How Much Is A Ride
Transportation by cab in New York is very affordable, but definitely takes longer than the subway, or a brisk walk if the distance is not too great. Why? Because traffic in the city is incredibly busy and traffic jams are a daily occurrence. If you are really in a hurry, you are better off looking for the nearest subway station than trying to hail a cab. If you would like to estimate a fate you can do so here: Fare Estimates.
How Much Is A Taxi Ride
New York Yellow Taxis do not offer a flat rate other than to certain airports.
You will be charged by a meter counting time and distance. Once you are in the taxi and it starts moving, the meter starts running.
The meters are generally very accurate. Don’t let a driver tell you a price other than what the meter says!
Base charges
- The base fare of $2.50.
- There is a $0.50 New York State tax surcharge.
- From 4 pm to 8 pm on weekdays, you will pay an additional $1.00.
- From 8 pm to 6 am, you will pay an additional $0.50.
Once the meter is running
- When the taxi is moving, you pay $0.50 per 1/5 of a mile (moving at or above 6 miles per hour.
- If the taxi is sitting still or must slow down due to traffic, the charge is $0.50 for 2 minutes of time stopped or traveling below 6 mph.
Extras
- There is no charge for luggage and no per passenger surcharge. Yeah!
- Any tolls for crossing bridges or tunnels that charge, you pay for. Note that the bridges between Manhattan and Brooklyn are free. It is doubtful you will be going through the tunnels or bridges with fares unless you are going far out of the city or to an airport.
Methods of Payment Accepted
Tipping
If you were satisfied with your driver, then a 15% tip is standard. If the driver was exceptional, friendly, and didn’t drive like a maniac, 20% is a very nice tip.
If your driver was really awful, did not follow your instructions, was rude, and did drive like a maniac, you don’t need to tip.
Airport Fares
New York Taxi Rider’s Bill Of Rights
In New York, these are taken seriously, though most New Yorkers are too distracted to care, and cab drivers are pretty good about following the rules.
As a taxi rider, you have the right to:
- Direct the destination and route used
- Travel to any destination in the five boroughs of New York
- Air-conditioning on demand
- A courteous, English-speaking driver who knows the streets in Manhattan and the way to major destinations in other boroughs
- A driver who knows and obeys all traffic laws
- A radio-free trip
- A clean passenger seat area and a clean trunk
- A driver who uses the horn only when necessary to warn of danger
- You have the right to refuse to tip if the above are not complied with.
Truly, taxi rides in New York are part of the fun of being in the Big Apple. Drivers can be very welcoming and entertaining.
Make the most of your ride in an iconic yellow taxi cab!
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Taxis Of New York City
In New York City, taxicabs come in two varieties: yellow and green they are widely recognizable symbols of the city. Taxis painted yellow are able to pick up passengers anywhere in the five boroughs. Those painted apple green , which began to appear in August 2013, are allowed to pick up passengers in Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens , and Staten Island. Both types have the same fare structure. Taxicabs are operated by private companies and licensed by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission . It also oversees over 40,000 other for-hire vehicles, including “black cars”, commuter vans, and ambulettes.
Taxicab vehicles, each of which must have a medallion to operate, are driven an average of 180 miles per shift. As of March 14,2014, there were 51,398 individuals licensed to drive medallion taxicabs. There were 13,605 taxicab medallion licenses in existence. By July 2016, that number had dropped slightly to 13,587 medallions, or 18 lower than the 2014 total. Taxi patronage has declined since 2011 due to competition from ridesharing companies.
New York Airport Transfer
If you are going to visit NYC / New York, we can help you to start your visit stress-free. We are delivering private transportation for groups and individuals, holidays and business, from any New York airport to New York city, Port of Manhattan, New Jersey cruise terminal, Port of Brooklyn, and to the main resorts in the region, as Long Island, Nassau county, Suffolk County, New Jersey, with a large fleet of budget and premium vehicles, 6 seater minivans and minibuses for groups of 14-36 people. Our prices are “all inclusive” and fixed, for a total comfort and hassle-free arrival to New York.
Book online your Private Transfer, using our website with an online safe payment. Our driver will be waiting for you at the arrival terminal of the airport, showing a board with your name, taking you to your destination fast and stress-free.
- Select your options for pickup and drop off from the list of available routes in booking form.
- Complete your personal data, flight details and the mobile phone number and confirm the payment with your credit or debit card . Your booking will be automatically processed and confirmed and you will receive all the details by email immediately.
If you are travelling within USA, please check also our services in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas. For other destinations in the USA and Canada, please also check here.
