Edinburgh Airport taxi and transfers
From £59.20 fixed for a pre-booked saloon to Edinburgh city centre.
A taxi from Edinburgh Airport to Edinburgh city centre costs from £59.20 with Airport Taxi Hub, fixed when you book rather than run up on a meter. The drive is about 8.0 miles and takes around 29 minutes in normal traffic.
Lowest live operator quote, checked 11 September 2026.
- To Edinburgh city centre
- from £59.20
- Journey
- 29 minutes
- Distance
- 8.0 miles
Fixed price, confirmed in seconds
الركاب
الحقائب
دعم العملاء على مدار الساعة، والإلغاء قبل 24 ساعة، وتتبع الرحلة الجوية، كلها مشمولة مجاناً
What does it cost?
Pre-booked, fixed
from £59.20
Lowest live operator quote to Edinburgh city centre, saloon, 11 September 2026.
Rank taxi, metered
about £34
To Edinburgh city centre on the council tariff. (computed from the council tariff for a 7.5 mile run with no waiting: £3.60 for the first 430 metres, then £0.30 for each of the next 9 units of 141 metres to 1,699 metres, then £0.30 for each of 64 units of 164 metres, plus the £8.50 airport drop-off charge, which is £34.00 in total; Tariff 2 after 18:00 runs higher, and waiting or slow traffic adds about £0.60 a minute.)
The meter moves with traffic, the night tariff and the airport extra. Our price does not move after you book.
(City of Edinburgh Council, checked 10 September 2026; Edinburgh Airport, checked 8 September 2026)
By day, for one person, the rank is usually cheaper; pre-book for night arrivals, groups, luggage or a confirmed driver.
What the fixed price includes
- 60 minutes free waiting after your flight lands; the rank meter charges from the moment you sit down
- a fixed price confirmed when you book, with no meter and no surge
- express pick-up at the airport's designated pick-up point
- flight tracking, so a delayed arrival moves your pick-up time
- free cancellation up to 24 hours before pick-up
What does a transfer from Edinburgh cost?
| To | Saloon, from |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh city centre | £59.20 |
| Edinburgh Waverley station | £57.60 |
| Haymarket station | £51.20 |
| Livingston | £54.40 |
| Dunfermline | £65.60 |
| Linlithgow | £65.60 |
| Stirling | £91.20 |
| Falkirk | £73.60 |
| Glasgow city centre | £100.80 |
| Glasgow Airport | £113.60 |
| Perth | £102.40 |
| Dundee | £123.20 |
| St Andrews | £116.80 |
| Cupar | £102.40 |
Saloon, single, pre-booked. Lowest live operator quote, checked 11 September 2026.
Popular routes from Edinburgh
Every route has its own page with a live fixed price, the journey time and where to meet your driver.
Which car, and what does each cost?
| Vehicle | Carries | To Edinburgh city centre, from |
|---|---|---|
| Saloon | 3 passengers, 3 cases, 2 bags | £59.20 |
| Estate | 4 passengers, 3 cases, 3 bags | £65.60 |
| Executive | 3 passengers, 2 cases, 2 bags | £75.20 |
| People Carrier | 5 passengers, 4 cases, 4 bags | £75.20 |
| Executive People Carrier | 5 passengers, 4 cases, 4 bags | £102.40 |
| Minibus | 8 passengers, 8 cases, 6 bags | £107.20 |
| Pax16 | 16 passengers, 14 cases, 10 bags | £217.60 |
One price for the car, not per person. Lowest live operator quote, checked 11 September 2026.
How much is a taxi from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre?
Edinburgh Airport sits west of the city and every option below leaves from the same plaza outside the main terminal, so the choice is about luggage, time of day and how many of you there are rather than about distance.
Our price is fixed when you book and does not move with traffic, the night tariff or the airport extra. A rank taxi is metered under the City of Edinburgh Council tariff, so the same journey can cost noticeably more at 02:00 than at 14:00.
