Transportation to Rutgers University for Students and Families

Rutgers was founded in 1766 as Queen’s College, which makes it the eighth-oldest college in the United States, and today it teaches students on campuses in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden. Our Transportation to Rutgers University follows the rhythm of the academic year: a family flying into Newark for move-in with five or six suitcases in an SUV, an international student we meet at JFK at the start of the semester, a student going home to Bergen County for the holidays, and parents landing at Newark Airport for graduation.

Below you will find fares and drive times, the spots where our chauffeurs meet students on campus, and how we plan the three busiest occasions of the Rutgers year.

Fares and Drive Times to College Avenue in New Brunswick

The trip from Newark Airport to Rutgers University in New Brunswick is about 25 miles, and it is the route we drive most often for Rutgers families. These are the one-way prices to College Avenue from our online booking form:

*Estimated one-way prices from our online booking form. The online price includes all fees; tolls, parking, extra stops and waiting time are added, and a gratuity of at least 15% is added to every reservation.

Traffic on the way in matters as much as the distance. These are the ranges our dispatch plans with:

A car service from JFK to Rutgers makes sense when the only good flight lands in New York, but the drive crosses the city before it reaches New Jersey and can take two and a half hours at rush hour. When a student can still choose the airport, Newark is usually the shorter and less expensive way to campus, and we cover arrivals at Newark Liberty as well as flights landing at JFK.

Where Our Chauffeurs Meet Students on the New Brunswick Campuses

Our car service to Rutgers-New Brunswick uses a handful of meeting points that work well for a car and are easy for a student to find:

• the College Avenue Student Center on College Avenue
• the Busch Student Center on the Busch campus
• the Livingston Student Center on the Livingston campus
• the New Brunswick train station, for students arriving by rail

For a pickup at a residence hall, we ask for the building name and the entrance the student will use, because many dorms have several doors. Cars cannot stop at the campus bus stops, and most campus lots need a permit, so the chauffeur pulls up briefly at the curb or in a loading area and texts the student on arrival. Our advice to students is simple: be downstairs with your bags when that text arrives, especially on College Avenue, where campus buses and traffic make it hard for a car to wait.

Flying In From Abroad for the Semester: How International Arrivals Work

Every fall, and again at the start of the spring semester, we pick up international students at Newark and JFK. Many of them are landing in the United States for the first time, so the plan is set before the flight leaves:

1. Before departure, we send the student the chauffeur’s name and cell number and explain where to meet.
2. With a meet and greet, which is added to the quote when requested, the chauffeur waits at the arrivals exit holding a name sign.
3. The free waiting time after an international landing is 90 minutes, which usually covers passport control and baggage claim.
4. If customs runs longer, the student or a parent calls our dispatch, which answers 24/7, and the chauffeur keeps waiting.

Many students find that their phone does not work when they land, so we also ask for a parent’s number and tell students to connect to the airport Wi-Fi to message us.

Customs lines are the part no one can predict, and one returning traveler wrote about his chauffeur waiting through them:

“On my return, driver had to wait while we were in customs. But he was very pleasant.” (Dwight B., Google review)

Rutgers-Newark, About Four Miles From the Airport

Rutgers-Newark is close enough to Newark Liberty that the ride usually takes 12 to 20 minutes, or 20 to 35 minutes at rush hour. From the airport to the Newark campus, a sedan is $101.02* and an SUV is $166.72*. Students, faculty and visitors also book us for trips around the city of Newark, to a train station, a hotel or a meeting across town.

*Estimated one-way prices from our online booking form; tolls, parking, extra stops and waiting are added, plus a gratuity of at least 15%.

One passenger rode with us to the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine and described the trip:

“Pleasant ride from Double tree by Hilton to Rutgers school of dental medicine. Car was clean. Carlos texted me when he arrived.” (Elliot H., Google review)

Move-In Weekend, Commencement and Football at SHI Stadium

Three occasions fill the streets around Rutgers, and each one needs its own plan:

• Move-in weekend. Book 3 to 4 weeks ahead. Rutgers gives each student a move-in time slot; send it to us with the dorm name and we plan the arrival for that slot. When streets are closed, we drop off at the point campus staff direct cars to and help carry the bags to the curb.
• Commencement. Book 4 to 6 weeks ahead and expect road closures around the stadium. We drop off where police allow and agree on a meeting point away from the main exits for the ride home.
• Football at SHI Stadium in Piscataway. We drop off as close as police routes allow and set a pickup spot before the game, a short walk from the stadium. After a full house, expect 30 to 45 minutes before the car can get out.

