I called Paul on short notice for an emergency ride from his home in Independence to Lancaster. He was up-front and honest about pricing (which is very high, but there's also not a lot of shuttle/taxi drivers in the area). I've read previous reviews about him being an erratic or poor driver, but I can testify that I never felt unsafe in his car. This is potentially because he drove me in his Chevy Bolt with self-driving assist, which he says that he uses as much as he can. Regarding other complaints about Paul, keep in mind that Paul is in his 70s, so don't expect to be talking to a quick-thinking and internet/text-savvy youngster - call him over the phone. Many of the complaints about this business may be related to season. He tells me that he is extremely busy in the summer when there are John Muir Trail hikers, and hires drivers to help then. I wouldn't be surprised if he drops the ball during the busy times. However, I used his services at the end of February. You might want to be cautious if hiring him in peak season, but I can affirm that I had nothing but a pleasant experience riding with Paul during his slow season. I can also verify that Paul is bad with navigation (he had trouble getting me to my final destination for the last mile or so, once we got off the highway) and will drive at or below the speed limit (this might be a problem if you're in a hurry). I'm knocking off a star at 4/5 for those reasons. One downside is that Paul wanted to get a free charge for his Chevy Bolt, so we took a 15 minute rest stop along the way (see picture). read more

East Side Sierra Shuttle - Transportation Near Me

I used East Side Sierra Shuttle on September 21, 2023 to travel from the Whitney Portal to Horseshoe Meadows. Paul was waiting at the Portal when I arrived. It was easy to book it - and Paul confirmed the pick up the day of. Use the phone number to call (better than email). And call back rather than leaving a voicemail. I have read all of the negative comments. This was not my experience with Paul. It was the opposite. I received great service which was on time and allowed me to pursue my adventure. And he let us pick up a hitchhiker heading up to Horseshoe Meadows - so we were also able to help out a fellow backpacker. Also worth noting that Paul was driving an electric car - so we used zero gasoline to pull this off. I liked that. read more

East Side Sierra Shuttle - On the Summit of Mt. Whitney. I was able to do this point-to-point trek thanks to Paul and Eastside Sierra Shuttle. - Transportation Near Me

My two friends and I tried the East Side Sierra Shuttle service on August 7, 2024. We had just completed the HST eastbound to the Whitney Portal where our pick up was planned. I had made the reservation and paid 50% down on June 15. Before confirming the reservation, Paul agreed to drive us to our home in Ventura County, 220 miles / 4 hours away. Paul called me about 3 hours before our scheduled pick up to confirm and stated that he didn't realize how far he would have to drive us. I reminded him I had sent him directions to my home and he said it would be no problem before I paid our deposit. He agreed to pick us up at the Whitney Portal store at 1:30 pm. He arrived 30 minutes late because he was pulled over by the CHP for expired license plates. His Toyota Sienna Van was filthy, smelly and the front passenger seat was filled with trash. To make matters worse, the air conditioning was not working and it was over 100F outside. Although, he did stop in Lone Pine to get gas and add Freon to the air conditioning unit, which helped a little. The failure to keep the vehicle license up to date or maintain the vehicle seems very unprofessional for a shuttle driver service. Not to mention, having to stop for gas shortly after picking up the customer and having the customer pay for the gas too. Less than 15 minutes after our gas station stop where we all bought jumbo drinks with ice to help keep us cool, Paul stopped to relieve himself right in front of the van with heavy traffic zooming past. Then he stopped several more times for "nature breaks" on the 395 and the 14 (see attached). We had to help him with directions several times and keep telling him the same directions. We also had to remind him to use his seatbelt. He drove 5 to 10 mph slower than the speed limit most of the time and changed lanes many times without using signals. His driving seemed erratic and nerve racking for us as passengers. Paul asked us if he could stop at Wallmart to buy a pillow. Gladly, we agreed to stop at the Wallmart in Simi Valley, 30 minutes from our destination, so one of our wives could meet us and drive us home safely. It took 4-1/2 hours to drive us 30 minutes short of our destination, which should have taken less than 4 hours for the entire trip with fast traffic most of the way! When making the reservation, it seemed too good to be true. Had I known then what we were going to experience or had I read other reviews about the East Side Sierra Shuttle before making the reservation, I would have made other arrangements. With that in mind, I hope our experience will alert potential customers of the risks of using this shuttle service. Paul is actually a nice fellow with plenty of experience driving the Eastern Sierra's. But his failing health and cognitive ability seem to have compromised his driving ability. read more

