heeney

Last couple times I have taken a taxi from LGA to midtown they always seem to be taking the RFK bridge and then a slow crawl down the FDR to midtown.
Is that somehow supposed to be faster or are they just running up the fare?

Would you recommend requesting to go via the Queens Midtown Tunnel next time?

IMDonehere

If the driver knows the back streets taking the 59th Street can be the best.

If you are going downtown the Williamsburg Bridge can be the best depending on traffic in Brooklyn/Queens.

The tunnel can be good depending on how far the traffic is backed up on the LIE and exactly where in Manhattan you are going.

Most cab drivers live in Queens and Brooklyn and they often know the back ways.


I am native NY'er and I always ask the driver how the traffic has been that day and which way looks best.

nytraveler

Part of it depends on where you are going. If uptown or upper midtown you are better with the bridge. The tunnel only makes sense if you are heading to lower midtown or downtown.

No the purpose of the bridge is NOT to run up the fare - often it is the fastest way. We live uptown and only ever take the bridge.

Remember, this is NY and there is usually a lot of traffic everywhere.

Caveat: Traffic patterns vary daily based on construction, accidents, weather - and most important time of day and day of week. And if there are real problem spots the driver will know. You can ask which way is faster at that specific time.

doug_stallings

Actually, I disagree with nytraveler on this. Many drivers run up the bill by taking the RFK Bridge, which is a rip-off if you are going below 70th Street. All the drivers know that adds at least $7 to $8 onto the fare and doesn't take any longer than other routes in terms of time, which is why they do it. I also live uptown, so the RFK Bridge is the best route for me, but not if I'm going to midtown.

The Midtown Tunnel (same toll) is usually a better route but can also be backed up during the day; and realize that it lets you off at busy 34th Street, which is still a long way from much of Midtown on the west side. The Queensboro Bridge is free, but because of that it has some of the heaviest traffic, though if you are going to east Midtown, it's generally better.

But my experience suggests that the real reason drivers prefer the RFK is the extra money.

You can specify a route, and the driver is supposed to follow it.

doug_stallings

If you are coming into the city from the airport on a weekday during the day, it's usually better to arrange a pick-up with Uber, which is often cheaper than other car services. Or you can take a regular car service, which (with tip) will cost about $43 to Midtown, including tolls if you reserve in advance (more than $50 if you do not). Then it doesn't matter which route they take because it's a set fare. If that's cheaper than what you're used to paying, I'd arrange a car service. It's a big chaotic at LGA, but that's usually not much slower than a taxi line during the day.

DebitNM

Doug - How would one arrange an Uber pick up at LGA? Where does one meet up with the driver considering the chaos that is usually present at LGA?

We are arriving mid afternoon on a Saturday in May. We are heading to Park Central Hotel on W 57.

We don't usually fly into LGA [usally JFK and then we take LIRR] and we usually stay in Murray Hill.

A car for $43 sounds good, but if Uber is less and not too difficult to use, we'd consider using the service.

doug_stallings

You walk out into the center island, where they do pick-ups and meet your driver. I met a driver at LGA late Monday afternoon. It was chaotic, but we kept in touch and he waved at me, and I jumped in. Took about as long as the cab line.

The base cost of a typical LGA pick-up is $29 to $43 depending on time of day and how far in advance you book. But then you have to add in tolls and tip, so you end up over $40 regardless. I usually tip $7 for a car service, which is about 20%. UberX can be cheaper depending on demand and traffic, just as a regular taxi is almost always cheaper than a car service from LGA and a car service is almost always cheaper than a regular taxi from JFK or EWR.

heeney

We are actually trying to get to Bryant Park from LGA on Tuesday. Around 1pm.
So would the RFK route be a rip? Sounds like queens tunnel would be best.
In one instance the cabbie took RFK down FDR all the way to about 28th st.
They just seem to ALWAYS take that route and I was thinking there must be a reason.

IMDonehere

The tunnel leaves you off closest to Bryant Park.

Dukey1

This past Tuesday I took a taxi from LGA bound for Penn Station and the mid-town tunnel was, as expected, the route used. This was at 9 AM and AS USUAL there was a 15-20 minute waiting line for the cab (JetBlue terminal); the traffic was bumper to bumper all the way TO the tunnel and there was the usual congregation of stopped-to-deliver and so forth on the side streets. If there WERE some so-called "better way" to get there I am absolutely baffled as to what that might have been.

ekscrunchy

The best way to midtown is often via Astoria and onto 59th St Bridge. We always go that way by taxi..via Grannd Central Parkway to the ñlaxst exit before Trinoro Bridge, ending up on CrescentStreet and from there to Lower Roadway of 59 st Bridge. No tolls.

ekscrunchy

Amended post, above: Ask Driver to take route through Astoria; it might be Crescent or 22nd Street but the driver will know. You want the 59th Street Bridge, also called Queensboro Bridge and also known by new name of Koch Bridge but driver might not know that last name.