Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Universal Transportation Service's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Universal Transportation Service

  9900 Princeton Glendale Rd Ste 201 West Chester Township, OH 45246-1133

  
• 

  Universal Transportation Service

  220 Senate Dr Uts Warren County Monroe, OH 45050-1715

  
• 

  Universal Transportation Service

  3814 William P Dooley Byp Cincinnati, OH 45223-2664

  
• 

  Universal Transportation Service

  5284 Winton Rd Fairfield, OH 45014-3912

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/04/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  School bus never showing up to pick up kids in the morning and also not sending any notifications that they will be late. these are CHILDREN they are responsible for. It's truly unacceptable.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2024

  The UTS leadership team have made several attempts
  to contact the individual listed in the complaint.  The initial attempt was on Friday,
  9/27/24 and multiple attempts were made from both the manager's cell phone and our corporate office
  number. We also reached out to our hiring manager in Columbus to see if Mz. Rodriguez would
  answer from a local (614) area code. None of our calls were answered and voicemails
  were left with each call.
  
  Unfortunately, a student’s
  name or assigned route is not listed in the complaint. At this time, we cannot
  verify the timeliness of her transportation services or confirm an accurate
  contact number is listed in our notification system and appropriately assigned
  to the student’s route since we do not know what student this complaint relates to.  We are pending a response to the multiple messages left for Ms. ********* so we can address any concerns and implement an
  appropriate plan of action. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/26/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This transportation system is responsible for ******** ****. ***** *** *** ***** ***. 920 didn’t come the first day of school and is always 30 minutes late and does not contact parents. 884 doesn’t show at all.
  Other private school kids also aren’t getting picked up in the mornings.
  8/21 through 8/23 no morning bus for daughter route 884. This causing my daughter stress and learning problems as she has to miss school for 2 days because no bus will come. The transportation company says 20 minutes but a bus never comes. Half the year last year my son was late or never got to school because of this bus company. Our tax dollars pay for transportation that never comes. Students are left a bus stop for hours. This is an ongoing problem. 3rd graders are left without transportation to school. I’m going to keep contacting agencies and news channels is my next step and possible education lawyer and I have 5 witness so far educators and parents.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/13/2024

  We were able to discuss the situation with Mr. ****** via telephone on 10/02/2024 after several attempts.  He was frustrated with the
  timeliness and consistency of his daughter’s transportation this school year
  and not being notified when the bus is delayed. He stated UTS also transports
  son and admitted his transportation has gone well.

  Our leadership team representative apologized for the service
  disruptions Mr. ******’s family had experienced and ensured him we are working
  diligently to attract, hire and retain talented drivers. C*** complimented our
  drivers and spoke highly of their politeness and professionalism in all of his
  interactions.
  
  We explained the driver
  assigned to provide transportation to his son is an experienced, reliable
  driver with over 20 years of experience. The UTS leadership team audited the
  driver’s first and second route to identify any potential opportunities to increase
  our efficiency and minimize late arrivals. In addition, we worked with our IT team to update
  Chad’s contact information in our notification system. Moving forward, Mr.
  ****** is scheduled to receive all AM and PM notifications. 

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/01/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  

  
  

  Daughter bus has ran on time for 2 weeks so far it took a lot of complaints but they got a regular driver now that I hope they keep. My Sons morning bus on time for the most part except the pm  bus didn’t come afterschool one day with no ETA.

  I believe that happened Monday had  to go pick up son from school around 5 no bus came . Evening bus.

  Also the Columbus Supervisor could be nice.

  The call center boss in Columbus.
  
  

  It’s going to be winter. I hope the they continue to be on time as it cost the parents points at work or money when we have take off work to make sure they get to and from school. 
  
