Advantage Transit Group

This company is grossly overpriced probably because it has very minimal competition. The dispatcher at the train station is less than pleasant and the cars have a thinly veiled ‘take it or leave it’ message on their windows with a weirdly complicated fare breakdown.
I would absolutely take another taxi service and many others would, I’m sure. I look forward to Über’s expansion into NY state. Advantage Transit would not be able to operate the way they do.

They have a monopoly on the taxi service from Amtrak to wherever you need to go in Albany. They also pile you in with four or five other people with varying stops along the way, yet you pay a flat rate. I was told by my hotel (near U of Albany) that the rate should be $ 20. However, the guy quoted me $ 27 and I had no other option. When you ask for a receipt, they hand you a business card and have you fill it out on the back with the date and rate. Completely unprofessional. Amtrak would do well to open up the taxi stand to another service.

It was the day of my cousin’s wedding. We were all at the salon getting ready and scheduled to be picked up in a couple hours. BUT — the limo driver who was originally hired (from another company) texted us and bailed because he was sick! He didn’t answer our return texts or phone calls asking about his backup plan, and we knew it was time to start making calls!
I reached Samantha at Advantage Transit and she checked for an available limo/​car/​anything to transport 6 of us plus the bride! She was so sweet and professional and friendly and compassionate beyond belief. She said there was a cancellation limo available and we could have it for a three-​hour block since they don’t do transfers. We took it! Samantha also gave us a complimentary bottle of champagne to ease us bridesmaid’s nerves (the bride was none the wiser in order to keep her calm! :) and we couldn’t have been more appreciative.
Frank the driver came and was so wonderful and we honestly couldn’t be more thankful to Advantage, Samantha and Frank for saving the day!

I was extremely surprised to see the low rating for this company but then I started reading the reviews and realized they’re all for the taxis, which isn’t really a fair representation of the company since taxi companies merely lease out cars to independent contractors. On the other hand, I’ve used Advantage’s limo service several times for New Years Eve, bachelor parties, etc. and have had nothing but great experiences. Their vehicles are always in pristine condition, the drivers are personable and polite and the office staff is professional and helpful. I highly recommend them — they’re the go-​to car service in the capital district!

Wish I could leave 0 stars…
I reserved an executive sedan to take me from the Albany train station to Saratoga Springs for $ 124 paid the day before when I made the reservation. I arrive at 8:30 pm and no car to be found. I wait around for 10 minutes (it’s 20 degrees out) and still no car. So I decide to take one of the taxis out front and deal with the charge on my card later. As I approach the taxi, the dispatcher for Advantage tells me I cannot take one of the taxis, which are owned by Advantage. I just want to get to my hotel, I’m tired and get into an old mini van owned by Advantage that the dispatcher called over. I reserved a $ 124 car to have a nice safe ride to my hotel in this winter weather. I did not have a nice safe ride. We spun out on the highway, had to drive extremely slow due to the poor condition of this mini van. It was not the driver’s fault, he was really nice. Needless to say, a poor experience with Advantage and I highly recommend not using them if you can avoid them. Luckily my credit card company will strike this charge from my account and I tipped the driver nicely as he was professional and empathetic to the situation.

Shady cab company with abused vans. As others have said, this is the only choice for taxis at the airport. Cost two of us $ 40 total to get to Colonie from the Amtrak station. We got there safe but the ride was terrible. Poor driving skills and the ride made me sick. They get one star for a safe ride and one for taking us to the destination first but only after we ensured that we’d be paying cash. Not the best of rides but I’ve had worse.
TL, DR: spend 3 minutes on Unilocal and call ahead from someone else.

This service is ripoff. It is the only taxi service available right when you leave the Amtrak station in Albany, so you have to call to get a different service.
Advantage makes you pay a full rate even when you share the van with 5 strangers going to different destinations in Albany, Troy, or beyond. I’ve used them twice now and was feeling livid that the rate wasn’t discounted b/​c we’re 5 freaking strangers crammed in a car.
On top of that, the company’s vans are dirty. You guys are making a killing by taking «advantage» of out-​of-​towers and you can’t keep the vans clean? What is wrong with you?
Do not take this service and let them get away with this business atrocity. Call another taxi service when you arrive!

