Beware of their rates - they are exorbitant, especially to and from Ithaca airport! Ithaca Dispatch holds a monopoly on rides to and from Ithaca airport. They charge not per ride, but per person - $16 first person, $8 for each additional family member and $2 for each piece of luggage. For a family, a 2-mile ride to the airport in Ithaca ends up being more expensive than a ride from Manhattan to JFK! Not only do they have exorbitant prices, they also operate not as taxis, but as shuttles, dropping people off in multiple locations. So if you or your family lives 2 miles from the airport, you end up paying $40, and it takes some 20 mins for you to get from the airport to your home. They are an evil monopoly, extremely overpriced and refusing to do anything about it. Avoid them if you can. read more

Ridiculously, horribly overpriced taxi and absolutely HORRENDOUS customer service. Avoid at all costs! This business is truly awful. I called to arrange a taxi ride to the airport for my parents, asked what the price would be, was told $16. Mind you, we live two miles from the airport, but I was willing to suck up this price. When my parents arrived at the airport they were told it would cost $26. For two miles? Come on. When my father called the company to find out what was going on, he was told (by the same dispatcher I had arranged the cab with earlier that morning) that it costs $16 for one person and $8 for each additional person, plus a dollar per bag. When he told the dispatch guy that we were not given full information about the fare, the dispatch guy said "whatever" and hung up the phone. Seriously, the mistake was theirs, not ours. If this company wants to operate like a shuttle service to the airport, they need to disclose this rather than calling themselves a taxi service. AVOID this company, and find another service to get out to the airport or for general transportation needs. And, if you have a car, you can park it in long term parking at the airport ($6 a day) for several days for less than this so-called cab service costs. read more

The absolute worst. The dispatcher is usually rude, but one night I had a particularly awful experience. I called for a cab from far away from campus, so I had to give my credit card number in advance. When they arrived, the cab waited outside for less than two minutes before driving away without me and charging my credit card. I didn't even have time to put on my shoes and walk outside. I called the dispatcher back immediately and she informed me that I would have to pay another $20 fare to make the cab come back. And on top of being stranded and ripped off, I was ignored when I tried to get a refund the next day. read more

Never trust them, I order a taxi 2 days in advance, they didn't shows up, than when I called they say the driver is sick and they will may come in 30 min. I can't believe they are still in business!! Almost lost the flight because of them. read more

Ithaca Dispatch is corrupt to the core. They have flat rates dividing the region they cover into zones. Each zone is always measured from the center of downtown Ithaca. For example, if you live in the town of Lansing, and want to go to the supermarket in the town of Lansing, you will be charged the same fare as if you were going from downtown Ithaca to the town of Lansing. This ends up being $13-$15, without tip. The actual amount is somewhat flexible, as drivers like to stiff you for cash, and Ithaca Dispatch lets them get away with it. Uber charges around six dollars for the same trip. The cabs are often very unclean, and absolutely falling apart. The company prides themselves on passing inspection, but the inspections they pass are subject to just as much corruption as anything else the company does. There is bribery, inside manipulation, and the fact that the company de facto regulates its own inspections. The company often does have some wheelchair accessible vehicles, but they do not keep them in reserve for wheelchair users. Instead, they assign them like any other cabs. One time, we said we needed a cab with a lot of room, so we got a wheelchair cab when we would have been fine with a van. We then proceeded to take it all the way from Ithaca, New York to Syracuse, New York, thus potentially depriving someone with a disability of a necessary ride for absolutely no reason. Dispatch itself is absolutely rude. As has been noted by a seemingly endless number of other reviewers, they hang up on you without telling you the estimated arrival time for your cab. If you do ask them for an estimated arrival time, they will say "a few minutes", or "on its way". Sometimes you will have to call back to ask for an estimated arrival time. Sometimes they will refuse to give you one. If they do give you an actual number of minutes, it will be incorrect. I say all this as someone who has over ten years experience using this company frequently because there was no other alternative. At one point, I took the dispatcher to task and told him it was his job to know where his cabs are and what time they would arrive. He actually said to me, verbatim, "Yeah, it is, but I'm not in the habit of being convenient." Other times, they will actually yell at you and swear at you. The drivers for the cab company do not care about customers, or, if they do, they absolutely hate you. A great number of the drivers to not live in town. One particular driver who has been driving for over ten years likes to brag about the fact that he does not care where things are in town. At one point I told him I wanted to go to Viva! Taqueria in the center of town. He pulled up to the main intersection in town and asking where it was. I asked him how long he had been driving in the town, and then asked him why he didn't know where things were in town, to which he said he just didn't care. I told him to look out his right-hand window, and there was Viva! Taqueria. This very same driver has had disgusting toilet issues every single time I've taken a ride with him, at one point farting all over the customers in the cab. There have been endless other times of cab drivers bragging about not knowing where things are in the town where they work. Not a single cab driver knows where the County Chamber of Commerce is, despite the fact that it is the official visitor center for the county. Other drivers intentionally get in political arguments with you. One started by saying, "You know, the Constitution doesn't guarantee us safe drinking water." Unfortunately, he picked the wrong person to argue with, as I have known every word of the Constitution verbatim since fifth grade and now have a college degree in the matter. Another time, when I had gotten out to use the ATM, the cabdriver started to drive around with his taxi doors open and my things falling out. When I got back to the car, he denied ever doing that, and then admitted it a few minutes later. Drivers will often include other parties in your cab without consulting you, often drawing out your trip significantly. Initially, I thought that this was just incredibly inconvenient. It turns out that it is actually against state law to include other parties in a taxicab without the consent of all parties. Unfortunately, very few people know that, and it is one of the more minor infractions perpetrated by Ithaca Dispatch. It should be mentioned that there is absolutely no grievance process. There is a number for complaints, but it just goes to one of the dispatchers. read more

