How New York Moves: The Complete Guide to Transportation In and Out of the City

New York is the most transit-dependent major city in the United States, and the only American city where a majority of households do not own a car. This is not an accident of geography but a consequence of infrastructure: New York built, across a century of concentrated investment, a system of subways, commuter rail lines, buses, ferries, and tunnels so comprehensive that car ownership in Manhattan is not merely unnecessary but, for most residents, actively inconvenient. The result is a city that moves more people daily — about 8.5 million subway rides alone on a typical weekday — than most countries move in a week.

The system is enormous, complex, occasionally maddening, and irreplaceable. Understanding it — all of it, from the express train to the airport ferry to the overnight bus — is the difference between moving through New York with confidence and moving through it with anxiety. This guide covers everything: how the city's transportation organizations are structured, how to get into and out of the five boroughs by every means available, and how to navigate the specific quirks and opportunities that experienced New Yorkers have learned and tourists rarely know.

The Organizations

New York's transportation infrastructure is administered by a patchwork of overlapping agencies, each with its own jurisdiction, funding structure, and operational logic. Knowing who runs what is useful when something goes wrong, and in New York, something eventually goes wrong.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is the largest regional transportation agency in the United States, responsible for the New York City Subway, New York City buses, the Long Island Rail Road, the Metro-North Railroad, and the Staten Island Railway. It operates under a state charter and is governed by a board whose members are appointed by the Governor of New York and the mayors of the counties it serves.

The MTA's operating budget exceeds $20 billion annually, funded through a combination of fare revenues, dedicated taxes, federal grants, and, perennially, political negotiation. It is simultaneously one of the most essential and most argued-about institutions in New York public life: underfunded relative to its maintenance needs, subject to the competing political interests of New York City and New York State, and staffed by tens of thousands of people who keep a system running that, if it stopped, would functionally halt the city's economy.

The MTA is the agency most visitors and residents interact with most frequently. The MetroCard — and its successor, the OMNY tap-to-pay system — is the MTA's fare instrument, accepted on subways, buses, and the Staten Island Railway.

New York City Transit (NYCT)

New York City Transit is the MTA subsidiary that specifically operates the subway and the city's bus network. When New Yorkers talk about "the MTA" in everyday conversation, they usually mean New York City Transit — the organization responsible for the 472 stations, 245 route miles, and approximately 6,400 subway cars that constitute the New York City Subway.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

The Port Authority is a bi-state agency, created by compact between New York and New Jersey in 1921, that operates the region's airports, tunnels, bridges, bus terminals, and port facilities. The Port Authority runs JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports; the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels; the George Washington Bridge; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown — making it the agency responsible for the majority of the city's connections to the outside world.

The Port Authority is funded primarily through tolls and fees rather than taxes, which has historically given it a degree of financial independence that MTA does not enjoy but has also made it a target of political influence when appointments to its board — split between New York and New Jersey governors — become contentious.

New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT)

The city's own transportation department manages streets, bridges, traffic signals, bike lanes, the Staten Island Ferry, and the ferry terminals that serve the DOT's boat services. The NYC DOT is the agency that has driven the expansion of protected bike infrastructure, the introduction of the Citi Bike program (in partnership with Lyft), and the ongoing conversion of street space from car storage to pedestrian and cycling use — a transformation that has accelerated considerably since 2013.

The Subway

The New York City Subway is the foundation of the city's transportation system, and there is no other urban transit network in the United States that approaches it in scale, frequency, or round-the-clock availability. It is also one of the oldest subway systems in the world, with infrastructure that reflects its age in ways both charming and frustrating.

The Basics

The subway operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This is unusual: most major subway systems in the world close overnight for maintenance. New York's continuous operation is both its most significant advantage — the city genuinely never stops — and a significant source of its maintenance challenges, since the windows available for track and infrastructure work are limited to late-night periods of reduced (but never zero) service.

The system comprises 25 services designated by numbers and letters, running across 27 lines of track connecting 472 stations in four boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Staten Island is served by the separate Staten Island Railway (see below). The subway does not serve the Rockaways or other outlying areas by subway; buses, commuter rail, and ferries cover those gaps.

Fares and Payment

The base fare is $3.00, payable by OMNY contactless payment. OMNY — the MTA's tap-to-pay system, which accepts credit cards, debit cards, and smartphone wallets — is the payment method going forward.

A weekly unlimited ride cap — currently $35 — is automatically applied through OMNY: once you have paid the equivalent of an unlimited card in individual fares within a seven-day period, all subsequent rides within that period are free.

Reduced fare is available for seniors (65+) and people with qualifying disabilities at half the standard fare. Children under 44 inches tall ride free; up to three children may ride free with a paying adult.

