Comparing NYC limo quotes: vehicles, minimums and fees

In short

• A quote should name the vehicle, its bag capacity, the minimum and whether the clock runs garage to garage
• Compare quotes on the same basis, with the gratuity and the state and MTA surcharges as separate lines
• App prices surge with demand, while a flat airport rate or a published hourly rate does not

Stretch, Sprinter or SUV

In New York City, a luxury limousine is a for-hire vehicle with 20 seats or fewer, booked ahead through a base licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC). That includes stretch limousines, Sprinters and large SUVs. A quote that says limo doesn't tell you which car shows up.

We run high-roof Sprinters and no stretch limousines. Each Luxury Sprinter seats 12 and takes 10 large and 2 small bags. A Business SUV seats 5 with 3 large and 3 small bags, and a First Class sedan seats 3 with 2 large and 1 small. Sedan & Electric seats 3, and we don't publish a bag figure for it. Choose by people and bags together.

• Cadillac Escalade ESV: 5 passengers, 3 large and 3 small bags
• Chevrolet Suburban or similar: 5 passengers, 3 large and 3 small bags
• Cadillac Lyriq or similar: 3 passengers, fully electric

The Suburban and the Escalade ESV take the same people and bags. They differ in the car itself, its class and its price. If your group or bags fall between two classes, we quote the larger one. The fleet comparison table shows seats and bags for every vehicle, the rates page lists hourly rates by class, and limousine service for groups and events covers Sprinter bookings.

When the clock starts

TLC rules let a luxury limousine base charge garage to garage, by flat rate, time or mileage. Garage to garage means the clock can start when the car leaves its base and stop when it gets back. From a garage in another borough, that adds travel time at both ends.

Ask each company which one they use, and get the answer on the written confirmation. Ask about the minimum too. We have a 3-hour minimum on any hourly booking. A 2-hour dinner trip is billed as 3. A quote with no minimum stated can't be compared with one that states it.

What gets added to the fare

Gratuity can be a big part of a quote. A gratuity for your chauffeur is optional and chosen when you book. Look at each quote the same way, with gratuity or without, before you compare totals.

Then compare waiting time. You get 45 minutes of free waiting after a domestic landing, 60 minutes after an international landing, and 15 minutes at any other pickup. We count from touchdown for flights and from the booked pickup time for other pickups. After that, we charge waiting at a rate that depends on the vehicle. At airports, we meet you at the curb or the car service pickup area and call or message you. Meet and greet inside the terminal with a name sign costs extra, plus any airport parking. Each fee is listed with our flat airport rates and free waiting.

Surcharges set by the state and the MTA

Some charges on a New York receipt are set by law. New York State adds a $2.75 congestion surcharge to each for-hire trip that begins, ends or passes through Manhattan south of 96th Street. This $2.75 charge doesn't apply to taxis or pool rides. It must appear as its own line on the receipt, and it applies to limousines and black cars.

The MTA's Congestion Relief Zone covers Manhattan south of and including 60th Street. TLC-licensed for-hire vehicles do not pay the daily toll that private cars pay. Their passengers pay a per-trip charge instead, $0.75 in a black car and $1.50 in a ride from a high-volume app company.

Bases that belong to the Black Car Fund also add its passenger surcharge, a small percentage of the fare that pays for drivers' workers' compensation coverage. It is calculated on the fare without tips, tolls, congestion surcharges or airport access fees, and passengers pay all of it.

Our airport prices include tolls, airport fees and taxes. Our hourly rates are before NYC sales tax, the Black Car Fund, tolls and parking, and the gratuity is optional. Ask every company to show each of these lines on the quote. Then you can compare two totals line by line.

Surge pricing and a quoted rate

App ride prices go up with demand. Uber describes surge pricing as what happens when ride requests outnumber available cars, like in bad weather, at rush hour and around big events. Drivers see it as a multiplier on standard rates, an added surge amount, or an upfront fare that includes it. Surge is set by area, and it changes quickly.

Our rates don't work that way. Airport rides have a flat rate by class from any New York City address to JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Teterboro, and hourly bookings use the published rate for the class. There is no meter and no surge on either. Busy times don't change the price.

A 6:00 AM ride to JFK in a rainstorm costs the same as the same ride on a clear Tuesday, with tolls, airport fees and taxes included. If you book the same trip every week, you can budget it once. Corporate accounts add monthly billing and priority scheduling. The rides go on one monthly invoice.

Questions to ask before you book

1. Which vehicle arrives, and how many passengers and bags does it take?
2. Does the hourly clock start at the pickup or at the garage?
3. What is the minimum, and does it apply to every booking?
4. Is gratuity included, and at what percentage?
5. Which tolls and state or MTA surcharges are added, and are they shown as separate lines?
6. How long is the free waiting time, and what does waiting cost after it?
7. Can the price change with demand after the booking is made?
8. What are the cancellation terms? Ours are confirmed in writing with the reservation.