When the tram or the rank is the better choice: on a weekday daytime arrival, travelling alone with hand luggage, the tram or a Lothian city bus is cheaper than any taxi and the rank queue is usually short. Pre-booking earns its money on night arrivals, with a group, with hold luggage, or when you want a named driver waiting rather than a queue.
| Option | Cost | Journey time | Door to door? | Pre-bookable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airport Taxi Hub, pre-booked | From £59.20, fixed, including 60 minutes free waiting after your flight lands | 29 minutes | Yes | Yes |
| Rank taxi (Capital Cars) | Metered. Tariff 1 starts at £3.60 for the first 430 metres, plus the airport extra | About 25 to 35 minutes | Yes | No |
| Ride-hailing app | App pricing, which varies with demand | About 25 to 35 minutes | Yes | No |
| Tram | Single ticket sold by Edinburgh Trams; we do not publish a figure while their own published fares disagree | 30 minutes to the city centre | No | No |
| Airlink 100 bus | £6.00 adult single, £8.50 adult open return | About 30 minutes to Waverley Bridge | No | No |
| Lothian services 17 and 18 | City fares, the cheapest way into town | Longer than the Airlink, it is a city service with city stops | No | No |
| Train | Tram or bus fare first, then your rail fare | 30 minutes by tram to the centre, plus the rail leg | No | Yes |
What it costs for 1, 2 or 4 people
| Option | Ticket | 1 person | 2 people | 4 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airport Taxi Hub, pre-booked | saloon, up to 4 passengers, one price per car | £59.20 | £59.20 | £59.20 |
| Airlink 100 bus | adult single, each | £6 | £12 | £24 |
A pre-booked car is priced per vehicle, so its total is the same for one passenger or four. Per-person fares are shown only where the operator publishes the fare and the ticket it buys.
| Option | Ticket | 2 people |
|---|---|---|
| Airport Taxi Hub, pre-booked | saloon, up to 4 passengers, one price per car | £59.20 |
| Airlink 100 bus | adult single, each | £12 |
Totals for 1, 2, 4 are published in the table above and do not need JavaScript. This control is here for the party sizes in between.
Where do I meet my driver at Edinburgh?
- Leave the terminal through arrivals and step out onto the plaza, where the large 'Edinburgh' sign stands.
- Your driver meets you at the airport pick-up point, not at the East Terminus taxi rank. The rank is Capital Cars' contracted operation and is a separate queue.
- Operators that do not hold the rank contract pick up from the ground floor of the multi-storey car park or from the long stay car park, so follow your driver's direction rather than the taxi signs.
- Express pick-up is included in your fixed price. If you would rather be met inside the terminal with a name board, add meet and greet at checkout.
- If your flight is delayed we track it and move your pick-up time, so book for the scheduled arrival rather than guessing.
Contact your driver as soon as you land, their number is in your supplier details email.
Arrivals-hall meet and greet with a name board is available as a paid extra at checkout.
Rank, ride-hail, drop-off and the facts that move the meter
Who runs the rank
Capital Cars is the official Edinburgh Airport taxi company and exclusively operates the rank, running both the black cab and the private hire operation. The contract runs five years from 14 April 2023.
(Edinburgh Airport (corporate), checked 8 September 2026)The airport extra on a rank meter
The council fare table does not set a fixed airport surcharge. The Airport Extra is whatever Edinburgh Airport's prevailing drop-off or pick-up charge is at the time, and it is payable in both directions. Anyone quoting you a flat £5 airport surcharge is quoting a figure the tariff does not contain.
(City of Edinburgh Council, checked 8 September 2026)Dropping someone off
The drop-off and pick-up zone costs £8.50 for up to 10 minutes and £1 per minute after that.
(Edinburgh Airport, checked 8 September 2026)The free alternative
The long stay car park gives 30 minutes free and is a 10-minute walk from the terminal.
(Edinburgh Airport, checked 8 September 2026)There is no station at the airport
Rail is reached by tram to Edinburgh Gateway, Edinburgh Park or Haymarket, and Waverley is a short walk from the St Andrew Square stop. Combined tram and train tickets are sold from machines in the check-in hall.
(Edinburgh Airport, checked 8 September 2026)The cheapest bus is not the airport bus
The former Skylink 200 and 400 became city services 17 and 18 on 6 April 2025, and city fares now apply to airport journeys on them. Almost nobody publishes this.
(Lothian Buses, checked 8 September 2026)Scottish licensing, not the English regime
Only a licensed taxi may ply for hire in Scotland. A private hire car carries passengers by prior booking only, under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.
(Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, checked 8 September 2026)Edinburgh taxi questions
How much is a taxi from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre?
Our fixed price is quoted live on this page before you book and does not change afterwards. A rank taxi is metered instead: the City of Edinburgh Council tariff in force from 25 July 2026 starts Tariff 1 at £3.60 for the first 430 metres or 100 seconds, and the meter also carries the airport extra.
Is there a taxi rank at Edinburgh Airport?
Yes. It is in the East Terminus. Exit via the plaza, where the large 'Edinburgh' sign is, and follow the signs for taxi. Capital Cars exclusively operates it.
Who runs the taxis at Edinburgh Airport?
Capital Cars. It runs both the black cab and the private hire operation at the airport, under a five-year contract with effect from 14 April 2023.
