NYC Guide: Airport Transportation

New York City is back on top of the tourism map, which means many visitors are traveling between LaGuardia, JFK and Newark Liberty airports and Manhattan, 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.

You can pay as little as $2.90 per person for public transportation or as much as $100 or more for a car service for one-way transportation.

This comprehensive guide gives you all your choices between JFK, LaGuardia, Newark International (EWR) and Manhattan, which is where most visitors to NYC stay.

Flat Fee Taxi Fare Between JFK and Manhattan

Take a licensed yellow taxi for a flat fee of $70 in either direction. The fixed-rate fare went up from $52 on Jan. 1, 2023.

That’s $70, plus some other charges, so expect to pay closer to $85 with tip.

These are the add-ons and surcharges in 2023:

• 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.

New in 2023 is an additional $5 surcharge to drop-off or pick up at either JFK or LaGuardia.

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

Trips between John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and other New York City destinations outside of Manhattan are charged the standard metered fare, plus fees.

Trips to and from LaGuardia are charged the standard metered fare, plus fees, including the new $5 airport pick-up and drop-off fee.

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 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 has 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.

Public Transportation

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

Take the AirTrain to either the NYC subway or the LIRR commuter rail line 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 LIRR railway fare.
• If you connect to the subway, a $2.75 fare, your trip will be $10.75.
• You cannot use unlimited subway passes on the AirTrain, but the turnstiles do accept the OMNY touch-and-and go payment system.
• If you use a regular MetroCard, be sure there is enough money on it for the fare.
• There are kiosks to purchase a MetroCard at every station in the subway system and also at AirTrain stops, where you can choose an individual ride, a set dollar amount such as $20 or $30, or an unlimited weekly pass.
• If you use the LIRR, sit near the front of the AirTrain.  That will put you closer to Jamaica Station when you disembark for less walking with your luggage.
• 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, for some incomprehensible reason, JFK airport express busses operate only between 11am and 7pm.

New Direct Train Link to Grand Central Terminal

LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

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.

There 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 International Airport (EWR)

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.

Recommended 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.

Most NYC-based car services are small, family-owned businesses.

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, and I have been using them that long. 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, Brooklyn, 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

Prem’s Luxury

Operated by a father-daughter combo.  Prices are higher than other car services recommended here, but it gets high marks from followers on Facebook.

• No website
• Facebook page which includes phone number

This article was published originally on NYC on the Cheap, which was hacked, held for ransom and destroyed in Feb. 2022, and is now rebranded as NYC Travel Guru.

This article has been has been updated for ecoXplorer and re-published periodically, including in Jan. 2023 with new rates.

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

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

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is the President of IMPA, the International Motor Press Assn., and a former Board member of SATW, the Society of American Travel Writers.

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.

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