As of January 1, 2026, you can no longer buy or refill the iconic MetroCard. However, it will be accepted into 2026 until an exact date to be announced later this year.

Express and Local Trains

The subway's most important operational distinction is between express and local service. On lines with three or four tracks — the major Manhattan trunks — some trains run express, stopping only at major stations, while others run local, stopping at every station. Express trains are significantly faster over long distances: the A train from 59th Street to 125th Street takes approximately eight minutes express versus considerably longer on the C local. The correct choice of express or local is the first skill a subway rider develops, and the subway map is colour-coded to make the distinction legible.

Key express-local pairs:

• 1 (local) / 2, 3 (express) on the West Side IRT, serving the Upper West Side and Harlem
• 4, 5 (express) / 6 (local) on the East Side IRT, serving the Upper East Side and the Bronx
• A, C (express/local) / E in the 8th Avenue corridor
• B, D (express) / N, Q, R, W (varies) in the 6th Avenue / Broadway corridor
• J/Z (rush hour express) on the Jamaica Line in Queens and Brooklyn

The Lines

The Numbered Lines (IRT)

The IRT — Interborough Rapid Transit — lines, designated by numbers 1 through 7, were the first subway lines built in New York, opened beginning in 1904. They use narrower cars than the lettered lines, which is why you sometimes feel more confined on a 4 or 5 train than on an A or F.

The 1, 2, 3 serve the West Side, running from lower Manhattan up through Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, the Upper West Side, and into the Bronx (2, 3) or terminating at Van Cortlandt Park (1).

The 4, 5, 6 serve the East Side, running from the Financial District and Grand Central up through the Upper East Side and into the Bronx. The 4 and 5 run express; the 6 runs local and terminates at 125th Street (local 6) or Pelham Bay Park (express 6 at rush hour).

The 7 runs crosstown from Times Square/Hudson Yards through Midtown, Long Island City, Jackson Heights, and Flushing — the most internationally diverse subway corridor in the city, passing through some of the most densely multilingual neighbourhoods in the world.

The Lettered Lines (IND and BMT)

The lettered lines use wider cars and serve a broader geographic range. Key lines:

The A, C, E run through 8th Avenue in Manhattan, connecting the Far Rockaway and JFK Airport connections (A) with Midtown and Lower Manhattan. The A is the longest line in the system, running from Inwood in upper Manhattan to Far Rockaway and Lefferts Boulevard in Queens.

The B, D run up 6th Avenue and split into the Bronx (D) and Brooklyn (B), offering express service and serving, among other major stops, 34th Street/Herald Square, 42nd Street/Bryant Park, and the Upper West Side.

The F, M run from Queens through the Lower East Side and into Brooklyn, with the F extending to Coney Island.

The G is the only line in the system that does not touch Manhattan, running through Brooklyn and Queens and serving the neighbourhoods of Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Park Slope, and Carroll Gardens. It is the most complained-about line in the system — short trains, infrequent service, frequent delays — and is also, for many Brooklyn and Queens residents, essential.

The J, Z serve Jamaica, Queens and the Williamsburg and Bushwick neighbourhoods of Brooklyn, with limited-stop Z service during rush hours.

The L runs crosstown from 14th Street/8th Avenue through Union Square, then across 14th Street into Williamsburg, Bushwick, and East New York. It was extensively rebuilt between 2019 and 2023 following Hurricane Sandy flood damage, emerging with fully modern signals and a significantly improved service. The L's Williamsburg stations are among the most crowded in the outer boroughs.

The N, Q, R, W run up Broadway in Brooklyn and Queens, through lower Manhattan, and in the case of the N and Q, all the way to Coney Island (N) and Astoria (Q).

The S designates multiple shuttle services: the 42nd Street Shuttle (Times Square to Grand Central), the Franklin Avenue Shuttle in Brooklyn, and the Rockaway Park Shuttle in Queens.

Accessibility

The New York City Subway has a significant accessibility deficit: only about 30% of stations are fully ADA-accessible with elevators, a consequence of the system's age and the extraordinary cost of retrofitting century-old underground infrastructure. The MTA's current capital program includes accelerated elevator installation across the system, but full accessibility remains years away.

Riders who require elevator access should check the MTA website or app for real-time elevator status before traveling; elevators at accessible stations have a meaningful rate of outage that the MTA tracks and publishes. The MTA also operates Access-A-Ride, a paratransit service for riders who cannot use the fixed-route transit system.

Navigation

The official MTA app and Google Maps both provide reliable real-time subway navigation. The real-time train location data that powers these apps is available at station platforms on countdown clocks — a relatively recent addition (most stations received them between 2017 and 2022) that transformed the experience of waiting for a train from an exercise in uncertainty to a manageable activity.