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  **** ******
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/30/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Active duty military family who moved to ******** OH in the middle of the school year. My children were put in separate schools and not in their zoned/home school. My son was sent to ******* Elementary which is 25 minutes away from home. As such, he is required to use Universal Transportation Services as his “bus” and not ******** City Schools Transportation. From day one the service had been unreliable. The first week that he was scheduled to be picked up by UTS, they did not show up at all. I called and each day they told me it would be remedied, and the problem persisted. He was late to school every day the first week, and I had to scramble to pick him up on time at the end of the day because they did not pick him up as well. Between mid February and the end of April, he has been counted late to school 12 times due to the van being late. There have been 3 occasions where they have not picked him up from school at all, and I had to go pick him up after being notified from the school that they did not show, over 45 minutes of past the end of the school day. In addition to this and of extreme importance, they have forgotten to utilize his car seat (a high-back booster that he is required to use by law), and still transported him in the van. When I asked about where his car seat was and who approved him to ride without the car seat, I was given a roundabout answer about the vans being used by different drivers. This is illegal and a huge safety concern. I have to call regularly for an update on when his van will arrive if it’s running late, where I am on hold for 20 minutes without a status update. His school has also had issues with being able to contact the company when they are late to pick him up at the end of the day. Today (29 April) his van was an hour late to pick up and neither the school or myself were told. The school tried to call and was on hold over 30 minutes. When I got through, they said they were unaware that my sons route was not being fulfilled.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/22/2024

  Ms. ****** indicated that she had concerns during the 2023-2024 school year regarding safe and consistent transportation for her son.  On 07/22/2024, in response to her concerns, the R*** A*******, the Vice President of the School Bus Division, had a telephone conversation with Ms. ****** lasting approximately 16 minutes to address her concerns.  Mr. A******* and Ms. ****** discussed some of the staffing levels in the prior year that led to some of the service disruptions as well as some of the efforts the company has put in place from a hiring, training and customer service staffing perspective to help alleviate some of these issues for the upcoming school year.  In addition, thy discussed the hiring of a new Director of Maintenance at the ******** location and the UTS zero tolerance policy regarding mobility aids in its vehicles.  Mr. A******* provided Ms. ****** with his contact information for any future concerns and will work with the local ******** site manager to ensure that her son received a much smoother and more efficient process than she experienced last school year if her son is assigned to UTS for transportation.  Ms. ****** thanked Mr. A******* for the call and seemed appreciative that UTS had followed up with her to address her son's concerns with his transportation.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, my husband and I received an upsetting phone call around 9:45 a.m. from our daughter’s school stating that our daughter, who is nonverbal and has autism, hadn’t arrived at the school yet. They stated that the driver from Universal Transportation Systems (UTS) had arrived at the school early at 7:55 a.m. The school told the driver that she would have to wait in the parking lot until the school’s 8:15 a.m. start time and one of the staff members would be out to get our daughter from the car line at that time. The school then said that the driver decided that it would be better to take our daughter with her to pick up another student who also attends the school and come back instead of waiting. The driver then leaves and does not return with our daughter and the other student until more than two hours later around 10:10 a.m. I asked to speak to a supervisor on the day this incident happened on Tuesday, but as of Friday, I have not received a call back. I have never received a response from a supervisor despite requesting for one to contact me on numerous occasions.
  
  My husband and I would like an explanation as to where our daughter was for two hours when she should have been at school? We would also like to know why the driver would be allowed to leave the school without dropping our daughter off when she had already arrived at school safely? Something could have happened such as the driver getting into an accident and that would have been very upsetting to know that our daughter had reached her school safely, but was not dropped off. We have had many incidents, including this one, that have yet to be addressed or even acknowledged by a supervisor and have taken the step of contacting the Better Business Bureau in an attempt to get some answers.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/16/2024

  The UTS leadership team reviewed the complaint failed by *** ****** and reviewed GPS data, pulled the original inbound telephone calls from *** ****** and the corresponding internal email correspondence related to this incident.  Supervisor contacted *** ****** via telephone on 05/16/2024 and discussed the situation with her.  In addition, the UTS supervisor discussed and resolved an additional issue *** ****** brought up concerning dismissal times.  At this time, we believe that this and any other issues regarding *** ****** have been satisfactorily resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/11/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My son has been scheduled 3 daya for pickup, 3 days they have failed us.
  Day 1. 20 mins early, no notice.
  Day 2. Curbside, driver never even slowed down.
  Day 3, outside early, company no showed again, we called, they told us they'd be here within 5 minutes, went back out waited 5 BEYOND the time we were told. NO SHOW.
  i have lost 3 days of work.
  This company is screwing us over badly.
  We have an autistic child on a IEP.
  PLEASE HELP US!!!!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2024

  Thank you for reaching out.  Based on the information contained in the complaint, we were unable to identify the specific student, school and route that the customer is contacting us about.

  In order to research further, please provide the student name, scheduled pickup address, school/destination and specific dates of service or specific date ranges, and mode of transportation (yellow school bus, van, etc.)

  Once we have this information, our operations team can research the specific route and student in question to identify the problems and potential solutions.

