Getting around · Fort Lauderdale
Getting to and from FLL: taxi, rideshare, transit & the cell-phone lot
The quickest way to Fort Lauderdale airport is usually a taxi or a rideshare: a taxi runs about $15–$25 to Downtown Fort Lauderdale, and Uber & Lyft pick up in a marked pickup zone. Picking someone up instead? Wait free at the Cell Phone Waiting Area. 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 FLL TSA wait times today before you decide when to leave.
- Terminals
- 4
- Checkpoints
- 4
- PreCheck
- Yes
- CLEAR
- Yes
- Global Entry
- On site
- Wait data
- Predicted
Taxis from FLL — fare and where to find the stand
Typical taxi fare
~$15–$25
to Downtown Fort Lauderdale
Drive time
10–20 min
4 mi to Downtown Fort Lauderdale
A taxi is the simplest door-to-door option and needs no app. Expect about $15–$25 to Downtown Fort Lauderdale on the meter, before tolls and tip — more in heavy traffic.
At the ground-transportation booths on the lower (baggage claim) level of each terminal. Short hop to downtown; metered Broward County rates. Wheelchair-accessible cabs on request at the ground-transport booth.
The FLL cell-phone waiting lot
Picking someone up? Wait free at Cell Phone Waiting Area. Free lot at ~600 Terminal Drive off Perimeter Road, looping around the Cypress Garage / Rental Car Center, where drivers wait until the traveler is curbside; flight-info screens are posted in the lot. Wait there until your traveler texts that they're at the curb, then loop in once. Enter via Perimeter Road and follow 'Cell Phone Waiting Area' signs around the Rental Car Center / Cypress Garage.
Leaving a car for the trip instead of getting dropped off? It's worth checking the lots: compare FLLparking by price & distance.
Where to catch Uber & Lyft at FLL
Uber/Lyft pick up on the lower (Arrivals) level only: Terminal 1 just past the taxi podium (Zone Z), Terminal 2 at GTA-2, and Terminals 3-4 on the first floor of the Palm Garage (Zones A-D). Pickups are lower-level only and you must confirm your assigned zone letter (e.g., Zone Z, A-D) in the app; Terminal 1's Zone Z and the Palm Garage zones for T3/T4 trip up first-timers.
Dropping off? Drop-off is on the Departures (Upper) Level at each terminal; some travelers arrange upper-level pickup too since lower-level curbs get congested. FLL has 4 terminals (1, 2, 3, 4), so confirm your airline's before your driver commits to a curb — find your terminal at FLL.
Driving to FLL — routes & drive time
FLL sits about 4 miles from Downtown Fort Lauderdale, a drive of roughly 10–20 minutes via US-1 (Federal Highway) north, or I-595 to I-95/US-1 — 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 FLL by train or transit
By rail, your option is Tri-Rail — figure about 30 minutes to Downtown Fort Lauderdale. Take the free shuttle from the lower level (Terminal 1 west end, between Terminals 2-3, and between 3-4) to the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport Tri-Rail station for trains along the Miami-West Palm Beach corridor (from ~$2.50). For Downtown Fort Lauderdale specifically, Broward County Transit Route 1 from the Rental Car Center (Stop 7) goes to the Broward Central Terminal downtown for about $2.
Fare: Free shuttle to the FLL Tri-Rail station; Tri-Rail fares start at about $2.50 (one zone, ~$3.75 for two zones such as downtown FLL). For Downtown Fort Lauderdale specifically, BCT Route 1 from the Rental Car Center is about $2 one-way. (Brightline's separate downtown Fort Lauderdale station is reached by bus/rideshare.).
Hotel and city shuttles to FLL
Broward County Transit (BCT) Route 1 (~$2) connects the Rental Car Center to downtown; free Tri-Rail shuttle serves the rail station; many hotels and cruise services run their own shuttles. 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 FLL?
Here's the math. Parking starts around $11/day, while a round-trip taxi or rideshare to Downtown Fort Lauderdale runs about $40. So a round trip by car comes out ahead once you're away more than about 4 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 FLLparking by price & distance — the closest lot isn't always the one that costs the least.
Accessibility and late-night rides at FLL
Wheelchair-accessible taxis are available on request at the ground-transport booths; Uber WAV/Lyft Access serve FLL; ADA pickup is on the lower (Arrivals) level.
Late or overnight arrival? Taxis and ride apps run 24/7 (FLL is a heavy late-night and cruise-traffic airport); Tri-Rail and BCT buses have limited overnight service.
Returning a rental on the way out? Return rentals at the consolidated Rental Car Center near the Cypress Garage (off Perimeter Road); follow Rental Car Return signs. (We cover where to return a car, not where to book one.)
Recently changed: Verified 2026-06-27: rideshare zones reconfigured during terminal modernization (Terminal 1 temporary Zone Z, Palm Garage Zones A-D for Terminals 3/4). Pickup zones and curb rules change — we verified FLL'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 MIA (Miami), about 21 miles from FLL 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 FLL — check current waits before switching airports.
Before you go FLL
FLL TSA wait times todaySee today's security wait by checkpoint, then time your ride to the airport.Getting-around FAQ FLL
How much is a taxi to or from FLL?
A metered taxi to Downtown Fort Lauderdale typically runs about $15–$25, before tolls and tip and more in heavy traffic. At the ground-transportation booths on the lower (baggage claim) level of each terminal.
Where do you catch Uber and Lyft at FLL?
Uber/Lyft pick up on the lower (Arrivals) level only: Terminal 1 just past the taxi podium (Zone Z), Terminal 2 at GTA-2, and Terminals 3-4 on the first floor of the Palm Garage (Zones A-D). Pickups are lower-level only and you must confirm your assigned zone letter (e.g., Zone Z, A-D) in the app; Terminal 1's Zone Z and the Palm Garage zones for T3/T4 trip up first-timers. Open the app after you land and follow its pickup pin, not the curb out front.
Where is the FLL cell-phone lot?
Cell Phone Waiting Area — Free lot at ~600 Terminal Drive off Perimeter Road, looping around the Cypress Garage / Rental Car Center, where drivers wait until the traveler is curbside; flight-info screens are posted in the lot. It's free, and you wait there until your traveler texts that they have their bags.
How far is FLL from Downtown Fort Lauderdale?
FLL is about 4 miles from Downtown Fort Lauderdale — roughly 10–20 minutes by car depending on traffic, via US-1 (Federal Highway) north, or I-595 to I-95/US-1.
Is there a train from FLL to Downtown Fort Lauderdale?
Yes. Take the free shuttle from the lower level (Terminal 1 west end, between Terminals 2-3, and between 3-4) to the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport Tri-Rail station for trains along the Miami-West Palm Beach corridor (from ~$2.50). For Downtown Fort Lauderdale specifically, Broward County Transit Route 1 from the Rental Car Center (Stop 7) goes to the Broward Central Terminal downtown for about $2.