The system map is available for free at any station booth. The essential habit of an experienced subway rider is to orient oneself by uptown/downtown direction and express/local designation before descending to the platform, since the platforms for different services at major stations are sometimes separated by significant distances underground.

The Staten Island Railway

The Staten Island Railway — operated by the MTA — is a surface rapid transit line that runs 14.3 miles from St. George Terminal in the north (adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry terminal) to Tottenville in the south. It operates 24 hours, seven days a week, and is the only subway line that serves Staten Island.

Crucially, the Staten Island Railway is free to ride for passengers arriving via the Staten Island Ferry — validating as you exit the ferry terminal is automatic. For passengers boarding at other stations, the standard MTA fare applies. This makes the Staten Island Ferry / Railway combination one of the best free or near-free transit experiences in the city: the ferry across the harbor, with views of the Statue of Liberty, followed by a journey the length of the island, for nothing or next to nothing.

NYC Buses

The MTA operates approximately 5,800 buses on more than 300 routes across the five boroughs, making it one of the largest bus systems in the United States. Buses are slower than the subway but serve areas the subway does not reach, and crosstown buses — those running east-west across Manhattan — are often the best option for trips that would otherwise require multiple subway transfers.

Local Buses

Local buses stop at every block or every other block and accept the same MetroCard or OMNY payment as the subway, with free transfer between bus and subway within two hours of the first tap. Local bus routes are designated by borough initial and route number: M15 (Manhattan), B41 (Brooklyn), Q32 (Queens), Bx12 (Bronx), S79 (Staten Island).

The M15 on First and Second Avenues is one of the busiest and most useful local bus routes in Manhattan, running the full length of the east side from the Financial District to 126th Street. The M60 connects the Upper West Side (at 106th Street) to LaGuardia Airport without requiring a subway transfer, making it a useful and extremely cheap airport connection.

Select Bus Service (SBS)

Select Bus Service routes — designated by "SBS" after the route number — operate with off-board fare payment and all-door boarding, significantly accelerating service on the system's highest-volume corridors. SBS riders must pay at the ticket machine on the sidewalk before boarding and carry their receipt; fare inspectors board periodically and issue summonses to riders without valid receipts.

Key SBS routes include the M15-SBS (1st/2nd Avenues), the M34-SBS (34th Street crosstown), the Bx12-SBS (Pelham Parkway in the Bronx), and the B44-SBS (Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn).

Express Buses

Express buses — designated with an X in their route number — provide limited-stop, premium-fare service connecting outer-borough neighborhoods to Midtown Manhattan. They are particularly important for Staten Island and eastern Queens, where the subway does not reach, and are priced at a premium above the local fare. The SIM routes (Staten Island Express) and QM routes (Queens to Midtown) are the most heavily used.

Night Buses

Because the subway operates overnight, nighttime bus coverage supplements rather than replaces the subway. The most important overnight bus routes are the "Owl" services that cover the crosstown corridors (M14, M21, M34) and the local routes serving areas where subway frequency drops significantly after midnight.

Commuter Rail

Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)

The Long Island Rail Road is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, carrying approximately 300,000 riders daily between Penn Station (and now, with the East Side Access project, Grand Central Madison) and Long Island's Nassau and Suffolk Counties. With 124 stations across 11 branches, the LIRR serves not just Long Island commuters but New York City residents traveling to the Hamptons, Fire Island, and other Long Island destinations.

Penn Station (at 34th Street and 7th Avenue) has historically been the LIRR's primary Manhattan terminal; the 2022 opening of Grand Central Madison — a new underground terminal beneath Grand Central Terminal on the East Side, the product of decades of planning and construction — now provides East Side access for LIRR riders. Service from Grand Central Madison has significantly reduced the number of transfers required for riders coming from the eastern suburbs to the East Side of Manhattan.

LIRR tickets are priced by zone and time of day, with peak fares (weekday rush hours) considerably higher than off-peak fares. Monthly passes are available. The LIRR accepts credit cards and the MTA app for ticketing; on-board ticket purchase from conductors incurs a surcharge.

Metro-North Railroad

Metro-North serves the northern suburbs of New York City — Westchester County, Putnam County, and Connecticut — as well as the Hudson Valley and the Catskills area via its Hudson Line. The three main lines are:

• Hudson Line: Grand Central to Poughkeepsie, along the east bank of the Hudson River; one of the most scenic commuter routes in the Northeast
• Harlem Line: Grand Central to Southeast, New York, through the Bronx and Westchester
• New Haven Line: Grand Central to New Haven, Connecticut, through the Bronx, Westchester, and coastal Connecticut — the longest and busiest of the three

Metro-North's principal Manhattan terminal is Grand Central Terminal. The trains also stop at Harlem-125th Street station (on the Harlem and New Haven lines) and Marble Hill station in upper Manhattan.

