San Francisco Car Rentals -Rent Downtown, Return at Airport?

A reader inquires, “…We want to rent a car from Union Square in San Francisco for one day, drop it off and rent again for the weekend, Saturday and Sunday, but would like to leave car at SFO, San Francisco International Airport.

Is it possible?…”

sfTravel says YES. All car rental online sites will allow a specific pickup point, such as downtown San Francisco — and a DIFFERENT dropoff point such as SFO Airport. Keep in mind you may incur the higher rental car taxes for the airport by returning the car to SFO. Make sure to review all of the pricing and detailed taxes and fee’s. But in the end, yes, you can rent in downtown San Francisco and drop off at the airport.


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California’s High Speed Train Arriving Soon?

The drive between San Francisco and Los Angeles can be draining. The drive can take anywhere from 5-9 hours depending on what type of traffic you hit along the way (and where in Los Angeles you’re heading). For the most part, the scenery along this drive is boring. Sure, there are some pretty hills but five or more hours is a long time to look at the same hills. You do have the option of taking the scenic route along the coastline but then you double the amount of time that it takes you to get between these two great cities. Imagine if you could make this trip in less than three hours without having to drive yourself. And what if it would cost you less than it costs to fly or drive between the two cities? That’s exactly what could happen in the future with the development of the new High Speed Rail connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Overview of the California High Speed Rail Authority Project

The project that is going to make this happen is called the California High Speed Rail Authority Project (CHSRA). It is a project that has received billions of dollars in funding so far with the purpose to be building a high-speed train that would connect the San Francisco Bay Area with the city of Los Angeles. Currently the project is in the planning stage. However, construction is expected to begin in 2011. It is believed that the project will take about 8-11 years to complete before it becomes a functional train that riders can use. Once in place, the train ride between the two cities should last approximately two-and-a-half hours and should cost approximately $40 – $55, which is less than the cost of driving in many vehicles.

Reasons People Love this Project

Many people are very excited about the development of the high speed train option. Some of the reasons that people love this project include:

• Quick commute between the two cities. The biggest benefit of the high speed train is that it would make the trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco much faster. This would be a great benefit to residents of either city who would be able to easily visit the other city for the weekend or even the day. People who are interested in living in one city but commuting to the other would potentially have that option whereas they don’t have that choice now.
• Better tourism. The fact that the commute between these two cities would be so short also has the potential to improve tourism in both areas. Many people would love to visit both cities but don’t want to take the time to travel from one to the other and back again during their vacation. The high speed train would be a fun, quick, affordable option, which means that people visiting one area would also likely visit the other.
• Enjoying the scenery. As mentioned before, the scenery between Los Angeles and San Francisco consists of pretty hills but they’re not too fun to enjoy for hours and hours in a car. In contrast, you could look out a high speed train window for a couple of hours and really enjoy this view.
• Green choice. Many people are excited about this project because it’s a green travel option for people who want to go between these two cities. It’s obviously a lot better for the earth for people to all be on a single train together than to be in their separate cars commuting between these two large cities. High speed trains are also more energy-efficient than planes.
• It’s what many other cities offer. High speed trains are used in Asia and Europe. In fact, a recent project will connect these two long-distance areas by high speed train. Adding a high speed train to the United States between these two major California cities would help to put us on par with international travel standards.
• The project creates jobs. In addition to the benefits for travelers, the project will benefit California residents by creating over 150,000 construction jobs over the next ten years. The project will also create long-term jobs.
• The people want it. Finally, people are supportive of this project because their friends and neighbors are supportive of it. In 2008, California voters agreed through Prop 1A that they wanted to spend nearly $10 billion in state money on this project.

Complaints People Have About this Project

Not everyone is supportive of this project. Even people who do like the idea of it have some concerns and complaints about the way that it’s been planned. Some of the complaints that people have about this project include:

