Travel advisoryStorm Warning on the ferry waters until Sun 10 AM · Steamship Authority travel advisory · High Wind Warning for Martha's Vineyard until Sun 8 AM · Coastal Flood Warning for Martha's Vineyard until Sun 8 PMThe Steamship Authority is continuing to monitor the forecast for the upcoming nor'easter that is expected to have significant effects for Cape Cod and the Islands through Sunday. We are waiving change and cancellation fees for travel scheduled for through Sunday, September 27.Steamship Authority · checked 1:45 PM ET
Uber and Lyft work down-island on Martha's Vineyard in daylight; up-island in Chilmark, Menemsha and Aquinnah they are scarce, nearly impossible late at night and expensive, and there are stretches with no cell service. The ten taxi companies with phone numbers, published zone fares, the free bus and its last runs, and how to plan the ride home.
Yes, Uber and Lyft work on Martha’s Vineyard, and for a ride between the ferry and an Oak Bluffs or Edgartown hotel on a July afternoon they work about the way they do anywhere. The honest part of the answer is everything else. Drive up-island to Chilmark, Menemsha or Aquinnah and the apps thin out fast; try to get one back from there late at night and you can spend half an hour watching the map with no car on it, then pay a fare that would make a taxi blush. Add the stretches of North Road and Moshup Trail where your phone has no service at all, and you have the rule this page is built around: down-island, the app is fine; up-island and after dark, plan the ride before you need it. Checked in September 2026 against the taxi companies’ own rate sheets, the airport’s taxi list and the VTA timetables.
06 BY SITUATION
FERRY TO HOTEL, DAYTIME Any of the three
Taxis wait at the Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs terminals, Uber and Lyft are busiest exactly when a boat lands (expect surge pricing), and the free VTA bus leaves from the same curb. Down-island rides run about $10 to $45 by cab.
Oak Bluffs last call is 12:30 AM and every app rider in town wants a car at the same minute. A taxi called twenty minutes earlier beats the surge; All Island and Adam Cab run around the clock.
The sunset crowd leaves together and rideshare cars are scarce on the north shore. Reserve a cab for a fixed time, take the summer sunset bus, or drive. A Chilmark-to-anywhere cab is about $47 to $61.
The last free bus off the cliffs leaves at 10:05 PM on summer Saturdays and 9:05 PM on weekdays after late August. A taxi from Aquinnah runs $75 to $80; an Uber, if one appears, can cost more and take longer.
Cabs wait in front of the terminal, the VTA stops outside, and Uber and Lyft pick up at the airport too. Airport fares by cab: $30 to $59 from the down-island towns.
Both apps operate on the island with a small pool of mostly seasonal drivers who live and work down-island. That produces three predictable patterns. First, cars cluster in Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, so a pickup in those towns in daylight is usually minutes away. Second, demand spikes when ferries land and on weekend nights, and the apps answer with surge pricing; the same ride can cost two or three times the afternoon fare at 12:30 AM on a Saturday. Third, and this is the part the apps do not tell you, availability collapses up-island. We have stood on the Aquinnah Circle and at the Menemsha parking lot at night with the app open and no car within fifteen miles, and when one does accept, the fare reflects the empty drive out to get you. In the off-season the pool shrinks again, and in the middle of the island your phone may have no signal to request anything at all.
None of that makes the apps useless. It makes them a down-island, daytime tool. For everything else the island has a taxi system that predates the apps and still works, and a bus that is free.
On the island · an old Checker cabPhoto by MV Vacation
A vintage Checker cab parked under the trees: the island’s cab trade predates any app.
The taxi companies and what they charge
Vineyard Haven · the terminalPhoto by MV Vacation
Taxi vans lined up outside the Steamship Authority terminal in Vineyard Haven at the end of the day. Most island cabs are vans, which matters when four people and their bags come off a boat.
Ten licensed cab companies serve the island and the airport publishes the list; most run vans, which matters when four people and their bags come off a boat. The two that advertise round-the-clock service are All Island Taxi (508-693-2929) and Adam Cab (508-627-4462). The others on the airport’s list: Admiral Cab and Martha’s Vineyard Taxi (508-693-8660), Atlantic (508-693-7111), Bluefish Taxi (508-627-7373), Island Sharks Taxi (508-560-1523), Lighthouse Taxi (508-645-6066), Stagecoach Taxi (508-627-4566) and Your Taxi (508-693-0003). Vineyard Coach and Concierge (888-693-3006) runs a reservation-only town car service for the people who would rather not think about any of this.
Fares are quoted by zone rather than by meter. Stagecoach publishes its ranges, which are typical of the island; the low end is a short hop inside the zone and the high end is the far edge of it. The base fare covers two people.
