Just in time for the holiday madness that is getting one’s self out of LaGuardia, on-demand rideshare platform Via has partnered with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to offer $15 (from Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens) and $20 (from the Bronx and Staten Island) flat-rate rides from the airport. Not only does the service, called “LGA Connect,” seek to help travellers get where they’re going more quickly, but it will hopefully reduce traffic and congestion on the roads.
Via is different than other ridesharing platforms like Uber and Lyft in that they only offer shared rides. According to their press release:
Via’s algorithm matches multiple passengers headed in the same direction into a single vehicle and provides passengers with vehicle identification information and an ETA. Rides depart within 10 minutes, and passengers will be dropped off at a nearby corner within walking distance of their destination.
The rides can be booked on the Via app every day between 8am and 1am. Those without the app can visit the new LGA Connect pickup point outside of Terminal C/D.
Via tells us that 30 million people flew through LaGuardia last year, and a whopping 90 percent of those got to the airport by private vehicles, taxis, or shuttles. It’s well known that Thanksgiving is the busiest time to fly, so the launch of LGA Connect comes at a perfect time. In addition to the typical gridlock traffic getting to the airport, last year, the TSA warned of “extremely high” security lines, estimating that 48,000 people would pass through checkpoints. And with the ongoing construction as part of Governor Cuomo’s $8 billion overhaul of the airport, the situation has only gotten worse. In August, nearly 150 flights were cancelled due to weather-related issues. Coupled with construction diversions, the congestion getting to the airport got so bad that many passengers chose to exit their vehicles and walk.