How a request turns into a ride
Four steps, and none of them ask for a card.
Tell us the date and the side you are on
The check at the top of this page takes three answers. Which way the ride runs, the date, and the neighborhood it starts from. That last one matters more here than anywhere else, because the water in the middle of this city decides the route.
We look at available dates and call you back
A person reads the request, looks at what the operators have open, and telephones with a rate for your dates. The quote names the starting rate and every addition that could apply to your run.
You say yes, or you do not
Nothing is held until you agree out loud. There is no basket on this site, no checkout, and no card field on any page of it.
The operator takes it from there
The ride is worked by a local operator holding their own passenger permits. You get the vehicle, the pickup time and a number to reach on the day.
The whole point of the callback is the quote. Asking is a free quote with no obligation, and it starts one telephone call rather than a sequence of reminders.
The city this desk works
Everything on this site is written for one region and one field. If you want the short version of why that matters, it is the next band down.
The water decides the clock, not the mileage
Most cities let you judge a ride by distance. Baltimore does not, because the harbor sits in the middle of it and there are two tolled tunnels under the Patapsco: the Fort McHenry Tunnel carrying I-95, and the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel carrying I-895. Which one your ride takes, or whether it avoids both by running down MD-295 to the I-195 airport spur, changes the pickup time by more than the miles ever will.
That is the reason this desk asks which neighborhood you are in before it asks anything else. A Canton pickup and a Federal Hill pickup are four miles apart and can want different departure times on the same morning.
What a starting rate covers, and what gets added
Rates on this site are starting points for a zone, not a promise about your particular run. The figure that applies comes back on the telephone with everything that could sit on top of it named out loud first.
What a starting rate covers
- A vehicle sized for the people and bags you told us about.
- The driver waiting at the agreed pickup time, and for arrivals, watching the flight number you gave.
- The booking itself, placed with the operator by this desk.
- One agreed pickup point and one agreed drop.
What is added on top, by name
- Tolls for whichever tunnel the route uses, at the operator's pass rate.
- Waiting beyond the operator's free window, charged by their clock and named in the quote.
- A second stop, a return leg, or a change of address after the run sheet is out.
- A pickup between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am, where the operators price a night hour.
- Maryland and local taxes, collected by the operator.
- A gratuity, which is yours to decide and never added by us.
The full rate page puts a starting figure against every zone and repeats this list with the reasoning behind it.
Rates by zone
| Where the ride starts or ends | Usual time on the road | One way, from |
|---|---|---|
| Canton, Fells Point, Harbor East, Inner Harbor | 18 to 26 minutes | $58 and up |
| Federal Hill, Locust Point, Riverside | 16 to 24 minutes | $54 and up |
| Mount Vernon, Bolton Hill, Station North | 22 to 30 minutes | $62 and up |
| Hampden, Remington, Woodberry, Charles Village | 26 to 36 minutes | $68 and up |
| Highlandtown, Brewers Hill, Greektown, Dundalk | 24 to 34 minutes | $66 and up |
| Towson, Lutherville, Timonium | 34 to 48 minutes | $84 and up |
| Columbia, Ellicott City, Elkridge | 22 to 34 minutes | $72 and up |
| Annapolis and the Broadneck side | 34 to 46 minutes | $92 and up |
Every figure is a starting point for a one way daytime ride to BWI Thurgood Marshall, before tolls and tax. Nights, oversize groups and second stops move it, and the quote says by how much before you agree to anything.
Questions the desk gets most days
Do you need a card to hold a ride?
No, and there is no card field anywhere on this site. Payment is settled with the operator on their terms, and the quote says what those are before you agree.
How far ahead should I ask?
A day or two is usually plenty. Early mornings between 4:00 am and 6:00 am and the weeks around Thanksgiving are the exceptions, and those are worth a week.
What if my flight lands late?
Give the flight number when you book and the operator watches it. A pickup that moves because the aircraft moved is normal, and it is not treated as a late change.
Do you go to the Washington airports?
No. DCA and IAD are outside the zone this desk works, and we would rather say so than quote a ride we cannot stand behind. The service areas page names what is in and what is out.
Ready when you are
Send the dates and the desk will come back with a rate and the available dates around it. Free quote, no obligation, and no card at any point.
- Send the request, or telephone +1 (443) 612-4708 during desk hours.
- Not sure yet? Read what this desk actually books first.