The cheapest way from JFK to Olive, NY costs from about $32: AirTrain JFK at $8.75, the subway at $3.00, a Megabus from New York to Kingston from $20, and then a free UCAT bus from Kingston to Boiceville in the Town of Olive. The whole trip takes about 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes, because the last leg depends on the Kingston connection and the UCAT Route Z timetable. Your booking for a car is a different decision — a per-trip quote, fixed in writing — and this page compares the two honestly.
The cheapest way, step by step
Start at JFK on the AirTrain to Jamaica Station, which costs $8.75 one way and is free between terminals. At Jamaica, take the E train to 34th Street–Penn Station for the $3.00 subway fare, then walk into the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Megabus runs from New York to Kingston from $20, and the ride takes about 2 hours. At Kingston, take the UCAT Route Z bus to Boiceville, at Route 28 and Upper Boiceville Road — six times a weekday, about 37 to 52 minutes, and free, because UCAT fixed-route buses run fare-free. Board at Development Court, except the 5:00 AM run from Kingston Plaza @ Hannaford. The cost of a car service from JFK to Saugerties covers the next Ulster County town north of Kingston. The cost of transportation from JFK Airport to the city center is the first part of the same journey.
- AirTrain JFK to Jamaica Station, $8.75 one way
- Subway E train, Jamaica to Port Authority Bus Terminal, $3.00
- Megabus, New York to Kingston, from $20, about 2 hours
- UCAT Route Z, Development Court in Kingston to Boiceville, about 37 to 52 minutes, six times a weekday, free
- Total from about $32, door to door in about 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes
- Children under 5 ride the AirTrain free
Ready to See Your Olive Price?
The Kingston leg, in practice
Two buses serve Kingston from New York. Megabus is the cheaper one, from $20. Trailways is the steadier one: hourly buses in about 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, with fares from $33. With the AirTrain and subway, the Trailways trip to Kingston costs from about $44.75, against from about $31.75 by Megabus. Transportation from New York to Poughkeepsie station covers the train leg to the next city south. How much a car service from JFK to Hopewell Junction costs is the same question one county south. If Megabus is sold out, take Trailways and pay the difference.
The last leg: Kingston to Olive
The UCAT Route Z bus runs from Kingston through Woodstock to Pine Hill, and it stops at Boiceville on Route 28 — the hamlet inside the Town of Olive — six times a weekday, in about 37 to 52 minutes. Weekday Boiceville arrivals are 5:37 AM, 8:13 AM, 12:13 PM, 1:08 PM, 4:58 PM, and 7:45 PM; only the first run leaves from Kingston Plaza @ Hannaford, at 5:00 AM, while the other five leave from Development Court (7:21 AM, 11:15 AM, 12:17 PM, 4:05 PM, 6:53 PM). Saturday brings three Boiceville buses (8:13 AM, 10:58 AM, 2:43 PM), and there is no Sunday service. The fare is $0, because UCAT fixed-route buses run fare-free: the Ulster County Legislature made all UCAT buses free in October 2022, and the county confirmed in its February 2026 State of the County address that public transit in Ulster County is entirely free. The true constraint is the last bus: the last weekday Z leaves Development Court at 6:53 PM, so an arrival in Kingston after that still needs a car. The Trailways 708 bus to Phoenicia passes through Olive on Route 28, but Boiceville is not listed as a stop, so this page does not claim it stops there.
The taxi version of the same trip
A yellow taxi from JFK to Kingston is about 102 to 107 miles by road, and the NYC taxi meter starts at $3.00 and adds $3.50 per mile, which puts the meter at about $360 before surcharges, tolls, waiting time, and tip. No driver takes a 100-mile trip on the meter, and no honest page should quote a metered price for it. The way to travel from JFK to Times Square is the Manhattan version of the same meter. The most convenient way to travel from Newark Airport to Manhattan shows the same pattern at the third New York airport. For Olive, the taxi is not the cheapest way, the second-cheapest way, or a fallback — it is the wrong tool, and the honest answer is the bus to Kingston and the free UCAT bus to Boiceville.
Driving yourself
By car, JFK to Kingston is about 102 to 107 miles and takes about 2 hours 4 minutes to 2 hours 17 minutes in clear traffic, plus the last 15 miles west to Olive on Route 28. Two routes exist, and the toll is the difference between them: the George Washington Bridge is free westbound out of New York — its $16.79 peak and $14.79 off-peak E-ZPass tolls are charged eastbound only, into New York. A charge for tolls or other expenses on a booked car follows the same rule: the toll is real, it is passed through, and it should be named in the quote before you travel.
