Services   Park Slope/ Prospect Heights
Price check: Park Slope car services
by Etan Marciano | 1.28.10 | 18 Comments

ArecibocarCalling for a car service in Brooklyn can be mystifying. $35 for a white-knuckle ride to JFK? Without the comforting upward tick of a digital meter, the price from anywhere to anywhere can seem like it’s plucked out of thin air. What is the going rate? We decided to find out. Starting here with Park Slope, we’re contacting companies around the borough to learn just what the deal is (and what the best deals are) with your neighborhood car services.

Let’s start at Flatbush Avenue and Eight Avenue and go to three destinations: 1) to 7th St. and Third Ave. in Gowanus, 2) to N. 6th St. and Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg and 3) to JFK Airport. We called each car service below in the early afternoon and we asked about wait times, credit cards and if pets are allowed. We also compared rates with those of a metered yellow cab. We tried to control for what variables we could, but still, our methodology may be less than exact science. Here’s what we found:

Eastern Car Service, 222 15th St., 866-499-717
To Gowanus: $8
To Williamsburg: $16
To JFK: $35
Wait time: 5 minutes
Credit Card: $15 minimum
Pets: Yes, but please tell them beforehand.

Park Slope Car Service, 262 Fourth Ave., 718-788-5106
To Gowanus: $8
To Williamsburg: $16
To JFK: $35
Wait time: 5 minutes
Credit Cards: $20 minimum
Pets: Yes, but please tell them beforehand.

Continental Car Services, 313 9th St., 718-499-0909
To Gowanus: $7
To Williamsburg: $17
To JFK: $35
Wait time: Didn’t specify
Credit Cards: Yes, but didn’t specify
Pets: Hung up on us!

11th St. Car Services, 475 Fifth Ave., 718-499-3800
To Gowanus: $7
To Williamsburg: $16
To JFK: $35
Wait time: 5 minutes
Credit Cards: $12 minimum
Pets: Yes, but tell them beforehand.

Seventh Ave. Car Services, 307 Seventh Ave., 718-965-4242
To Gowanus: $8 + sales tax (sales tax?)
To Williamsburg: $19 + sales tax
To JFK: $38 + sales tax
Wait time: 5 minutes
Credit Cards: Yes, but depends where you are going.
Pets: Yes, but tell them beforehand.

Arecibo Car Service, 170 Fifth Ave., 718-783-6465
To Gowanus: $6
To Williamsburg: $16
To JFK: $38
Wait time: 5 minutes.
Credit Cards: $10.80 minimum
Pets: Yes, but tell them beforehand.

Yellow cab (off-peak hours)
To Gowanus: $6.90 + tip
To Williamsburg: $14.50 + tip
To JFK: $44.90 + tip

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  • Mike

    No way is the yellow cab fare from 8th/Flatbush to JFK $44.90. It’s $28 from JFK to Fort Greene (via Conduit/Atlantic), and 8th/Flatbush is about the same distance.

  • CollyMack

    Eastern is awesome!

  • Monica

    I’ve been a fan of Aricebo for years. They seems to always have lots of drivers, the wait is rarely long and the price is reasonable.

  • harold

    The price for the yellow cab totally depends on the route. Of course, Atlantic Ave is more direct than taking the BQE, to the LIE to the Van Wyck (which is where the $44 price seems to come from). Essentially, you just gotta be smart about it and tell the cab driver to take Atlantic Ave down. However, even then you gotta consider time of day (off peak vs peak) and traffic.

  • http://metadiary.wordpress.com/ Damiella

    Why isn’t Castle Car Service on here? I’ve been using them for years and have never waited more than 5-10 minutes for a car, any time day or night. A ride to Manhattan costs about $18 and I haven’t found a better deal yet.

    559 4th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11215-4716 – (718) 499-9333

  • http://cantaloupealone.blogspot.com naomi

    Do people tip the black top car services? I never know if I should, but usually do.

  • harold

    You should definitely tip the car service drivers. Though how much seems to depend on the quality of service. I usually go anywhere from 10% to 20%. If the driver rocks some impressive maneuvering (ie takes a route I never knew about), then I’ll likely tip more.

  • http://www.brokelyn.com/new-app-finds-a-brooklyn-happy-hour-near-you/ New app finds a Brooklyn happy hour near you | Brokelyn

    [...] Also, there’s a useful button to find a nearby car service, which pulls up the number for Arecibo. Not sure if this is because it’s the closest right now or because they have a deal with the company (you can see an ad for a bar in the screenshot  too). If only someone had laid out your car service price comparisons for you too. [...]

