Getting around · Atlanta
Getting to and from ATL: taxi, rideshare, transit & the cell-phone lot
The quickest way to Atlanta airport is usually a taxi or a rideshare: a taxi runs a flat $37.5 to Downtown Atlanta, and Uber & Lyft pick up in a marked pickup zone. Picking someone up instead? Wait free at the Park & Wait Lot (formerly the Cell Phone Lot). Below: every way to and from the airport, what it costs, whether to park or grab a ride, and how to fold the drive into your Leave-By Time so you reach security with room to get through the line. Check ATL TSA wait times today before you decide when to leave.
- Terminals
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- Checkpoints
- 6
- PreCheck
- Yes
- CLEAR
- Yes
- Global Entry
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Taxis from ATL — fare and where to find the stand
Typical taxi fare
Flat ~$37.5
to Downtown Atlanta
Drive time
15–35 min
11 mi to Downtown Atlanta
A taxi is the simplest door-to-door option and needs no app. The fare to Downtown Atlanta is a flat $37.5 before tolls and tip.
Regulated flat fare to the Downtown zone is about $37.50 for one passenger (includes a $1.50 airport surcharge), plus roughly $2 per additional passenger; Midtown is about $39.50 and Buckhead about $49.50, and a fuel surcharge can apply when gas prices spike.
Domestic Terminal: taxi queue in Aisle A of the Ground Transportation Center (GTC); International Terminal: arrivals level outside door A-1. Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead trips are billed at the regulated flat zone fare rather than the meter; the City of Atlanta sets these rates and only permitted airport taxis may operate from the queue.
The ATL cell-phone waiting lot
Picking someone up? Wait free at Park & Wait Lot (formerly the Cell Phone Lot). Free lot at 1920 Autoport Drive, College Park, off Loop Road near the airport, with free Wi-Fi; no posted maximum wait, but it is intended for brief waits only. Wait there until your traveler texts that they're at the curb, then loop in once. From I-85 take the airport exits and follow Loop Road / Camp Creek signage to Autoport Drive; wait until your passenger is at the curb, then drive to the terminal pickup lanes.
Leaving a car for the trip instead of getting dropped off? It's worth checking the lots: compare ATLparking by price & distance.
Where to catch Uber & Lyft at ATL
Uber/Lyft pickups for the Domestic Terminal are at the North Economy lot — from North baggage claim take the lower-level escalators near doors N2/N3 and follow the orange signs; International Terminal pickups are on the upper-level curb. Domestic pickups are NOT at the curb where you exit baggage claim — you must walk to the North Economy parking deck; drop-offs, by contrast, are still allowed on the North/South terminal roadways.
Dropping off? Departing passengers are dropped at the Domestic Terminal upper-level (Departures) North or South curb, or the International Terminal departures curb; active loading only. ATL has 2 terminals (Domestic, International), so confirm your airline's before your driver commits to a curb — find your terminal at ATL.
Driving to ATL — routes & drive time
ATL sits about 11 miles from Downtown Atlanta, a drive of roughly 15–35 minutes via I-85 North to the Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85) — closer to the high end at rush hour. That drive time is the first input into your Leave-By Time, so the calculator counts it backward from your flight along with today's security wait and the walk to your gate.
Getting to ATL by train or transit
By rail, your option is MARTA Red/Gold Line — figure about 18 minutes to Downtown Atlanta. MARTA rail runs from Airport Station at the west end of the Domestic Terminal (between North and South baggage claim) on the Red/Gold Line to Five Points and other downtown stops in about 15-20 minutes; load a $2.50 one-way fare on a $2 Breeze Card, or tap a contactless bank card via the new Better Breeze system rolling out in 2026.
Fare: $2.50 one-way; pay with a $2 reloadable Breeze Card, or tap a contactless bank card under MARTA's new Better Breeze system rolling out in 2026.
Hotel and city shuttles to ATL
Many airport-area hotels run complimentary shuttles from the Ground Transportation curb; there is no dedicated downtown city shuttle since MARTA rail fills that role, while Groome Transportation runs scheduled vans to outlying Georgia cities. If a shuttle is part of your plan, add its ride time to your Leave-By Time — it's easy to forget the 15–20 minutes between the curb and the terminal.
