Newark is served by rail, subway, taxi, bus and shuttle services. Here we give some details about three generally preferred options to Manhattan, taxis, the Newark Airport Express Bus service and the Airtrain/LIRR/Subway. A full list of transportation options is here.
Taxis: For taxis from Newark to Columbia, the fare is about $65, without tip and tolls. You have to pay for roundtrip tolls, since the cab will have to drive back to New Jersey and this can be as much as $11, depending on the time of day. There is also a tip (at least 10%) and an additional $5 rush hour surcharge, for both morning and afternoon rush hours. Please use one of the officially recognized modes of transportation and do not accept rides from any driver with whom you have not made previous arrangements or who does not operate from an official taxi stand.
Newark Airport Express Bus:
These buses are $16 one way to Manhattan, or $28 round trip and go from all of the terminals at Newark to Manhattan. You should get off at the Port Authority Bus terminal in Manhattan, which is very close to the 42nd Street subway station. The buses run every 15 minutes, except between 11:15 PM and 6:45 AM, when they run every 30 minutes. More information is available here.
Direct underground passageways connect from the Port Authority bus terminal to the 42nd Street subway station. After entering the 42nd Street station, take either the A or C heading uptown to Inwood. You want to get off at 59th Street, which is 1 stop on the A or 2 stops on the C. At 59th Street, transfer to the number 1 train, uptown, to 242nd Street. Stay on the uptown 1 train until 116th Street, where you exit the subway and will find yourself directly in front of the main entrance to Columbia. This entire subway trip will cost only a single fare.
Airtrain(bus due to repairs)/Train/Subway:
The Newark Airport AirTrain, which provides connections from the terminals at Newark to trains on the Northeast Corridor Rail Line, is closed for repairs from May 1 to July 15, 2014. There is a bus, the AirTrain Bypass Bus, that is running 24 hours a day from the terminals at Newark Airport to the Newark Penn Station railroad station. (Please note this is different from the New York Penn Station). During high congestion times, Newark Airport recommends allowing as much as an hour for the bus trip. New Jersey Transit trains run regularly from Newark Penn Station to New York Penn Station and you can check the schedules here. You can buy a NJ transit ticket at the airport to New York Penn station, which will include the bus fare to Newark Penn Station and the train fare from Newark Penn Station to New York Penn Station. The trains take 21 minutes to get to New York Penn Station and the fare is given as $12.50 on the NJ transit web page.
To get to Columbia from Penn Station, follow these instructions.