Metro-North tickets are zone-based and time-of-day priced, similar to the LIRR. The MTA app handles ticketing. Monthly passes are the economical choice for regular commuters.

The Port Jervis and Pascack Valley Lines, technically operated by NJ Transit but partly funded by Metro-North, serve Rockland and Orange Counties in New York from Penn Station via New Jersey — an unusual arrangement that reflects the regional complexity of the commuter rail network.

New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit)

NJ Transit is New Jersey's statewide transportation agency, operating commuter rail, light rail, and bus service throughout the state, with its primary New York connection at Penn Station. NJ Transit trains serve Newark, Trenton, Princeton Junction, and Atlantic City from Penn Station, as well as dozens of intermediate stations throughout New Jersey.

For visitors or residents traveling to Newark Airport, the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line connects Penn Station to Newark Liberty International Airport station in approximately 25 minutes; from there, the AirTrain to the terminals takes a few minutes more.

NJ Transit also operates extensive bus service into the Port Authority Bus Terminal (see below), particularly important for communities in northern and central New Jersey that are not served by rail.

Amtrak

Amtrak — the national passenger railroad — operates from Penn Station in Midtown and provides the primary intercity rail connections from New York. Key Amtrak services:

• Northeast Corridor (NEC): The most heavily traveled rail corridor in the United States, connecting New York to Philadelphia (70–95 minutes), Washington, D.C. (2.5–3.5 hours depending on service), and Boston (3.5–4.5 hours). The Acela, Amtrak's high-speed service, offers the fastest times on this corridor and a business-class experience significantly above the standard NEC trains.
• Empire Service: Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo — the main connection to upstate New York.
• Lake Shore Limited: Chicago, via Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Toledo — the long-distance service connecting New York to the Midwest, operating once daily with sleeping-car and coach options.
• Carolinian / Palmetto: Raleigh, Charlotte, and Savannah / Jacksonville — the primary connections to the South Atlantic states.
• Crescent: New Orleans, via Philadelphia, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Birmingham.

Amtrak tickets range from relatively affordable coach fares — particularly on the standard NEC services — to expensive sleeper fares on the long-distance trains. The Acela premium is significant and is most useful for time-sensitive business travel where the 30–45 minutes saved over standard NEC service is worth the price difference.

Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal

Penn Station

Penn Station — officially Moynihan Train Hall and the older Penn Station complex beneath Madison Square Garden — is the busiest railroad station in North America by passenger volume, handling Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road, and New Jersey Transit from its underground concourses at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue.

The original Penn Station, demolished in 1963 in the act of civic vandalism that led directly to the creation of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, was one of the greatest public buildings in America. What replaced it — a low-ceiling underground warren beneath a sports arena — has been the model of what urban transportation infrastructure should not be. The Moynihan Train Hall, which opened in 2021 across 8th Avenue in the former James A. Farley Post Office building, has provided Amtrak passengers with a significantly improved experience: a soaring glass-roofed hall of genuine architectural quality, with natural light, wide concourses, and the civic character that the original Penn Station had and its replacement conspicuously lacked. The LIRR and NJ Transit concourses remain in the older facility.

Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal, at 42nd Street and Park Avenue, is the terminal for Metro-North commuter rail and, since 2022, the LIRR (at the new Grand Central Madison lower level). It handles approximately 750,000 visitors and commuters daily and is, by any measure, the most beautiful public building in New York. The main concourse — its turquoise-vaulted ceiling painted with the constellations, its four-faced clock above the information booth, its windows letting afternoon light fall at the angle that has been photographed more times than can be counted — is free to enter and free to traverse, and is worth visiting on its own terms regardless of whether you are catching a train.

The terminal contains shopping, dining, the Oyster Bar restaurant in the lower level, and the famous Whispering Gallery outside the Oyster Bar, where the curved ceiling transmits whispered speech between two people standing in opposite corners forty-five feet apart.

Airports

New York is served by three major airports, all operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, collectively handling more than 130 million passengers annually and constituting the largest airport system in the United States.

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

JFK is the primary international gateway to New York, located in Jamaica, Queens, approximately 15 miles from Midtown Manhattan. It operates six terminals handling more than 60 million passengers annually, with the greatest concentration of transatlantic, transpacific, and intercontinental routes of any American airport.