Completely unreliable service. Called to reserve a cab from Homewood Suites to the airport at 10 pm for the following morning at 5 am. Called again at 4:55 am to confirm and was told the cab was "on its way." 15 minutes later, still no cab. Luckily the hotel generously offered to drive me and I just made my flight. read more

The previous review by "S S." is absolutely true. Also, note that many listed taxi services in Ithaca have the same phone number. This is not an accident -- it is essentially a monopoly / cartel, meant to keep the prices artificially high. Every few years we have an independent taxi company trying to get started in Ithaca. This cartel manages to drive them out of business by regulations, monopoly on airport pick up, etc. read more

I've had the misfortune of having to use this company multiple times during my undergrad years at Cornell. All of them routinely terrible, which is quite amazing considering that, in all probability, I probably should have had one time where I didn't have a complete asshole as an operator or a cab driver that actually showed up on time. Nope. This cab company defies all odds. They always spew this bullshit about taking 20 minutes for the cab to come, or xyz amount of minutes with subsequent callbacks that I will tell you right now you will be making, which you should take not as the time that it would actually take for the cab to actually get there but as the time mark where you should ring them up again and make the suggestion of maybe actually getting the f'ing cab to the customer as a cab company should. All of my experiences are a blur of memories of horrendous service and long waits in the Ithaca cold, but the one that comes specifically to mind is that time where an operator suffering from intoxication and low intelligence slurred his way through the whole it'll take 20 minutes notice. When the cab inevitably failed to arrive and I called back, a female operator/professional bitch told me that the cab would be there in 10 minutes. Complete bs, and when I called back 10 minutes later, they subsequently put the line on hold and hung up on me when they accidentally let the line go through. I was stuck in the hospital ER until some kind local was gracious enough to give me a lift back home. That was the one time in my life where I felt a sincere desire to go out of my way to get people fired for bad service, but I realized I couldn't, because the entire Ithaca DIspatch hierarchy is composed of incompetent imbeciles confused by the idea of doing their jobs. Their business stays afloat not because of any business tactics known to mankind or a display of some semblance to service, but because they basically have an oligopoly over the cab business given the limited amount of competition that it faces in the microcosm that is Cornell- Ithaca. Drivers, pay rate- shit. I won't go into too much detail here, because 80% of the shit experience of using this company involves actually getting the cab to come. But yes, expect fluctuating rates and drivers who grovel for tips from customers who have been standing for an hour and half in the cold. Oh, and they don't call and check to see whether you're still on board if they don't spot you immediately within a 3ft radius, but that's resting on the presumption that they actually show up at all so it's just a minor point to consider. This cab company makes me regret two things. Yelp's lack of a negative review system, and my limited command of the English language that precludes me from adequately expressing the pure, unmitigated hatred that I feel towards this company and everyone affiliated with Ithaca Dispatch. TL;DR- do not use this cab company. Save yourself. read more

I have never before encountered a business that cared less about their reputation or customers. I suppose they have the market cornered on taxis in Ithaca so they do not have to serve customers well. I called a taxi at 4:27 AM for a ride to a store to get breakfast before catching a bus to NYC. After three calls, during which I was promised that the cab was pulling in (if they say this, they have not checked on anything. They are just leading you on), I finally got a taxi 40 minutes later. I luckily had planned for the extra breakfast stop, otherwise I would have missed my bus. When the cab did arrive, he was rude about me changing my destination to the bus stop instead of breakfast, and acted like it was the biggest inconvenience to have picked me up. This is not my first bad experience with ithaca Dispatch. I recommend that anyone using the service budget an hour to get anywhere within Ithaca. read more

First impressions mean everything! !!! If you want to be greeted in a rude manor to a company that takes your money then by all means call them today.. I've been in the hospitality business for over 27 years and if this was my business i would have not only fired the dispatch but probably shot them through the window if I heard them talk like they do to paying customers. .. They seem like people who hate not only their own pathetic life but the world as well... call collage town cabs or hitch hike is your best option. ...... read more

abandoned at the C2C drop off in the snow and wind despite 2 calls no one ever came. We literally begged a student clearing off his car to take us home... and he did! some 10 minutes! Is there a minus rating??? read more

Don't use this company. Taxi was so late I missed my bus. No communication except "he is on his way". Ridiculous.

