• Home
  • About Evelyn Kanter
  • Evelyn Kanter’s Books & Apps
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Workshops
  • NYC Travel Guru

Evelyn Kanter ecoXplorer

smarter traveling, driving and spending

  • Green Hotels
  • Green Cars
    • Best Cars under $20,000
    • Test Drives
    • Diesel Cars
    • Electric Cars
    • Hybrid Cars
    • Hydrogen Fuel Cell
    • Luxury Drives
  • Travel Deals
    • Free
    • Budget Travel
    • Discount Tickets
  • Xplore More
    • Safety and Health
    • How To
    • Five Best
    • Travel Pioneers
    • Motorcycles
    • Vintage Cars
  • Scam Alert
  • Where to Go Next
    • Historic Travel
    • Epic Adventures
    • National Parks
Home » NYC Guide: Airport Transportation

NYC Guide: Airport Transportation

Leave a Comment

best NYC car servicesNew York City is back on top of the tourism map, which means a lot of visitors are traveling between LaGuardia, JFK and Newark Liberty airports and Manhattan, and to NYC’s other boroughs, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island.

As a native and lifelong New Yorker, these are my recommendations for the most reliable and affordable car services and licensed taxis, to help you save money and prevent you from being scammed into paying much more than what you should be paying.

Plus, this comprehensive article on NYC airport transportation includes public transportation options, to get you to or from LGA, JFK or EWR for as little as $2.75.

Flat Fee Taxi Fare Between JFK and Manhattan

Take a licensed yellow taxi for a flat fee of $52 in either direction.

That’s $52, plus some other charges, so expect to pay closer to $65 with tip.

best nyc airport transportation

These are the add-ons and surcharges in 2022:

  • Plus 50 cents MTA State Surcharge.
  • Plus 30 cents Improvement Surcharge.
  • $4.50 rush hour surcharge (4pm to 8pm weekdays, excluding legal holidays).
  • Plus New York State Congestion Surcharge of $2.50 (Yellow Taxi) or $2.75 (Green Taxi and FHV) or 75 cents (any shared ride) for all trips that begin, end or pass through Manhattan south of 96th Street.
  • Plus tips and any tolls, such as the RFK/Triborough Bridge or Queens Midtown Tunnel.

The on-screen rate message should read “Rate #2- JFK Airport.”

Trips between John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and other New York City destinations are charged the standard metered fare.

Also, trips to and from LaGuardia are charged the standard metered fare.

NYC taxi trips to Newark Airport have a different set of rules, because EWR is in New Jersey, not New York City, which is in New York State.  NYC taxis also have the right to decline taking you out-of-state.

  • Trips to Newark Airport (EWR):
    • Standard metered fare.
    • Plus $17.50 Newark Surcharge.
    • Plus 30 cents Improvement Surcharge.
    • Plus tip and tolls to and from EWR (passengers are charged for the drivers’ return tolls).
    • The on-screen rate message should read “Rate #3 – Newark Airport.”

E-Hail – NYC Taxi Apps

There are several E-Hail apps which allow you to reserve a NYC taxi online with a binding rate if you request one.

These are the E-Hail apps currently participating:

  • Waave Inc.
  • Myle Technologies Inc.
  • Wapanda Inc.
  • Curb Mobility
  • Arro

E-Hail Rules

  • If you request a trip through the E-Hail app, the meter will not be turned on for the duration of the trip.
  • Each E-Hail company sets its own rates and will give you a price prior to sending a trip request.
  • If you received a binding fare quote, you will pay the fare that you accepted. E-Hail companies are still allowed to send you metered taxis, instead of offering a binding fare quote.
  • Consult the E-Hail company if you are unsure which type of trip you are requesting.
  • The Port Authority does not currently allow taxis to be E-Hailed at the airport. However, you can be dropped off at the airport.
  • The upfront fare quote should include all charges, but the fare may change if you change your destination or if there are any unexpected tolls or taxes.
  • If you feel you have been overcharged file a complaint with 311.
  • Each app will have an option to tip the driver. As always, you can tip your driver in cash.

  Everything else you need to know about NYC taxi fares and other taxi regulations is on the official NYC government website.

NYC airport transportation
MTA photo

Public Transportation

JFK Airport

Take the AirTrain to either the NYC Subway or the LIRR for connections to Manhattan and other NYC boroughs.

Take the E, J or Z trains to make connections.  The E is an express to midtown Manhattan.  Transfer to the N, R or 7 at Queensboro Plaza to get to Times Square.

  • AirTrain fare is $8 on top of your subway or railway fare. Which means your airport connection is $10.75.
  • You cannot use unlimited passes or OMNY on the AirTrain. You must use a regular MetroCard with enough money on it.  There are kiosks to purchase one at every station in the subway system and also at AirTrain stops.
  • If you use the LIRR, sit near the front of the train.  That will put you closer to Jamaica Station when you disembark.  Use the LIRR for Penn Station in midtown Manhattan or for Downtown Brooklyn.  One-way Fares are as low as $5 off-peak.

