Getting to and from LAX: taxi, rideshare, transit & the cell-phone lot

The quickest way to Los Angeles Int'l airport is usually a taxi or a rideshare: a taxi runs a flat $51.15 to Downtown LA, and Uber & Lyft pick up at LAX-it. Picking someone up instead? Wait free at the LAX Cell Phone Waiting 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 LAX TSA wait times today before you decide when to leave.

Picking someone up? Wait free at LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot. On 96th St just east of Sepulveda Blvd, about a quarter-mile west of the 96th Street Bridge terminal entrance (near the 96th St & Vicksburg Ave intersection). Roughly 100 stalls, open 24 hours; free, but vehicles must stay attended. Wait there until your traveler texts that they're at the curb, then loop in once. Approach via La Tijera, Sepulveda, Manchester or Century Blvds; follow 96th St to the lot just east of Sepulveda Blvd. No strict posted minute limit (commonly cited as free for up to about 2 hours), but it is for active waiting only and you must remain with your vehicle.

Leaving a car for the trip instead of getting dropped off? It's worth checking the lots: compare LAXparking by price & distance.

Rideshare pickups at LAX run through LAX-it. Uber and Lyft pick up only at the LAX-it lot next to Terminal 1 - walk there (3-19 min depending on terminal) or ride the free green-sign LAX-it shuttle from the Lower/Arrivals Level of any terminal. You cannot be picked up at your terminal curb - every rideshare/taxi rider must go to LAX-it. Don't confuse the GREEN LAX-it shuttle with the PINK LAX terminal/parking shuttle. An Automated People Mover (SkyLink) is still in testing and now expected to open later in 2026, which will eventually change pickup access.

Dropping off? Drop off on the Upper/Departures Level; the Lower/Arrivals Level is for pickup. No parking or waiting at the curb. LAX has 9 terminals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, TBIT), so confirm your airline's before your driver commits to a curb — find your terminal at LAX.

LAX sits about 18 miles from Downtown LA, a drive of roughly 25–70 minutes via I-105 E to I-110 N (Harbor Freeway) into Downtown LA; Sepulveda/Century Blvd surface streets are the alternate — 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.

By rail, your option is Metro C Line & K Line (light rail) — figure about 65 minutes to Downtown LA. Take the free green-sign LAX Shuttle from the Lower/Arrivals Level to the LAX/Metro Transit Center (opened June 6, 2025), then board the Metro C or K Line. To reach Downtown LA you transfer (C Line to the A Line at Willowbrook/Rosa Parks). A simpler one-seat option is the LAX FlyAway express bus to Union Station ($12.75). An airport people mover (SkyLink) is in testing and expected to open later in 2026.

Fare: $1.75 Metro base fare (TAP card, includes 2-hour free transfers) on the C/K Line after the free LAX shuttle; reaching Downtown LA requires a transfer. The LAX FlyAway bus to Union Station is $12.75 one-way.

Hotel courtesy shuttles board on the Upper/Departures Level at the red curbside pylons. LAX FlyAway express buses serve Union Station ($12.75) and Van Nuys. 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.

Here's the math. Parking starts around $10/day, while a round-trip taxi or rideshare to Downtown LA runs about $102. So a round trip by car comes out ahead once you're away more than about 10 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 LAXparking by price & distance — the closest lot isn't always the one that costs the least.

Accessible taxis via dispatch (310-646-9177) are staged to the dark-blue ACCESS sign at the terminal curb; accessible Uber/Lyft (WAV) rides are met at LAX-it; service animals ride free.

Late or overnight arrival? Taxis and Uber/Lyft run 24/7 from LAX-it and the LAX-it shuttle is 24-hour; Metro C/K rail and FlyAway run late but with reduced overnight frequency.

Returning a rental on the way out? Rental offices are off-airport; on return follow each company's signs to its lot near Aviation/Century Blvds (arriving renters meet shuttles under the purple 'Rental Car Shuttles' sign on the Lower/Arrivals Level). A consolidated facility (ConRAC) is planned to open with the people mover. (We cover where to return a car, not where to book one.)

If a fare or a schedule points you elsewhere, the closest airport we cover is LGB (Long Beach), about 17 miles from LAX in a straight line. The same math on this page — drive time, ride cost, security wait — decides whether the extra distance is worth it.