Park or ride to ATL?
Here's the math. Parking starts around $10/day, while a round-trip taxi or rideshare to Downtown Atlanta runs about $75. So a round trip by car comes out ahead once you're away more than about 8 days — for a quick trip, parking usually costs less; for a long one, getting a ride does.
Want the exact trade-off for your dates? compare ATLparking by price & distance — the closest lot isn't always the one that costs the least.
Accessibility and late-night rides at ATL
Lift-equipped wheelchair-accessible taxis are available at the taxi stand on request, and Uber WAV / Lyft Access can be requested in-app; ADA drop-off and pickup are accommodated curbside at the terminal.
Late or overnight arrival? MARTA's last trains leave around 1 a.m. weekdays (slightly later on weekends); after that, taxis and Uber/Lyft operate 24/7, with late-night surge pricing common.
Returning a rental on the way out? Return vehicles at the consolidated ATL Rental Car Center, reached from the terminal by the free ATL SkyTrain people mover; follow Rental Car Return signage. (We cover where to return a car, not where to book one.)
Recently changed: The Cell Phone Lot was renamed the 'Park & Wait Lot' in May 2025 and carries no posted maximum wait (intended for brief waits only); Domestic-Terminal rideshare pickups are consolidated at the North Economy lot, and MARTA is rolling out tap-to-pay 'Better Breeze' fares in 2026 — verified 2026-06-27. Pickup zones and curb rules change — we verified ATL's ground-transport details as of June 27, 2026. Always check the in-app pickup pin and posted signs when you land.
Flying out of a nearby airport instead?
If a fare or a schedule points you elsewhere, the closest airport we cover is CHA (Chattanooga), about 106 miles from ATL in a straight line. The same math on this page — drive time, ride cost, security wait — decides whether the extra distance is worth it.
Other airports nearby
Straight-line distance from ATL — check current waits before switching airports.
Before you go ATL
ATL TSA wait times todaySee today's security wait by checkpoint, then time your ride to the airport.Getting-around FAQ ATL
How much is a taxi to or from ATL?
A taxi to Downtown Atlanta is a flat fare of about $37.5, before tolls and tip. Regulated flat fare to the Downtown zone is about $37.50 for one passenger (includes a $1.50 airport surcharge), plus roughly $2 per additional passenger; Midtown is about $39.50 and Buckhead about $49.50, and a fuel surcharge can apply when gas prices spike. Domestic Terminal: taxi queue in Aisle A of the Ground Transportation Center (GTC); International Terminal: arrivals level outside door A-1.
Where do you catch Uber and Lyft at ATL?
Uber/Lyft pickups for the Domestic Terminal are at the North Economy lot — from North baggage claim take the lower-level escalators near doors N2/N3 and follow the orange signs; International Terminal pickups are on the upper-level curb. Domestic pickups are NOT at the curb where you exit baggage claim — you must walk to the North Economy parking deck; drop-offs, by contrast, are still allowed on the North/South terminal roadways. Open the app after you land and follow its pickup pin, not the curb out front.
Where is the ATL cell-phone lot?
Park & Wait Lot (formerly the Cell Phone Lot) — Free lot at 1920 Autoport Drive, College Park, off Loop Road near the airport, with free Wi-Fi; no posted maximum wait, but it is intended for brief waits only. It's free, and you wait there until your traveler texts that they have their bags.
How far is ATL from Downtown Atlanta?
ATL is about 11 miles from Downtown Atlanta — roughly 15–35 minutes by car depending on traffic, via I-85 North to the Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85).
Is there a train from ATL to Downtown Atlanta?
Yes. MARTA rail runs from Airport Station at the west end of the Domestic Terminal (between North and South baggage claim) on the Red/Gold Line to Five Points and other downtown stops in about 15-20 minutes; load a $2.50 one-way fare on a $2 Breeze Card, or tap a contactless bank card via the new Better Breeze system rolling out in 2026.