LGA SuperShuttle take 2

ByGrace Alexander

Since I didn’t want to bother taking the bus/train at 9 pm on a Friday night I decided to take SuperShuttle from LGA again.  You may remember this post but since a lot of the SuperShuttle experience is from the driver and not the company I decided to try my luck again.

I landed in LGA, went to the Ground Transportation area in baggage claim and pressed the quick dial number for the Manhattan SuperShuttle.  This time the operator picked up relatively quickly so that was already much better.  I sat down and about 20 minutes (as the operator said) the driver came in and called my name.  I got into a van that already had 5 others and he added some other lady and me at the US Airways terminal.  The van stopped a couple more times and every legal seat on the van was full before leaving LGA.  This is the biggest difference I see between LGA and BWI.  BWI leaves with around 6-8 passengers but both times from LGA all seats have been full.

The first stop was just a couple blocks from my hotel so I thought I would be second, but instead the driver swung uptown and dropped people off up there instead.  One couple had dinner reservations at 10:15 pm so they just got off to get a cab due to all the stops.  It dawned on them why SuperShuttle is only $15+tip one way instead of the meter rate of a cab.

About an hour and 45 minutes after landing I was finally dropped off at my hotel.  Just like anything else there are opportunity costs.  I could have taken a cab and paid for a ton of waiting in traffic, but I would have gone directly from LGA to the Hilton Garden Inn Chelsea.  I could have taken the M60 to the N for $2.25 but I’d be lugging my luggage on public transit and that is a long trek.  I decided to balance safety with price and take SuperShuttle.  If I had been one of the first let off then time wouldn’t have been as much of an issue (and I’ll admit I’m BWI).

I’ll put SS from LGA back into the “you get what you pay for” category and depending on time/resources I’ll probably take them again.

Since  I didn’t bother to arrange a shuttle back since I wasn’t sure when I was going back and I had money on my MetroCard I took the subway to the bus.