Getting to JFK from Manhattan:

• AirTrain + Subway: The AirTrain connects JFK's terminals to the Jamaica station (A, J, Z, E trains) and the Howard Beach station (A train). From Midtown Manhattan, the Jamaica connection takes approximately 50–60 minutes and costs $8.50 for the AirTrain plus the standard subway fare. This is the cheapest and, in normal traffic conditions, often the fastest option.
• LIRR: The Long Island Rail Road connects to JFK via the Jamaica interchange, with AirTrain connection. From Penn Station or Grand Central Madison to JFK via LIRR and AirTrain takes approximately 30–40 minutes and is faster than the subway connection for riders starting from Midtown.
• Taxi: Yellow cab flat rate from Manhattan to JFK is $70 plus tolls and tip. Travel time varies from 45 minutes to well over an hour depending on traffic.
• Rideshare (Uber/Lyft): Comparable in price to taxis, with variable surge pricing. The designated rideshare pickup at JFK requires a short AirTrain journey from terminals to the rideshare lot.
• Express Bus: The NYC Airporter and several private services operate express bus connections from Midtown Manhattan hotels to JFK.

The New JFK: The Port Authority has committed to a multi-billion-dollar redevelopment of JFK, replacing the current ageing terminal infrastructure with consolidated, modern facilities. Construction is underway; the project will take several years to complete.

LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

LaGuardia is the closest airport to Midtown Manhattan — approximately 8 miles from Midtown — and serves primarily domestic routes. It is also the most recently rebuilt: the new LaGuardia, with its unified terminal complex, roadway system, and Central Terminal Building replacement, is largely complete and represents one of the more significant airport redevelopments in recent American history. The new terminals are airy, well-designed, and a dramatic improvement over what LaGuardia was for most of its history.

Getting to LaGuardia:

• M60 Bus: The M60 SBS bus connects 125th Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side to LaGuardia's terminals, making stops along 125th Street and 23rd Street in Queens. Free with OMNY, approximately 45–60 minutes from 125th Street.
• Q70-SBS: Connects Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue subway station (7, E, F, M, R trains) to LaGuardia in approximately 10 minutes — one of the fastest public transit connections to any New York airport.
• Taxi: Metered fare from Midtown, typically $30–$40 plus tolls and tip in normal traffic; significantly more in rush hour.
• Rideshare: Similar pricing to taxis, with designated pickup zones at each terminal.
• LaGuardia Link (future): Plans for an AirTrain or similar fixed-rail connection to LaGuardia have been debated, cancelled, and revived multiple times. As of 2026, no rail connection exists, making LaGuardia uniquely dependent on ground transportation among major American airports.

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Newark Liberty is technically in New Jersey but is considered part of the New York airport system and, in terms of flight options and airline presence, is equivalent to JFK and LaGuardia for most purposes. It is United Airlines' primary hub and a major international gateway.

Getting to Newark from Manhattan:

• NJ Transit + AirTrain: The NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line from Penn Station to Newark Liberty Airport station, connecting to the AirTrain to terminals, takes approximately 25–30 minutes from Penn Station and costs around $15 total — the cheapest and fastest connection among the three airports.
• Amtrak: Amtrak trains also stop at Newark Airport station, but at a significantly higher fare than NJ Transit; only useful if already traveling by Amtrak.
• Taxi/Rideshare: Significantly more expensive than NJ Transit due to distance and tunnel or bridge tolls; typically $70–$100+ from Midtown depending on traffic and surcharges.

General Note on Airport Timing

New York airport ground transportation is uniquely susceptible to traffic conditions that make all time estimates unreliable during rush hours, major events, or weather events. The general rule: allow significantly more time than you think you need, particularly for JFK and LaGuardia by taxi or rideshare, and particularly during morning and evening rush hours (7–10 AM and 4–7 PM). The transit options (AirTrain + subway, NJ Transit) are more reliably timed because they are mostly grade-separated from traffic.

The Port Authority Bus Terminal

The Port Authority Bus Terminal at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue is the busiest bus terminal in the world by some measures, handling approximately 65 million passengers annually through its two-block complex of gates and concourses. It is also, by the frank assessment of almost everyone who uses it, one of the least pleasant transportation facilities in North America — ageing, overcrowded, and in a state of chronic underfunding that the Port Authority and state governments have been arguing about for decades.

Long-distance and regional bus services departing from the Port Authority Bus Terminal include:

• Greyhound, FlixBus, BoltBus and other national carriers: connections to Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., and cities throughout the eastern United States
• NJ Transit buses: extensive service to New Jersey communities not served by rail
• Short Line/Coach USA: service to upstate New York, including the Hudson Valley, the Catskills, and western New York
• Peter Pan Bus Lines: service to Boston, Hartford, Springfield, and other New England cities
• Adirondack Trailways: service to Albany, Lake Placid, and other upstate destinations

Many express buses — particularly to New Jersey — also board from street stops along 42nd Street and in Midtown, without requiring entry to the terminal itself, which commuters who know the system prefer when possible.

