Despite Palm Springs being relatively close to Los Angeles, there’s no easy way to get there without a car. Driving time is usually 2 hours, but if you don’t have your own vehicle your only other options are to fly (which can be expensive) or take the Amtrak and the thruway bus (which takes time – 3 1/2 hours).
Or so I thought.
A new company called Tesloop is making our lives a whole lot easier with a direct rideshare service between Los Angeles and Palm Springs. Imagine Uber Pool but in Teslas and with all these amazing extras like free snacks and neck pillows.
I found the service after looking on the Visit Palm Springs website when I was trying to figure out the best way to get from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. Initially it sounded almost too good to be true, but as I spoke to more people, they started telling me their friends had tried it too.
So I decided to give it a go. With prices ranging from $39 to $79 depending on the day and time, this is by far the most affordable option if you’re travelling by yourself.
Riding a Tesla to Palm Springs
When you book with Tesloop you have to pre-book your ride. Unlike Uber the ride doesn’t come to your home – instead you need to choose a pickup location from the map. There are a several different pickup and drop-off locations around Los Angeles, and when you get to Palm Springs there are drop-off locations at all the popular hotels.
You’ll also have to choose a specific time – there are currently up to 4 different times to choose from in the morning, afternoon and evening. I chose to be picked up at Starbucks Venice Blvd Culver City at 7.50pm.
Once I’d made my reservation I received a confirmation email with details of my ride, then I received a phone call about an hour before my trip to confirm my ride was on its way.
From start to finish, the service was incredible. When my ride showed up at the Starbucks parking lot it looked like something out of a Batman movie. I’d never ridden in a Tesla before so this was a completely new experience for me!
Once inside a representative from Tesloop actually made a video call to us in the car to provide an introduction to the Tesla experience. I thought that was pretty awesome to know the company cares so much that they would actually have someone explain the features face-to-face.
The service also has all these awesome extras, such as free WiFi, neck pillows, chargers, headphones, water, hand sanitiser, tissues and a power inverter. Just before we set off the driver opened up a refrigerator box and offered me a choice of all these different gourmet snacks and drinks produced by awesome companies, so I chose a coconut water and a trail bar.
Then all I had to do was sit back and relax as our driver drove us from LA to Palm Springs. The first part of the journey was spent chatting to the driver and other passengers, then I dozed off for a while until I arrived at my destination. We were able to choose our music and to see the progress of the journey on the central panel. Since it was night time there was no traffic, which meant we arrived bang on time.
This is without a doubt the best way to get between LA and Palm Springs. The ride was smooth, our driver was super friendly and it was an easy way to get from A to B. I’d much rather do this than spend my day stuck in TSA lines at the airport or dragging my bags onto a train and then a bus. Tesloop is fast, sustainable and exceptionally comfortable. Plus you get to choose your seat at booking!
With the US having such a car culture it often seems like it’s difficult to get around without your own vehicle, but with companies like Tesloop it’s becoming easier and easier to get around the USA without a car. I’m just hoping Tesloop appears in more cities around America!