For Rutgers move-in transportation, an SUV with room for a family and its suitcases is the usual choice. On football Saturdays, Route 18 and the roads around the Busch campus back up hours before kickoff, so anyone flying in or out that day for another reason should allow extra time. On a game day the drive from Newark Airport to SHI Stadium takes 35 to 45 minutes in normal traffic and 50 to 75 minutes at rush hour. Student clubs, teams and visiting groups that travel together can plan it through our school and college group transportation.

Soccer and Lacrosse Weekends at Yurcak Field

Yurcak Field, home of Rutgers soccer and women’s lacrosse, sits on the Busch Campus off Fitch Road and Scarlet Knight Way, right next to SHI Stadium. Our chauffeurs drop teams and fans at the entrance on the Fitch Road side, as close to the field as event staff allow. When a team bus or Sprinter stays through the game, we confirm the parking spot in advance with the team’s contact or with Rutgers event staff; it is usually one of the Busch Campus lots nearby, and the driver stays with the vehicle, so equipment can be left on board. After the final whistle, we agree on a pickup spot by text, a short walk from the main exit and away from the crowd.

A typical weekend for a visiting college team looks like this: a 55-passenger motorcoach for the whole squad meets the team at Newark Airport, takes them to their hotel in New Brunswick and then to practice the day before. On game day the coach runs from the hotel to Yurcak Field and back, with a dinner stop after the game, and it takes the team to Newark the next morning. Coaches or staff who arrive separately usually ride in an SUV, and for club teams, parents often book sedans or SUVs from the airport and meet the team at the hotel. Send us the game schedule and the warm-up time when you book, and we plan the hotel pickup so the team has enough time at the field to change and warm up.

From Newark Airport to Yurcak Field, a sedan is $141.12* and an SUV $206.82*; a Sprinter or a motorcoach is quoted on request. Teams and families stay most often at the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick and The Heldrich, both about 10 to 15 minutes from the field, while some groups choose the hotels along I-287 in Piscataway and Somerset, which are handy when the team flies out of Newark early. Clubs and schools planning several games can organize the season through our sporting event transportation.

*Estimated one-way prices from our online booking form; tolls, parking, extra stops and waiting are added, plus a gratuity of at least 15%.

When a Parent Books and Pays for a Student’s Ride

A parent can book and pay with their own card while the student rides; the cardholder’s name and billing address must match the card. Enter the student as the passenger with their own cell number, add the parent’s cell and email to the booking, and dispatch makes sure both of you have the pickup details. The same setup works for the trip home at Thanksgiving or winter break, whether the student is heading to a family home in Bergen County or back to the airport.

Late flights are when that matters most, as one mother found when her daughter’s flight into Newark ran very late:

“My daughter’s flight into Newark was very delayed and they made sure to be there right on time and got her home safely.” (Rachel Z., Google review)

Rides like these are part of why Air Brook holds a 4.9 average across more than 870 Google reviews.

Reserving a Rutgers Ride Before Move-In, a Flight or a Game

For a pickup from Newark Airport to Rutgers University or any other Rutgers trip, a quote comes back quickly when the request includes:

• the flight number, or the date and pickup time
• the campus and building, with the entrance or meeting point
• the move-in slot or ceremony time, if the trip is for one
• how many people are riding and how many bags they have
• the student’s cell and a parent’s cell and email

Reach our dispatch at any hour at (800) 800-1990 or info@airbrook.com, or send your trip through the online reservation form.

Late Landings, Delayed Trains and Dorm Pickups: Questions From Rutgers Families

Does a flight that lands after midnight cost more?

Pickups scheduled between midnight and 4:59 a.m. carry a $25 surcharge plus tip. It applies to the time the pickup is booked for, so a red-eye landing at 1 a.m. includes it.

My train into New Brunswick is running late. Will the chauffeur still be there?

Trains are not tracked automatically, so a quick call or text to dispatch is enough, and we move the chauffeur’s time to your new train.

How long can the car wait outside a residence hall?

For pickups that are not at an airport, the first 15 minutes of waiting are free. After that, waiting is billed by the minute.

How much waiting time is included after a domestic flight?

Dispatch follows the flight, and after a domestic landing the chauffeur waits up to 60 minutes at no extra charge, enough for a student to collect checked bags.