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/10/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  After my experience, I looked up reviews, and was astonished at how little this company must care about being punctual, which is the main reason the company exists...
  My problem:
  Working a very busy schedule, I've been abruptly woken up before dawn by this company honking their vehicles horn 5-6 times every minute right in front of my house at 6:00 and 6:30 in the morning. (it's against **** code to make non-emergency loud noises before 7am)
  I've called the help desk, and had words with the driver. They will not stop honking. They pick up the phone to make a call only after honking 5-6 times. This is ridiculous.
  Today a driver started taking pictures of me through my bedroom window as I watched them honk more and more.
  This business needs shut down if the common theme is being late, disrespectful, and works with children. No good. This company puts a bad taste in my mouth. Again they were unable to give me the light of day when faced with a complaint. They are a poor business, getting worse and worse.
  Also, because of ***** code, I will notify law enforcement about the issue again.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/24/2024

  Hello, 

  Thank you for your feedback on this matter. UTS has identified the driver who has been using their car horn before 7am in this neighborhood. Corrective action has taken place and a solution has been implemented to alleviate this concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 1/9/2023 I called UTS to ask have my kids bus not came because they were supposed to be picked up at 7:45 but it's was now 7:05 and no bus came. The lady was rude and told me she couldn't help me that she don't see those records but I've called before and the lady had no problem seeing those records and contacted the bus to see where she was

  Business Response

  Date: 01/13/2023

  Our leadership team contacted *** ***** on 01/11/2023 via telephone and followed up via email regarding her complaint.
  
  Advised which route to which her children were assigned.

  Advised the correct pickup time and location.

  Provided the correct contact information for ********** ****** ******* transportation department of ###-###-#### (****) for route and bus information.  ********** ****** ******* yellow bus operations are not handled from the UTS call center that *** ***** contacted and, as a result, the UTS phone representatives do not have access to yellow bus information for ********** ****** ******* because we serve as a contractor providing yellow bus service.

  One of our Site Managers reached out in the afternoon to confirm that *** ***** received and understood her students
  route assignment and times.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/17/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  *** *****
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/22/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My daughter attends ******** ****** **** here in ****** **** through ******* *******. This place is constantly late with no communication, And their customer service is Horrible. On Monday my husband was waiting for my Daughter's Van to arrive home after school call, and after waiting for 2 hours it never came. I called customer service and inquire about where my child's Van was and why it had been late. The customer service our service rep the answer stated I need to talk to the driver. I find this very weird because they are the 1st ones to answer the phone so they should have to answer to these questions. I've been asked to be transferred to a supervisor, However I was transferred to automated service. I then called back and Got what sounded like the Same rip that I had previously spoken with. I immediately asked to Be transferred to a Supervisor. She asked me what I was calling for And sarcastically ask for my name as well as my daughter's name. I requested once again to be transferred directly to a supervisor because I was upset about my daughter being 2 hours late me not knowing where she is at and getting very sub par customer service. She put me on mute for a few seconds got back on the line and I heard her say this is ridiculous referring to my phone call. Me not knowing where my 9 year old disabled daughter is is not ridiculous In any capacity. She then transferred me to a automated service once again So I hung up and I call back again.. I got another rep on the phone on the phone who to Advise me that no supervisor was currently available and she took my contact information promising that someone will call me back within 24 hours. No one has called me back. I will be contacting my daughter's district rep to see what can be done about using another transportation company. This is only one complaint of many. This is unacceptable. Especially for a company that transports individuals with disabilities.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2022

  Thank you for bringing this situation to our attention.  On Monday, September 19th, 2022, this student was
  picked up in the afternoon by her regular driver. While
  transporting the students home, our driver had to be rerouted to a different
  school due to another student that missed their transportation 40 minutes earlier.  The driver transporting the complainant's daughter was 6.59
  miles away and, due to her proximity to the school, she was sent back to pickup the student that missed their transportation. By adding an additional student to her route, all other drop offs
  were significantly delayed that afternoon.

  The complainant's daughter's account lacks documentation stating the
  guardian was contacted and notified of the change. We have addressed this with our dispatch team and implemented an action plan to prevent similar situations moving
  forward.
  

  Our Operations Director attempted to call the complainant and left voice mail messages on Thursday 09/29, Friday 09/30 and Monday 10/03 and has not yet had a return call from the complainant to discuss the situation.