East Side Sierra Shuttle - nature break - Transportation Near Me

TLDR: I genuinely believe Paul has declining mental capacity, and for the safety of both your life and your money, I recommend going with another shuttle service. Full story: We were 3 hikers from San Diego looking to hike the High Sierra Trail in 5 days. Due to our limited timeline, we needed to leave our car at Whitney Portal and get a shuttle to the start at Crescent Meadow. There are very few people online who offer this service, so we ended up booking with Paul. I saw the reviews but felt I had few options. The few times I called him to discuss details, he always returned my calls within an hour or 2 and although he seemed aloof and strange, he seemed reliable enough for what we needed. On the day of pickup, I had confirmed 48hrs in advance that Paul would pick us up at 0730 at Whitney Portal. He was a full hour late and when he arrived he offered no explanation. His Toyota Sienna was in bad shape with trash littered across the front and back seats. He drove 5-10mph under the speed limit the entire time until we reminded him that he needed to make it to Lodgepole Visitor Center to pick up our permits by 3:30pm (previously had discussed this with him). He said he could "only drive as fast as is safe" but we asked him to just drive the speed limit. He missed several important turns despite claiming to drive this route regularly, forcing us to run a GPS for the entire drive rather than relax before our hike. About 2.5hrs into the drive, we popped a flat tire which didn't shock me at all given the state of the vehicle. Paul not only did not help us and would have been unable to change the tire himself, but he didn't even know if he had a jack or tire iron in the car. Luckily we changed the tire in 15min in a dangerous spot on the highway. The spare tire was also warped and in bad shape. We then had to rush him back into the front seat so that we could get out of this precarious spot, and even had to scream at him to shut his driver side door before a semi truck driving by took it off the hinges. We got to a truck stop where we got gas, which we had to pay for on our credit card and subtract from the total owed to Paul since he had no money. We decided it was best to get a new tire at a nearby tire shop since the spare was warped and we had 4 hours left in the drive. We paid for this tire also and subtracted it from the total owed. We got back on the road and as we were traveling down 2 lane highway, we noticed several times that Paul was drifting over the white line onto the rumble strips. He was obviously falling asleep at the wheel. We asked if one of us could drive, and he insisted that the "white line just grabs your tires here on this road." After 3 separate times, we insisted that one of us drive for our own safety. Paul rudely replied "I don't remember when you purchased a controlling stake in the company." He finally acquiesced but not before slowing down to 20mph on the highway with a semi coming full speed behind us, before he actually pulled off onto the shoulder. Once our friend was driving we felt relatively safe, but Paul rode in the backseat and regularly fell asleep. As we continued on to Crescent Meadow, Paul asked us probably 10 times where our car was, where we were going, where we needed to stop. It seemed clear to me that he genuinely did not remember where we were going and was suffering from memory issues as the day progressed. He also made rude remarks about us not sharing our gas station food with him when he had plenty of opportunity to get out and get food during our stop. It's not my job to feed him when I paid him $800 total for this service. When we got to the visitor center to get our permits (which we thankfully were able to move to a closer visitor center, or else we would not have made it on time), we actually took the car keys with us because we were so afraid Paul would forget what we were doing and drive off with our stuff!! To close out the drive, once we stopped at Crescent Meadow, Paul got out of the back seat and peed right next to the driver's side door with probably 20 people nearby. With a bathroom 20 steps away. To sum it up, we barely made it to Crescent Meadow alive. Thankfully my friend was able to drive Paul's car safely. We spent $175 on the tire and gas which we subtracted from the money we owed Paul from the trip. He was unprofessional at essentially every opportunity. I was given the number for Chuck 805-657-0021 or email LonePineChuck@gmail.com so maybe go with him read more