When a booked car is the honest answer
The bus wins on price, but a booked car wins on three specific trips: an arrival in Kingston after the last Z bus to Boiceville, which leaves Development Court at 6:53 PM on weekdays, a group with luggage that would need a bus-terminal change and a rural bus stop with bags, and a traveler whose Olive address is not at Boiceville and needs door-to-door service. JetBlack prices this route as a per-trip quote, not by the meter, so traffic cannot move the number after it is given. The economy sedan from JFK to Manhattan is $65 flat, but that flat fare does not apply to Olive — Olive is quoted per trip. Scheduling a car service in advance is how the fixed price is locked in, and paying for a car service in advance is available too. Cancellation is free before your booking is confirmed, and $31 in total after confirmation — $25 plus $5 in fees plus a $1 technology fee. Child seats are about $35 per seat, confirmed at booking, and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are provided.
What to ask before you book
Three questions settle a JFK to Olive trip: which bus gets me to Kingston in time for the Z bus, does my arrival leave a real connection to Boiceville, and what does the car quote include if I book instead? A complete JetBlack quote answers the car side in writing — the per-trip price, the tolls by crossing, and the flight-tracking note. If you take the bus, check the UCAT Route Z times before you leave the city and allow 45 to 60 minutes from the terminal to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
What is the cheapest way to get from JFK to Olive, NY?
AirTrain JFK at $8.75, the subway at $3.00, a Megabus from New York to Kingston from $20, and the free UCAT Route Z bus from Kingston to Boiceville — from about $32 in total, about 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes door to door. Olive has no direct transit of its own; Kingston is the hub and Boiceville is the stop inside Olive.
Is there a bus from New York to Kingston, NY?
Yes, two. Megabus runs from New York to Kingston from $20 in about 2 hours. Trailways runs hourly in about 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, with fares from $33 and an average of about $40.96. There is no direct train from New York to Kingston.
How do I get from Kingston to Olive?
Take the UCAT Route Z bus from Kingston to Boiceville, at Route 28 and Upper Boiceville Road. It runs six times a weekday, takes about 37 to 52 minutes, and is free because UCAT fixed-route buses run fare-free. Board at Development Court, except the 5:00 AM run from Kingston Plaza @ Hannaford. On Saturday it serves Boiceville three times, and there is no Sunday service. Arrange a pickup from Boiceville if your address is elsewhere in Olive.
How much is a taxi from JFK to Olive?
The NYC taxi meter starts at $3.00 and adds $3.50 per mile, so about 102 miles to Kingston puts the meter at about $360 before surcharges, tolls, waiting time, and tip. No driver takes this trip on the meter; a car is a per-trip quote only.
Sources
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — AirTrain JFK (fare $8.75 one way; free between terminals; children under 5 free), accessed 2026-11-08
- MTA — Subway and local bus fare $3.00 (effective January 4, 2026), accessed 2026-11-08
- Trailways of New York — New York to Kingston (hourly; about 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes; fares from $33; average about $40.96), accessed 2026-11-08
- Rome2Rio — New York to Kingston by Megabus (estimated $20 to $45; about 2 hours) and JFK to Kingston by road (about 102 to 107 miles, about 2 hours 4 minutes to 2 hours 17 minutes), accessed 2026-11-08
- Ulster County Area Transit — Route Z schedule, updated January 16, 2026 (Kingston–Woodstock–Pine Hill): Boiceville, Route 28 and Upper Boiceville Road, six times a weekday (Boiceville 5:37 AM, 8:13 AM, 12:13 PM, 1:08 PM, 4:58 PM, 7:45 PM); board at Development Court except the 5:00 AM run from Kingston Plaza @ Hannaford; ride about 37 to 52 minutes; Saturday three departures, no Sunday service, accessed 2026-11-08
- Ulster County — 2026 State of the County Address (February 18, 2026): UCAT public transit is entirely free, the first county in the state to make it so; free fares since October 2022, accessed 2026-11-08
- NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission — Taxi Fare (meter $3.00 initial plus $0.70 per fifth of a mile, $3.50 per mile), accessed 2026-11-08
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey — George Washington Bridge tolls ($16.79 peak, $14.79 off-peak E-ZPass; eastbound only; effective January 4, 2026), accessed 2026-11-08
- MTA Bridges and Tunnels — Tolls by vehicle (Bronx-Whitestone Bridge $7.46 E-ZPass, $12.03 by mail; effective January 4, 2026), accessed 2026-11-08
- JetBlack Transportation — owner-confirmed service facts (per-trip quotes fixed once given, no surge, JFK–Manhattan economy sedan $65 flat, Economy Sedan $45/hr with 3-hour minimum, 20% tip suggested, cancellation $31 total after confirmation, child seats about $35 per seat), confirmed 2026-10-26
