This is hands down the WORST taxi business ever and I can only hope that Uber and Lyft will put them out of business. Their business model is truly horrendous, extortionate and unethical. I took one of these cabs at Sarasota airport and asked them to take me home, which is close to the ringling museum - that's less than a mile (roughly 0.7 miles). I could easily walk that, but I had a heavy bag. My trip to the airport with an Uber cost $5.28. So I thought this would only be slightly more expensive. When the driver dropped me off at home (after roughly 3 minutes of being in the vehicle) he said that it would cost me $25. When I asked to see the meter he said "no meter, just a flat fee to and from the airport". That is just disgrace. Flat fees were introduced to stop consumers being ripped off! All I can say is avoid them. No repeat business from me! read more

When one collects ones bags at SRQ and needs a taxi, Diplomat has someone staked out at the taxi exit who asks if you need a cab. This is a Diplomat employee who steers you to one of their cabs. He will offer to put you bag in the trunk and then expect a tip. Just watch out is all I am saying. The cab driver was ok but the CC machine was "broken". I don't usually carry cash, so he was lucky . Not sure what would have happened had I not had cash. Advice; ask before you get in. The cab definitely was showing its age and the emissions "check engine" light was on. My experience tells me the emissions were not in perfect working order. All this would be less annoying if the ride to Longboat Key hadn't been 30% more than the ride back to SRQ (I highly recommended Yellow Cab for this). read more

No problems, has a nice taxi driver. The ride from the airport to the Ritz was about $14. That seemed reasonable to me. The car was very clean, the driver clearly had pride in his car. One star off for the credit card machine not working. Make sure you ask before you get in if you don't have cash. read more

The night before my trip I ordered a pick up for 4am from my hotel, a well known resort in Sarasota. At 4 there was no car. I called right away they said the would get in touch with dispatch and get back to me. At that point another party heading to the airport offered to let me join their cab. That ride came about 4:10. I called Diplomat back to cancel. I got the same speech that they would get in touch with dispatch and get back to. I had to explain again I was canceling because they did not show. Had it not been for the other people and their cab I'd have been screwed. read more

Horrendously overpriced. Much higher than a Manhattan cab!!!!!!!!!!!! USE UBER read more

Worst experience ever! While getting situated and trying to get the broken seatbelt to latch "Richard" the taxi driver slammed on his brakes sending me into the floor with both knees bruised and skinned from hitting the seat in front of me. He didn't even apologize. He charged me $30 to get to my house that has always been a $16 trip with UBER! Never again will I use this horrible taxi company and I'll let everyone know the gouging price difference and unsafe driving habits!!! read more

Go with anyone else. I called twice to be sure we would be picked up in an SUV as we were traveling with an infant and had a lot of gear, she showed up 10 minutes late with a car. Luckily everything just fit, while driving our driver got out of the car at a red light to get her phone that was on the passenger side floor... safe. On the app the estimate to get the airport was $24.95 and the actual price was almost $50- luckily we had some cash because the credit card machine didn't work... I'll take my chances with UberXL, or literally anyone else, from now on. read more

Just flew in to SRQ at midnight and had no choice as to which taxi was available. A customer in front of us got into a newer Lincoln, we got Diplomat.(wrong name for a horrible company) The driver was courteous and helpful, but the old Chrysler van with sagging interior ceiling, unwashed, cluttered and dirty inside and out was a disgrace. Sarasota, the Airport Authority and the company need to rethink their licensing requirements and minimum standards. We live in one of the most beautiful areas in our country and permitting 3rd world taxis is NOT acceptable. We just returned from 2 weeks in 5 Central European countries and all had better taxi options. Our ride to the airport we used Uber, great service, NEW vehicle and 1/2 the price. read more

Terrible. Cars smell like marijuana. My driver B was rude and sped the whole time. Expensive. Definitely sticking with Bruce's.

Ridiculous taxi from the Sarasota airport home. Had to wait 25 minutes before sharing a car with another customer who was waiting. Driver dropped off the other passenger and got paid then tried to charge us $16 for a 2 mile ride. The driver also constantly swerved and talked on his cell phone. It's no wonder Uber is taking over. read more

Only reason it gets two stars is the vehicle was comfy. The driver and service was unfortunately much less comfortable. Next time I'd prefer to grab a bike or possibly even drag myself across hot coals by my nose. What a miserable person to greet me on arrival to Sarasota. read more

This Place Is Overpriced, The Office Staff Are Rude and Do Not Know What There Doing. The Response Time Is Horrible And I Will NEVER use them again. read more

