Public transportation from LGA Airport to Manhattan costs $3.00 in total: the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus is free, and the only fare you pay is the $3.00 subway fare at Jackson Heights. The faster rail option costs $5.25 off-peak or $7.25 at peak: the same free Q70 bus to Woodside, then a Long Island Rail Road CityTicket into Manhattan. The M60-SBS bus straight into Manhattan costs $3.00.
LaGuardia has no train station and no subway line of its own, so every public-transit trip starts on a bus. The proposed AirTrain LaGuardia was cancelled in March 2023, when the Port Authority accepted an expert panel’s recommendation to improve bus service instead. The free Q70 is the replacement the panel pointed to: it runs around the clock, and it is the airport’s free link to the subway and the Long Island Rail Road.
Written by Emily Davis · Fact-checked by Alex Freeman, Editor-in-Chief · Last verified November 2026
The $3 route: Q70 bus plus subway
Catch the Q70 LaGuardia Link at Terminal B or C and ride it nonstop to Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue and 74th Street–Broadway, where you connect to the E, F, M, R, or 7 trains into Manhattan. The bus is free to board, runs 24 hours a day about every 8 to 10 minutes, takes about 15 minutes in typical traffic, and carries luggage racks. You pay nothing until the subway turnstile, where the fare is $3.00 for most people. Transfers between the subway and bus are free for two hours when you use the same card or device. If you land at Terminal A, take the airport shuttle to Terminal B first. For the timing in detail, see how long it takes to reach Manhattan from LaGuardia using public transportation, and for the full step-by-step, how to get to LGA Airport using public transportation.
- Q70 LaGuardia Link bus: free, 24 hours, about every 8 to 10 minutes
- Q70 ride to Jackson Heights: about 15 minutes in typical traffic
- Subway fare into Manhattan: $3.00
- Total for the cheapest public-transit trip: $3.00
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The M60-SBS: one bus straight into Manhattan
The M60-SBS stops at every LaGuardia terminal, including Terminal A, and runs into Manhattan along 125th Street, where you can connect to the A, C, B, D, 2, 3, 4, and 5 trains, or to the 1 at 116th Street. It also stops in Astoria, Queens, where you can connect to the N and W trains. The fare is $3.00, paid by tapping a credit or debit card, smartphone, wearable device, or OMNY Card when you board. It is the only bus that runs from the airport directly into Manhattan without a subway change, so it suits travelers headed for Harlem or the Upper West Side — but it moves with street traffic the whole way, and it is slower than the Q70 plus an express subway for Midtown.
The faster option: Q70 to Woodside, then the LIRR
Stay on the free Q70 one stop past Terminal B and get off at Woodside, where the Long Island Rail Road runs to Penn Station or Grand Central. A CityTicket from Woodside costs $5.25 during off-peak hours and $7.25 during peak hours, bought in the MTA TrainTime app — so the whole trip costs $5.25 or $7.25, because the bus leg is free. The LIRR leg is the fastest public-transit ride into Midtown, and it is the option to pick when the subway feels too slow and a taxi feels too dear. Compare the airport choices first on which NYC airport is closest to Manhattan, and if you are weighing a cab instead, read what a taxi fare from NYC to LaGuardia typically costs and the cab from LaGuardia to Times Square guide before you join the taxi line.
What public transit cannot do at LaGuardia
There is no train from LaGuardia to Manhattan, and none is under construction. The AirTrain project was cancelled in March 2023, and no rail replacement has been built since. There is also no single bus that runs from LaGuardia straight into Midtown Manhattan: the Q70 ends at the subway in Queens, and the M60 ends in Harlem. If you need door-to-door service, a taxi runs on the meter with a $5.00 LaGuardia surcharge on top, or a pre-booked JetBlack car runs $90 to $150 by vehicle class with the price agreed in writing — see how to book airport transportation from New York LaGuardia and the LaGuardia airport transfer page. The same bus-and-subway math does not apply at the other airports: transferring from LaGuardia to JFK Airport is a separate trip with its own fare.
Questions travelers ask
How much does public transportation from LGA Airport cost?
Public transportation from LGA Airport to Manhattan costs $3.00 in total: the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus is free, and the only fare you pay is the $3.00 subway fare at Jackson Heights. The M60-SBS bus straight into Manhattan costs $3.00. The faster option, the free Q70 to Woodside plus a Long Island Rail Road CityTicket, costs $5.25 off-peak or $7.25 at peak.
Is the Q70 bus from LaGuardia really free?
Yes. The Q70 LaGuardia Link is free to board at Terminals B and C, with no tap, no ticket, and no fare. It runs 24 hours a day about every 8 to 10 minutes, nonstop to the Jackson Heights subway hub in about 15 minutes in typical traffic, with luggage racks on board. You pay only when you enter the subway, $3.00 for most people.
How long does public transit from LaGuardia to Manhattan take?
The Q70 bus leg takes about 15 minutes to Jackson Heights in typical traffic. The subway leg after that depends on your Manhattan destination and the line you take, so no single door-to-door time fits every trip. The Q70 to Woodside plus the Long Island Rail Road is the fastest public-transit combination into Midtown. Allow extra time at rush hour and overnight, when the bus runs less often.
Is there a train from LaGuardia to Manhattan?
No. LaGuardia has no train station, no subway line, and no AirTrain. The proposed AirTrain LaGuardia was cancelled in March 2023, when the Port Authority accepted an expert panel’s recommendation to improve bus service instead, and no rail replacement has been built. Every public-transit trip from the airport starts on a bus: the free Q70 to the subway or the Long Island Rail Road, or the M60-SBS into Manhattan.
Sources
- MTA — Getting to Manhattan from LaGuardia Airport: Q70 free, every 8–10 minutes, about 15 minutes to Jackson Heights, Terminals B and C, luggage racks, subway fare $3.00, free transfers for two hours, M60-SBS $3.00, LIRR CityTicket $5.25 off-peak and $7.25 peak, accessed 2026-11-10
- MTA — Q70-SBS timetable, effective September 6, 2026: service through the overnight hours, accessed 2026-11-10
- NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission — Taxi Fare: standard metered fare, $5.00 LaGuardia surcharge, $70 JFK–Manhattan flat fare, accessed 2026-11-10
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey / Simple Flying, March 14, 2023 — LaGuardia AirTrain proposal scrapped after an expert panel recommended improved bus service instead, accessed 2026-11-10
- JetBlack Transportation — owner-confirmed service facts (LaGuardia–Manhattan flat fares $90–$150 by vehicle class, written per-trip quotes, 24/7 dispatch), confirmed 2026-10-26, accessed 2026-11-10
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