First Student Bus - Don't Use Them!

KnottieLauren

Hi all! I'm not one to post on the wedding boards, but felt compelled to share my woes with First Student Bus (who, to my knowledge, is a national bus company). 

My husband (ah! husband!) and I were married last Saturday, June 3rd at the New Haven Lawn Club in New Haven, CT (and OMG I can't say more great things about the Lawn Club and their staff.) 

But a vendor warning!

If you have FIRST STUDENT BUS booked or are considering them for your wedding, DO NOT BOOK THEM. We contracted them over a year ago and after 3 confirmations the week of the wedding (by me, my husband, and our coordinator) they never showed the day of the wedding. After being alerted by our hotel guests that the bus was running late, we called First Student and were promised an immediate call back. We never received a call back and after more than 20 calls to them that evening, realized we had no transportation. The Lawn Club coordinator, of course, was AMAZING and helped arrange Uber for our guests (THANK YOU CHRISTINE!!) ... but please reconsider First Student. It's not worth the stress we went through right before our ceremony!

missJeanLouise

Oh man that sucks! Hopefully they provided a full refund. Did they ever explain why they never showed up?

Subwayloves

This was the same company we used, and also had nothing but issues. They "broke down" on the way to the hotel to pick up guests about an hour before they were supposed to be there, and I was on the phone until 10 minutes before the ceremony trying to figure out if they were going to send another bus or show up at all (during which the manager hung up on me at one point). They did not show up, and we had to send multiple people in the wedding party to pick up guests from the hotel (probably over half our guest list was using this shuttle), many of which had flew in from out of town and didn't even have cars. They then proceeded to call my dad continously throughout the reception until he finally told them to just STOP CALLING HIM and please show up at the end of the reception to take people back to the hotel. They did do this, and also agreed to come back in the morning to take anyone who had left their car at the venue to get their car. 

The morning after the wedding, I was woken up at 730am by the driver calling to ask if anyone was ready to go back to get their car. I flipped out, and told him I was SLEEPING not patrolling my guests, and he needed to sit in the hotel parking lot and drive whoever needed it back and forth until 10 (they had agreed to provide the service that morning from 8-10). He proceeded to call me 3 different times after that (I think after each time he had dropped someone off) asking if there were more people using the service. Obviously I didn't know, again it was the morning after my wedding, and I was not patrolling my guests, but he could not seem to understand this.

We did get about a 75% refund from them after calling and complaining to a higher up, but the experience was HORRIBLE and I tell everyone I can to stay away from them.

We were in Ohio, so clearly this is a problem with the whole company not just a certain area. 

ei34

What a drag!  I can relate...despite great reviews, meeting the owner in person, and a thorough run-through of the route the day before, our limo service totally bombed on our wedding day.  I ended up being 30 minutes late to the church, and to this day it remains a joke among family and friends because it's the only time I've ever been late to anything, ever.  Sorry you had transportation stress right before your wedding!  And congrats on your marriage  

short+sassy

@KnottieLauren, I'm so sorry to hear about what happened...or I should say didn't happen...with your shuttle service.  Congrats on getting married!