New York Airport Bus Service

[GTJ]

A new bus service has started to and from New York City's two airports, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy. This service is being provided through a company marketing itself as NYC Airporter, http://www.nycairporter.com. Owned by the multinational company Veolia Transportation, and operated locally by Golden Touch Transportation of New York, Inc. (a company long known for transporting flight crews), the new operation promises a higher level of service than that which has been provided by the incumbent company, New York Airport Service, http://www.nyairportservice.com.

 

Two things are of particular interest here to cruise passengers.

 

First, according to a New York Airport Service ticket agent with whom I spoke briefly this evening, the incumbent bus company plans to continue operating and to compete with the new company. Interestingly, New York Airport Service has a franchise from the City to operate the service, while NYC Airporter has a permit from the Port Authority to operate the service. The City had issued a Request for Proposal as part of a competitive process to renew its franchise, but it is unclear now how the City will be proceeding given that the Port Authority has now permitted NYC Airporter. This may result in competition driving down fares on the airport routes. This will be interesting to watch as New York Airport Service is affiliated with City Sights, a double deck hop-on, hop-off, tour bus company that has just been ordered to sever its ties to Gray Line, possibly resulting in greater competition and lower fares there as well.

 

Second, for the more ambitious cruise passenger traveling between the Cape Liberty Cruise Port and either LaGuardia or John F. Kennedy International Airport, the NYC Airporter service allows for some interesting transfer opportunities. The new service not only goes from the two airports into midtown Manhattan, but some of the trips continue onward to the Sheraton Hotel in Weehawken, N.J. This hotel is two blocks away from the Hudson-Bergen light rail line that goes to Bayonne (the hotel is marked as building 2 on the Lincoln Harbor map below). Thus, one could ride NYC Airporter from JFK to Weehawken, then walk to the Lincoln Harbor light rail station. The light rail trains then go to 34th Street, Bayonne, where an inexpensive taxi will make the connection to the port. NYC Airport operates every 2 hours between each of the two airports and Weehawken, with a fare of $21.00, the light rail fare is $2.10, and the taxi ride is less than $10.00.

Lincoln Harbor.pdf

NYC Airporter.pdf

Light Rail.pdf