Private Transportation to Count Basie Center for the Arts

The Count Basie Center for the Arts, at 99 Monmouth Street in Red Bank, hosts concerts, comedy, Broadway-style productions and community arts programs throughout the year. For our clients in Bergen County, it is one of the longer theater trips we run, more than an hour down the Garden State Parkway. Most bookings are couples and small groups of friends going to a concert or a comedy show, often with dinner in Red Bank first, and our transportation to the Count Basie Center is planned around one fixed point: the curtain time.

When to Leave for an 8 p.m. Curtain in Red Bank

These are the drive times our dispatch plans with, and the pickup time we suggest for an 8 p.m. show:

From June to September, the Parkway south fills with Shore traffic from mid-afternoon on Fridays, so for summer shows we move those pickups 15 to 30 minutes earlier.

Fares From Bergen County and Newark Airport

A round trip is booked as two one-way rides at the same fare each way. If you want the car for the whole evening, dinner included, the hourly rate is $94.90* per hour for a sedan, with a 4-hour minimum, and $116.80* per hour for an SUV, with a 5-hour minimum. Hours count garage to garage, and because Red Bank is more than an hour from our garage in Rochelle Park, a dinner-and-show evening from Bergen County usually comes to 6 to 7 hours in total. If you do not need the car during dinner, ask dispatch to quote both options.

*Starting prices from our online booking form (September 2026). The online price includes all fees; tolls, parking (including the lot where the chauffeur waits during the show), extra stops and waiting time are added.

Booking only one direction is the mistake clients mention afterward, like one who wrote that she regretted not booking the return trip:

“William my driver was early & was wonderful! I didn’t book them on my return trip & I regret it.” (Maria R., Google review)

How Drop-Off and Pickup Work on Monmouth Street

With a chauffeur, Count Basie parking stops being your problem, but the street in front of the theater has its own rhythm on show nights:

1. The chauffeur drops you at the front doors on Monmouth Street. The street is busy before a show, so the stop is quick: have your tickets ready on your phone and be ready to step out.
2. Before you go in, you agree by text on a pickup spot on a quieter side street, a short walk from the theater.
3. During the show, the chauffeur waits in a nearby paid lot.
4. About 10 minutes before the end, or as soon as you walk out, text the chauffeur, who drives to the agreed spot.

We do not wait in front of the building after the show, because the whole audience comes out onto Monmouth Street at once and cars there cannot move.

Dinner on Broad Street, Then the Show

Our clients mostly choose restaurants on Broad Street and Monmouth Street, a few minutes’ walk from the theater, so the chauffeur parks once and does not have to move the car in downtown traffic. A typical evening: a group of 8 friends from Bergen County in a Mercedes Sprinter, picked up at one home at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday, dinner in Red Bank, the show, and home around midnight. For a group like that, a limo service to the Count Basie Center booked by the hour keeps everyone together from the first stop to the last, and our page on booking a chauffeur by the hour explains how the hours work.

Performers, Crews and Guests Flying In

For artists, band members and crews arriving for rehearsal or soundcheck, our concert transportation covers the full schedule. Guests who fly in often combine three legs in one booking: the pickup at Newark Liberty, the drop-off at the Molly Pitcher Inn or the Oyster Point Hotel, both a few minutes from the theater, and then the ride to the show.

At the airport, you can ask for a meet and greet when you book: the chauffeur waits in the arrivals area at baggage claim with a name sign, helps with the bags and walks you to the car, and a meet and greet charge is added to the quote. Without it, the chauffeur texts you after landing and meets you at the curb or at the airport’s pickup area.

For a small group with luggage, the SUV is the usual choice, and one client noted the condition of the Suburban and the driver’s help:

“The Surburban was very clean and odorless. Our driver was on time and very helpful He was a please to talk with during our ride.” (Al P., Google review)

School Groups and the Turner Academy of the Arts

The center’s Turner Academy of the Arts runs classes, workshops and student productions, and schools also bring groups to shows. For school trips, we use our 23-passenger and 37-passenger mini buses and 55-passenger motorcoaches. Schools usually ask for a certificate of insurance, which we send by email, and we agree a set arrival and departure time with the teacher in charge. Buses should be booked well ahead, since mini buses and motorcoaches have a 35-day cancellation notice. Our school and college transportation covers group trips in more detail.

Reserving a Car Service to Red Bank for Show Night

Send the show date and curtain time, the pickup address, the number of guests and whether you want dinner first. We plan the car service to Red Bank, NJ around the curtain, and clients rate the whole experience 4.9 on Google across more than 870 reviews. Making a weekend of it at the shore? We also drive guests to the Asbury Ocean Club.

Send the curtain time to dispatch at (800) 800-1990 or info@airbrook.com, or book the evening yourself through our online reservation form.

Show Night Questions From Our Clients

What if the show ends after midnight?

Pickups between midnight and 4:59 a.m. carry a $25 late-night charge, plus tip, so a late encore on a two-way booking can add it to the return ride.

How long does the chauffeur wait if we are slow coming out?

On a one-way return ride, the first 15 minutes of waiting are free, and after that waiting is billed by the minute. On an hourly booking, the car is yours for the booked hours.

Can we have a drink in the car on the way home?

Alcohol is not allowed in our vehicles without our prior written consent, so ask when you book.