Meet & Greet at airport arrival lounge
Meet & Greet at cruise terminal
Safe Payment
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How To Get From Lga Airport To City Centre By Train
There is no direct subway service at LaGuardia Airport. If you wish to use the subway system to reach Manhattan from the airport you will need to take the Q70 SBS LaGuardia Link Airport Bus to transfer to the metro station, located nearby on Roosevelt Ave. This transfer will take approximately 15 minutes. From Roosevelt Ave you are able to take the E Subway Line into Midtown, which will take around 35 minutes.
Youre In The Back Seat What Happens Next
Once you get inside the cab, say hello and take a second to settle down. Once you start moving and the meter has been started state your destination. Drivers usually dont like to drive to other boroughs, for example Brooklyn or Queens. However, legally they still have to drive you there.
- Be as specific about your destination as possible. If you know the cross street name it. This will make the drivers job easier and you will reach your destination sooner and often more efficiently.
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Become A Pro At Taking Taxis In New York
Whether youve just moved to New York or youre in NYC for the weekend, the first thing youll need to figure out is how to navigate the city. And trust me, you will get lost, but know that weve all been in your shoes. Of course, youll use public transit, but sometimes, youll want to take a taxicab. Luckily, the city is brimming with yellow cabs, but you have to know what youre doing to get a taxi. Follow my guide, and soon youll be taking taxis in New York like a local.
Uber Vs Yellow Cabs Example
It can be difficult to understand how these pricing structures work in real life, so here is an example of how it works with Uber. For a 5-mile, 10-minute trip going 25 miles per hour the entire way, uberX would cost $2.55 base fare plus $3.50 for the 10 minutes plus $10.75 for the mileage, for a total of $16.80. You can now add a tip on Uber if you choose.
But what about yellow cabs? The same 5-mile, 10-minute trip going 25 miles per hour, the entire way in a taxi would cost the base fare of $2.50 plus 25 units at $0.50 each, or $12.50, for a total of $15.00. It is customary to tip the driver 10% to 20%. This adds $3 to the cab fare, for a total of $18.
In this example, the cost of each ride is close. Which option is cheaper in other scenarios depends on traffic. When Sara Silverstein did the math for Business Insider, she found that taxis are cheaper in New York City when traffic is flowing at under 20 MPH. Uber is cheaper in other cases unless it is charging high-demand fares.
Editors note: This article was previously published with inaccurate and out-of-date information. In addition, it made false and insensitive characterizations of both taxi and Uber drivers that Investopedia does not stand by. We regret that we missed these issues when this article was recently updated, but we have since corrected it and we apologize for the remarks and the oversight.
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Getting Around: New York City Taxi Tips
There are eight million stories in the naked cityand more than 13,605 taxi cabs, those for-hire autos known the world over by their canary-yellow hue. Heres a quick look on how NYC taxis work: Everything a visitor needs to know before settling into the back seat.
Cabs cruise city streets 24/7. Except at Grand Central Terminal,Port Authority, and Penn Station, there are no taxi stands in NYC.
An illuminated medallion number on the rooftop indicates a cab is available. To hail it, simply extend or wave your armaugmented, if you like, with a whistle or the shout taxi!
Passengers can specify any destination within the five boroughs, Nassau and Westchester counties, or Newark Airport.
When giving an address, it helps to tell the driver the cross streets .
The iconic yellow cabs can pick up or drop passengers anywhere. The newer apple-green variety serves riders north of E. 96th and W. 110th sts in Manhattan and throughout the outer boroughsThe Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
The cab meter starts, or drops at $2.50. In addition to the length of the ride, the final fare also reflects:
–a $.50 MTA state surcharge
–a $.30 improvement surcharge
The opportunities for sightseeing in NYC are limitless, but golfers should definitely make time to check out some of these city links. The prices to get in a round are quite goodbetter if youre a resident of the city.
What To Do When Everyone Is Looking For A Taxi
Aside from using Uber, Lyft, or Via, how do you get a taxi when everyone else is trying at the same time? Well, of course, you can use Arro, an app that will bring a taxi to you. Or you can walk a block or two and probably have better luck. If you notice five or ten other people trying to hail cabs within the same block, walk to the next avenue, or walk a couple of blocks in the direction youre heading, and chances are, you will get a cab . Sometimes the avenues are overrun with folks trying to hail cabs, so standing on a side street might work too.
During the busiest times when taxis are scarce and Uber and Lyft are overpriced, try Via, a rideshare. You may have better luck. Otherwise, I hope you have walking shoes.
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Difference Between A Yellow Taxi And A Green Taxi
Yellow cabs are the official, and iconic, taxis in NYC.
Green cabs are new to the city, since 2013, and the program was created to serve areas of New York not commonly served by yellow medallion cabs.
Yellow taxis swarm Manhattan. Go to Brooklyn or Queens, it is not likely you will see any yellow taxis. But now you will see green taxis!