Don't let reviews influence you! We called a head for 2:30am pickup to Syracuse airport , Jeremy was early, courteous, great driver AND went out of his way to return a glove I left in his cab. I don't think an Uber or Lift would have bothered to do that! read more

Terrible dispatching! I made a reservation to go to the airport and the cab came 30 min late. I called twice while I was waiting and the dispatcher confirmed the reservation to the airport. I would definitely not use them again. If you are on a schedule, find someone else. I was lucky to not miss my flight. read more

I've used them a few times for rides to and from the airport. I've found them to be relatively timeline (no more than 5-10 min late). Every time it takes a little bit longer b/c they take multiple passengers at the same time. I don't think there's really an alternative in Ithaca. They've worked okay for me, just maybe budget a little extra time. read more

I don't even know where to begin with this company. Absolutely rude and blatantly unprofessional over the phone. I called 12 times in order to have a friend of mine picked up from the airport. 3 of those times, a woman answered and immediately hung up when I said hello. The other times, I spent an hour trying to get a taxi to pick up my friend. The woman yelled at me over the phone when she could see I was clearly getting aggravated. In the end, two taxis were sent to the airport, but each left with different passengers and my friend was told to their face that each taxi was not for them. I was hung up on mid sentence, yelled at, and ignored. Worst service from any business I have ever gotten. I honestly can't believe a shitty place like this even stays in business. I could get better customer service from a 1st grader's lemonade stand. Let's not forget the woman's clear idiocy and lack of sociable personality. To work as a taxi dispatcher for a living, there's no need to be angry at the world. Chances are you made a wrong turn somewhere along the way. In the end, I would rather crawl in the snow with luggage from the Ithaca airport to collegetown than use this taxi "service" again. Be warned. There is a high probability that in the future, I will come back to Ithaca and open up a taxi company and run it properly just to put Ithaca Dispatch out of business. And when they are out of business, I'll hire the unemployed Ithaca Dispatch employees to be my taxis and force them to carry passengers on their backs around campus and throughout Ithaca. Then I would fire them all and close the company. Just for shits and giggles. It's amazing how a certain incompetent experience with an inept company can make you realize how thankful you are that you are successful. It's a true out-of-body experience. A life-changing event. If you want a new perspective on life, use Ithaca Dispatch. Otherwise, if you're looking for a shitty, half-ass company to transport you from one place to another, I'd suggest mailing yourself in a FedEx box. It would be much more comfortable and pleasant. read more

I've used tis taxi service twice now, with mixed experiences. Both times the taxi showed up quickly, and brought me quickly to my destination. The first time the driver was a very friendly older gentleman, and the second guy was completely silent. Well I'm just fine with either quiet or friendly so full stars so far for that. The first trip the cost was exactly as estimated. However, for the second trip the driver agreed with the estimate from dispatch, and then when he got me to my destination he said it was 50% more than the estimate. All in all, you'll get to where you want to go, but expect to spend more than you bargained for... read more

First off, I did a search on Yelp for this taxi company by using their 607 277 7777 number. Four companies with different names, show up for the same phone number. Besides that being weird, I am extremely disappointed with the fact that we were charged $22 for a 5.7 mile ride! (http://bit.ly/5HXEj) Some of the charges were supposedly due to a couple of small carry on bags. However, I have yet to justify why we were charged $22, after looking closely at their fees page. TOTAL RIP OFF! Try to avoid them if you can. read more

In 2008, I called a taxi to help someone get to the hospital. The taxi driver went to the wrong place, apparently, because when I called dispatch about 20 minutes later asking where the taxi was, they said the driver was sitting waiting for the passenger, even though the taxi was obviously nowhere to be seen. We eventually got the driver to the right place, but I found out later that the driver had started the meter when he arrived at the WRONG place, then left it running while he drove to the right place, so that he could charge the sick person extra. Disgusting. read more