Do I need to pre-book a taxi at Edinburgh Airport?
Not for a black cab from the rank, which you can queue for. You do need a booking on the private hire side, to comply with the City of Edinburgh Council's private hire licensing rules, and in Scotland only a licensed taxi may ply for hire at all.
Where do Uber and Bolt pick up at Edinburgh Airport?
Operators without the rank contract, which includes the ride-hailing apps, pick up from the ground floor of the multi-storey car park or from the long stay car park, not from the East Terminus rank.
Where do I meet my driver at Edinburgh Airport?
At the airport pick-up point. Express pick-up is what your fixed price includes, so contact your driver as soon as you land, their number is in your supplier details email. Arrivals-hall meet and greet with a name board is available as a paid extra at checkout.
How long does the tram take from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre?
30 minutes. The stop is right outside the main terminal next to the plaza and the Edinburgh sign, and trams run every 7 minutes between 06:30 and 19:00 and every 10 minutes early and late. First tram 06:30, last 22:52.
Is the tram cheaper than a taxi from Edinburgh Airport?
For one person travelling light in daylight, yes, and so is a Lothian city bus. We are not publishing a tram fare here because Edinburgh Trams' own published figures disagree with each other, and a dated number we cannot stand behind is worse than none. A taxi wins on a night arrival, with a group, or with hold luggage.
How much is the Airlink 100 bus from Edinburgh Airport?
£6.00 for an adult single and £8.50 for an adult open return, with child fares at £3.00 and £4.25 and a family ticket at £22.00. It runs 24 hours a day, up to every 10 minutes between 04:12 and 01:00, and reaches Waverley Bridge in about 30 minutes.
What is the cheapest way to get from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre?
Lothian services 17 and 18. They were the Skylink 200 and 400 until 6 April 2025, when they became city services and city fares started applying to airport journeys on them. They are slower than the Airlink 100 because they stop like city buses.
Is there a train station at Edinburgh Airport?
No. You reach rail by tram to Edinburgh Gateway, Edinburgh Park or Haymarket, and Waverley is a short walk from the St Andrew Square stop. Combined tram and train tickets are sold from vending machines in the check-in hall.
How much does it cost to drop someone off at Edinburgh Airport?
£8.50 for up to 10 minutes in the drop-off and pick-up zone, then £1 per minute. The long stay car park gives you 30 minutes free instead, and it is a 10-minute walk from the terminal.
Does the airport drop-off charge show up on a taxi meter?
Yes, as the Airport Extra. The council fare table defines it as the prevailing Edinburgh Airport drop-off or pick-up charge set by the airport at that time, payable in both directions, rather than as a fixed surcharge.
What is the taxi fare tariff in Edinburgh?
From 25 July 2026, Tariff 1 is £3.60 for the initial hire of up to 430 metres or 100 seconds, then 30p per 141 metres to 1,699 metres and per 164 metres after that. Tariff 2 is £4.80, Tariff 3 is £4.60 and Tariff 4 is £5.75. More than three passengers adds 50p each, the call-out charge is £1.00, cancellation is £3.00 and soiling is capped at £50.
Can I hail a private hire car at Edinburgh Airport?
No. Under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 only a licensed taxi may ply for hire in Scotland. A private hire car can carry you by prior booking only, which is why the airport's private hire side requires a booking.
What happens if my flight into Edinburgh is delayed?
We track your flight and move the pick-up time to match the new arrival, so book for the scheduled time rather than padding it. Your booking includes 60 minutes free waiting after your flight lands, so a slow bag drop or a long queue at immigration does not cost you the car.
When is a pre-booked transfer not worth it at Edinburgh Airport?
On a weekday daytime arrival, travelling alone with hand luggage, into the city centre. The tram takes 30 minutes from a stop right outside the terminal, Lothian services 17 and 18 are cheaper still, and the rank queue is usually short. Pre-book for a night arrival, a group, hold luggage, or a destination outside the city.
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancellations made more than 24 hours before your scheduled pick-up are free. Cancellations inside 24 hours are charged in full.
Other airports we cover
- London Gatwick Airport taxis
- London Stansted Airport taxis
- London Heathrow Airport taxis
- London Luton Airport taxis
- Manchester Airport taxis
- Birmingham Airport taxis
- Bristol Airport taxis
- Belfast International Airport taxis
- London City Airport taxis
- Newcastle Airport taxis
- London Southend Airport taxis
Prices for each airport are quoted live on its own page.
Last updated , from the most recent verified fact on this page rather than the build date. Sources are listed with each fact.