NO. AVOID. My group didn't have a choice taking this taxi, but OH GOD, taxis like these are reasons why Uber and Lyft exist. I've taken Uber and Lyft from DTSB before for many years, but this was by far the most UNCOMFORTABLE experience with a ride back from Downtown to UCSB that I've had. So basically, the driver said he'll drive us to Isla Vista around a fixed price, but he'll need to stop to get gas first, then he'll start the meter then. We had no choice, since basically Uber and Lyft had parties of 6 seaters unavailable at 2 am on Sunday. However, when he goes to stop for gas, he fails to mention that he already started the meter upon pickup, which he turns on the display and the meter already shows $6. We asked about it and of course he's an amnesiac about it, and it's not helping that he's ungrateful and unapologetic. Of course once the fixed price we agreed to when we got on I asked again, he doesn't remember the interaction, and then he asks how much money do I have. WOW. Talk about getting greedy when we verbally agreed not to go over a set price. That, along with that has stop in between that hiked up the prices, made me really uncomfortable about the whole ride in general. Also, a 1 star in cleanliness. The 6 available seats in the car had a dirty front so we had to sit 4 in a row in the back. These taxis are only in it for themselves. Prices are 2.5 time the rate of normal that Uber and Lyft charges. Absurd. AVOID and never take a taxi in SB if you have the choice. I rather wait for the estimated 30 minutes for Uber to arrive than deal with this. read more

Left my phone in a cab this weekend and called over and over the following morning and after leaving a message and taking a break from calling tried again hours later. Talked with someone who said he would "check with his drivers" to see if anyone turned anything in, not asking for any details on my ride/time/location/driver/phone and told me to call back later when the drivers start their shift. .... not being able to wait I called to check in and was told I would get a call back in 30 min after he "talked to the drivers". 2 hours later called back & checked in again and was told "the drivers didn't turn anything in". no remorse or effort here in double checking the cabs for my phone or even putting me in contact with my actual driver :/ called again the next morning in hopes they looked harder or something turned up & the same man I spole with earlier just seemed annoyed of me.... I requested MY driver's number and again the man I spoke with didn't ask a single thing about my route or times and said he would "get the number & send it to me in a bit"... ummmm send it to me how? anyways, 24 hours later and still no call back or text with my driver's contact number. *all I asked was a little remorse or consideration for my lost $700 phone... couldn't even get my information to pass on or put in a little effort into looking under/through the car for it THIS IS WHY I ALWAYS TAKE UBER read more

Don't think they're in business. Called several times and no recording. And more importantly... no one answered!

I had a BAD experience the first time.... But, the owner has made an amazing effort to win me over and correct the mistake that was made. I travel regularly to the airport from Carpinteria and look forward to using Paradise for my next trip. read more

We used Paradise Cab to provide transportation for our guests for our wedding. Luis was great to work with ahead of time and was very accommodating. Most places refused to split the time for which we used them or had a minimum time requirement, but Luis let us reserve some cabs for 30 minutes in the afternoon and then another one for 4 hours at night, plus one more for an hour at night (which turned out to be driven by Luis himself!). This was perfect to meet our needs and save us a bit of cash (instead of booking someone for the entire time). The cabs showed up on time, got our guests to the wedding on time, and stayed late for our stragglers at the end of the night. My only complaint is that he charged extra for one of the cabs to make a second trip even though it was still within the time frame we reserved the cab for (we paid by the hour/half hour instead) and did not tell me about it until I asked him after getting the receipt. Then the amount he said was charged extra was still less than the difference between what I authorized him to charge to my card (including tip) and the amount that was charged. However, he responded quickly to my question and was great to all of our guests (even the ones who were a bit crazy at the end of the night!), so I still think Luis and Paradise Cabs deserve 5 stars for their services at our wedding. Thank you! read more

Shitty cab company they charged my girlfriend 10$ for driving one block then they tried to verbally abuse her when she didn't want to pay, and locked her in the cab. Do not use this cab company they are unlawful and out of line!!!!!! It's a rip offff. And dealings with the owner about the situation he was very rude read more

