing experience. Limousines are fine for making a dramatic entrance at the area’s hottest clubs, and they are great for concerts, but for pure sightseeing pleasure, they can’t compete with our Bay Area party buses. What makes our party buses the superior luxury ground transportation for sightseeing? Let us count the ways:
Bay Area Limousines Are the Perfect Transportation to Summer Concerts!
We are just entering the favorite part of the year for Bay Area music lovers. The outdoor concert season is officially underway, and whether you’re a fan of Bach, U2, Kid Rock, Jimmy Buffet or all of the above, you’re going to get your live music fix early and often this summer concert season. However, local music aficionados know that attending outdoor concerts in the Bay Area comes at a price: horrible traffic to and from the show that sucks a lot of the fun out of the experience. Fortunately, we have the perfect solutions to this problem! Rent a Bay Area limousine or party bus for concert transportation, and leave the driving to us!
Call 1-800-339-8936 for your free quote
5Great customer service, great prices, and always a lot of fun.
I've used Nationwide 3 or 4 times now and have not once been disappointed. Great customer service, great prices, and always a lot of fun. Staff always helps me pick the best option for my group and our budget.