Midtown Bus Stop at 34th Street: Several private carriers, including Megabus, operate from curbside stops on 34th Street and other Midtown locations rather than the Port Authority terminal. These services — typically slightly cheaper than terminal-based carriers — have become popular for trips to Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington.

Taxis

Yellow Cabs

The yellow medallion taxi is the most recognizable symbol of New York transportation and, despite competition from rideshare apps, remains one of the most practical options for point-to-point travel within the city. Yellow cabs can be hailed from any street corner — raise your arm when the roof light is illuminated, indicating the cab is available — and can pick up passengers anywhere in the five boroughs.

The meter starts at $3.00 and increases by time and distance. A trip from Midtown Manhattan to Brooklyn might run $25–$35; a longer trip across Manhattan might be $15–$20. A flat rate of $70 (plus tolls and tip) applies to trips between Manhattan and JFK Airport.

Credit cards are accepted in all yellow cabs by law. Tips are customary at 15–20%.

Yellow cab drivers hold a Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) license and must pass an extensive knowledge test of New York City streets. The fleet is regulated for vehicle condition and driver conduct; complaints go to the TLC.

Green Boro Taxis

Green Boro Taxis — also called "green cabs" — were introduced in 2013 to provide metered taxi service in the outer boroughs and northern Manhattan (above 96th Street on the East Side and above 110th Street on the West Side), where yellow cabs are rare and street hail was previously unreliable. Green cabs operate identically to yellow cabs in terms of metering, payment, and regulation, but cannot pick up passengers in the yellow cab zone (below those streets in Manhattan) or at airports.

Rideshare: Uber, Lyft, and Via

Uber and Lyft operate extensively throughout New York City and the surrounding region, accessible via their respective apps. The rideshare market in New York is among the most regulated in the country: the city has implemented a minimum wage standard for rideshare drivers and has capped the number of rideshare vehicles operating in Manhattan below 96th Street during certain hours, reducing the saturation of the pre-2018 market.

Via operates a shared rideshare service — essentially a dynamically routed minibus — that offers lower per-ride prices in exchange for shared vehicles and slightly less direct routing. It is particularly useful for regular commuters in areas with limited subway access.

Rideshare surge pricing during peak hours, major events, or bad weather can dramatically increase costs above the base rate; the subway or a yellow cab (which cannot surge-price) may be preferable under these conditions.

Ferries

Staten Island Ferry

The Staten Island Ferry is the most important and most beloved free public transit service in New York. Operated by the NYC Department of Transportation, the ferry runs between Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan and St. George Terminal in Staten Island continuously, 24 hours a day, with departures every 15–30 minutes depending on time of day.

The crossing takes approximately 25 minutes and passes within close range of the Statue of Liberty, offering one of the best unobstructed views of the harbor and the Lower Manhattan skyline available from any public conveyance. There is no charge in either direction.

The Staten Island Ferry connects at St. George to the Staten Island Railway (free for passengers arriving by ferry) and to the Staten Island Bus network, making it the primary public transit link between Staten Island and the rest of the city.

NYC Ferry

NYC Ferry, operated by the Hornblower company under contract to the NYC Economic Development Corporation, is a subsidized ferry network connecting outer-borough waterfront communities to Manhattan. Routes include:

• South Brooklyn Route: Red Hook, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge
• Astoria Route: Long Island City, Astoria
• East River Route: Greenpoint, Williamsburg, DUMBO, Wall Street
• Rockaway Route: the Rockaways to lower Manhattan (seasonal)
• St. George (Staten Island) Route: separate from the free Staten Island Ferry, connecting to Pier 11 in lower Manhattan

The fare is $4.50 per ride, accepted via the NYC Ferry app. Bikes are allowed on most routes, at an additional $1.00 fee per bike, making it a useful connection for cyclists crossing the harbor. For more information, visit https://www.ferry.nyc/ticketing-info/

NYC Ferry is considerably more pleasant than the subway for the trips it serves and often faster than ground transportation for waterfront-to-waterfront journeys. It is, however, genuinely more expensive per trip and less frequent than the subway.

Water Taxi

NYC Water Taxi, a private operator, runs tourist-oriented and commuter ferry routes, including service to Ikea in Red Hook and seasonal services in the harbour. Tickets are purchased separately from the public transit system.

Citi Bike

Citi Bike is New York City's bike-share program, operated by Lyft under a concession agreement with the city and funded in part through the NYC Department of Transportation. It is the largest bike-share program in the United States, with approximately 30,000 bikes (including e-bikes) at more than 2,000 stations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, with continuing expansion underway.

Classic and Electric Bikes

Citi Bike operates two types of bikes: classic pedal bikes and electric-assist e-bikes. The e-bikes are heavier than the classics but provide motor assistance up to 18 mph, making them dramatically more useful for hills, headwinds, long distances, and riders who want to arrive without having exerted themselves. Demand for e-bikes consistently exceeds supply at popular stations; arriving early or checking the app before walking to a station is advisable.