Please do yourself a huge favor and do not take a ride with Paul. His website advertises nice vehicles to get you around the Sierras, but in truth the reality of the service is far different. First the website is very misleading yes he does list prices which are crazy outrageous and really troubling that he is gouging PCT hikers and the general public in this manner. We paid an incredible $180 for him to simply take us from Bishop up to Southlake to Parchers Resort which is pretty criminal in my opinion. He's no trailer angel he's an opportunist who likes to take advantage of people who don't have a car. He picked us up in a very dirty Chevy volt and lied to us about making the trip up to Parchers he had already taken somebody up there earlier in the day and said he had to charge us $180 because that was his only trip of that day which was not true The worst part was that his car was absolutely disgusting and filthy dirty blankets everywhere food on the front seat recycling all over the car grocery receipts disgustingly dirty seats and floor mats I felt so gross I needed to take a shower after I got out of that car. Also he freely shirt his entire drug history with us and the fact that his girlfriend is going to inherit $12 million I would be careful if I were her she might find herself in a bad situation with him overall the worst ride experience of our lives it was terrible a complete rip off in a crappy dirty car with a crappy dirty old man named Paul. Will be posting on the PCT hiker pages as well about this trail devil. Do yourself a favor stay clear of him take some other form of transportation hitchhiking would be preferable to paying out the nose for this crappy service he offers read more

Do not use East Side Sierra Shuttle. Paul Fritheim, the owner, will take your money and not show up, ruining your planned trip. Paul Fretheim entered a contract to shuttle our party from Whitney Portal to Happy Isles with a 50% deposit ($450) for our group 4 months before our trip. The week before the trip, we texted and emailed him repeatedly to confirm final pickup time and location. Unfortunately, he did not reply until the day before the pickup. Paul sent a text that he would not be providing the shuttle service due to "personnel issues". We were left without a shuttle. After the trip, we sent several emails and texts requesting a return of our down payment. We have not seen a response from Paul, or East Side Sierra Shuttle, nor a return of our downpayment. read more

Don't call this company. The guy took our deposit and no show. We had high Sierra trail backpacking and the shuttle supposed to take us from Mt whitney portal to crescendo midow of kings canyon. But no show. It was massed up our trip. So bad. Please don't use the shuttle. read more

Do NOT call this company. Period. I don't feel good about leaving bad review on other people's business, but this company is NOT doing the business. It's rather about cheating and scamming. Paul didn't pick us up for the hiking that we prepared for more than six months. He conveniently used the health excuse and cancelled it on the night before the pickup! As you can easily imagine, it completely messed up our hiking. He said he would refund it but it didn't happen. Some words he used upon my refund request were; - Don't be ridiculous - Get over it Unfortunately I didn't check out the Yelp review before I contacted him. My bad. Hopefully this would help other fellow hikers. read more

Thanks to one female driver who refused to stop at a requested bus stop at Mammoth Lakes. Be careful with this driver she operates red line bus at Mammoth lake and provides very poor service. read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. I honestly feared for my life while driving with Paul due to his reckless and inattentive driving. This experience was a nightmare on so many levels and perhaps the only reason we made it out alive is that one of us ended up taking over the driving for Paul while he slept in the front seat. This was some of the worst money I've ever spent and my experience mirrored the other 1 star reviews posted here, with the exception that he actually showed up to drive us, which in the end may actually have been worse. read more

East Side Sierra Shuttle Service is taking people's money and offering shuttle service for the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and John Muir Wilderness Trail (JMT), but then never providing the service and keeping the money.  This has happened to several people, please read the Yelp reviews and hiker blogs about East Side Sierra Shuttle. His modus operandi is to call the customer last minute and cancel on them (saying that his car is broken or a staff member quit), in some cases he just doesn't show up - and then he refuses to refund money that was paid to him to provide this service.  This is a complete scam, it is outright theft of his 'customers' money, and it is leaving hikers stranded - many times in places where they have no cell reception. We reserved and paid for a shuttle, and then the owner contacted us less than 24 hours before pick-up to cancel.  (Luckily, we were able to call MAWS and secure shuttle service to continue with the itinerary for our hike). At this time he assured me that he would provide a full refund. After 3 weeks with no refund, I contacted him and he refused to provide a refund.  When I tried to discuss the matter with him, he has been aggressive, cussing at me, calling me names, and telling me to "F*** O**"  We have these communications recorded, and we have proof of all of our transactions. While it would be wonderful to get our money back, my main hope is that this business is not allowed to continue scamming innocent people. We have reported this to the Inyo County Police Department and the Federal Trade Commission. Here is additional information: Owner: Paul Fretheim Owner Email:paul@inyopro.com Owner Phone: 760-878-8047 Business Website: https://www.eastsidesierrashuttle.com/index.html read more