More information on the MTA website.

There is also express bus service between the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Times Square and Terminals 1, 4 and 8.

The service is now operated by Golden Touch Transportation, formerly New York Airporter, every 30 minutes.  Fare is $19 each way or $35 round trip.

Unfortunately, JFK airport express busses operate only between 11am and 7pm.

LaGuardia Airport

Take the M60 Bus between uptown Manhattan and LGA.

The M60 starts at 106th St. and Broadway in Manhattan (use the 103 St. stop on the #1 and walk three blocks), or take the #2 or #3 express to 125th St. and Lexington Ave. and connect with the M60 there.

You can also connect with the M60 at Queensboro Plaza, via the N, R or 7.

It is a FREE transfer between the subway and the bus, which means your trip to or from LGA is just $2.75 – one of the best bargains in NYC, and certainly New York City airport transportation on the cheap.

From midtown Manhattan, take the subway or the Long Island Rail Road to Queens, then the Q70 Select Bus Service. The subway fare is $2.75, but it may take a bit longer; LIRR fares vary, but may be a shorter trip.

Q70 LaGuardia Link bus service is free. 

  • Take the E, F, M, R to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue, or the 7 to 74 St-Broadway.
  • Exit the turnstiles and make a left rather than exiting the subway station through the doors on your right. You can board an airport-bound Q70 bus there.

More information on the MTA website.

Newark Liberty Airport

There are multiple public transportation options, including PATH, NJ Transit, Amtrak, AirTrain and express bus service.

To or from Penn Station, take NJTransit

  • Buy a ticket at a vending machine or ticket counter. Fare is $8 each way.
  • Keep track of your ticket during your ride because you’ll use it both for the AirTrain and NJT.

To or from Lower Manhattan

  • AirTrain to Newark Penn Station to NYC Penn Station, connect with subways downtown
  • AirTrain to Newark Penn Station, connect with PATH to World Trade Center.  The 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, E, R, and W subway lines all have stops nearby.

More information on the MTA website.

The Newark Airport Express stops at Grand Central, Bryant Park, and Port Authority, and runs directly to Newark airport.

  • Buses leave every 15-30 minutes, depending on time of day and day of week.
  • The service operates daily from 5:30am from EWR to Manhattan and 7am from Manhattan to EWR.
  • Last busses are 10:45pm from EWR to Manhattan and Midnight from Manahttan to EWR
  • More information here, including booking a ticket online.

 

NYC airport transportationRecommended NYC Car Services

Long before app-based ride services surged onto the scene from Silicon Valley, NYC had a thriving local car service industry, and still does, including family-owned businesses.

NYC-based car services offer similar competitive prices and late model cars to the Silicon Valley companies Uber and Lyft, and competitive with NYC taxi prices.

Plus, NYC-based services hire only professional, experienced drivers who know NYC and don’t need to rely on GPS to find an address or the back route to the airport when the highway is gridlocked.

NYC-based car services also give you the choice to order your vehicle by app or the old-fashioned way – dialing instead of texting to speak to a real live person to order your car.

Some NYC-based car services have both local phone numbers with 212 and 917 area codes, and toll-free  numbers.

What a concept!  Speak to a real live dispatcher who knows the city and its traffic patterns and can advise you on the best pick-up time for wherever you are going.

And that real live person can take your credit card info so you can prepay on the phone and not even bother to sign anything when you are in the vehicle.

Your credit card stays on record for the next time, and you get an actual receipt via email for each ride you take – just as with those app-based services owned by the Silicon Valley millionaires.

Unfortunately, even some of the local car services have begun to charge more for peak demand times, but nothing like the surge pricing charged by the Silicon Valley companies.  Plus, you are told up-front, so there are no expensive surge pricing surprises when you get the bill.

All those things make locally-based NYC car services more convenient and often less expensive than those Silicon Valley companies.

And since many car service drivers maximize their income by working both for a NYC-based company and one of the Silicon Valley imports, you are not taking work away from a NYC driver – you are giving him or her more work.

If you are tired of surge pricing surprises, drivers not familiar with NYC or with the English language, or with sending your money to Wall St. investors, check out these reliable, professional NYC-based car services, some of which also have a national presence.

NYC-based traditional black car and neighborhood livery drivers can take mobile payments and send you an email receipt.

And unlike those Silicon Valley companies, the NYC car services also take that old-fashioned hand-held payment system called cash.

BTW – I always give a cash tip, even when I pay by credit card, so drivers don’t have to wait for the payment cycle from the car service company or from the credit card company.  That applies also to licensed NYC taxis.

Carmel

Carmel has been providing reliable car service at reasonable prices for more than 25 years. I use them regularly and recommend them. They  offer discounts for non-peak airport service – just ask.

They also have partners in other cities, including Los Angeles.