Ithaca Dispatch seriously needs to re-evaluate the meaning of customer service. I use them quite often and nine times out of ten the dispatcher on the phone sounds bored, like he/she would rather be doing something else. They never say good bye, they just bang the phone down on your ear. They never say thank you and can be all around rude. I thought in business, you were supposed to recognize your customers as your most valued asset? They are obviously taking advantage of being the only taxi service available and think they can treat their customers however they want. As evidenced by their unprofessional and nasty response to a previous rating below, they just don't know how to talk to people. If you want to go somewhere you better be prepared to wait anywhere from 5 to 20 min, a horrible choice if you are in a rush WHICH I THOUGHT WAS ONE THING CABS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD FOR. And if you aren't in front of your door, they don't wait, they just drive away. I will however give a big round of applause for their drivers who have tact, courtesy and wonderful customer service. It's not easy to drive a cab for 12+ hours and they do it with a smile. They could give the dispatchers some much needed lessons. read more

don't call this place it's the worst experience I've ever had. The driver showed up with a attitude and got very aggressive toward me I refused to get in his cab and called a different company and I reported them to the better business read more

Worst experience ever. This is the only time I called a taxi because my car was sent for service. I called Ithaca Dispatch in the evening on Nov 22 from Wegmans and the guy hung up on me because according to him, I missed the cab, which I never saw. Then I called again and he hung up again and then for the third time, he began to YELL "I told you not to call us again. We are busy. This is America blah blah blah" and he hung up. Seriously? Did his parents really raise him to be rude and this uncivilized? Pathetic. Can't believe my first cab experience was like this. First time called a cab from Ithaca Dispatch and also the LAST time using their service. Avoid it if you don't want your day ruined read more

If I could give a zero star rating I would.I missed my bus because the cab didn't show up(waited for one hour) and answer any phone calls.

The dispatcher is extremely rude. He hung up on me twice cutting me off in mid sentence. I give the company three stars, however, because Driver was extremely pleasant and interesting though, and his timing was very good. read more

This is the worst taxi service i have ever experiences. Ever. Taxi pulled up 8 minutes late, stopped briefly, then sped off before i could get outside. Still waiting for second taxi to show up. Hope i don't miss my flight. read more

Probably the worst taxi service I've ever had displeasure of working with- always extremely late, if they even end up coming. And the rates are ridiculously expensive, charging you more per person. read more

Horrible customer service. Never call when they are outside . Maybe it's miscommunication between drivers and the people working phones but several times they have told me a cab was outside I have waited and nothing has come ! Then to call back and ask if my driver is ok considering the bad weather I received a very nasty attitude from the woman working phones on march 15 @ 8:13. Very disappointed . read more

HORRIBLE experience! I called 3 days ahead to schedule a pick up for my son at Cornell. I gave my credit info. Not only did they NEVER show up, no one was answering the phone on Saturday, 12/21 early morning so my son stood outside in the pouring rain at 4:30a.m. Finally called Green Hornet Cab - they raced over and got him to the airport in time. I will never use this lousy excuse for a cab company again - my son would have missed his flight home for Christmas! Highly unprofessional! I called them 40 minutes straight - local numbers, 800 number, etc. zero response. read more

I've used this company for 3 years & have had great experiences. The dispatchers are actually reasonable with their time frames & the drivers are responsible. read more

seems ithaca dispatch is the fastest in town. I have tried green hornet and they never showed up. I also called collegetown and aplus and they told me to wait one hour which i said no to. this has happened more than once so I choose to use ithaca dispatch even though they may have long waits they actually show up read more

DO NOT, under ANY circumstance, no matter how desperate you are, expect anything but the worst service from these people. You might just end up stranded in the freezing rain for two hours... and because you're being considerate of the driving conditions and don't want to call back and bug them once you've already waited those two hours find out that they actually forgot about you and get to wait ANOTHER hour. There really can't be too many bad reviews about these guys -- don't make our mistake!!!! read more

Dispatch has some of the nastiest attitudes I have ever dealt with. On top of being hung up on they never give you an accurate wait time the prices are by far over the top the most expensive prices for the longest wait in town. Call collegetown for cheaper prices pleasant dispatch and short wait times read more

Nothing good to say about them. Sleezy. Overpriced. Sketchy business practices. It started when the tried to charge two different people in our cab $16 each for a short ride that their website clearly states is $5.10. When I got out of the cab I realized that I'd left my wallet and phone in the car. After calling my phone for hours, they answered and gave the phone back but said that they did not have the wallet. I even went there the next day and asked to check the cab (they said no). When I realized I was not getting my wallet back, I canceled my debit card but noticed that there was a $25 charge from Ithaca Dispatch pending on my account from the morning after I lost the card. I called them again and asked and the man who answered the phone would not give me any information about who made the charge, how they could verify a charge without my pin or signature, what time it was made or even what the cab driver's name was. At this point, I called the police, who went over. The man gave the officer a story about how there were only 3 credit card charges and none of them were for $25 so I was clearly wrong. After speaking with my bank, they said that this was a common practice. The cab company assumes that no one will check or second guess and the transaction will go through without being noticed. If someone does call them out on it, they will never "post" the charge and it will remain "processing" on my account. The bank cannot pursue action for fraudulent charges and they avoid police action. If you take this cab company, double check their math and triple check your pocket. Thieves. read more