I have used this cab company for the past few years and they are hands down the best. They are always on time, professional and extremely customer oriented. On my most recent trip (this morning) I dropped my phone in the backseat. I was waiting for the Airbus to take me to LAX and I just knew that my phone was gone forever. To my surprise, 1 minute before the bus pulled up the cab pulled up with my phone!! The customer who was in the backseat was a very sweet person and let the driver know there was a phone and they both agreed to get it to me. Kindness looks good on both of you gentlemen!! Needless to say, this is the only cab company in Santa Barbara that I will ever use. read more

Paradise Cab picked me up at 2 am Saturday night of Fiesta! I have used this company several times before and they are always friendly and prompt. I cannot thank them enough for getting me home safely this past weekend. read more

The absolute WORST. Took an hour to show up but they quoted us 10 minutes. The cab driver refused to give us an accurate ETA, and was extremely rude on the phone. TAKE AN UBER and don't waste your time. read more

Got ripped off severely. Was charged $50 for a ride from Isla Vista to the Greyhound in Santa Barbara. The fare was originally $56, but I managed to talk the cab driver down to $50. From where I was, it was about 11-12 miles total, in a straight line, then a left, literally. I FIGURED since my uber app crashed and wouldn't boot up, I might as well support a cab for once. Never again. The cab driver, I think his name was Raya, even admitted cabs are expensive and that I should use uber instead. He pretty much shit on his own business. Thing is, I wasn't expecting such a high fare, as I was not checking the fare meter, I was looking at my phone expecting to pay at most $20-$30 because it was such an easy job and it was a taxi, an obsolete business. Some other student I met at the Greyhound post ripoff only paid a $1.75 for a bus ride downtown, which is a 15 minute walk from downtown. I have no idea how a cab ride can be so expensive. I legitimately feel ripped off, and will vouch for anyone to stay away from this business, as it was just as expensive as my greyhound ticket home, which has a distance of 236 miles. Hypothetically if I took a cab home that distance and that rate, it'd be over $1000-$1300, compared to my $60 bus ticket home. Seriously, hustling college kids isn't business, it's just outright ridiculous and sleazy. I have no idea how this ride amounted to $56, but I'm skeptical of their fares in all honesty. I needed to be at my stop an hour prior, so I could've easily taken the bus, I wish I had. First time taking a cab, and easily my last. No wonder they're becoming obsolete, they charge fares as if people were made of money. Also, I was disappointed at the fact that they were later than the 10 minute wait time that was originally stated. Upon reading reviews of this business, I read that the cab driver locked a young woman in the cab for refusing to pay a $10 fee for a ride down a block. Definitely got a creepy vibe from the driver that he'd do this kind of thing so I didn't make a huge fuss as I just wanted to go home ASAP without complications. Not to mention that as I mentioned UCSB and its diverse population, he did say that there are many, "beautiful young women" at UCSB and gave a creepy laugh. This kind of ended the conversation between me and the driver, as his tone creeped me out. I do not appreciate such an inflated fee, as I thought I could rely on this service for a reasonable price. Guess again, I got ripped off. Stay away and use uber, this taxi service is shady. In no way is a ride down the street worth $56, or $50 for that matter. For a ride that took 12 minutes, that equates to earning $280 an hour. The minimum wage is $10. This service earns 28 times the minimum wage. Not even sure if this is legal, but hell am I pissed and my parents are pissed for wasting their hard earned money on a quick, sleazy cab ride. Very disappointed, don't ride with them. Cab driver even pretended to hook me up after I complained, by making it "an even $50". Your business isn't worth its salt. If you charge this rate to everyone, I'm impressed you're still operational. Also, if this was too long to read and you want to know whether or not to use them, don't. Bottom line, paradise cab company sucks. You don't deserve to be capitalized, as I don't consider this a legit business, more like cons. I hope ripping off people catches up to you guys. UCSB orientation was great, you guys, not so much. Good day. read more