East Side Sierra shuttle took my deposit, never showed up for my ride, and refuses to refund my deposit. don't use them!,

Failed to pick me up after full amount was paid and doesn't respond to phone calls or texts. Avoid at all costs read more

east side Sierra shuttle did not show up for my ride from Lone Pine. Then he refused to refund my deposit. Do a little research online and you will find a lot of similar reports. Also, he is no longer permitted through the Inyo NF!!! read more

BEWARE!!!! Paul Fretheim of East Side Sierra Shuttle canceled my arranged and paid for transportation service in the late evening before my ride with an explanation that his driver got in an accident and was in the hospital. He said he himself could not provide service because he already was booked that day. He had agreed that I was due a refund since he had canceled on me, but gave a poor explanation that he did not know how to do this with his new credit processing service. He couldn't refund through Venmo or Paypal because he has had problems with them in the past. This was a red flag but he already had my money paid through his website. For the next two weeks while I was remote on the John Muir Trail, he had ignored any of my limited requests for resolution. When I finally got through to him on the phone and said I hadn't seen any refund yet or an attempt he told me to deleted the text messages and record of his statements. His last verbal statement to me was to "grow up" prior to hanging up on me. This is the type of unscrupulous character he has proven to be. It is pretty obvious that Paul cancels on his customers after collecting their money when he finds another fare that pays him more. Knowing that backpackers have a disadvantage on following up with him, he is preying on our community for his profit. I also never had felt like I needed to read reviews on Yelp before contracting a service, so this is my bad. I see now that he has been pretty consistent with ripping people off over the years with the same tactics. I filed a complaint with the CPUC and am proceeding to notify any service or agency he promotes himself with of his untrustworthiness. PAUL FRETHEiM is the first person I have ever been cheated by in the backpacking community. PAUL FRETHEIM IS A SKETCHY PERSON AND RIPS OFF HIKERS. read more

Paul Fretheim dba East Side Sierra Shuttle doesn't seem to get around to processing refunds after you cancel with him. He'll claim it's complicated, but that he'll try to process your refund. He never did for me. I suspect it's his way of stalling you for a period in time so that you can't dispute the charge any longer. It's also possible he's just so incompetent that he just can't seem to figure out how to process refunds. The good news is that I was able to successfully dispute my charge and receive a full refund from my bank. This review should serve as a reminder that credit cards offer more consumer protection than cash/debit cards so if you've booked with Paul and are having second thoughts or if he no-showed, consider disputing the charge once you've tried recouping your money and doing a little research. My suspicion is that if enough people dispute charges with him, he'll eventually be blacklisted by the credit card companies for excessive chargebacks or they'll charge him outrageous transaction fees. Recommend everyone who has a negative experience with this business to submit a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission here: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/consumer-support/file-a-complaint/transportation-complaint I noticed at the time of booking, Paul Fretheim's CPUC (TCP-P) license was suspended and I was able to get an email from CPUC (they're quite responsive) confirming that he shouldn't have been advertising/offering services with a suspended license. You can look up the status of licenses here: https://tcportal.cpuc.ca.gov/TCP/s/ I hope other consumers find this helpful! read more

Do not use this service. I contacted the owner three months before our backpacking trip and talked with him over the phone. He requires payment in advance which I did. We made a small change to our plans (arriving an hour later). I spoke with him three times in the two weeks before our trip and he said "your on the book". When we arrived at Lone Pine for pick up at the scheduled time, he was in Yosemite and did not have a substitute driver for us. Fortunately we asked around and found reliable transportation. When I asked for a refund, I got a text saying he doesn't give refunds per his policy. Again, do not use this service. read more

