Photo: Via

LaGuardia Airport Introduces $15 Flat Rate for Rides Into New York City

New York City News Airports + Flying
by Eben Diskin Nov 18, 2019

Christmas is coming early for frequent travelers through New York’s LaGuardia Airport. With few efficient or affordable public transportation options from the airport to the rest of the city, and seemingly endless construction, LaGuardia is notoriously headache-inducing. Now, however, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is teaming up with ride-sharing app Via to offer a flat rate for transportation to the five boroughs.

For a very affordable $15, passengers leaving the airport can take a pool ride to any destination in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens. For the Bronx and Staten Island, the rate jumps to $20. The service is called LGA Connect, and it’s currently in a pilot phase, only available for passengers arriving at terminals C and D (there is a “LGA Connect” pickup point outside of the terminals). Pending its success, however, it will be expanded to the other terminals as well.

To use the service, just book rides through the Via app, which has a separate LGA Connect option on its menu. Once you enter your destination, the app will match you with other passengers traveling in the same direction. All rides are supposed to depart within 10 minutes of booking, with passengers being dropped off at a corner within walking distance of their destination. Rides can be booked seven days a week, but only between 8:00 AM and 1:00 AM.

Not only will this flat-rate service allow passengers to travel into the city quickly and for cheap, but it will also reduce the infamous congestion at LaGuardia and provide a sustainable option to travelers. According to Via, more than 90 percent of LaGuardia travelers used private vehicles or individual taxis/rides last year.

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