Green taxis are allowed to pick up passengers in northern Manhattan , and anywhere in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens .
They can drop you off anywhere without restriction. Green taxis have another feature not widely known: you can call one in advance or use their app to see if one is nearby!
Watch this video about green taxis, but will also help you understand the taxi system in general.
How To Hail A Cab In Nyc
We asked Nikki, our local guide and expert in New York City, how to properly hail a cab so you dont look like a silly tourist flapping your arms about on Broadway.
1. Get on a street thats headed in the direction you want to go. Aim to be toward the beginning of the block, just past the corner .
2. Step to the edge of the sidewalk. Youll see many New Yorkers standing a few steps into the street but if you copy that, please be careful of traffic especially bikes!
3. Do NOT wave your hand frantically . Wait until you see a cab approaching with its light on . Look carefully, as it can be a bit hard to see its the number in the front of the cab that lights up.
4. When you see a cab, stretch your hand in the air. Some people give a little wave, some dont. But if you do wave, know that once is enough. If you make eye contact and see the car heading toward you, you can put your hand down.
5. When you enter the cab, its polite to thank the driver and ask how theyre doing today.
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How Much Does It Cost To Get A Taxi License
In New York City, all taxis need something called a medallion in order to operate in the city. A medallion is basically just a taxi license, that gives you the right to drive a cab in the city. Like stated above, there are only 13,000 licensed taxis in the city. The problem with this is that the city has a fixed amount of medallions that they allow, and it has been set at 13,000 for years. Therefore, the demand for these medallions is quite high.
In the 90s, a corporate taxi medallion cost around $200,000. Nowadays, the taxi licenses cost close to one million dollars. According to Bloomberg, 2 taxi licenses just sold for a record price of $1 million each. As you can see the demand for these licenses is increasing, and with that, so are the prices.
But just how much can you earn as a medallion owner? Investors are actually flocking to these medallions because they view them as good investments. After paying for maintenance, insurance, and workers compensation, etc., medallion owners could earn up to $50,000 per year on their investment. Thats better performance than both gold and oil!
Theres even a New York based corporation, which is publicly traded, that invests in these taxi medallions. Known as the Medallion Financial Corp. , the firm owns around 300 medallions, is constantly buying more, and is always looking for new investors. They claim around a 3% per year return, which is better than many other investments including gold, oil, treasury bonds, etc.
Why Do Medallions Cost So Much
If you want to get into the cab industry in NYC, you have to pony up around a million dollars just for the right to operate the vehicle. That doesnt include any of your operational costs either. So why would anyone buy a medallion? It seems like a waste of money on the surface. But if we dig down we can see that there are some very good reasons.
The primary reason that the medallions cost a lot is simply the scarcity of them. People want them, they are hard to come by, and people are willing to pay that much for them. Just like a rare piece of artwork, a precious jewel, or an ounce of gold: what people are willing to pay dictates the majority of the price. But there is an additional underlying reason. And that reason is low-interest rates.
If we look at the value of a medallion just 10 years ago, we can see they were selling for just under $400,000. When the economy went south in 2007, the price of a medallion bucked the trend and starting increasing rapidly. By 2010, the value of one had doubled. By 2013, the value had tripled from the 2005 price. The biggest reason: dropping interest rates.
Those in the taxi business look at the price of a medallion not as a cost, but as an investment. Its a very safe investment with pretty low risk. In order to get that same low risk, you would have to invest in a treasury bond. Current interest rates, for a 30-year bond, are right around 3%. Keep that number in mind, its important.
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Free Things To Do In New York City
Take a walking tour. There are so many different tours to choose from! Try a food tour, bus tour, bike tour, etc. Participation is free, just make sure to leave a tip for the guide.
Participate in a show recording. Tickets are free to attend a recording, but they go fast, so I suggest booking 1-2 months in advance. Shows include: Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, Lake Night with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Stephen Colbert.
Summer Activity: Watch an outdoor movie at Brooklyn Bridge Park or Bryant Park. The exact dates and movies change from year to year, so make sure to check their websites!
Carnegie Hall Citywide partners with local community organizations to present free concerts throughout New York City. This is a great way to enjoy a free concert during your 4 days in New York City. For a list of current events, .
Best time to visit New York City
- My favorite time to visit New York City is during the holiday season because of the Christmas markets and decorations.
- My second favorite time to visit is during fall because of the mild temperatures and beautiful fall foliage.
But theres no bad time to visit New York City. Just know that winters can be brutally cold . And the summer heat and humidity is tough to handle .
Is the New York City Pass worthwhile?
Good question. It depends on the duration of your trip.
Another option to consider is the New York City C3 Pass. The C3 pass is $84 per person and allows access to three attractions over the span of 9 days.
Taxis