After paying $85 for a ride, this company never showed up. I emailed, called, texted, but no answer was ever given for the no show. I had to call another shuttle at the last minute. My advice is to ask your hotel for the name of someone they recommend when you get there. There are other great people in the area, this guy is not one of them. read more

Beyond poor customer service, after arraigning a ride out of a trailhead last August we unfortunately had to bail early do to family emergency (mom fell and was in ICU and soon after passed away) instead of empathy and understanding of our tragically sad situation Paul acted rude and angry that we asked for a refund. He sent an email stating instead of a refund we would receive a credit that could be used within a year we felt that was a fair compromise. Here we are less than a year later trying to use this promissory credit. We tried to arrange for a ride while out hiking. We needed a lift from Bishop back to our car in Onion Valley. During communication via Garmin texting we mention the credit, at which point communication from Paul went silent and we are currently stuck in Bishop. Leaving us hanging with no ride we had to call an Uber. We paid $180 and got nada. Never did get a refund nor able to use the credit promised. Hey Paul, most business comes from word of mouth and referrals. A small gesture of kindness and extended customer service is more affective and cheaper than traditional advertisement. This review could've been a 5 star if you just stepped up and honored your own credit policy. read more

Interesting to read all the poor reviews. I used this service about 7 or 8 years ago, and it went well. However, in March of this year, I made a reservation with him and paid in full, for a ride from the Taboose Creek trailhead. A couple of weeks ago, I was on a backpacking trip and a couple told me that the owner of the shuttle service told them he doesn't go to Taboose anymore. I thought, "Surely he would let me (and other customers) know if he stopped providing service at this location." Even though I had a confirmation e-mail for my trip, I wrote him to double-check that I was set for my trip. I sent this about two weeks before my trip. Here's what he wrote back: "No way. I no longer go to Taboose. If you have paid let me know I will issue a refund." "If" I have paid? Check your records. To his credit, he also refunded my money. If I hadn't written him, how would I have found out he doesn't go to Taboose anymore? Would I have been waiting at the trailhead for him, only to be stood up? As soon as he made the decision to stop serving that trailhead, he should have searched his records for all the customers going there, provided a refund, and apologized. Note his answer to my e-mail. No apology. I had this trip planned for six months and his answer is "No way." Lame. Now I see why he is getting all the bad reviews. read more

If you're considering using a shuttle service anywhere in the High Sierras, then you absolutely MUST AVOID EAST SIDE SIERRA SHUTTLE. We arranged a shuttle with this outfit in the area. He insisted we pre-pay 50% in advance. I called him several days before the trip to confirm. He assured me in no uncertain terms that we were on his schedule for pick up. The day comes, and he's a complete no-show. He doesn't answer his phone, he doesn't return messages. So, Day 1 of our trip was a total disaster. I called him after the trip, and he said that I somehow "disappeared" off his Google calendar. Then he said that this was the third time that happened to him this year!! He said he'd refund my money, but he never did. So, unless you want to be stranded, do NOT use East Side Sierra Shuttle. read more

Beware! Extremely unprofessional and rude! He charged me in advance (much more than other shuttle services) and then refused to pick us up when our bus was 15 minutes late. I even called him while on the bus to warn him that the bus was running a little late. When I got to Lone Pine he was not there so I called him. He hung up on me and left us stranded with no way to get to our trailhead. He refused to answer my calls and text messages. Fortunately other hikers gave us the number of a different shuttle service who came within 5 minutes and charged me almost half what Paul (E.S. Sierra Shuttle) charged. After I returned from thru hiking the JMT, I had to contact my credit card company to dispute the charge of the the shuttle ride I never received from E.S. Sierra Shuttle. read more

Not sure the reason for the number of negative reviews; all I can share is my own positive experience with Paul. A nice guy who picked me up from lone pine and dropped me at badwater just as advertised. Also knew a few local spots in town where I could stash my car. Was a huge logistical burden lifted off my shoulders! read more

The guy call himself Paul. The only thing he is doing is FRAUD. Never show up, never respond to phone call, and NO refund.

