Getting around · San Jose
Getting to and from SJC: taxi, rideshare, transit & the cell-phone lot
The quickest way to San Jose airport is usually a taxi or a rideshare: a metered taxi gets you to downtown San José, 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 SJC TSA wait times today before you decide when to leave.
- Terminals
- 2
- Checkpoints
- 2
- PreCheck
- Yes
- CLEAR
- Yes
- Global Entry
- On site
- Wait data
- Predicted
Taxis from SJC — fare and where to find the stand
Typical taxi fare
Metered
to downtown San José
Drive time
10–15 min
3 mi to downtown San José
A taxi is the simplest door-to-door option and needs no app. Fares to downtown San José are on the meter, so the total depends on traffic and your exact address.
On-demand taxis at Terminal A, Stop 2 and Terminal B, Stop 1. Pre-arranged taxis use Terminal A, Stop 3 and Terminal B, Stop 11. Metered: $15.00 for the first mile, then $4.00 per mile plus $1.00 per minute of wait time. Providers include Yellow, Checker, American, Bay Area and Rainbow Cab.
The SJC cell-phone waiting lot
Picking someone up? Wait free at Cell Phone Waiting Area. 2470 Airport Blvd., beyond the economy lot. There's a posted limit of about 30 minutes, so wait there until your traveler has their bags and is at the curb. Free, open 24 hours, 75 spaces. No commercial vehicles. Stay with your car and wait until your passenger is curbside before driving to the terminal.
Leaving a car for the trip instead of getting dropped off? It's worth checking the lots: compare SJCparking by price & distance.
Where to catch Uber & Lyft at SJC
Uber, Lyft, Wingz and Tesla pick up at Terminal A, Stop 1 and Terminal B, Stops 8-10. Drop-offs are at the departures curb of either terminal. Waymo driverless cars also serve SJC but use different stops: Terminal A, Stop 9 and Terminal B, Stop 7.
Dropping off? App rideshares and taxis drop off at the departures curbs of both terminals. SJC has 2 terminals (A, B), so confirm your airline's before your driver commits to a curb — find your terminal at SJC.
Driving to SJC — routes & drive time
SJC sits about 3 miles from downtown San José, a drive of roughly 10–15 minutes via On Airport Blvd off Highway 87 (Guadalupe Parkway), which links to US-101 and I-880 — 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 SJC by train or transit
VTA Route 60 (Airport Flyer) is free from Terminal A (Stop 7) and Terminal B (Stop 5). It connects to Milpitas BART, the Metro/Airport light-rail station and Winchester, where you can reach VTA light rail, Caltrain, ACE, Amtrak and Greyhound.
Fare: Free to ride from SJC; connecting BART and VTA light rail charge a fare.
Hotel and city shuttles to SJC
Free Airport shuttle buses link the terminals with the Rental Car Center and economy lots; hotel and door-to-door shuttles are also available. 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 SJC?
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 SJCparking by price & distance — the closest lot isn't always the one that costs the least.
Accessibility and late-night rides at SJC
Taxis carry folding wheelchairs at no charge, wheelchair-accessible vans are available with advance notice, and VTA Route 60 is accessible.
Late or overnight arrival? Uber, Lyft and taxis run 24/7; VTA Route 60 and rental-car attendants keep limited overnight hours.
Returning a rental on the way out? Return at the Rental Car Center across from Terminal B at 1639 Airport Blvd. Follow the signs and drive up the ramp; drop-offs are 24/7, with attendants during business hours. (We cover where to return a car, not where to book one.)
Pickup zones and curb rules change — we verified SJC'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 OAK (Oakland), about 29 miles from SJC 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 SJC — check current waits before switching airports.
Before you go SJC
SJC TSA wait times todaySee today's security wait by checkpoint, then time your ride to the airport.Getting-around FAQ SJC
How much is a taxi to or from SJC?
Taxis to downtown San José are metered, so the fare depends on traffic and the exact address. On-demand taxis at Terminal A, Stop 2 and Terminal B, Stop 1. Pre-arranged taxis use Terminal A, Stop 3 and Terminal B, Stop 11.
Where do you catch Uber and Lyft at SJC?
Uber, Lyft, Wingz and Tesla pick up at Terminal A, Stop 1 and Terminal B, Stops 8-10. Drop-offs are at the departures curb of either terminal. Waymo driverless cars also serve SJC but use different stops: Terminal A, Stop 9 and Terminal B, Stop 7. Open the app after you land and follow its pickup pin, not the curb out front.
Where is the SJC cell-phone lot?
Cell Phone Waiting Area — 2470 Airport Blvd., beyond the economy lot. It's free, and you wait there until your traveler texts that they have their bags.
How far is SJC from downtown San José?
SJC is about 3 miles from downtown San José — roughly 10–15 minutes by car depending on traffic, via On Airport Blvd off Highway 87 (Guadalupe Parkway), which links to US-101 and I-880.
Is there a train from SJC to downtown San José?
Not directly. VTA Route 60 (Airport Flyer) is free from Terminal A (Stop 7) and Terminal B (Stop 5). It connects to Milpitas BART, the Metro/Airport light-rail station and Winchester, where you can reach VTA light rail, Caltrain, ACE, Amtrak and Greyhound.