Getting around · El Paso
Getting to and from ELP: taxi, rideshare, transit & the cell-phone lot
The quickest way to El Paso airport is usually a taxi or a rideshare: a metered taxi gets you to Downtown El Paso, and Uber & Lyft pick up in a marked pickup zone. Picking someone up? Note that ELP 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 ELP TSA wait times today before you decide when to leave.
- Terminal
- 1
- Checkpoints
- 2
- PreCheck
- Yes
- CLEAR
- No
- Global Entry
- Off site
- Wait data
- Predicted
Taxis from ELP — fare and where to find the stand
Typical taxi fare
Metered
to Downtown El Paso
Drive time
12–20 min
5 mi to Downtown El Paso
A taxi is the simplest door-to-door option and needs no app. Fares to Downtown El Paso are on the meter, so the total depends on traffic and your exact address.
Taxi staging is directly outside baggage claim, available 24 hours; cabs are metered and licensed by the City of El Paso. Meters are city-regulated; for service concerns call the El Paso PD Vehicle-for-Hire Division at 915-212-4097.
The ELP cell-phone waiting lot
ELP doesn't post a dedicated cell-phone waiting lot. Meet arriving passengers curbside outside baggage claim; short-term parking is available for longer waits.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 ELPparking by price & distance.
Where to catch Uber & Lyft at ELP
Uber and Lyft pick up and drop off at designated curbside points outside the terminal.
Dropping off? Drop off departing passengers at the upper-level departures curb. El Pasohas a single terminal, so there's no wrong-curb risk — any door gets you to check-in and security.
Driving to ELP — routes & drive time
ELP sits about 5 miles from Downtown El Paso, a drive of roughly 12–20 minutes via Airport Road to US-62/Paisano Drive or I-10 west into downtown — 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 ELP by train or transit
Sun Metro Route 33 links the airport with the Five Points Transit Center, and the Brio Montana bus-rapid-transit line runs the Montana Avenue corridor toward downtown; no rail serves ELP.
Fare: $1.50 standard one-way, same fare on Brio; $0.30 for seniors 65+, disabled, and Medicare.
Hotel and city shuttles to ELP
Hotel and pre-arranged shuttles serve the terminal; some downtown and Westside hotels offer courtesy pickups. 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 ELP?
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 ELPparking by price & distance — the closest lot isn't always the one that costs the least.
Accessibility and late-night rides at ELP
Sun Metro buses are wheelchair accessible; accessible taxis and vans can be requested.
Late or overnight arrival? Taxis stage 24 hours; Sun Metro Route 33 and Brio run limited hours, so check schedules for late arrivals.
Returning a rental on the way out? Return on-site at the consolidated rental area near the parking garage. (We cover where to return a car, not where to book one.)
Pickup zones and curb rules change — we verified ELP'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 ABQ (Albuquerque), about 224 miles from ELP 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 ELP — check current waits before switching airports.
Before you go ELP
ELP TSA wait times todaySee today's security wait by checkpoint, then time your ride to the airport.Getting-around FAQ ELP
How much is a taxi to or from ELP?
Taxis to Downtown El Paso are metered, so the fare depends on traffic and the exact address. Taxi staging is directly outside baggage claim, available 24 hours; cabs are metered and licensed by the City of El Paso.
Where do you catch Uber and Lyft at ELP?
Uber and Lyft pick up and drop off at designated curbside points outside the terminal. Open the app after you land and follow its pickup pin, not the curb out front.
Where is the ELP cell-phone lot?
ELP doesn't have a posted cell-phone waiting lot. Meet arriving passengers curbside outside baggage claim; short-term parking is available for longer waits.
How far is ELP from Downtown El Paso?
ELP is about 5 miles from Downtown El Paso — roughly 12–20 minutes by car depending on traffic, via Airport Road to US-62/Paisano Drive or I-10 west into downtown.
Is there a train from ELP to Downtown El Paso?
Not directly. Sun Metro Route 33 links the airport with the Five Points Transit Center, and the Brio Montana bus-rapid-transit line runs the Montana Avenue corridor toward downtown; no rail serves ELP.