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Can Green Cabs Charge the LaGuardia Surcharge?

Yes, on street-hail trips to LaGuardia: green cabs add $5.00 under Rule 82-26. Yellow taxis add it to and from LGA. Pre-arranged green trips work differently.

  • Reviewed
  • 2 min read
  • 5 official sources
On this page (7)
  1. What the rule says, side by side
  2. Why green cabs only get it "to" LGA
  3. Pre-arranged trips are different
  4. What to do next
  5. Related rules and exceptions
  6. FAQ
  7. Sources

Yes. A green cab adds the $5.00 LaGuardia surcharge on street-hail trips that go to LaGuardia Airport (LGA). TLC Rule 82-26(a)(2)(iii) lists "a surcharge of $5.00 for all trips to LaGuardia Airport" for Street Hail Liveries. A yellow taxi adds the same $5.00 to trips to and from LGA. A green cab can't pick up a street hail at the airport, so the "from" case doesn't apply to its hail trips.

What the rule says, side by side

LaGuardia surcharge: yellow taxi vs green cab

Row labelYellow taxiGreen cab (Street Hail Livery)
$5.00 LGA surchargeTrips to and from LGA — Rule 58-26(a)(2)(iii)Hail trips to LGA — Rule 82-26(a)(2)(iii)
Street-hail pickup at LGAYes, from the airport taxi linesNot allowed: NYC airports are in the Hail Exclusionary Zone (Chapter 51)
Pre-arranged pickup at LGA—Allowed through a base — Rule 82-13(a)(3)
Price of a pre-arranged trip—No more than the base's rate schedule filed with TLC — Rule 82-26(d)
$2.00 airport access feeOn taxi pickups at LGA and JFK (TLC fare page)Not on hail trips, which can't start at the airport
NYS congestion surcharge, if the trip touches Manhattan south of 96th St$2.50$2.75

The $5.00 is added to the meter fare, not instead of it. All the usual charges still apply on a green hail trip to LGA: the $3.00 initial charge and 70 cents per unit, the 50-cent MTA tax, the $1.00 improvement surcharge, rush-hour or overnight surcharges by time, and tolls (TLC fare page, rates as of 2026-10-12).

Why green cabs only get it "to" LGA

TLC's Chapter 51 defines the Hail Zone as all of New York City except "Manhattan south of East 96th St. and West 110th St." and "The New York City Airports." Green cabs may take street hails only in the Hail Zone (Rule 82-13). So a green hail trip can drop off at LaGuardia but never start there. Rule 82-13 holds the green cab's licensee responsible when a driver takes a hail there: $500 and suspension for a first violation, more after that, and TLC can seize the vehicle if it has probable cause. More on airport pickups: can green cabs pick up at JFK or LaGuardia?

Pre-arranged trips are different

A Pre-Arranged Trip is one the passenger books through a base by phone, app, website or another method (Chapter 51). Rule 82-13(a)(3) says a green-cab driver "can accept a Pre-Arranged Trip beginning at one of the New York City Airports." Those trips are not priced under the hail-trip meter rules in 82-26(a). Rule 82-26(d) says the driver and licensee "must not quote or charge a fare on a pre-arranged trip that is more than the fare listed in the Rate Schedule filed with the Commission." Whether a pre-arranged LGA trip includes any airport charge depends on that rate schedule. Ask your base before the trip.

What to do next

  • Check the meter setting. On a hail trip to LGA, the $5.00 should be added once. Charging it on a trip that doesn't go to LGA is charging more than TLC-approved rates. That is an overcharge under Rule 80-17(a)(1), with mandatory penalties set in §80-02(e). Details: TLC overcharging rules.
  • Don't wait for a hail at the terminal. After a drop-off, leave the airport or take only a trip your base dispatched.
  • Know your JFK rule too. Green cabs have a $70 flat fare from the Manhattan Hail Zone to JFK (Rule 82-26(b)(1)) — see do green cabs charge the JFK flat fare?

Frequently asked questions

Does a green cab add $5 for LaGuardia?

Yes, on hail trips to LaGuardia. TLC Rule 82-26(a)(2)(iii) adds 'a surcharge of $5.00 for all trips to LaGuardia Airport' on top of the metered fare for Street Hail Livery hail trips.

Why is it 'to' LaGuardia for green cabs but 'to and from' for yellow taxis?

Green cabs may not pick up street hails at the New York City airports, which are in the Hail Exclusionary Zone. So a green hail trip can only go to LGA, not start there. Yellow taxis serve airport taxi lines, and Rule 58-26(a)(2)(iii) applies the $5.00 to trips to and from LGA.

Can a green cab pick someone up at LaGuardia at all?

Only as a pre-arranged trip through a base. Rule 82-13(a)(3) says a driver can accept a pre-arranged trip beginning at one of the New York City airports. Street hails at airports are not allowed.

What does a pre-arranged green cab trip from LGA cost?

Pre-arranged trips are not priced by the 82-26(a) meter rules. Rule 82-26(d) says the fare must not be more than the rate schedule the base filed with TLC, so the base's quote decides it.

Does the $2 airport access fee apply to green cabs?

TLC's fare page lists the taxi airport access fee as $2.00 for pick up only at LaGuardia and JFK. Green cabs can't take street hails there, so a green hail trip to LGA does not start with an airport pickup.

Sources

Last reviewed against the official sources on .

  1. TLC Rule Book, Chapter 82 (§82-13, §82-26), updated Feb 27, 2026 nyc.gov
  2. TLC Rule Book, Chapter 58 (§58-26), updated Feb 27, 2026 nyc.gov
  3. TLC Rule Book, Chapter 51 (Definitions: Hail Zone, Hail Exclusionary Zone, Pre-Arranged Trip) nyc.gov
  4. TLC Rule Book, Chapter 80 (§80-17 overcharges) nyc.gov
  5. TLC: Taxi Fare nyc.gov

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TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.

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