• It’s very expensive. A 2008 report called The California High Speed Rail Proposal: A Due Diligence Report estimates that this project could cost more than $80 billion! That’s a lot of money. The project may cost less than this but it will still cost many billions of dollars, which will be paid in large part by the taxpayers. Not everyone is supportive of the project for this reason even though it does have the potential to increase tourism income in the state. One argument against this concern is that we have to do something to handle the influx of traffic in the state and this option isn’t any more expensive (and may even be more profitable) than building new airports or highways.
• Concerns that people won’t ride it. Many people are concerned that the train won’t get the type of use out of it that it needs to justify its cost. The Rail Authority has predicted that over 60 million people will use it annually by 2030 but the same Due Diligence report says it may only be a third of that.
• The train isn’t ready yet. There is currently no high speed train in existence that reaches the speed of 220 mph that is the project’s goal and yet also meet’s the safety standards of the project. Many people are concerned that this just isn’t going to be a reality.
• Some people are afraid of high speed trains. Although these trains are used in other parts of the world, not all U.S. residents are used to them. The idea of being on a train that travels at over 200 mph still frightens some people. In actuality, it is probably a lot safer to travel in a high speed train than in a car on California highways but this fear does still deter people from considering this to be a viable option for traveling between cities.

Imagining the Future

This high speed train between San Francisco and Los Angeles is in the works. Construction should begin next year. Although the ten or so years that it takes for the project to be completed sounds like a really long time, it’s going to go by in the blink of an eye. When it is ready, this high speed train is going to provide a cost-effective, green transportation option for people who wish to travel between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Imagine getting on the train in San Francisco, reading a book or taking a nap or checking out the scenery for a couple of hours and then arriving in Los Angeles. That is going to be our future!

San Jose Airport Shuttles – Updated October 2009

We’ve updated the pricing for all of the San Jose Airport shuttle listings. At least five companies went out of the business, and several have significantly lowered prices with the current economy. We rated phone service (which varies widely) for all of the shuttle companies. The page is a great comprehensive resource of airport shuttles from SJC to surrounding areas of Silicon Valley.

San Francisco Built of Legos.

SoCal folks – why drive to San Francisco when you can see the city built from legos – right near San Diego? Check out photos of San Francisco in legos. Legoland was awesome for our kids and they are still building – a year later.

Traveling with Children – Hassle Free.

If you have younger kids in the “carseat phase”, you’ve experienced the fun of dragging bulky, heavy car seats through busy airports. It keeps your kids safe on the plane, but is not a fun experience. There are lots of carts, bags, and wheels available – but the net is that a car seat is not something you will enjoy bringing on a plane. We found a product that solves the problem a few years back and it truly changed our traveling lives. The “CARES” restraint is basically a five point harness for flying that straps to the airplane seat. It loops around the back of the seat behind the other passenger’s tray table and is very easy to install / take off — it’s like a seat belt from older cars. The FAA has totally approved this product, and the FAA approval is even emblazened on the label. It can be a little pricey at $82 with shipping, but the convenience of avoiding the carseat dragging is well worth it from our experience.

The straps are approved for kids 22 pounds to 45 pounds (typically 1 to 5 years old), and weights a grand total of one pound in a very convenient small bag (smaller than most purses). You can check through your car seat (free of any baggage charges on all airlines) – to have it for the car at your destination.

Green Cabs in San Francisco – Hybrid Prius Taxi

In San Francisco, you can make a choice to use a cab that is better for the environment at the same price as any other taxi. Green cabs use hybrid Toyota Prius or CNG (natural gas vehicles) before dispatching any other cabs. It’s a great advantage for San Francisco taxis and being seen in many other cities such as Phoenix. The cabs are better for our environment, and help reduce operating costs (fuel) for their operators. Try a green cab and let us know what you think!

Cut Rental Car Costs by Half – Every Time

I love renting cars, but hate paying up for rental cars. Over time, I’ve found a method which is very effective in reducing the cost of rental cars. It takes some time and patience – but can be very much worth it in a large cash savings. This method focuses on analyzing the data for rental cars, and bidding smartly on Priceline for your car. I have found the Priceline always offers “Opaque” rates far below the rental car companies – even with good online coupon codes.

Step 1 – Set Your Base Price: Use a travel site such as Expedia, Orbitz, or Travelocity to create a matrix of travel prices for the car you want. Write down the best price, for the type of car you want. Being willing to be a little flexible on the car type can be helpful, but is not required.

Step 2 – Hit Hotwire: Go to Hotwire.com, and search the same place, dates and times. Write down the price this gives you – it will likely be lower – but not always.

Step 3 – Look in the City: Are you flying to an airport and then transferring into a city center? Ie flying to San Francisco Airport SFO – then headed for downtown San Francisco? Search the same prices in #1 and #2 above at the City destination – not at the airport.

