PlanetTran Service
What is PlanetTran?
What does PlanetTran do?
Is PlanetTran a taxi service?
How does it work?
How do I pay for the service?
How many passengers/bags can the cars carry?
What is your cancellation/waiting policy?

Hybrid Cars
What is a hybrid car?
How does a hybrid car work?
Do you have to plug them in?
What is regenerative braking?

PlanetTran Service

What is PlanetTran?

PlanetTran is the Nation's first and only public auto service to utilize ultra fuel efficient hybrid vehicles exclusively.

What does PlanetTran do?

PlanetTran provides individuals and organizations with scheduled car service in hybrid cars. We primarily serve Logan Int'l Airport, but can drive you anywhere you need to go with a reservation.

Is PlanetTran a taxi service?

Yes and no. We provide car service superior to but priced competitively with taxis, but don't have medallions, which allow standing in public cab stands and pick-up of street hails. We employ technology and an operational model which allows us to be as available as possible to our customers, who use us primarily for airport transfers.

How does it work?

You can make reservations by creating a profile in our on-line reservations system and entering in your specific location. Alternatively, you can call 1 877 ECO TAXI (1-877-326-8294). The email notification confirms we will pick you up at your scheduled time and location, and we will call you if any issue arises that would jeopardize our ability to reliably and punctually provide that service.

How do I pay for the service?

Payment can be made using cash, check, VISA, MC, or AMEX, which can be entered in your on-line profile. When you disembark your trip, you will sign an electronic fare slip and we will email you a receipt for either cash or credit card transactions (we strive for paperless operations).

What is your cancellation/waiting policy?

Wait Time
PlanetTran bills wait time at $50 an hour, in increments of 6 minutes. For each reservation there is a 15 minute grace period for which no wait time charges are assessed. After that 15 minutes, wait time charges apply. PlanetTran tracks all commercial flights and wait time is not charged for any passenger arriving on a commercial airline. For arriving flights we will wait as long as it takes (baggage claim can be a nightmare, we know!) AS LONG AS WE HEAR FROM YOU. If we cant make contact and we dont hear from you, we will leave an hour after the flight arrives. If baggage claim is taking a while and you havent heard from us, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE call us at 877-ECO-TAXI.
Cancellation and No Show Fees
Cancellation of reservations within one hour of scheduled pick-up will result in a charge of $15. A no show fee of $30 will be charged when the passenger fails to arrive at the designated location. To avoid a no show fee, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE call 877-ECO-TAXI if you cannot locate the PlanetTran vehicle.

How many passengers/bags can the cars carry?

The Prius can seat 4 people in addition to the driver, which is comfortable for shorter trips. Typically, 3 adults w/ bags for a week is a very efficient arrangement. The Prius can carry skis, golf clubs, etc. by folding down one half of the back seat, but this reduces the person capacity to 2.

Hybrid Cars

What is a hybrid car?

A hybrid car is so-named because it has dual power sources for providing mechanical energy to the car's drive train. It utilizes both a familiar gasoline fueled internal combustion engine AND an electric motor with a battery for electricity storage.

How does a hybrid car work?

Generally, hybrid cars can use both sources of mechanical energy (electric motor and gas engines) to power the drivetrain. 'Pure' hybrids, like the Toyota Prius, are fundamentally electric cars with a gas engine onboard to serve as an elecricity generator to charge the battery. The gas engine can also power the drive train directly like a non-hybrid vehicle, when power is required. When the hybrid is stopped in traffic, or 'idling', the engine will shut off. The car can even be driven at low speeds/acceleration using the electric motor alone! The upshot is that hybrids are very fuel efficient because they turn the gas engine off when it is not needed.

Do you have to plug them in?

No. The electricity stored in the battery is generated by the gas engine and the braking mechanism. Incidentally, manufacturers are working on hybrids with higher capacity batteries which can be 'plugged in', like the first electric cars, which have unlimited range because of the gas engine.

What is regenerative braking?

Regenerative braking is a technological advance that hybrids employ which uses the electric motor to slow the car down. One of the most inefficient things one can do in a vehicle is stop it. The energy associated with the car being in motion must be dissipated as heat on the brakes in order for the car to stop. Cars with regenerative braking use the resistance of the electric motor to slow the car, while generating electricity which can be stored in the battery. This wonderfully efficient braking mechanism actually enables the car to use less gas when driving around city streets than when it's traveling at highway speeds.There is no new physics involved, only that there has never been a battery on-board a car to store such 'regenerated' electricity, but now there is on hybrids.