  • http://tiny.cc/CIExaminer Nikki Jo

    Here’s a tip that I have found works especially well for cars called in Sunset Park and/or Bay Ridge. Car services that I have found this most successful for are Monchito, Arecibo, Latino Mix, and La Mega.. If you notice, when you call to request a car they almost never ask where you’re going, that said, the dispatcher has no way of knowing where the driver is going and how much he is expected to charge you, the passenger. 9/10 times, I will simply hand the driver what I feel is appropriate for the ride and I have never ever been questioned/stopped, etc-

    My usual ride was from Sunset Park (56/5th) all the way down to Bhurst/CI Border (Stillwell and 86th St) – and a $10 spot was sufficient each time.

    Be aggressive, BKers!

  • CJT1225

    from park slope to JFK its only $30 (at least last time I went) with Church Ave Car service (718) 633-4444

  • Indio

    Nikki Jo, I’ve worked as a car service driver for Eastern Car Service, and always tried to be fair with the customer, and often worked out a reasonable price if the customer felt the price wasn’t right. I know that there are some drivers who attempt to get over on occasion, but what many don’t know is that customers also try to get over on the driver. Many people have done as you have advised, and the driver is left feeling taken advantage of. Drivers are robbed, physically, and verbally abused, and have often been killed after chasing a customer who ripped them off, perhaps thats why they never say anytrhing. A few dollars isn’t worth their safety. I hope you’re proud of yourself Nikki Jo.

  • nikki jo

    @indio – I hear where you are coming from but I highly doubt I am coming off as a severe threat to any car service driver. I am a 5’1 female and I have always been alone when I paid the drivers what I felt was a fair practice. Is it ’100% right’?? No, probably not.. Do I feel horrible for having done it in the past? Definitely not. – If the car service drivers and dispatchers want to have a better hold on the process, they should institute a better process for recording the fares/advising the customer of the cost when you call to get a car.

    If upon calling to reserve my car I was told my fare was $15, I’d have no problem forking up the $15… But, if it’s left up to me to decide and the driver doesn’t request a particular amount, I have no qualms about giving what I feel is a fair amount for the trip.

  • http://www.brokelyn.com/price-check-williamsburg-car-services/ Price check: Williamsburg car services | Brokelyn

    [...] brings us to Williamsburg, where we compared the fares for six different companies. Unlike the Park Slope car services we recently surveyed—whose rates were fairly well synchronized across the [...]

  • sarah

    arecibo – “5 minutes 5 minutes”

  • Indio

    @nikki- What’s wrong with calling and asking for the price, and then paying the amount that is stated? If you have an issue with the price then take it up with the dispatcher before hand. Come to an agreement over the pricing, and then pay the amount agreed upon, or find alternate means to get to your destination if the price isn’t suitable for you. Don’t take advantage of a driver who is trying to make an honest living. I understand that the dispatchers may not provide you with the pricing initially, but you can always ask for it anytime prior to, or during your trip.

    Speaking from experience I know that the system they use to calculate prices is pretty cumbersome, and it would be too time consuming to provide every call with an initial price, especially when they are being flooded with thousands of calls each day. I’m sorry, but I just feel that you can handle the situation differently.

    “Car services that I have found this most successful for are Monchito, Arecibo, Latino Mix, and La Mega.. If you notice, when you call to request a car they almost never ask where you’re going, that said, the dispatcher has no way of knowing where the driver is going and how much he is expected to charge you.”
    -This sounds as if you’re purposely targeting minority businesses and deceiving the drivers and dispatchers. Perhaps your taking advantage of them because you assume they aren’t as smart as you, or perhaps I’m the one making assumptions now.

  • guillermo

    i fly EVERY week for work and my average taxi (yellow cab) from jfk to bay ridge(home) or sunset park(parents house) is 55-60 bucks with tip (i leave 20%). on my way to the airport i always take mega. its 35 bucks to jfk. i leave the guy 45.

  • http://www.brokelyn.com/a-cab-sharing-app-no-friends-required/ A cab-sharing app, no friends required | Brokelyn

    [...] Weeels: “Social Transit” is a brand new free app for sharing livery cabs in NYC. Livery cabs are privately-owned, fully-licensed cabs that exist in all corners of the city (Weeels is partnering with Brooklyn’s Eastern Car Service). [...]

  • nelson

    arecibo es los mejor de brooklyn