Wheelchair Accessible Taxis - Cape Liberty

[omah1975]

Hello, I live in the UK and have just booked a cruise from Southampton to Cape Liberty on the Anthem Of The Seas then staying for 3 nights in a hotel in Manhattan then flying home from JFK. I am in a wheelchair and asked for a quote from the company I booked the cruise with (Opodo) for a wheelchair accessible transfer from the port to the hotel and then from the hotel to JFK. The company quoted me £331 per person for myself and my carer which is way too expensive for what is quite a short journey, so I then asked for a quote for just the part from the port to the hotel as I have found a taxi company in Manhattan that only takes people in wheelchairs and charges regular rates so we can use them to take us from the hotel to the airport at the end of our holiday but they only operate in New York State and the quote given was £300 for an even shorter journey so my question is does anyone know if there are wheelchair accessible taxis at Cape Liberty or will I need to book one from somewhere and if so does anyone have any recommendations on which company to use, thanks.

Edited April 18, 2015 by omah1975

[138east]

This is a question for Meg and I'm sure she will respond when she sees your question.

 

Just to give you a reality check, for a regular car service between Cape Liberty and midtown Manhattan you can expect to pay $100-120 including tolls and tip.

 

Distance is not the big factor in this cost. The tunnel toll is expensive plus there is some turnpike toll. Going between NJ and New York is a deadhead trip for taxis. NJ taxis cannot pick up fares in NY and vice versa. Car services can more easily go between the states, but there is no guarantee that they will have a return fare. They also assume the traffic time risk since they quote a flat fare.

 

You might also check the Disabled Cruise Travel forum to connect with more folks who have used accessible car services in the NY/ NJ area.

[omah1975]

Thanks for the reply, I have also posted my question on the Disabled Cruise Forum but I'm guessing that I will get a similar kind of response.

[mking8288]

We still one of the 2 major NYC car service all the time for airports & cruise terminals, and Carmel is our preferred ones - they also have a free Mobile App for iOS & Android smartphone, which we loved !! They are inexpensive & ADA compliant with wheelchairs (i.e. minivans with ramps) - call or email them in advance for availability, prices & reservations.

I'm 95%+ that they can do it for less and they are reliable. They will pick you up at JFK & get you over to Cape Liberty as they operate in both NY & NJ.

Dial7 is the other car service & I believe they also do have minivans with ramps for accessible needs.

This is one of our local green licensed taxi & they have ramps also - https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/IMG_20150304_GTaxi-NYC.jpg

[Got2Cruise]

The webpage for Dial 7 is http://www.Dial7.com This way you can inquire from Europe over email.

[omah1975]

Thanks for the replies, I shall check them out.

[mking8288]

This is the official link to Carmel - https://www.carmellimo.com/WebApp/index.jsp

 

It also has the link to download & pre-install the free mobile APP to use. For it to work in the US, you will need to have a smartphone with international data plan & voice roaming/calling enabled so that you can use it in the US, after arrival - to keep charges low. When I book this on the APP directly myself, after we cleared US immigration/customs on arrival back to the port - it looked for available vehicle & estimated time to pickup location, in as little as 10 to 15 minutes - which actually prompted us to walk quickly outside pulling luggage, it will tell you the assigned vehicle's #, color & make of car & driver's name - plus the driver will you to directly reconfirmed, and once you are in - safely get you to the destinantion and you get a e-receipt on your registered email account, just add any toll charges.

 

Carmel (and Dial 7) only charged for & collect any actual tolls paid and used, and not for the so called "empty/return trip" as they will usually standby or go to the driver's next pickup/job assignment on the route.

 

I ran a quick fare lookup for your Cape Liberty/Bayonne trip, one-way to midtown East/Manhattan, using the Grand Hyatt Hotel at Grand Central Terminal @ E. 42nd. Street & Park Avenue - the quoted fare for a Saturday morning, 10:30 AM pickup is just $61 USD for the base fare, plus tolls (should be under $18) and add 20% gratuity - for the ride, all under $100 (minivan will fit up to 5 or 6 people + luggage, so for 2 people plus wheelchair & luggages would be super easy & simple)

From Grand Hyatt to JFK on a weekday, mid-morning or afternoon (as most UK flights leave in the late afternoon/evening) - allow for 90 minutes travel time, up to 2 hours in case of really bad & heavy traffic + being at the airport to check-in 2 to 3 hours for the flight - the quoted (WA as in "wheelchair accessible") mini-van rate is $68 for the ride (not per person) & either no toll or the mid-town tunnel toll (about $6 with electronic or "EZ-Pass" toll used by drivers) & 20% gratuity/tipping - again, under $90 USD (about $88 for my rough math if toll is paid).

 

Please price shop with Dial7 also for their pricings & make sure when you book, check the box for "WA" required so that they can be assigned correctly. We have consistently used Carmel for our trips and endorse them - should you use them, please come back & share your experience so that others can benefit. There is also an online booking coupon code discount, that will further lower your expenses by $3 or $4 per ride, details on the website on how to use it.

 

This is a picture of us riding in the back of Carmel's standard sedan from Pier 88 back to Queens - a Lincolon Towncar, black color with leather seating - super comfortable for 2 of us with 2 suitcase, all for $39 + tipping (we're east of LGA airport, as a yellow taxi ride would be about $45 + tips) Previously, we pay for a standard sedan & they gave us a minivan with free WiFi at no extra charge, only thing missing & I can't complain at all - champagne wasn't included or available, LOL.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/2015%20NCL%20BA/IMG20150329_0939.jpg

 

** If you do not plan to use or have a smartphone to use in the USA, call & speak to Carmel's CSR over the telephone as they prefer to have a mobile phone # so that in case of delays or logistical issues, the driver & you can be in touch directly without going thru the dispatcher/base station for the cars back-n-forth.