If These Pictures Don’t Make You Sign Up For Uber or Lyft…

a hand holding a phone with a map

A recent trip to New York’s LaGuardia airport provided me an acute reminder of the first day I decided I needed to sign up for Uber.

I had flown into New York with my family late in the evening, landing at LaGuardia after 9pm because of departure delays.  We stumbled out to the cab line to find the line stretching endlessly, with no cabs in sight.  After about 30 minutes I was finally able to “convince” a Super Shuttle guy to squeeze us into one of his vans, our kids utterly exhausted.

When I landed at LGA last week, I was again reminded how painful that cab line can be.  The line was so long it bent back around, making it difficult to get through the doors to exit the terminal.

Make You Sign

Make You Sign

And, while it’s a little tough to see from the first picture, there was exactly one cab waiting for a passenger.

Meanwhile, my Uber was waiting for me and I was on my way to downtown before any other cabs showed up to help deplete the line.

Uber and Lyft are the two dominant providers in the ride-share/limo market.  I’m a big fan of Uber.  They’re more widespread and a bit more professional for my taste.

It’s worth your while to sign up for at least one of these to have in your back pocket.  They offer a number of different services to fit different price points.

Here’s my Uber referral link, I appreciate it if you use it to sign up.  Feel free to leave yours in the comments.

9 Comments

  1. Uber rocks! Download the app and use “sonnyt14” to save $30 on your first ride. If you go over, you have to pay the difference. If it’s less, the credit doesn’t transfer over. There’s a function to estimate the cost of your fare and it’s pretty precise.

  2. I usually, if by myself, go up to departures to catch a cab dropping someone off..One needs to time it just right and jump in…..

  3. Just an FYI to folks arriving at LGA. If you need a cab, there’s a workaround to getting one. Just head to the arrival area. That’s where taxis are dropping people off. 😉
    Cabbie aren’t allowed to pick you up there, but I’ve never been denied a ride.

    1. Dan, good tip. At IAD, I’ve had cabbies refuse to pick me up on the departures level and the middle level for regular cars. And, I had an Uber driver stopped by a police officer on the top level. So, I wouldn’t have thought to go upstairs at LGA in a pinch.

  4. I’ve been a happy Uber user for quite a while. Lately, they seem to be slipping. One example of recent issues: On a business trip to D.C. recently, 3 of 3 drivers could not find our destinations, even with the help of their GPS. Even though they wandered off the direct routes, no adjustment was made on the fares. Since we were then running late, I didn’t have time to discuss the “overcharge”. Luckily, I had lived in the area some time ago, and helped them along. (easier said than done…..in all three cases, their command of the English language was VERY limited) Other than being in a black car, service was no better than a cab. I do hope things will improve.

    1. Flyer2, I’ve had literally only two issues with Uber. In both cases, I e-mailed Uber and they credited me the full amount of the trip. I’d suggest trying the same. That’s where I think it differs from a regular cab service.

  5. Is that the Central Terminal Building? If so, instead of standing in the line where UA spills out, go all the way to the end (to the right if you’re at baggage claim and facing the street). There is another taxi line there which is always overflowing with cabs, so the line moves fairly quickly, even if long.

    1. gobluetwo, are you talking about taking a right when you walk out of the United baggage claim area, around the corner? I usually see the line much shorter there.

      1. Yup, that’s the one. Often, when there is a line at the first cab stand, the one down and around the corner is empty, or nearly so. On Sunday nights, when you have all those business travelers coming in before the week starts (guilty), both lines are long, but the one around the corner moves MUCH more quickly. There are ALWAYS a ton of taxis there, where the first line is often devoid of cars.

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