Communication was great and the pick up and drop off were smooth. Our driver, Lamont, was polite and communicated clearly throughout. Will definitely use First Charter again!
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See what reviewers are saying
Seamless experience, happy faces We had two continuous shuttle buses for our event to off-site parking. The attendees were pleased, the kids were happy, and there were no issues at all. Great experie... See more
Ashley was an awesome customer service rep. I appreciated her attention to detail and was willing to work with us, even when we had changes. The drivers were awesome and did a great job. They... See more
The bus was timely and the driver was very accommodating. We had small delays herding the cats (visiting family and friends) and did not feel rushed in the least. It was an excellent experience.
Company details
About First Charter Bus Rental - St Louis - Union 70
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.
Contact info
#2 Union Seventy Center, 63120, St. Louis, MO, United States
- 800-204-4362
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Drive Was a No Show
Our students were left without transportation to a scheduled field trip. We were not able to contact your offices because all of the numbers went to voicemail. No one from your office contacted us about the driver not showing. This is has happened more than once. How will we know in the future if a driver will show up or not?
Communication was great and the pick up…
Communication was great and the pick up and drop off were smooth. Our driver, Lamont, was polite and communicated clearly throughout. Will definitely use First Charter again!
Drivers were great
Drivers were great, on time and professional. Great communication from dispatch and during booking process.
The bus driver was prompt
The bus driver was prompt both TO and FROM the venue and she was very courteous!
Late arrival
Overall, the experience was pretty good. We were expecting 5 buses. Two arrived on time and three of them were 30 minutes late.
Wedding in STL
Hired them for our wedding a little over a year ago (9/1/24). Overall a good experience. They were nice and provided good service, and the price was amazing compared to other buses. A couple issues (if we remember right):
- We didn't get a lot of communication up to the day of. The corporate office "handed us off" to the local one, and it didn't seem very smooth. We were nervous about whether they would come on the day.
- They had questions for the bridge/groom in the middle of the wedding reception. That's a little awkward - they should have gone to the wedding planner.
Seamless experience
Seamless experience, happy faces
We had two continuous shuttle buses for our event to off-site parking. The attendees were pleased, the kids were happy, and there were no issues at all. Great experience!
Very Late Bus With No Notice and No Call Picked Up
The bus came 70 minutes late--pickup time was 9:15 am. Worse was there was no phone call from the Union 70 bus barn telling us the bus driver was late or eta. Worst of all was when I called the 3 'day of' local numbers, I was either on hold 20 minutes then call dropped, or it went to voicemail and no one ever called back. Meanwhile, 35 2-3 year olds were anxiously waiting for the bus to take them to their field trip.
The only good things I can say are that once the driver arrived, the trips were done in the time we had left, the kids were safe and enjoyed the bus rides, that the national customer service person answered my call after none of the local calls were answered, and that a 50% refund was issued promptly.
Wonderful Experience
Our drivers for First Student Bus are always friendly, and on top of our travels. I know we can always count on them for the days events.
Driver was on time and courteous
Dispatch does not answer the phone if…
Dispatch does not answer the phone if there are any trouble you have no way of can’t ing anyone on weekend bookings. Has happened to me multiple times but the bus drivers are lovely just poor customer service on the company end of things
Almost 30 minutes late for the pick up
Almost 30 minutes late for the pick up. Driver lied and informed dispatch that he been outside waiting. Driver became upset when we informed him he was not and that we had cameras. The director at the facility was on the phone with first student when the driver arrived. One of the teacher had to assist with directions. Just horrible service that day. I am waiting to hear back from First student for compensation for this trip.
South City - Rangers Summer Camp '24
Rangers camp is a unique camp where we travel farther out than most field trips . Our bus driver was on time for every trip. We enjoyed every driver on our route.
Arrived on time for event, departed on time from event, and safe driving.
Doing business was simple, no complications.
1/3 of Buses were Late Picking Up
We rented 15 buses over the course of 4 days. (We had approximately 3-4 buses going to four different locations each day.) Out of all 15 trips, 5 of them got picked up 15-30 minutes past our scheduled departure time (from the venue). We were regularly telling parents that the bus had gotten there late, due to needing to run another route after they dropped off our group. I have no issue with the bus getting back late due to traffic, etc. But it's frustrating if our scheduled departure time is 3:30 and the bus isn't even back at the venue until 4pm.
Customer Service - Blah
Customer Service at Branch
Customer service remains a major, glaring issue for this company. It's been like this for years. Getting ahold of someone at the branch to confirm charter reservations is way harder than it ever should be. Why can't this improve??
Timely and accommodating
The bus was timely and the driver was very accommodating. We had small delays herding the cats (visiting family and friends) and did not feel rushed in the least. It was an excellent experience.
The bus picking up our students was…
The bus picking up our students was delayed over 1/2 hour because they had to return students to their bus stop. I believe the driver tried to call, but when I called the number, it was not answered. I had to call dispatch multiple times to find out status and arrival times. Communication could definitely have been better.
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