Not a very good experience. We stayed at Ramada during Thunder By The Bay and the hotel desk clerk called them to take us to Primo Ristorante. She drove us the one mile from our pickup to our destination and charged us $10. Then demanded a tip that she acted like was not enough. I know I will never use them again. read more

Terrible service. Took this from the airport to my Mom's driver got completely lost and a 15 minute ride took 45 minutes. Then ordered a pick up the night before to get to airport and taxi never showed. When I called they said he would be there in two minutes, still never showed. Neighbor offered a ride 25 minutes later! I drove around all week using Google Maps, never got lost. No excuse for a professional driver. read more

Hustled leaving Sarasota airport and led to Diplomat. Did not realize we were not in a regular taxi line. Told we were being charged by mile, driver did not say the rate, ended up charging us twice what ride would have cost in a regular taxi. Avoid!!!! read more

Used Diplomat Taxi from Sarasota/Bradenton Airport the last week of November 2019. Overcharged for sure....wish I would have complained sooner. $60 for the same ride Uber charged $20 on my return ride to the airport. Also seen the little sign stating if no receipt is given, the ride is free. Driver said he couldn't take my credit card. If course if you take cash, the owners don't know how much the ride was....totally taken advantage of....never again. Need to report them to BBB. read more

I like the fact SRQ has this service. My wife and I have Uber but the price was about the same to the Hyatt Regency. Starter was very friendly and took care of the bags promptly. 1st class treatment. I saw a couple reviews about this company's cc devices not working. No problem with ours. Printed a receipt to us too. Highly recommend using this company, especially at night. The area can be sketchy and the Driver (Rodrick?) made us feel safe, and didn't BS us. Thank you SRQ. read more

Overcharged, the run from my house to SRQ is $25 flat rate or meter. Charged me $33! Also took a second fare which usually results in a cheaper rate. He shut the meter off shortly after leaving the Airport thought it was because there was 2 riders. When I objected to the price that he just came up with using his phone, he said how about $30! No, what is the fair fare, he was willing to negotiate which told me he was not being honest. I like to the think he was confused but? Use, Uber or Lyft or arrange with the many people in the area that do Airport pickups and drops, reasonable pricing, last time I used someone to go from Bradenton to Tampa $55 not bad. But $33 from SRQ to Bradenton! read more

If I could give less then one star I would. I used to praise this ride but not anymore. I live 2.2 miles from my house to work and they want to charge me $30 flat rate and I'm apparently not paying that. I'll walk an hour first. I'm so shocked about this. I was told they only worry about airport riders now. I'll never suggest them again to anyone. read more

I gave them one star because zero stars was not an option. Allow me to begin. A few days before a recent trip, I called Diplomat and inquired what the rate would be from SRQ to a local address, as the price would have me make a decision to take a cab from the airport (Diplomat is the only taxi service at the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport) or have someone pick me up. Got to SRQ, picked up my bag, and off to the taxi stand. Got in the cab on a very hot day and all the windows were rolled down. I asked the driver to please put the windows up and turn on the AC. Her reply was that she couldn't, the AC was broken. We had not left airport property, so I asked her to turn around and go back to the cab stand so I could get another cab. She ignored me and kept on driving!!! We got to my residence and the fare she stated was more than I was quoted and having already dealt with her interpersonal skills and customer service, I paid. That late afternoon, I called dispatch to voice my concerns. The young lady told me she could not handle the problem, but I could rest assured that first thing tomorrow morning, she would share the information I gave her, and someone in a management position would be in touch with me. And I fell for it! Never heard back from Diplomat. They're the only taxi service at SRQ, get somebody to pick you up if you're flying to Sarasota. read more

I've taken Diplomat cabs to and from the Sarasota airport for years and have never had a problem. Driver Mike Hurst in particular was outstanding: he called to tell me I had overpaid him by $30 and then returned my money! Haven't had that sort of service since I lived in Japan. Thanks, Mike! read more

I used the wheelchair accessible van twice on a trip to Siesta Key. Dave, who is the rep at the Sarasota airport, was extremely helpful in arranging the van. What a super nice guy! He met us halfway across the airport to help my wife with the luggage. Chris, our driver on both days, was funny, knowledgeable of the area, on time and super nice. Dave and Chris are 2 all-stars of Diplomat Taxi. I did not give a 5 star rating because of the initial confusion I had making arrangements. The website declares reps are available 24/7 and to call 12 hours in advance. I did. I got an answering service that said call back the day you need the taxi. I did. The woman on the phone said she needed 24 hours' notice. Her information and the website information conflict. Bottom line...I would call M-F the week before you need the accessible taxi to avoid any confusion. I would ask for Chris. He is awesome. read more