Getting around · New York · LGA
Getting to and from LGA: taxi, rideshare, transit & the cell-phone lot
The quickest way to New York · LGA airport is usually a taxi or a rideshare: a taxi runs about $35–$55 to Manhattan, and Uber & Lyft pick up in a marked pickup zone. Picking someone up instead? Wait free at the LaGuardia Free Cell Phone Lot. Below: every way to and from the airport, what it costs, whether to park or grab a ride, and how to fold the drive into your Leave-By Time so you reach security with room to get through the line. Check LGA TSA wait times today before you decide when to leave.
- Terminals
- 3
- Checkpoints
- 3
- PreCheck
- Yes
- CLEAR
- Yes
- Global Entry
- Off site
- Wait data
- Live feed
Taxis from LGA — fare and where to find the stand
Typical taxi fare
~$35–$55
to Manhattan
Drive time
20–60 min
8 mi to Manhattan
A taxi is the simplest door-to-door option and needs no app. Expect about $35–$55 to Manhattan on the meter, before tolls and tip — more in heavy traffic.
Yellow-cab taxi lines are at the Arrivals-level curb at each terminal - inside the Terminal B Arrivals & Departures Hall taxi queue and at the Terminal C arrivals curb. LaGuardia has NO flat-rate program - the fare is always metered ($35-$55 to Midtown), and tolls (RFK Bridge ~$6-$11), the $1.75 airport surcharge and tip typically push the total to about $55-$80.
The LGA cell-phone waiting lot
Picking someone up? Wait free at LaGuardia Free Cell Phone Lot. Off-airport on 94th Street between 23rd Avenue and Ditmars Boulevard, less than 10 minutes from all terminals; open daily about 7:00am-11:59pm and free. Drivers wait in the vehicle until the passenger is ready. Wait there until your traveler texts that they're at the curb, then loop in once. From the airport exit roads head to 94th Street near Ditmars Blvd; loop back to the terminal curb once your passenger calls.
Leaving a car for the trip instead of getting dropped off? It's worth checking the lots: compare LGAparking by price & distance.
Where to catch Uber & Lyft at LGA
Uber/Lyft and black cars pick up at the Terminal B Parking Garage Level 2 (Ground Transportation level, adjacent to the terminal) and at the Terminal C arrivals-level curb in designated FHV zones. At Terminal B you must walk to the parking garage Level 2 pickup hall - not the arrivals curb - which trips up riders expecting curbside pickup.
Dropping off? Drop-offs are on the Departures (upper) level curb at each terminal. LGA has 3 terminals (A, B, C), so confirm your airline's before your driver commits to a curb — find your terminal at LGA.
Driving to LGA — routes & drive time
LGA sits about 8 miles from Manhattan, a drive of roughly 20–60 minutes via Grand Central Parkway to the RFK (Triborough) Bridge into Manhattan, or via the BQE/Long Island Expressway to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel near 42nd Street — closer to the high end at rush hour. That drive time is the first input into your Leave-By Time, so the calculator counts it backward from your flight along with today's security wait and the walk to your gate.
Getting to LGA by train or transit
LaGuardia has no rail link (the AirTrain LGA plan was cancelled in 2023). Take the free Q70 LaGuardia Link bus to the 74 St-Broadway/Jackson Heights station for the E/F/M/R/7 subway, or the M60 bus to Astoria/125th St; budget about 45-60 minutes to Midtown for roughly $2.90.
Fare: Free Q70 LaGuardia Link bus + $2.90 subway = $2.90 total to reach the Manhattan-bound trains.
Hotel and city shuttles to LGA
The free Q70 LaGuardia Link MTA shuttle bus is the de facto airport connector bus; many area hotels also run courtesy shuttles from the Ground Transportation area. If a shuttle is part of your plan, add its ride time to your Leave-By Time — it's easy to forget the 15–20 minutes between the curb and the terminal.
Park or ride to LGA?
Here's the math. Parking starts around $8/day, while a round-trip taxi or rideshare to Manhattan runs about $90. So a round trip by car comes out ahead once you're away more than about 11 days — for a quick trip, parking usually costs less; for a long one, getting a ride does.
Want the exact trade-off for your dates? compare LGAparking by price & distance — the closest lot isn't always the one that costs the least.
Accessibility and late-night rides at LGA
Wheelchair-accessible (WAV) taxis can be requested at the cab stands (waits up to ~30 min); MTA Q70/M60 buses are ramp-equipped, and accessible rideshare pickup uses the same garage/curb zones.
Late or overnight arrival? Yellow cabs and rideshare run 24/7 and the Q70+subway operates overnight; note the cell phone lot is open only about 7am-11:59pm (closed overnight), so late-night drivers circle or use short-term parking.
Returning a rental on the way out? Rental returns are on-airport - follow the 'Rental Car Return' signs as you approach via the Grand Central Parkway; most agencies sit near Terminal B/Ditmars Blvd. (We cover where to return a car, not where to book one.)
Recently changed: The all-new Terminals B and C are complete; rideshare/black-car pickup for Terminal B is in the parking garage Level 2 rather than curbside. Pickup zones and curb rules change — we verified LGA's ground-transport details as of June 27, 2026. Always check the in-app pickup pin and posted signs when you land.
Flying out of a nearby airport instead?
If a fare or a schedule points you elsewhere, the closest airport we cover is JFK (New York · JFK), about 11 miles from LGA in a straight line. The same math on this page — drive time, ride cost, security wait — decides whether the extra distance is worth it.
Other airports nearby
Straight-line distance from LGA — check current waits before switching airports.
Before you go LGA
LGA TSA wait times todaySee today's security wait by checkpoint, then time your ride to the airport.Getting-around FAQ LGA
How much is a taxi to or from LGA?
A metered taxi to Manhattan typically runs about $35–$55, before tolls and tip and more in heavy traffic. Yellow-cab taxi lines are at the Arrivals-level curb at each terminal - inside the Terminal B Arrivals & Departures Hall taxi queue and at the Terminal C arrivals curb.
Where do you catch Uber and Lyft at LGA?
Uber/Lyft and black cars pick up at the Terminal B Parking Garage Level 2 (Ground Transportation level, adjacent to the terminal) and at the Terminal C arrivals-level curb in designated FHV zones. At Terminal B you must walk to the parking garage Level 2 pickup hall - not the arrivals curb - which trips up riders expecting curbside pickup. Open the app after you land and follow its pickup pin, not the curb out front.
Where is the LGA cell-phone lot?
LaGuardia Free Cell Phone Lot — Off-airport on 94th Street between 23rd Avenue and Ditmars Boulevard, less than 10 minutes from all terminals; open daily about 7:00am-11:59pm and free. Drivers wait in the vehicle until the passenger is ready. It's free, and you wait there until your traveler texts that they have their bags.
How far is LGA from Manhattan?
LGA is about 8 miles from Manhattan — roughly 20–60 minutes by car depending on traffic, via Grand Central Parkway to the RFK (Triborough) Bridge into Manhattan, or via the BQE/Long Island Expressway to the Queens-Midtown Tunnel near 42nd Street.
Is there a train from LGA to Manhattan?
Not directly. LaGuardia has no rail link (the AirTrain LGA plan was cancelled in 2023). Take the free Q70 LaGuardia Link bus to the 74 St-Broadway/Jackson Heights station for the E/F/M/R/7 subway, or the M60 bus to Astoria/125th St; budget about 45-60 minutes to Midtown for roughly $2.90.