Baby's night out on Smith St.? Could run you $10 extra getting home.
This week we turned our car-service lens on Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens. The area as a whole is pricey, with a trip to JFK invariably above $40 (why, we have no idea). And things get even more expensive when babies or pets are involved.
We gave the hypothetical starting point of Smith St. and Atlantic Ave. and asked for quotes to the following three destinations: 1) Flatbush Ave. and Eighth Ave. in Park Slope, 2) Delancey St. and Allen St. on the Lower East Side and 3) JFK Airport.
We called each car service within a 20-minute span on an early weekday afternoon, and we also compared rates with those of a metered yellow cab. Here’s what we found.
Cobble Hill Car Service, 269 Court St., 718-643-1113
Park Slope: $11
LES: $20
JFK: $45
Wait time: 5 min.
Credit cards: yes, $20 minimum
Pets: $5 extra
Car seats: provided
Blue Car & Limo, 137 Court St., 718-243-2094
Park Slope: $10
LES: $18
JFK: $45
Wait time: 3 min.
Credit cards: Yes, $3 extra + tax
Pets: Yes, $10 extra
Car seats: provided: $10 extra for long distance, $5 extra for neighborhood
Court Express Car Service, 534 Court St., 718-237-8888
Park Slope: $12
LES: $22
JFK: $44
Wait time: reservation for pick up.
Credit card: Yes, $10 minimum
Pets: Yes, $5 extra
Car seats: Yes, $5 extra
Pacific Express Car Services, Inc., 20 Fourth Ave., 718-488-0000
Park Slope: $14
LES: $20
JFK: $44
Wait time: 10-15 min.
Credit cards: Yes, $20 minimum
Pets: Yes, $5 extra
Car Seats: Yes, $5 extra
Yellow cab
Park Slope: approx. $7
LES: approx. $11
JFK: approx $52 (via BQE to LIE to Van Wyck)
You read it: Yellow cab wins to the Slope and the LES (but not to JFK). Otherwise, Blue Car & Limo is the cheapest of the services, except for that pesky $10 (!) long-distance car-seat charge. What are your favorite/most-hated car services in Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens?
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Arecibo usually has the best rates
I appreciate this feature, but wouldn’t it be more useful to make these calls on a weekend night?
It’s no wonder the yellow cab was so expensive. Try taking the trip again, this time tell the driver to go east on Atlantic Avenue to South Conduit to Nassau Expressway to JFK. It’s a straight line. I’ll bet it’s cheaper.
Cabs are almost always cheaper in this area, esp for a short trip to Park Slope or LES (be sure to take the Manhattan Bridge for stuff further east (they seem to all default to the Brooklyn Bridge even if the MB will get you closer). Cabs are literally constantly going up Clinton St any hour of the day or night, usually you can get one on Court as well. Avoid Smith in a cab, too much traffic.
Blue Car and Limo is the cheapest for a reason — many of their drivers are unprofessional and wouldn’t make it at another firm. I had one driver in his mid- to late-60’s or 70’s who wouldn’t listen to directions and then lost repeatedly in Queeens, when I had directions! (Did I mention that he didn’t listen to instructions)? So I stopped using them. Bad!
Eastern Car Service is only $35 to JFK from Baltic and Smith!
Thank you for writing such an appealing post. Normal I see the same thing and it starts to get on my nerves. Thanks again and I’ll be back for more.