Tip: Airports charge big, big taxes on rental cars. By renting away from the airport, you can save significantly just on taxes right off the bat.

Step 4 – Costco: Are you a Costco member? Go to Costco.com and click on Travel. Check coupon / discount prices from 3 major rental car companies. I would suggest focusing on Avis, Alamo, and National. They aren’t #1 and they do try harder. If you find anything you’d consider – lock it in – there is no penalty for cancellation unless you choose a prepaid option.

Step 5 – Get Info: Go to biddingfortravel.com to check out prices that folks are getting approved and rejected at priceline.com. Try to match the rough period you are traveling by 1-2 weeks and guess from the car types that are winning. Ie if a midsize is winning at $25/day, a compact is likely to win at $20 per day. The info for your savings contained in this site is very important to bidding smartly.

Step 6 – Priceline: Priceline is your friend, and time is your 2nd best friend. Every day, you can bid for every car type on Priceline, and bid all over again in 24 hours. Don’t be pressured into a poor choice. The economy is weak – and cars need to get paying renters. Use all the data you compiled to bid at least 30%-50% off the Hotwire or best other price you found. Start by bidding the biggest car you’d take, and go down from there. You might get a bigger car for the cheap price you bid. Only bid one car type at a time. If all your bids fail – go up by ~$3 the next day and see how you do. Note that Priceline does charge fees which are above your normal government taxes. Make very sure you are saving at least 30% from your “best” price above before locking into a Priceline deal. Priceline is non-cancellable, so make sure your trip is locked too.

Backup Plan: Always hold a cancellable reservation from the standard companies. Use Priceline to try to improve your price, and don’t even bid if it isn’t a 30%-50% savings – including the Priceline fees. Here is a real life scenario we found with real results yesterday:

San Francisco Car Rental - July 2009 – Compact Car
Orbitz – Alamo is lowest at $724/week (SFO Airport)
Costco coupon brings Alamo down to $564 at Alamo’s site. (SFO Airport)
Hotwire at $452 (SFO Airport)
Enterprise – City downtown pickup at $277
Priceline accepted bid – $190

Our savings by going city downtown pickup and Priceline bidding was 74% versus our first search on Orbitz, and even 30% under the most comparable bid from Enterprise downtown (which is the savings % Priceline estimates).

Do your homework, and save serious money renting a car.

Super Shuttle Discount Coupon Codes – San Francisco

New for 2010! Take 15% off SuperShuttle in every major city they serve (confirm details) until March 15, 2010. Online use discount code GSALE at suppershuttle.com/garagesale.

Check out our San Francisco airport shuttles here for full pricing and service reviews.

Parking Tricks in San Francisco

Parking in San Francisco has basically sucked for a long time. It’s either expensive, inconvenient, or impossible. A new site that contacted us however – has consolidated parking information in one convenient spot. They call themselves “Gottapark” and boy do I gotta park when I am going out in San Francisco.

It’s basically a Craigslist for parking spaces. You can make a quick buck renting your driveway or garage, and big parking lots downtown list too. You pay on the site, and then print out a voucher for your parking.

What we like about Gottapark is that it reveals a lot of “underground” parking that wouldn’t normally exist. The guy who lives next to Union Square, who rents out his garage; a big empty lot; and many other very weird options. If you want to be a little planful in a place where it’s smart too (very crappy parking) – it can make parking in San Francisco a little easier.

When we searched for parking spaces around “very popular” locations like Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square and Embarcadero Center — the ease of comparing prices *BEFORE* you go is amazing. GottaPark makes it super easy to figure out the best price / location before you are driving around in traffic. Check it out – especially if you are headed to a popular spot like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

San Francisco Airport Cutting 75% of Shuttles

If you use airporter type shuttle vans at San Francisco airport, the airport commission wants to change this business radically.

Today – eleven companies offer airport shuttle service at San Francisco airport (SFO). In December 2008, the airport commission proposed eliminating the permit for seven of these companies, leaving you only four to choose from.

This would likely mean higher prices from less competition, and less competition bringing lower service quality. We aren’t big political activists, but this plan concerns us and the need to ensure that visitors to San Francisco can get economical, good door-to-door service outside of the primary BART transit lines. We use the San Francisco airport shuttles, and recommend them highly to our readers – a cut of 75% of the permitted companies would radically change pricing and service levels.