June 2021 My brother and I reserved a shuttle from Lone Pine to Tuolumne Meadows for a JMT thru hike. We waited outside of the arranged pickup location at the hotel for over an hour past our scheduled time before we saw Paul Freithem pull up. Turns out he had someone else to pick up at the same time. After asking him if he's here to pick us up He then interjects that he sent for his other driver to get us. Thankfully we weren't driven by Paul after reading the reviews. Another 45 minutes goes by and the driver finally arrives and explains that he was falsely told by Paul that we were getting picked up at Whitney Portal. The entire experience is mild in comparison to many of the other reviews however I would never pay for the services again. When we had to leave from Paiute Pass due to a fire we opted to hitchhike after walking 20 miles down the road in 100+ temps because we both agreed that we weren't going to pay the company another dime. read more

If I could leave 'zero' stars, I would. I have heard from many other locals who mentioned to stay away from dealing with Paul. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and like the other review from Linda W. on 6/14/22.....I also received the same treatment and behavior. I contacted the local authorities, and of course they couldn't do anything, but said they know of his behavior, and to take it up with attorneys. I had also scheduled a ride from Onion Valley to Horseshoe Meadows a week prior and deposited not 50%, but gave 75% just to be kind. Like Linda W., I too had an medical emergency where as had to come out one day early. I tried to contact Paul once signal was attained via phone, text, and email. No response and voice message says not to leave message as he does not check nor respond to them.....just to keep calling. I got myself a ride down into Independence and desperately tried to get at least to Lone Pine. To no avail. The gentlemen who gave many of us a ride down, advised everyone that Paul has a bad reputation to rip people off and not to use his service. I finally got a hold of him on the phone, introduced myself (he had no idea who I was nor did he know that he was to give me a ride the next day.....but he sure had my $100. He went on about some wreck he had and how he was injured and couldn't provide any rides for a while, but possibly the next day he could (which was a weird statement). I was more worried about his totaled car and chest injury, that I said not to worry, but get better and heal. If he could schedule someone else to drive me to Horseshoe Meadow the next morning thought, that would be great! He said probably not, but didn't know. I asked for a refund then since he couldn't meet the terms of the contract, and he said he doesn't know how to refund money, but a future credit would be in the books. Yea, right? What kind of business doesn't know how to refund? I had to hitch hike to Lone Pine that evening (pitched a $20 for the short ride) and stayed the night. The next morning I called, texted, and emailed Paul again to see if he could schedule a morning ride up to Horseshoe Meadows. No response. I eventually got a ride for $40 and made it to my truck and was able to tend to the medical issues. I was able to communicate with Paul over the next couple days trying to help him with learning how to refund customers. He seemed interested in learning, but was unwilling to try the ideas and methods I offered him to try. He finally told me he wasn't going to refund me (even though he refused to provide the pre-reserved ride even on the scheduled day) and kept the deposit and extra $$ I added to the minimum deposit. And then told me to leave him alone!!! Who does this?? Please everyone, beware of this company and this individual!!!!!! read more

Made a reservation and deposit, both of which went smooth. Unfortunately our experience ended up being negative. We contacted the owner to revise our pick up date, time and location 3 days before our trip ended. Both we and the owner acknowledged the change of plans. The driver made an error, went to the original pick up location and didn't show up to the new location. The owner didn't acknowledge the error, and instead blamed us, stating we owed him. We forwarded him copies of our earlier arrangements to remind him. Yet he went on to say he didn't have time to "sort through this", telling us to pay whatever we felt was fair for the reservation. read more

Beware! Get everything in writing. This is guy is very unprofessional and bordering on a scammer. I was quoted a price for a shuttle on the phone, then confirmed On a second call. After I paid for the shuttle, I was greeted with his trying to charge me double what he quoted me. When I called him on it, he just called me names. It was a pain getting my money back. Go back to kindergarten Paul. read more

