First Charter Bus Rental - Chicago - West Reviews 141

TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.1

4155 W Chicago Ave, 60651-3623 Chicago, IL, US


While we don't verify specific claims because reviewers' opinions are their own, we may label reviews as "Verified" when we can confirm a business interaction took place. Read more

To protect platform integrity, every review on our platform—verified or not—is screened by our 24/7 automated software. This technology is designed to identify and remove content that breaches our guidelines, including reviews that are not based on a genuine experience. We recognise we may not catch everything, and you can flag anything you think we may have missed. Read more

See what reviewers are saying

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

We've been renting from bus companies for 20 years. This is by far the best company we've ever used. They are punctual, polite & have great customer service at a great price.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

The bus was perfectly on time for pick up in the morning and from the location in the afternoon. This made everything for our day run smoothly. Only comment would be to get a phone call when the bus... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I booked a bus for a Christmas bar crawl. First Charter made it easy to get a quote and book. Our driver, Andy, was punctual, helpful, and friendly throughout our entire day. They weren't the cheapest... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Buses were on time both leaving school and leaving the museum to return to school. They allowed students to leave backpacks on the bus which was a big help. THANK YOU to both of our drivers and First... See more


Company details

  1. Bus and Coach Company
  2. Bus Charter

About First Charter Bus Rental - Chicago - West

Written by the company

Think Yellow for your next event.

From field trips and party buses to corporate events and conventions to national organizations and non-profits, choosing yellow is the fun and flexible choice for all types of groups and destinations. School bus rental prices range from $85 to $125* per hour.

First Student is North America’s largest and most trusted provider of chartered yellow school bus transportation because we have the best drivers, buses and customer service.

The best buses

Because we have North America’s largest fleet, we are able to provide you with the best, newest and cleanest buses in the industry.

The best drivers

Most of your experience comes down to the driver, and we take our responsibility to provide you with a safe, respectful and caring professional driver, very seriously. We have a thorough screening and selection process to ensure we hire only the best and a continual training program to make them even better.

The best customer service

First Student has dedicated charter centers across North America, staffed with transportation professionals who know your region and are ready to partner with you on your most complex transportation needs.

*Location prices vary. Minimum trip time and other restrictions may apply.

Your Event
Let's Plan
Get a Quote
Contact Us

Contact info

  • 4155 W Chicago Ave, 60651-3623, Chicago, IL, United States

  • 800-204-4362

4.1

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

141 reviews

5-star
4-star
3-star
2-star
1-star

Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

At Trustpilot, it's all about human content. This business can also access our AI-assisted response tool which helps them draft replies.

How this company uses Trustpilot

See how their reviews and ratings are sourced, scored, and moderated.

Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Bus was a no show

The bus was late to the initial pick up so we had to change plans at the last minute and transport 80 people by Uber to our event. The event was on a boat which had a firm departure time so being late was not an option for us. I called 9 times over the period of an hour trying to determine where exactly the bus was and see if we could possibly still make it work. As I had allowed 45 minutes to go 1.5 miles in downtown Chicago to Navy Pier but ultimately 15 minutes before we needed to be on the boat the bus was reportedly to far too reach us in time. When I attempted to call back and confirm our cancellation they did not answer the phone and the voicemail was full so I could not leave a message. Hopefully I can get through to someone today to get a refund.

December 9, 2019
Unprompted review
First Charter Bus Rental - Chicago - West logo

Reply from First Charter Bus Rental - Chicago - West

I apologize for your experience and assure you this is not typical. We pride ourselves on our drivers. My name is Nancy and I run the Charter Center responsible for the Central US. Will you please call me at 866-514-8747? I want to understand more about your experience so I can take any necessary corrective action, and work to make your situation right. Thanks, Nancy

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Unreliable company

We ordered and paid for two busses. They only sent one.

December 8, 2019
Unprompted review
First Charter Bus Rental - Chicago - West logo

Reply from First Charter Bus Rental - Chicago - West

I apologize for your experience and assure you this is not typical. My name is Nancy and I run the Charter Center responsible for the Central US. Will you please call me at 866-514-8747? I want to understand more so I can take corrective action and continue to earn your business. Thanks, Nancy

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Not great service

Not great service
2 buses were late to the pickup in the morning.
For the pickup at our destination (to go back to school) one bus did not show up.
It took several calls to get a bus there, and the students waited 50 minutes.

November 20, 2019
Unprompted review
First Charter Bus Rental - Chicago - West logo

Reply from First Charter Bus Rental - Chicago - West

I apologize for your experience and assure you this is not typical. My name is Nancy and I run the Charter Center responsible for the Central US. Will you please call me at 866-514-8747? I want to understand more so I can take corrective action and continue to earn your business. Thanks, Nancy

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Wedding Rental

Wedding Rental

We had a bus for 3 hours for my wedding. The driver showed up early which was great! There was only a minor issue and they were a half hour late to the last stop, still not really sure what happened, so we had some guests arriving late.

November 17, 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Driver was on time

Driver was on time, knew where they were going and got to drop off location early even after in traffic. great service.

November 11, 2019
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Our drive did not arrive at the…

Our drive did not arrive at the contracted time. Nor did she arrive at the contracted pick up time. We called the day/night of services numbers...both numbers went to voicemail. One number's voicemail box was full and we weren't able to leave a message. Our students were left waiting 45 minutes after our event ended. When the concern was brought to the company's attention, they stated they would look into it. Never followed up. After we followed up, they stated "Due to our research into the matter and the official GPS report, it was found that our driver fulfilled his duties as stipulated in the itinerary of the trip and was on time. Therefore no compensation can be offered at this time. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience." Horrible customer service.

November 4, 2019
Unprompted review
First Charter Bus Rental - Chicago - West logo

Reply from First Charter Bus Rental - Chicago - West

I apologize for your experience and assure you this is not typical. My name is Nancy and I run the Charter Center responsible for the Central US. Will you please call me at 866-514-8747? I want to understand more so I can take corrective action and continue to earn your business. Thanks, Nancy

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Wedding bus rental

We hired First Student for a Charter bus for our wedding and had a great experience. The bus arrived on time and was very clean, the driver was great. We did a few stops for photos that they were able to accommodate. They are far more economical than some competitors and I would definitely recommend them for shorter trips.

October 29, 2019
Unprompted review
Show reviews in all languages. (141 reviews)

The Trustpilot Experience

Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.

Companies can ask for reviews via automatic invitations. Labeled Verified, they’re about genuine experiences.

Learn more about other kinds of reviews.

We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Find out how we combat fake reviews.

Learn about Trustpilot’s review process.

Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews.

Verification can help ensure real people are writing the reviews you read on Trustpilot.

Offering incentives for reviews or asking for them selectively can bias the TrustScore, which goes against our guidelines.

Take a closer look