From
To Vineyard Haven
To Oak Bluffs
To Edgartown
To the airport
Vineyard Haven (Tisbury)
$10–30
$16–44
$30–59
$30–59
Oak Bluffs
$16–44
$12–23
$19–35
$30–40
Edgartown
$30–59
$19–35
$10–30
$30–40
West Tisbury
$20–35
$28–47
$30–52
$30–52
Chilmark and Menemsha
$47–61
$47–61
$47–61
$47–61
Aquinnah
$75–80
$75–80
$75–80
$75–80
Extras on that sheet: $4 for each person beyond two, $4 for a dog, $4 for a bike, $3 to $20 for extra bags, $4 per stop, $1.20 a minute of waiting, $2 per quarter mile of dirt road, and $72 an hour if you keep the cab. Other companies set their own ranges, so ask the fare when you call; a good dispatcher will quote it before the car moves.
Beach Road · the free busPhoto by MV Vacation
The VTA on Beach Road: fare-free through June 30, 2027, and the answer to most rides that are not late at night.
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The up-island rule
Chilmark, Menemsha and Aquinnah are where the plan matters. Cell coverage fades in the hollows of North Road and along Moshup Trail, so the app you meant to open may not load; the drivers are all down-island, so a request that does go through can sit unanswered; and the fares, when a car finally comes, start from the far end of the island. If you are having dinner in Menemsha or watching the sunset at the cliffs without a car, do one of three things before you leave town: reserve a cab for a set pickup time (the dispatchers do this all summer), check the last bus and be on it, or arrange to ride with someone who drove. Do not plan on summoning a ride from the Aquinnah Circle at 10:30 on a Saturday night. We have tried.
The bus and its last runs
Vineyard Haven · the VTA shelterPhoto by MV Vacation
Inside the bus shelter at the Vineyard Haven terminal, with the harbor and the moored boats through the glass. Every route on the island starts within a few steps of a ferry.
Vineyard Haven · the stopPhoto by MV Vacation
A VTA bus at the Vineyard Haven stop. The bus is fare-free through June 30, 2027; the catch is the last run, which is what this section is about.
The VTA is free through June 30, 2027, on every route, and it reaches all six towns. Route 13 links the three down-island towns every fifteen to thirty minutes into the evening. Up-island, the numbers that matter are the last departures: from the Aquinnah cliffs, 10:05 PM on summer Saturdays and 9:05 PM on weekdays after August 28, on Route 5 to West Tisbury Town Hall, where Route 3 meets it for Vineyard Haven (last one 10:36 PM). The 11:05 PM run printed in the summer brochure was canceled for all of 2026. From June 19 to August 30 a summer sunset bus (Route 12) shuttles between the Chilmark lot on Tabor House Road and Menemsha Beach until half an hour after sunset. All the routes, transfer stops and timetables are in our bus guide.
Edgartown · Church StreetPhoto by MV Vacation
The Edgartown bus shelter: the schedule on the board is the one to photograph before dinner.
Plan accordingly: the short version
Down-island in daylight, use whatever is closest. For a night out, call a cab before last call. For any evening up-island, book the return before you go or know the last bus by heart, and carry the taxi numbers on paper because the signal will not always be there. If your whole trip is up-island, read the honest case for a car; for one or two nights down-island you will never need one. If you are deciding between the two, the VTA’s live map at vta.mytransitride.com shows whether a bus is actually coming; bookmark it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do Uber and Lyft work on Martha’s Vineyard?
Yes, down-island and in daylight. Cars cluster in Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, so a pickup there is usually minutes away. Up-island, after dark and in the off-season the apps thin out, and a ride back from Menemsha or Aquinnah late at night may not come at all.
How much does a taxi cost?
Fares are quoted by zone, not by meter, and the base fare covers two people. Down-island hops run about $10 to $45, Chilmark to anywhere about $47 to $61, and Aquinnah to the down-island towns $75 to $80. Airport cabs are $30 to $59 from the three ferry towns.
Which taxi companies run all night?
All Island Taxi (508-693-2929) and Adam Cab (508-627-4462) advertise round-the-clock service. Eight more licensed companies are on the airport’s list, most running vans, and Vineyard Coach and Concierge runs a reservation-only town car.
What is the cheapest way around?
The VTA bus, which is fare-free through June 30, 2027 and leaves from the same curb as the ferries and the taxis. The catch is the last run: the last free bus off the Aquinnah cliffs leaves at 10:05 PM on summer Saturdays and 9:05 PM on weekdays after late August.
How do I get home from a night out?
Book a taxi about twenty minutes before last call, which in Oak Bluffs is 12:30 AM, when every app rider in town wants a car at the same minute and the apps answer with surge pricing that can double or triple the afternoon fare.
Island tip of the dayTransportNo. 11 of 86New tip at midnight, island time
Uber and Lyft operate on MV but surge hard in peak season. Local taxis are often steadier: a typical cross-town ride runs about $28, van-pool style, and airport pickups add a small rideshare surcharge.
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Disclaimer: The information in this article is provided for general guidance only and was accurate at the time of writing. Beach conditions, hours, prices, lifeguard schedules, ferry fares, and business operations change frequently and without notice. Ocean swimming carries inherent risks including rip currents, undertow, and cold water shock. Always verify current conditions with official local sources before your visit. MV Vacation assumes no responsibility for any loss, injury, or inconvenience resulting from the use of this information. Swim only where lifeguards are on duty, supervise children at all times near water, and follow all posted safety signs.
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