HIKER SHUTTLE WARNING - - DO NOT use @EastSideSierraShuttle - - File Complaints for Private Shuttle Companies at https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/consumer-support/file-a-complaint/road-transportation-complaint?fbclid=IwAR1CpkefqU3DmQDYb1WH2NkUkLiTSV_fbJfFUbjG5Qc7U1mS2hyIMrXfVNk I had a very negative experience, as well as others shared they did too. 1. Doesn't honor prepaid reservations made two months in advance, 2. Confirmed with Paul via phone 18 hrs prior, 3. Confirmed with Nina via text 15 hrs prior, 4. No show, 5. Called and Paul said he was on another fare north of Independence, 6. Pressured him to return to Lone Pine, 7. Paul said he had been there at 11:30 and left at 11:57am even though reservation was for noon, 8. Didn't call us, text us or check with front desk, 9. We were outside at noon as scheduled, 10. Runs EVs & then made us wait in the rain 1 1/2 hours while he charged his EV car, 11. Charges different prices for the same trip when comparing prices amongst hikers $200 vs $115, for same trip Cottonwood to Lone Pine, 12. Personally watched him accept reservations without checking his calendar because he knows his No Refund policy allows him to pocket the money regardless, 13. Disclosed he is a Type I Diabetic who never checks his blood glucose levels, 14. Drives overnight without packing his needed daily Insulin shot 15. Is in it for the money, not the hiker. 16. Will not refund any portion of future reservations despite his breach of contract on initial ride. read more

Website does not provide for specific 50% payment in advance as he demanded via a telephone conversation - I trusted Paul and paid the full fare of $190. We had a medical emergency on the JMT and had to cancel 4 days prior to the arranged pickup. I requested numerous times for a refund of 50% ($95) - which would have been what I would have paid in advance. Paul finally responded and stated "No refunds according to the disclaimer on his website". Paul's business practices are unethical and morally questionable. He also could not keep track of our day/time/and pickup location which provided us with no confidence that he would have been there. After reading all these reviews, I am amazed that he continues to be a viable business. read more

Takes the money of people who reserved well in advance. Calls to tell them they will be refunded then refuses to issue said refund.

HIKER WARNING - I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY!!! Had set up a long distance ride from Whitney portal to Fresno months in advance I got a call the night before the pick up saying that I needed to change my reservation. We ended up figuring out something that would work but the day of for a 300+ mile drive the driver showed up in a electric vehicle that was only half charged (100 mile range) so we had to charge TWICE on the way to Fresno. About 50-60 minutes each time. Made this 4.5 hr drive into a 7 1/2 hours. He was an unsafe driver talking on his phone looking at his phone distracted on winding roads. Did not wear a mask even though his email said that all drivers would wear masks. I would not recommend this service as it added stress to my trip despite paying quite a bit for a private ride. Along the way he told me stories about running out of charge in Yosemite, forgetting to pick someone up the day before, forgetting his insulin on multiple trips, and how attractive young women were that he had picked up and driven in the past. Was a very unpleasant experience to spend that much time in the car with this driver. I believe he was the owner of the company. I applied the use of electric vehicles for transportation services but it makes no sense to do so when you have 300 miles to go and the charge for this vehicle was 200 at best and then showing up with it only half charged was even worse. He also didn't know where we were going and asked me to map it because he couldn't figure out how to hook up his phone to map where we were headed. On the phone he seem to be mixing up the details of my ride the night before which did not give me any confidence that he actually knew where to pick me up or where we were going. He even got lost finding the charging station in Bakersfield. Overall incompetent and while I got me to my destination it was a horrible experience and I would recommend looking at other options instead of using this company. read more

We purchased 2 rides from Paul from Onion Valley to Mammoth Lakes thru his website which uses PayPal. He was a no-show, another driver said sorry but he is not very reliable. Another girl said he does this a lot. Don't send him money! read more

These guys were awesome! Me and my hiking partner ended up using them a couple of times; once to get to Kearsarge Pass trailhead at Onion Valley and then later in the day when we suffered an equipment malfunction. When they picked us up they told us about some hiking shops in Bishop. The driver took us there and even went in with us to help us out and talk to the clerks. I'll definitely be using them again when I return to the JMT in 2018! read more