Absolutely terrible service. Took a cab from Albany Amtrak station to SUNY Plaza (1.5 miles away).usually takes approximately 4 minutes. Was forced to ride with 4 other passengers, was dropped off last even though I was going to the closest location, and was charged $ 11 (as was each other person. so that’s $ 55 for $ 3 of gas??). Apparently by posting some ridiculous disclaimer, this company is able to grossly overcharge and take 5 people on your ride, even though you took a cab b/c.I don’t know. you have somewhere to be at a certain time. No meter and completely arbitrary rates Don’t take this service. If you’re going to downtown Albany, take the 114 or the 214 bus. It’s $ 1.50, and it passed us outside SUNY Plaza (would have been there sooner if I had taken it outside the Amtrak station, but needed to be there quickly and thought a CAB would do that. silly me).
.a.scam. Now you know.

What some call an «exclusive provider,» others might call a cartel. This is the only option at the Amtrak station, and they don’t mind implicitly bragging about that in their snotty posting about shared rides. The note emphasizes that you will be sharing a cab with several other people, and says that if you don’t like this policy you’re welcome to take another means of transportation.
The result is the inconvenience of a shuttle van at the price of a taxi. Amtrak to the airport is $ 32.50 which would be reasonable if it was a regular cab ride without the crowding and the waiting of this system.

Total rip off. From Amtrak to hotel on Wolf Road was $ 30! And two other passengers were in the van who were also paying $ 30. They seem to have a monopoly on service from Amtrak. If you can avoid using them, do.

BEWARE! They will pack you in with lots of people, and if you are going to the airport you will be LAST to be dropped off. They also do not accept credit or debit cards (they have to phone your number in — sketchy!!!). There don’t seem to be many alternatives though, so plan accordingly.

If it were possible to leave zero stars, I would.
I just called to order a taxi to come TWO HOURS FROM NOW. The dispatcher was EXCEPTIONALLY RUDE! He told me quote «I haven’t even put my first car on the road, there’s no way I can do that.» THEN HE HUNG UP ON ME!
He HUNG UP ON ME! For a flight that leaves in 4 hours!
I have never, in 30 years of travel ever experienced such rudeness. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS!

I was placed into a cab at the Rensselaer Train Station with another person. I had no idea that this was going to be a shared ride. The driver took the first person to a location nowhere near mine and further away. Even the passenger in the back seat suggested that I should have been taken home first. Along the way, the driver and the passenger in the back got into a heated political argument which continued even after the first passenger was dropped off as the driver harangued me about what the two had been discussing. I said nothing. After all that, it took 25 minutes to get to a location that should have taken 10 minutes at most. AND I was charged the full fare as if the ride had not been shared. It was a most unpleasant experience and I will never ride with this cab company again. When I called to report this unpleasant experience the next day, I was offered no apology and no refund.

if there was an option for no stars I would select that. this is the most corrupt cab service. horrible drivers along with a captain at the ALB train station that makes up fares, creates the worst experience for a customer.
i am blown away that they are in business.
do not use. walk down the street and call a yellow cab.

The cabs don’t even have meters — the driver just makes up a fare. Within the Albany city limits there is a zone system (not easy to decipher), but trips with one end out of the city (like to/​from the train station) are supposed to be metered. Instead, I got charged eighteen bucks each way for 3-​mile rides from/​to the train station. Same company as yellow cabs.

Advantage Car Service takes advantage of riders especially those not from the area.
My experience was horrific.
Traveling from the Empire State Plaza to the Amtrak Station in a mini-​van with 4 passengers costs each passengers $ 10.25. a total of $ 44 for a 5 minute (2.0 miles) ride. Tom, the middle-​aged Caucasian male driver was reckless cutting in an out of lanes, and tires were even screeching when making turns pulling on ramp onto the highway. I did not feel safe. I felt taken advantage of.
When quoting for the price of what it would take to get to the Amtrak station, $ 10.25 was what he stated, but as we were preparing to exit the vehicle, he then clarifies, $ 10.25 a person. These people have a lack of integrity and have no professionalism whatsoever, straight up crooks.
My advice, if you are staying at a hotel with a shuttle van service, work with the shuttle driver and the front desk to make arrangements with them instead, even if you have to tip more, and even then it wouldn’t be a $ 10.25 tip. In addition, the hotel would be happy to be more than hospitable.

I called Advantage Car Service for a ride to a job interview a few weeks back. They never showed up. They didn’t have the decency to call and let me know, or at least call and apologize. I wasn’t able to get to my interview, and I lost the shot at the job. This car service is completely unreliable, and I will never use them again.

TERRIBLE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE!!! If you want a nasty, trashy limousine with mismatching paint, then this is your place. They tried to screw us for our wedding with a POS that had body panels that didnt line up, cracked bumpers and the paint looked like CRAP!!! Also, the interior looked like it was ready for a horror movie! Cracked seats and smelled just as bad. Good luck with this DUMP!