[nabs-l] be savvier with public transportation USATODAY.COM

[Deb Mendelsohn]

How to be savvier with public transportation
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[image: Boston Logan]

(Photo: Boston Logan International Airport)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS

   - An array of transportation services, apps and deals allow business
   travelers to save time and money
   - Try hotel courtesy buses, subways, light rail, trolleys, or a valet
   service that works with your car
   - Since June, passengers have been able to ride for free on buses from
   Boston's Logan Airport

6:14PM EST November 12. 2012 - Uber is easy.

That's why frequent corporate trekker Ryan Endress says he loves the mobile
app that allows users to instantly summon a town car whether they're in
Denver, Dallas or Paris.

"At the end of the ride you don't have to worry about a receipt or tip,"
says Endress, a marketing director who lives in Chicago. "They take care of
that for you and email the receipt. For business travel, it's such a time
saver."

Convenience and comfort can be hard to come by on the road. But there are
an array of transportation services, apps and deals that allow business
travelers to avoid long taxi lines and hit the ground running when they're
out of town, and maybe save money while they're at it.

For travelers who need to rent a car, Enterprise has a deal that will only
cost $9.99 a day, Friday through Monday at most of its off-airport sites
across the U.S. The annual offer lasts through May 22, 2013.

If you'd rather not rent a car or hail a cab, GroundLink bills itself as
"the next generation of car service," connecting travelers to a network of
drivers around the world.

Travelers can call GroundLink or click on the company's app or website to
reserve a car days before they need it. When they finally take their trip,
they'll receive a message as soon as their flight touches down telling them
their car's whereabouts.

They can also connect with their driver with just a click, and like Uber,
travelers can track their private car's movement on their mobile device.

"We're trying to remove that anxiety," says Tony Dastolfo, GroundLink's
chief sales officer. "The intent is to say 'here's your car. It's on your
way' ... and you literally see it move on the map."

If you're in Philadelphia, Pacifico Airport Valet will not only ferry you
to and from the airport in your own car -- it will detail it and work on
the engine while you're away.

Timmy O'Brien, Pacifico's general manager, says the service also offers a
deal to travelers who need to leave their car for 15 days or longer,
charging them a base fee of $6 a day for parking.

And don't worry about a cold car not starting when you return. "If someone
(is gone) for a long period of time," O'Brien says. "we start the car
periodically so they don't have to worry (that) ... they'll come home to a
dead battery."

Veteran business travelers know to use hotel courtesy buses to get to where
they're staying. Many big-city hotels or airport hotels run them around the
clock to accommodate guests.

And public transportation -- subways, buses or light rail or trolleys
offered in many of the nation's biggest cities -- is another option for
business and leisure trekkers, whether they're going to or from the airport
or around town.

*MORE: *Boston's Logan airport offers free public
transportation<http://travel.usatoday.com/experts/baskas/story/2012-06-20/Which-US-airport-is-offering-free-public-transportation/55692374/1>

Since June, passengers have been able to ride for free on buses between
Boston's Logan Airport and South Station, a major transit hub. Before the
trial program, which is scheduled to end after Jan. 6 of next year, there
was a $2.50 fee, says airport spokesman Richard Walsh.

"It's a great way to promote public transportation . .. getting to and from
the airport in something other than a vehicle," Walsh says. "We're limited
here in parking so we have to find that balance.

"By offering this as a pilot we're hoping to really raise the visibility
and put this in the forefront of our passengers' minds," he says. "If they
are looking for options, it's an economically and environmentally friendly
way to get from Logan Airport to downtown Boston."

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has a fare-free zone for buses in the city's downtown
commercial area and for light rail users traveling between downtown and
Pittsburgh's north shore where many businesses and cultural attractions are
based.

"If you're visiting here, it's a great deal," says Jim Ritchie, spokesman
for the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Among the companies and
attractions making their home on the north shore are Alcoa, which has its
corporate headquarters there, and the Andy Warhol Museum.


-- 
*Deb's Cell:  520-225-8244*