Service where other options are thin
Staten Island is the borough where car service matters most, because the alternatives are the fewest. There is one subway line that does not connect to the rest of the system, the bus network is spread thin across a large area, and most trips off the island involve a bridge or the ferry.
We cover the whole island, north shore to south, and treat it as a primary service area rather than an afterthought. That includes the neighborhoods furthest from the ferry terminal, where waiting for a ride is otherwise a real problem.
Crossings, tolls, and timing
Every trip off the island crosses a toll: the Verrazzano to Brooklyn, the Goethals or the Outerbridge to New Jersey, or the Bayonne. Tolls are passed through at cost and shown separately, so you can see what is fare and what is crossing.
Timing matters more here than almost anywhere else in the city. The Verrazzano in the morning and the Goethals in the late afternoon can add half an hour to a trip that otherwise looks short, so for anything time-sensitive we plan the departure around the crossing, not the distance.
Airports and medical trips
Newark is often the most practical airport from Staten Island, and the run over the Goethals is short when it is clear. JFK and LaGuardia both mean crossing the Verrazzano and working through Brooklyn or Queens, so they are worth booking well in advance.
We also run non-emergency medical transportation across the island, including wheelchair-accessible vehicles, for scheduled appointments both on the island and at hospitals in Brooklyn and New Jersey.
Those off-island medical trips are the ones most worth arranging in advance. An appointment in Brooklyn means the Verrazzano in both directions, and a return booked ahead avoids the situation where treatment finishes and there is no straightforward way home.
