I’ll never forget my first ride home from LGA on public transportation. I was fresh out of school, with barely enough money to cover my flight, let alone some yellow cab home to Brooklyn. So I hopped on the M60 bus, and started my journey home.
2 buses, 3 trains and 2.5 days later, I made it home and vowed to never put myself through that again. For $23 I could be home in 20 mins, so I started adding cab fares to my travel budget.
Unfortunately, my ride home to Crown Heights is at least $35 now, and from JFK the bill can be up to $50 with tip. I tried taking Uber pool once, but see here’s the thing. It’s all good until you’re 10 minutes from LGA, 15 mins from your baggage cutoff time, and the driver decides to go pick up a passenger in the Bronx. Then you gotta go all crazy Black chick on him in the backseat even though you he’s just doing his job, and he’s all like “But I’m gonna get in trouble,” and you’re all like “MY FLIGHT IS IN 5 MINUTES SHE CAN FIND ANOTHER RIDE!” and this is what you get for being cheap. Hypothetically.
So of course I was geeked when I found out there’s a reasonably priced shuttle service that leaves from Brooklyn! Concrete Connect offers shared rides from Bed-Stuy (Nostrand Ave. & Fulton St.) and Atlantic Terminal to LGA & JFK for only $25, and can also pick you up from home upon special request. I tested it out myself on a work trip (that left a dumb early o’clock in the morning), and the driver called me a few minutes shy of my reservation time to let me know she (yes, she!) was outside. She was super nice, the van was very clean, and I was able to charge my phone in little USB outlets they have along the windows in the backseat.
On top of the convenience and price, the owner is a Black woman. Her name is La Shawn Freeman, and she started her business to help offer lower-cost options to travelers in Brooklyn. Now I’m not usually the “support Black business” cheerleader, but in this case I’m all the way down for the cause. Because as many times as I’ve been lied to, driven past or literally kicked out of NYC taxis on my way to the airport, I’m beyond excited that there’s a Black owned business that serves those of us that often get snubbed by yellow cabs. I actually have a little joy in the fact that all these apps are eating into the pockets of NYC taxi drivers, and if the money can go to a fellow Black female entrepreneur, I’m in.
And so are you! Use code BKTA25 at checkout to get 25% off your first ride. With Uber Surge robbing your life away with each day, you now you have zero reasons not to try out Concrete Connect! Offer expires July 1, so call 844-700-RIDE today to check availability and book your reservations!
5 Comments
I love this! Do they pick up in Queens? I need to get to the city for my cruise later this month and don’t want to drive. I can think of other times it would be great to have a service like this in Queens. Let me know if you do or will expand to the next boro.
If only they serviced the Boogie down Bronx I’d be in like white on rice. In the meantime continued success to them.
When will you expand to other boros like the bronx? Would love to use your service for an upcoming trip in July.
This is exactly what I needed!
Thanks for this info.. I fly in and out of New York somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20 times a year and yeah I can’t deal with the trains and buses and the cabs and Ubers get on my damned nerves.. + that shit adds up..
-C