Pricing

• Single ride: $4.99 per unlock for all bikes, including 30 minutes, $0.41/minute after
• Day pass: $25 for unlimited 30-minute classic bike rides in 24 hours. Any ride longer than 30 minutes is an additional $0.41/minute.
• Monthly membership: $25/month for unlimited 45-minute classic rides; e-bike minutes billed separately
• Annual membership: $239/year, the most economical option for regular riders

Credit cards are accepted at docking stations. The Citi Bike app provides real-time bike and dock availability across the network.

Since prices are subject to change, please review this pricing page frequently to see current prices.

Using Citi Bike

Bikes are checked out from any docking station and must be returned to any docking station at the end of the trip — not necessarily the one where you started. This makes Citi Bike useful for one-way trips in a way that private bike ownership is not. The app's live map of available bikes and open docks is essential for planning, particularly at busy stations where either bikes or open docks may be scarce.

Citi Bike trips of under 45 minutes (for members) have no additional charge; longer trips accrue per-minute fees. Most trips within the grid of Manhattan or between adjacent Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods fall well within the free window.

The Protected Bike Network

The expansion of Citi Bike has been accompanied by — and has driven — a significant expansion of protected bike infrastructure in New York. Protected lanes now run on a growing number of major corridors: 9th Avenue, 8th Avenue, 1st and 2nd Avenues, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Hudson River Greenway, and the expanded network of protected lanes in Brooklyn and Queens. The Hudson River Greenway — a protected path running the full length of Manhattan's west side from Battery Park to Inwood — is the most heavily used recreational cycling infrastructure in the United States.

Private Transportation

Driving and Car Rentals

New York City is, by design and density, hostile to private automobile travel. Traffic in Manhattan is among the worst in the world; parking is expensive, scarce, and time-consuming; and the grid's frequent one-way streets and complex intersection geometries make navigation unintuitive even for experienced drivers. For most purposes, driving in Manhattan is the worst available option.

For travel outside the city — to Long Island, the Hudson Valley, New England, or New Jersey — a car is often useful or necessary. Major rental companies operate at all three airports and at several locations in Midtown Manhattan (Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, Budget, National). Rental rates are typically higher at Manhattan locations than at airports.

Congestion Pricing: New York implemented the United States' first congestion pricing scheme in 2025, charging most vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street a toll of $9 (standard passenger cars) during peak hours. The revenue is dedicated to the MTA capital program. The charge applies to taxis and rideshares in addition to private vehicles; it is included in taxi and rideshare fares as a line item.

Car Share: Zipcar

Zipcar, the membership-based car-sharing service, operates throughout New York City, with vehicles available by the hour or day from designated parking spots throughout the boroughs. Membership is required; rates include fuel and insurance. Zipcar is useful for specific trips that require a car — IKEA, a weekend in the country, moving a large item — without the cost or commitment of vehicle ownership.

Black Cars and Car Services

A large market of licensed car services and black car companies operates throughout New York, ranging from the basic to the luxury. Many are booked by phone or app and serve airport transfers, corporate travel, and residents who prefer account-based billing to hailing cabs. Prices are typically negotiated per trip or per account agreement.

Cycling and Micromobility

Personal Bikes

New York is increasingly cyclable, with the protected lane network expanding annually and the culture of cycling — long present but marginal — becoming genuinely mainstream. Cyclists should be aware of:

• Riding on sidewalks is illegal (except for children under 13)
• Helmets are not legally required for adults but are strongly advisable
• Locking technique matters: U-locks through the frame and rear wheel, secured to fixed street furniture, are standard; a secondary cable lock through the front wheel is advisable
• The Hudson River Greenway is the most pleasant continuous cycling experience available; the East River Esplanade on the Manhattan side offers a partial equivalent on the east

E-Scooters

Shared e-scooter services — Lime and Veo are currently licensed operators — are available in parts of the outer boroughs and are expanding. E-scooters are not permitted on Manhattan streets or sidewalks under current regulations, which limits their utility for most visitors but makes them useful in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens neighborhoods where the services operate.

Personal electric scooters and e-bikes (both throttle-assisted and pedal-assisted) are legal on streets and protected bike lanes but not on sidewalks, and the rules around motor-assisted devices continue to evolve as the technology has outpaced the regulatory framework.

Walking

Manhattan is, north of Chambers Street, a grid. Avenues run north-south; streets run east-west and increase numerically from south to north. One block north or south is approximately 80 meters; one block east or west is approximately 250 meters, varying by avenue. A walk from 34th Street to 42nd Street — eight blocks north — takes about ten minutes at a moderate pace; a walk from Fifth Avenue to Tenth Avenue — five avenue blocks west — takes a similar time.

