Sharing a Car on Long Island and in Westchester

Long Island and Westchester sit right next to New York City, but car sharing works differently there. Cars live in driveways, not on crowded blocks. Train stations are the center of daily life. Plenty of households have a car that sits most of the week, while plenty of visitors and city residents need one for a day at the beach, a trip to see family, or a weekend on the East End.

This guide covers peer-to-peer car sharing in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties, for drivers who need a car and for owners who might share one.

A note on timing: Levy is a peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace for all of New York State. Hosts can create a draft listing today, and drivers can join early access. Bookings open when the marketplace launches in your area.

Why the suburbs suit peer-to-peer car sharing

• Driveways make handoffs easy. No circling the block, no alternate side parking, and a predictable pickup spot.

• Cars sit while their owners commute. Many people take the train into the city and leave a car at home or at the station all day.

• Visitors need cars. Family visits, weddings, beach days, and East End weekends bring people who don't have a car of their own here.

• Rental branches can be a drive away. A car in the next neighborhood can be easier to reach than a branch on a highway service road.

Getting there: trains and airports

The LIRR serves Nassau and Suffolk, and Metro-North's Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven lines serve Westchester (MTA). Long Island MacArthur Airport, run by the Town of Islip, sits next to the LIRR's Ronkonkoma station (MacArthur Airport). Westchester County Airport is just outside White Plains. JFK and LaGuardia are also close to western Nassau and southern Westchester.

This is where peer-to-peer car sharing can fill a gap. You can take the train out of the city and pick up a local car near the station instead of driving the whole way. Keyless pickup, which Levy offers on supported connected cars, makes an evening train arrival straightforward.

Long Island: what drivers should know

Beaches and parks

State beaches charge a vehicle fee. Jones Beach charges $10 per car in the summer season and $8 in spring and fall, according to New York State Parks. Robert Moses State Park charges $10 in summer (State Parks), and Montauk Point State Park charges $8 per car in season (State Parks). If you'll visit often, the $80 Empire Pass covers vehicle day-use at most state parks for the 2026 season.

Town beaches work differently. Many are set up for residents, and non-residents pay more. In the Town of Southampton, for example, a non-resident season parking permit costs several times the resident price, and daily parking at some town beaches is sold through an app, according to the town. Check a beach's rules before you drive out.

Town and village parking rules

Many LIRR station lots are run by towns and villages, and many spaces need a resident permit. The Town of Hempstead, for example, requires its resident commuter parking permit for town-run spaces at the Bellmore, Merrick, Seaford, and Wantagh station lots, according to the Town of Hempstead. If a shared car usually lives at a station lot, the permit belongs to the owner, so a driver shouldn't assume they can return it there. Overnight street parking rules vary by town and village, so read local signs.

Parkways

Long Island and Westchester parkways ban commercial vehicles and tractor-trailers, and some parkway bridges have clearances as low as 6 feet 11 inches, according to NYSDOT. The restricted list includes the Southern State, Northern State, Meadowbrook, Wantagh, and Sagtikos parkways on Long Island, and the Hutchinson River, Saw Mill River, Taconic, Bronx River, Cross County, and Sprain Brook parkways north of the city. If you're driving a cargo van or towing anything, check the rules and plan a route on the expressways.

The East End

The North Fork and the Hamptons are the classic Long Island weekend. The LIRR reaches both forks, but wineries, farm stands, and beaches are spread out, and summer weekend traffic on the roads east can be heavy. If you're renting a car for an East End trip, leave early, check the mileage allowance, and book ahead for summer weekends. Our guide to weekend trips from NYC without a car has more planning tips.

Westchester: what drivers should know

Station parking

Metro-North station parking in Westchester is often run by villages and cities, and non-resident permits can be expensive or hard to get. In Scarsdale, for example, non-resident annual garage permits cost $1,650 to $2,475 and were listed as sold out for 2025–26, though a valet lot offers daily parking on weekdays, according to the Village of Scarsdale. As on Long Island, if a shared car lives at a station on the owner's permit, confirm where a driver may return it.

Tolls

The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge across the Hudson is tolled southbound only, into Westchester, at $7.25 with NY E-ZPass and $12.69 by mail as of 2026, according to the Thruway Authority's 2026 toll chart. The Thruway also has toll barriers on I-95 at New Rochelle and on I-87 at Yonkers.

Where people go

From Westchester, the Hudson Valley is close: Bear Mountain, Cold Spring, Beacon, and the farms and orchards of northern Westchester and Putnam County. See car sharing in the Hudson Valley.

Tolls getting to and from the city

Driving between Long Island and Queens or Brooklyn is toll-free, and so are the East River bridges into Manhattan. The tolls come at the MTA crossings: the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, the RFK Bridge, and the Throgs Neck and Bronx-Whitestone bridges cost $7.46 with NY E-ZPass and $12.03 by mail, according to the MTA. From Westchester, the Henry Hudson Bridge into Manhattan costs $3.42 with NY E-ZPass. Driving into Manhattan at or below 60th Street adds the congestion relief toll, $9 at peak with E-ZPass.

Details, including congestion pricing and how tolls are billed on a shared car, are in tolls, congestion pricing, and tickets on a shared car in New York.

For hosts on Long Island and in Westchester

If you have a car that sits in the driveway while you commute, or a second car that rarely moves, sharing it can help cover the cost of owning it. The suburbs have practical advantages for hosts:

• Off-street parking makes pickup and return predictable.

• Keyless handoff means you don't need to be home when a guest arrives. See keyless car sharing handoff.

• Summer weekends and holidays bring beach trips, East End weekends, and family visits.

• Station proximity is a selling point. If your car is near an LIRR or Metro-North station, say so in the listing.

Before you list, read preparing your car for car-sharing guests and check for open recalls; see car-sharing safety recalls for hosts. For earnings, read how much your car could earn in New York.

Tips for suburban listings:

• Give clear driveway instructions, including which side to park on and whether the guest can block another car.

• If the car lives at a station lot, confirm the lot's permit rules allow someone else to drive it in and out.

• For summer beach trips, say whether you allow sand, beach gear, or pets, and whether a cleaning fee applies.

• If you're near a parkway, remind guests that commercial vehicles and trailers aren't allowed on it.

For drivers: a quick checklist

• Confirm the pickup address and whether it's a driveway, a station lot, or the street.

• Check local parking rules if you'll leave the car anywhere overnight.

• Know the rules for beach and park parking before you go.

• Plan tolls into and out of the city.

• Photograph the car at pickup and return, including the dashboard.

• Return it on time. Summer weekend traffic can be slow, so leave a buffer.

How Levy's marketplace will work

Levy is one marketplace for all of New York State, with cars from local owners and small host fleets, keyless pickup on supported connected cars, and automatic toll handling. Read our driver's guide to renting from a local owner, see car sharing on Long Island and in Westchester, or check the FAQ.

Get started

• Drivers: Get early access.

• Hosts: Start your listing. Your draft listing goes live when the marketplace launches.

Bookings open when the marketplace launches.