This situation irked me then others gave me bad reports recently while in the Sierra about Paul Blenheim. A while back I called Paul for two rides and paid online then arrived 3 days later to so much smoke from a fire that I couldn't do my trip. Paid him $250 for a ride from Independence to Bishop and back. Paul dropped me off at the Bishop Ranger Station where I worked with the Rangers on a possible route/time of day to avoid the smoke in the Sierra. Not practical. Even all the BC Rangers had been ordered to leave the Sierra...Trip canceled. I then waited for Paul while he did his grocery shopping. I later asked for a partial credit. He said he could give it if he didn't have reservations, but I could tell he didn't want to do it and I could not get on his schedule. During the next year's hiking season and after trying yet again to get on his schedule, I emailed him to let him know I felt he had screwed me. His reply, "Yeah, I started the fire." ..That is what he wrote. The fire had been burning for over two weeks. Paul told me the smoke was very thick at night in the Owens Valley which made it difficult for him to sleep. He sure had an easy time of taking my $250 when he could have given me a heads up on the smoke. There are other ride services. Sherpa Max. Inyo Transit. Eastern Sierra Shuttle. Taxis in Mammoth. Uber in Mammoth. Hitch hike. read more

Paul Fretheim of East Side Sierra Shuttle has treated our family with more honesty and generosity than any other service provider I have known. September 2, 2021, our son set off on an incredible 2500 mile bicycle Journey from Michigan to California, then broke down with a minor accident in Joplin, Missouri on Route 66; finally getting back on the road. I was worried. Having followed on social media many of the satisfied customers of Eastside Sierra Shuttle, it occurred to me this would be the perfect service to meet my son at the end of his journey. Paul, being quite environmentally friendly and understanding of human powered travel, was so very enthused about my son's needs in his bicycle journey, that he donated significant funding to this effort. Not only that, but he drove about five hundred miles to pick up my son after the End of the Trail in Santa Monica, take him to Los Angeles Airport for his return to Michigan, and personally took on responsibility to see that the bicycle is delivered back home. This effort has saved us immensely while showing my son what great human relations and good business is all about. read more

Please read the reviews and the payment policy VERY carefully. When Paul says no refund...he means NO REFUND, no Exceptions.Their could be a pandemic happening and you can cancel more than a full month out...but NO REFUND. Period. He does offer credit, but the reality of actually being able to use his service in the future is less than likely. I just wish I would have only paid for the deposit and not the full amount...at least then I would only be out half the trip. read more

Be very careful if you make a reservation and deposit with Paul Fretheim of East Side Sierra Shuttle as they have a NO REFUND policy. My wife and I made a reservation for a shuttle back to Lone Pine from Tuolumne after hiking a 260 mile segment of the PCT. We paid a $75 deposit. When we exited the trail early due to injury, cancelled our reservation (13 days early) and requested a refund we were denied because of a NO REFUND POLICY! I would strongly recommend that you contact Sherpa Max (805-341-6360) for shuttle services in the Lone Pine - Indepence-Bishop area as he is very reliable and has a ONE DAY cancellation policy! PS: After I gave Paul the courtesy of a 13 day cancellation notice, he woke me up at 1:30 in the morning with a text to let me no there would be no refund - just another example of how self-centered and unprofessional he is! read more

Was surprised driver showed up with a dog. He claimed there was a death in the family but didn't explain why he had this dog. Worst part of a 2 hour trip was this large panting animal that didn't seem comfortable as it moved around in van. Even the fact that a dog had recently ridden in the van or even had been in the van should have been made abundantly clear well before pickup. Loud orders to the dog from the driver startled us repeatedly but predictably had little effect on the dog. This customer disrespect simply should not have happened. A side note - perhaps the driver could wear something more appropriate that low slung sweatpants. read more

Paul himself drove us safely from Whitney portal down to Lancaster which got us back to civilization after hiking the High Sierra trail. Good conversation along the way; he even recommended an excellent restaurant upon arrival. Prices are reasonable and Paul is very flexible with resolving unforeseen situations that occur in the mountains. read more