Getting around · Columbia
Getting to and from CAE: taxi, rideshare, transit & the cell-phone lot
The quickest way to Columbia airport is usually a taxi or a rideshare: a metered taxi gets you to Downtown Columbia, and Uber & Lyft pick up in a marked pickup zone. Picking someone up? Note that CAE has no posted cell-phone waiting lot, so plan your loop to the curb. 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 CAE TSA wait times today before you decide when to leave.
- Terminal
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- Checkpoint
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- PreCheck
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- CLEAR
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- Global Entry
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- Wait data
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Taxis from CAE — fare and where to find the stand
Typical taxi fare
Metered
to Downtown Columbia
Drive time
15–25 min
8 mi to Downtown Columbia
A taxi is the simplest door-to-door option and needs no app. Fares to Downtown Columbia are on the meter, so the total depends on traffic and your exact address.
Lower level in the baggage claim area, outside the doors to the left of the rental car counters. The metered rate is $2 to start plus $2.50 per mile; companies serving CAE include Checker Yellow, Capital City, Blue Ribbon, and Carolina Taxi.
The CAE cell-phone waiting lot
CAE doesn't post a dedicated cell-phone waiting lot. There is no free cell phone lot; greeters should wait in the short-term parking garage, as the front curb is for immediate loading only.The safest move is to wait off-site and time your loop to the curb so you're not circling.
Leaving a car for the trip instead of getting dropped off? It's worth checking the lots: compare CAEparking by price & distance.
Where to catch Uber & Lyft at CAE
Uber and Lyft pick up on the lower level in front of the parking garage, separate from the taxi and hotel-shuttle curb. Rideshare pickup is in front of the parking garage, not at the taxi stand; drop-off is at the upper-level curb.
Dropping off? Drop departing passengers at the upper-level curb in front of the terminal, which is limited to about 5 minutes with photo enforcement. Columbiahas a single terminal, so there's no wrong-curb risk — any door gets you to check-in and security.
Driving to CAE — routes & drive time
CAE sits about 8 miles from Downtown Columbia, a drive of roughly 15–25 minutes via Airport Blvd to I-26, then US-1/US-378 across the river to the city center; I-20 and I-77 also connect — 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 CAE by train or transit
The COMET Route 91 links CAE to downtown Columbia; it runs limited weekday and Saturday hours and not late at night, so confirm the schedule first.
Fare: Single-ride fare is about $2.
Hotel and city shuttles to CAE
Hotel courtesy shuttles pick up on the lower level in baggage claim, left of the rental counters; contact your hotel to confirm service. 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 CAE?
The rule of thumb: a round-trip ride is one fixed cost, while parking adds up by the day. For a quick 1–2 day trip, parking usually costs less; for a longer trip, a round-trip taxi or rideshare often comes out ahead.
Want the exact trade-off for your dates? compare CAEparking by price & distance — the closest lot isn't always the one that costs the least.
Accessibility and late-night rides at CAE
Sky Caps at the terminal front assist with bags (803-822-5002); wheelchair assistance is arranged through the airlines directly.
Late or overnight arrival? Taxis and rideshare are the practical after-hours options, as Route 91 does not run overnight; the upper curb still enforces immediate loading only.
Returning a rental on the way out? Return rentals on the lower level in the baggage claim area, with garage access on the lower parking level (Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Thrifty). (We cover where to return a car, not where to book one.)
Recently changed: As of June 2025 the airport designated the lower-level area in front of the parking garage as the rideshare pickup point. Pickup zones and curb rules change — we verified CAE's ground-transport details as of July 1, 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 CLT (Charlotte), about 89 miles from CAE 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 CAE — check current waits before switching airports.
Before you go CAE
CAE TSA wait times todaySee today's security wait by checkpoint, then time your ride to the airport.Getting-around FAQ CAE
How much is a taxi to or from CAE?
Taxis to Downtown Columbia are metered, so the fare depends on traffic and the exact address. Lower level in the baggage claim area, outside the doors to the left of the rental car counters.
Where do you catch Uber and Lyft at CAE?
Uber and Lyft pick up on the lower level in front of the parking garage, separate from the taxi and hotel-shuttle curb. Rideshare pickup is in front of the parking garage, not at the taxi stand; drop-off is at the upper-level curb. Open the app after you land and follow its pickup pin, not the curb out front.
Where is the CAE cell-phone lot?
CAE doesn't have a posted cell-phone waiting lot. There is no free cell phone lot; greeters should wait in the short-term parking garage, as the front curb is for immediate loading only.
How far is CAE from Downtown Columbia?
CAE is about 8 miles from Downtown Columbia — roughly 15–25 minutes by car depending on traffic, via Airport Blvd to I-26, then US-1/US-378 across the river to the city center; I-20 and I-77 also connect.
Is there a train from CAE to Downtown Columbia?
Not directly. The COMET Route 91 links CAE to downtown Columbia; it runs limited weekday and Saturday hours and not late at night, so confirm the schedule first.