Category: Teddys

A Ride from uber: Know What You’re Getting Into

There’s no doubt that a ride from Uber remains one of the most widely used options for getting around, with the company reporting over 20 million rides per day globally in 2025. But as the platform continues to grow, Uber and similar app-based services like Lyft have remained under ongoing scrutiny—especially when it comes to safety, accountability, rider experience, and not to mention the surge pricing.

On a recent Thursday evening – one of the busiest times for rides home from LGA – UberX cost $73 more than Teddy’s Private Car, and UberBlack was $151 more. Why? Because rideshare companies rely on surge pricing to lure enough part-time drivers onto the road. Teddy’s, by contrast, provides steady availability with company-owned vehicles and full-time, well-compensated professional chauffeurs. This model ensures greater consistency, safety, and reliability every time you ride.

In many cases, a professional private car service may be a smarter, more reliable alternative. Here’s why:

A Professional, Safer Transportation Experience

Uber drivers undergo a multi-step background check, but these checks are still conducted by third-party vendors—not law enforcement—and often do not include fingerprinting, unlike the strict vetting processes required for licensed livery and taxicab drivers. According to safety studies, third-party checks can be up to 43 times more likely to miss disqualifying criminal history.

Even with improvements to Uber’s technology and safety reporting tools, loopholes remain. For instance, someone with a criminal background could register using someone else’s identity, and enforcement mechanisms remain reactive rather than preventive. In some cases, an otherwise “approved” driver may hand off their Uber account or vehicle to another person without Uber or the passenger knowing.

And even when the driver is legitimate, the nature of gig work means many rideshare drivers work excessive hours just to earn a livable wage, which can raise concerns about fatigue, focus, and long-term safety behind the wheel.

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We are thrilled to announce an exciting addition to the Teddy’s Platinum Rewards Program – the award-winning Nomad restaurant in Westport, CT. This remarkable dining venue, heralded as Connecticut Magazine’s Statewide Best New Restaurant of 2023, is now part of our rewards catalog. All members can now redeem Teddy’s Platinum Reward Miles for gift cards to enjoy an unparalleled dining experience at Nomad. Read More

Last week a certain money manager from New Canaan became positively apoplectic when we could not meet his chauffeured car service need on short notice.

We can’t blame him. He and his team have counted on flawless service and never a coverage issue from Teddy’s for decades. But we called several other affiliated limo companies to meet his Sunday night request for a Monday morning car. ..and nobody had an available driver. Our drivers all had assignments already – even me, the company president had a pre-dawn trip to cover.

Teddy’s has always understood a simple ‘yes we can’ is often what our clients covet most from us. “Can I get a 5AM car Tuesday for my boss from Westport to LaGuardia?” Of course – with no pre-dawn surcharge! Midtown, New York to Greenwich tomorrow night? Certainly.

Lately, though, as you have read in so many headlines, the service and travel industries are having once-in-a-lifetime difficulties in finding help to fuel the rapid rebirth of post-pandemic business travel. So many chauffeurs had to leave the industry while it was effectively closed and we are battling to replace that headcount with other world-class professional drivers – no easy task.

Meanwhile, Teddy’s is hearing from so many new people who need professional private car service. So many have moved up to Connecticut during the pandemic. Just today, we booked a first-time ride from a woman whose family just moved to Darien from Brooklyn. We are also hearing from numerous people whose pre-pandemic car service is out of business. At the same time, our frequent business fliers are returning to work at a brisk clip.

We’ve got you. We have your back. But ‘yes’ costs a little more for a while as we rely on independent affiliates and partner providers to help meet your business travel needs. So we’ve increased our surcharge to help us attract and retain the professional chauffeur staff you have come to rely on. We hope you understand.

While Teddy’s is delighted to be back to helping our clients with a few airport trips each day we have not done much flying ourselves and wondered about the screening process you will face upon flying back into the Greater New York City airports, LaGuardia, John F Kennedy, Newark, Westchester County and Teterboro (codes LGA, JFK, EWR, HPH & TEB respectively).

Well Team Teddy’s member Emerson Osorio just got back from his very first trip to the Colorado Rockies and besides being very stoked about the majestic mountains, filled us in on his experience flying back into LaGuardia Airport today.

In a nutshell, all passengers boarding in Denver were told to visit https://forms.ny.gov/s3/Welcome-to-New-York-State-Traveler-Health-Form and fill out the quick form. He completed his before boarding, worried about intermittent internet access while airborne.

HOWEVER, it looks like if you are only passing through a New York City airport, to stay in Connecticut, you are actually responsible to submit a report to Connecticut. More below.

I started the NY form while here at the Teddy’s offices, but did not want to finish it because I’m not actually traveling today. The first page advised you not to submit the form more than 24 hours before you enter the State of New York.

The form’s first page called for name and birth date. Page 2 was phone numbers and contact info. Three was travel date and mode of transportation, i.e.: check a box for airplane, bus, private car, public transport, ship or train. Page 4 was about dependents traveling with you. There were 8 pages altogether and I’m sure I would have finished in 3 minutes.

Once finished, you were to screen shot the findings of the site. If the site returned a green checkmark, you did not have to quarantine. I’m not sure what the alternative response page looked like.

Just passing through NY to Connecticut?

Failure to submit this travel health form or to self-quarantine may result in a civil penalty of $500 for each such violation.

An Affected Traveler is a person entering into Connecticut after spending 24 hours or longer in one of the Affected States or Affected Countries within 14 days prior to arriving in Connecticut and who is staying in Connecticut for 24 hours or longer. To control the spread of COVID-19 in Connecticut, all Affected Travelers are required to (1) complete the “Connecticut Travel Health Form” and (2) self-quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time of last contact with an Affected State or Affected Country, for any portion of such 14 day period they spend in Connecticut.

Can travelers be tested for COVID-19 instead of self-quarantine? Yes, an Affected Traveler is exempt from the self-quarantine requirement if the Affected Traveler (1) has had a test for COVID-19 in the seventy-two (72) hours prior to arrival in Connecticut or at any time following arrival in Connecticut, (2) the result of such COVID-19 test is negative, and (3) he or she has provided written proof of such negative test result to the Commissioner via email to: [email protected] or via facsimile to: (860) 326-0529.  (see more at item 14 here.)

For an ever-changing list of the Affected States, click here.

Hope it helps! Stay tuned while we keep an ear out for the process into Bradley (Hartford/Springfield) and Boston Logan. (Or if you know, please tell us by calling or writing [email protected] and we’ll post it here.)

For more about Teddy’s COVID safety protocols, click here.

Safe travels!

Team Teddy’s

Each year, Luxury Coach & Transportation Magazine awards the best players in the luxury coach and transportation business for their high standards, best practices and stellar performance. This year’s award ceremony took place Feb. 18, at The Venetian in Las Vegas, and recognized, for the first time ever, operators outside of the United States, in addition to all those operators located nationwide.

In the 31–44 vehicle category (operators with a fleet of 31-44 vehicles), Teddy’s Transportation System won Luxury Coach & Transportation Operator of the Year, beating out an array of other very impressive contenders to come out on top as the best in the biz for an operation with such a large fleet size.

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