This grid logic makes Manhattan navigable on foot with a minimum of orientation. The key orientation facts:

• Fifth Avenue divides East from West: addresses on cross streets increase in both directions from Fifth Avenue, with "East 42nd Street" and "West 42nd Street" meeting at Fifth Avenue
• Odd-numbered streets run predominantly westbound; even-numbered streets run predominantly eastbound in Manhattan (with numerous exceptions)
• Uptown means north; downtown means south
• The grid breaks below 14th Street, where the street pattern reflects the pre-grid development of lower Manhattan and the Village, and navigation becomes less predictable

Walking is frequently the fastest option for short trips within Manhattan — the rule of thumb is that for trips of under twenty blocks (about a mile), walking is competitive with any transit option when wait time and station walking are included.

Getting Out: Long-Distance Bus

Intercity Bus Services

The intercity bus market in New York is served by multiple operators competing on price, amenity, and departure location:

• Greyhound / Flixbus: The national carrier, departing from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Extensive network, variable reliability, frequently the cheapest option for longer distances.
• Megabus: Curbside boarding at 34th Street and other locations; no terminal fees, typically lower prices. Service to Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Boston, and other major cities.
• OurBus: App-based booking, premium amenities, service to the Hudson Valley and other destinations popular with weekend travelers.
• Hampton Jitney / Hampton Ambassador: Premium express bus service to the Hamptons and North Fork of Long Island, departing from multiple Manhattan locations. Essential summer infrastructure for a certain kind of New Yorker.
• Trailways: Service to the Catskills, upstate New York, and Pennsylvania.
• DeCamp Bus: New Jersey suburbs, connecting to Port Authority.

Getting Out: Driving Routes

For residents and visitors renting or driving a car out of the city, the major routes:

• I-95 North (New England Thruway): The primary route to Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and beyond. Crosses the George Washington Bridge (for New Jersey-approaching drivers) or exits via the Bronx.
• I-95 South (New Jersey Turnpike / Garden State Parkway): New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and the South.
• I-87 (New York State Thruway): Albany, the Catskills, and upstate New York, departing via the George Washington Bridge or the Bronx.
• Long Island Expressway (I-495): Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, the Hamptons.
• Belt Parkway: Southern Brooklyn and Queens, connecting to the Rockaways and JFK.
• Major tunnels: The Holland Tunnel (Canal Street to Jersey City) and Lincoln Tunnel (39th Street to Weehawken) connect Manhattan to New Jersey by road. The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (now the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel) and the Queens-Midtown Tunnel provide underground connections between Manhattan and Brooklyn/Queens.

Practical Advice

Use OMNY. The tap-to-pay system is fast, flexible, and automatically applies the fare cap. Any contactless credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay will work. If you are a resident, the weekly cap makes OMNY the best value option for regular riders.

Download the MTA app and Google Maps. Both provide real-time subway arrival information, service alert notifications, and step-by-step navigation. The MTA app also handles LIRR and Metro-North ticketing. Signal delays, rerouting, and weekend service changes are facts of life on the subway; checking the app before descending to a platform saves significant frustration.

Download my personal favorite, the award-winning app Citymapper, which helps tourists and residents navigate the city’s complex transit system with ease, suggesting both public and private transport.

Weekend subway service is different from weekday service. The MTA conducts maintenance on nights and weekends, resulting in service changes — rerouting, line substitutions, skipped stops — that affect different parts of the system on different weekends. The changes are published in advance on the MTA website and app. The single most common source of confusion for visitors is discovering that the train they expected does not stop at their station on a Sunday.

For airport trips, allow more time than Google Maps suggests. Traffic estimates for taxi and rideshare routes to JFK and LaGuardia are systematically optimistic during peak periods. The transit options (AirTrain + subway for JFK; Q70 or M60 for LaGuardia; NJ Transit for Newark) are more reliably timed.

The Citi Bike app is essential if you plan to cycle. Real-time availability of bikes and docks varies enormously by time and location. Checking before you walk to a station avoids frustration.

Congestion pricing adds to taxi and rideshare costs below 60th Street. Budget for this when calculating trip costs in Midtown and lower Manhattan.

The Staten Island Ferry is the best free thing in New York. This cannot be said too many times.

New York built its transportation system over a century of continuous investment, argument, and occasional genius, and the result is something unique: a city where you can move from a beach in the Rockaways to a forest in the Bronx to a museum on Fifth Avenue to a concert in Brooklyn in a single day without once sitting in traffic. The system is imperfect, frequently frustrating, and completely irreplaceable. Learn it, and the city opens.