Getting around · St. Louis
Getting to and from STL: taxi, rideshare, transit & the cell-phone lot
The quickest way to St. Louis airport is usually a taxi or a rideshare: a taxi runs about $40–$50 to Downtown St. Louis, and Uber & Lyft pick up in a marked pickup zone. Picking someone up instead? Wait free at the T1 and T2 Cell Phone Lots. 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 STL 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 STL — fare and where to find the stand
Typical taxi fare
~$40–$50
to Downtown St. Louis
Drive time
20–30 min
14 mi to Downtown St. Louis
A taxi is the simplest door-to-door option and needs no app. Expect about $40–$50 to Downtown St. Louis on the meter, before tolls and tip — more in heavy traffic.
Terminal 1: Door 14 to the Garage Yellow Level. Terminal 2: across from Door 12 in the T2 Garage. Fares are metered and depend on your destination, with about $45 to downtown. Each taxi adds a $4 airport use fee per pickup.
The STL cell-phone waiting lot
Picking someone up? Wait free at T1 and T2 Cell Phone Lots. T1 lot at 10985 Lambert International Blvd; T2 lot at 9837 Air Cargo Road. Each is near its terminal. Wait there until your traveler texts that they're at the curb, then loop in once. Reach both lots from Lambert International Boulevard. The T1 lot is 1/3 mile east of the Cypress intersection; the T2 lot is 1/3 mile east on Air Cargo Road. Stay in your vehicle, since you cannot wait at the Arrivals curb.
Leaving a car for the trip instead of getting dropped off? It's worth checking the lots: compare STLparking by price & distance.
Where to catch Uber & Lyft at STL
Uber and Lyft pick up at Terminal 1 Door 6 (Departure level) and Terminal 2 Door 12 (Arrivals level).
Dropping off? Do not stop at the Arrivals curb; drop off departing passengers at the Departures level. STL has 2 terminals (1, 2), so confirm your airline's before your driver commits to a curb — find your terminal at STL.
Driving to STL — routes & drive time
STL sits about 14 miles from Downtown St. Louis, a drive of roughly 20–30 minutes via I-70 is the main route. From the airport take Lambert International Boulevard to I-70 east toward 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 STL by train or transit
By rail, your option is Red Line — figure about 40 minutes to Downtown St. Louis. MetroLink's Red Line boards right at both terminals (T1 station by Door 1, T2 station through the garage at Door 12) and runs to downtown St. Louis in about 35 to 40 minutes.
Fare: $2.50 cash for a one-way rail ride. A 2-hour pass bought from Lambert Airport is $4.00. Buy at the station vending machine or in the Transit app.
Hotel and city shuttles to STL
Hotel, off-airport parking, and rental car shuttles serve both terminals. A Bus Port just south of Terminal 1 handles Greyhound and intercity buses. 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 STL?
Here's the math. Parking starts around $10/day, while a round-trip taxi or rideshare to Downtown St. Louis runs about $90. So a round trip by car comes out ahead once you're away more than about 9 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 STLparking by price & distance — the closest lot isn't always the one that costs the least.
Accessibility and late-night rides at STL
MetroLink stations and trains are accessible, and qualified riders can travel free through Metro's On The Way With ADA program.
Late or overnight arrival? MetroLink runs limited hours late at night, so a taxi or rideshare may be easier overnight.
Returning a rental on the way out? Return rental cars at the off-airport rental locations on Natural Bridge Road; all companies run free shuttles to and from the terminals. (We cover where to return a car, not where to book one.)
Recently changed: Metro Transit launches a new fare system on July 6, 2026, with new ticket machines and payment options, so fares and machines may change. Pickup zones and curb rules change — we verified STL'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 SGF (Springfield), about 195 miles from STL 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 STL — check current waits before switching airports.
Before you go STL
STL TSA wait times todaySee today's security wait by checkpoint, then time your ride to the airport.Getting-around FAQ STL
How much is a taxi to or from STL?
A metered taxi to Downtown St. Louis typically runs about $40–$50, before tolls and tip and more in heavy traffic. Terminal 1: Door 14 to the Garage Yellow Level. Terminal 2: across from Door 12 in the T2 Garage.
Where do you catch Uber and Lyft at STL?
Uber and Lyft pick up at Terminal 1 Door 6 (Departure level) and Terminal 2 Door 12 (Arrivals level). Open the app after you land and follow its pickup pin, not the curb out front.
Where is the STL cell-phone lot?
T1 and T2 Cell Phone Lots — T1 lot at 10985 Lambert International Blvd; T2 lot at 9837 Air Cargo Road. Each is near its terminal. It's free, and you wait there until your traveler texts that they have their bags.
How far is STL from Downtown St. Louis?
STL is about 14 miles from Downtown St. Louis — roughly 20–30 minutes by car depending on traffic, via I-70 is the main route. From the airport take Lambert International Boulevard to I-70 east toward downtown.
Is there a train from STL to Downtown St. Louis?
Yes. MetroLink's Red Line boards right at both terminals (T1 station by Door 1, T2 station through the garage at Door 12) and runs to downtown St. Louis in about 35 to 40 minutes.