Their experienced telephone dispatchers know traffic patterns and will tell you if your requested travel time to the airport is not enough, or just order a car through their app, the same way you would an Uber or Lyft ride, and pay electronically or with cash.

Dial 7

Dial 7 also has been providing reliable car service at reasonable prices for more than 25 years.  I use them regularly, too, and recommend them.

They also have partners in other cities, including Los Angeles. 

Dial 7, like its chief competitor Carmel, offers discounts for non-peak airport service if you ask, and their telephone operators know traffic patterns and can advice you on the proper timing for your trip.

You can also order a car via their app, the same way you would order an Uber or Lyft ride, and pay electronically or with cash.

  • Phone Number: (212) 777-7777

Allstate Limo

Based in Chelsea, AllState is in a great location to easily get to anybody in New York City in a reasonable pickup time.

Their drivers look and act professionally, and they offer discounts for regular riders.

  • Phone Number: (212) 333-3333
    Website

Carey

Primarily a corporate service, Carey also transports non-corporate individual passengers, although at rates slightly higher than Carmel, Dial 7 and AllState, in part because drivers are uniformed and vehicles are more likely to be higher-end luxury sedans and SUVs.

  • Phone Number: (800) 336-4646
    Website

Elite Green

If you are eco-minded, this is the car service for you.  Elite Green’s fleet strictly is exclusively fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles, including the Lincoln MKT and Mercedes S550.

For security, personal account riders cannot enter a vehicle without a voucher.

  • Phone Number: (866) 696-5966
    Website

Wiro

Wiro is the best car service you’ll find for your money in NYC. Of all the companies on this list, Wiro is the most consistent, which is a huge plus in a city where being five minutes late will enrage a lot of customers.

Drivers often arrive early and will call and text you when they are near. With low prices and high courtesy, Wiro is the way to go.

  • Phone Number: (718) 775-2611
    Website 

Arecibo

Based out of Park Slope, Arecibo serves the entire tri-state area and has the tagline “we’ll be there in 5 minutes.”

We wouldn’t always count on that to hold 100 percent true, but they are good about always being prompt. Arecibo offers standard, luxury, minivan, and SUV vehicles.

  • Phone Number: (855) 428-0222
    Website

New Family

Based on the Upper West Side, New Family services the entire city, specializing in Upper Manhattan and Bronx, primarily with bi-lingual Latino drivers.

  • Phone Number: (212)749-7777
  • No website, but positive review on Yelp

This article was published originally on NYC on the Cheap, now rebranded as NYC Travel Guru, and has been updated for ecoXplorer.

The original and updated articles are both (C) Copyright Evelyn Kanter.


 

Thanks for visiting ecoXplorer. Stay up to date with the latest news about green travel, green cars, smart spending and frugal living by subscribing. It's free. RSS feed.
Welcome back to exoXplorer. Stay up to date with the latest news about green travel, green cars and smart spending by subscribing. It's free. RSS feed.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Airline Travel, NYC Travel Guru, Scam Alert, Smart Spending, Where to go Next Tagged With: JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, New York City, Newark Liberty Airport (EWR)

What do you think? We value your comments and love hearing from you. Cancel reply

ecoXplorer is your guide to smart spending and eco-friendly living

Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and guidebook and smartphone app author – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.

Also follow my NYC website, www.nyctravelguru.com.

Most Popular Recent Posts

  • Scam Alert: Kars4Kids Car Donation Charity
    Scam Alert: Kars4Kids Car Donation Charity
  • 2 Reasons to Avoid Jimmy John's
    2 Reasons to Avoid Jimmy John's
  • Scam Alert: Mideast Peace Charities
    Scam Alert: Mideast Peace Charities
  • About Evelyn Kanter ecoXplorer
    About Evelyn Kanter ecoXplorer
  • NYC Guide: Airport Transportation
    NYC Guide: Airport Transportation
  • Museum Day FREE Admission Nationwide on Sept. 17 - Download Tickets Now
    Museum Day FREE Admission Nationwide on Sept. 17 - Download Tickets Now
  • Lamborghini Stretch Limousine for Rent
    Lamborghini Stretch Limousine for Rent
  • Free Hotel Rooms for Cancer Patients
    Free Hotel Rooms for Cancer Patients
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
    Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Allergy-Free Hotel Rooms
    Allergy-Free Hotel Rooms

Search ecoXplorer by category

Translate ecoXplorer

© 2010-2020 EcoXplorer by Evelyn Kanter. All the stories and photos on our site are protected by US Copyright laws. Any unauthorized copying is strictly prohibited. Plus, it’s just not nice.

  • Home
  • About Evelyn Kanter
  • Evelyn Kanter’s Books & Apps
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Workshops
  • NYC Travel Guru

ecoXplorer.com is an independent information service which is compensated by advertisers and sponsors. This site includes some links to other websites which are compensated for by our sponsors when you click them.

 

Loading Comments...